#NoSeriously

Interview: @alexkarola

The Five Unique Questions

Question One:

WHEN YOU FALL was inspired by your own days as a swimmer competing on a diving team. Did you see the types of issues tackled in your book (bulimia, anorexia) often?

My diving team was really small and close-knit, like Sean's and Katy's team in When You Fall. Even so, people don't always share everything they are going through. If anyone on my team in high school was suffering from an eating disorder, I didn't know about it. That doesn't mean it wasn't happening. There was definitely pressure to have a "diver's body" and if someone didn't, it was noticed and critiqued by our coach. So I'm sure everyone felt the pressure. We all worked out a lot, maybe too much, and competed against each other during practice. I ended up getting a stress fracture in my foot because of the intense conditioning we did.

My eating disorder started after high school, but I'm sure the seeds were already planted back then. As a diver you're basically up on a pedestal for everyone to scrutinize, and you are literally judged for the way you look and how streamlined you are. So I'm sure it played a part in the way we as divers felt about our bodies. I chose diving as the sport in When You Fall because I knew it was a feasible problem and it's a sport I can relate to and write about.

Question Two:

If so, how widespread a problem was it? Do you think that sports in general foster a "Better than Best" mindset that can cause problems for athletes, particularly teenage ones?

There's no question that athletes, particularly teenage athletes, are at a high risk for developing eating disorders. Coaches must be aware of this danger and be educated about the warning signs and prevention.

Whether or not sports foster a negative or healthy self-image depends on how the adults involved handle things. Adults need to advocate for their teen athletes and give them healthy guidelines, positive role modeling and reassurance of their worth. Whenever teen athletes do feel pressured to be a certain body shape or weight, or to do something unhealthy, they need to be their own advocates and speak out. Teens' bodies are still growing and their weights and shapes go through many natural changes as they develop. While sports can be a healthy activity, dieting and over-exercising are extremely dangerous and detrimental to teens.

Question Three:

After When You Fall is completed, what are you looking to write next?

I have two projects I will be working on after When You Fall. The first is Human Voices Wake Us, another teen book with fantasy elements that deals with bullying, trauma, and mental illness. I am also planning a Wattpad serial called Six Degrees of Valhalla, a mystery told by six different teens from Valhalla, the town in When You Fall. It takes place shortly after the events of When You Fall and there are many familiar character appearances.

Question Four:

You support #weneeddiverse books. How did you become aware/supportive of this cause?

I learned about #weneeddiversebooks from the author Matt de la Peña, when he spoke at a book festival a few years ago. I love this cause, because the characters in my books represent several diverse groups. I write about characters who could be from the community I live in: people of the southwestern United States, of various backgrounds, economic groups, cultures, and beliefs. I write with my students in mind, and want them to see inspiring and authentic representations of who they are in my books.

Question Five:

As an advocate for positive self-image, what do you think can be done in literature, and in our society, to foster a mindset of health, wellness, and self-love?