Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to questions frequently asked by readers and by students doing book reports.

Q: What made you decide to become a writer?

A: I've been writing since I was a kid starting with truly terrible plays I put on starring my little sisters in costumes pulled from the dress-up bin. Later, as a skinny fourth grader, I carried my father's old briefcase back and forth to school full of plays and stories I'd inflict on my friends and teachers. When I left college, I worked as a newspaper journalist. I occasionally write magazine stories but now I mainly concentrate on fiction.

I write to figure out who I am and how I feel about things. I also write to give voice to experiences that might not otherwise be spoken about.

Q: Did you have a friend or family member who cut? Did you cut?

A: The story isn't autobiographical; it was inspired by a piece I read in the New York Times magazine several years ago. That was the first I'd heard of self-injury. But once I'd started researching the topic, I met and interviewed several people who'd cut themselves.

Q: I'm doing a book report and want to know how you decided to write about people who hurt themselves?

A: Although I've never hurt myself, I think I identified with the feelings of guilt and anxiety that most self-injurers describe. I tend to turn those feelings against myself " not by hurting myself physically " but by listening to and believing the critical voices in my head. That, I think, is what the book is really about: the way we all punish ourselves unnecessarily.

Q: Are you writing another book? What about?

A: I've just finished a book about two brothers and what happens to their relationship when the older brother develops a drug problem. It's not a book about drugs, exactly, it's about divided loyalties, about what happens when one person keeps another person's secret. It's called My Brother's Keeper and it was published by Hyperion Books for Children in June 2005.

Q: What do you hope readers will get from your books?

A: When I read, I consciously or unconsciously look for aspects of my own life in the story. I'm probably looking for answers in the books I read, if not answers, at least to find someone who's struggling with the same questions I am. I've always taken great comfort knowing there's an author or a character out there trying to make sense of some of the same things I am. My hope is that people who are coping with any of the difficult issues facing teenagers will see the struggles of the characters -- Callie, the girls at Sea Pines, Toby, Jake, their parents -- with compassion. Then I hope they'll see their own lives in a new light, with more understanding and hope for themselves.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A: I get ideas everywhere often from real life incidents in the newspaper or from the lives and stories of my friends. I also pester my kids and their friends for ideas. Sometimes, ideas just come to me in the form of images. I then write into that image to see if there's a story behind it.

Q: How much research did you do for Cut?

A: Writing Cut took three years. I started out doing a lot of research. Then, at the advice of an editor friend, I decided to put all my research material aside and let the story come, not from my notes or my books, but from my imagination. After the book was finished I visited a clinic for girls who self-injure. I was terrified that I'd gotten everything wrong. I was pleased and touched to see that my imaginary characters were surprisingly similar to the real people who shared their stories with me.

More importantly, I was gratified by the girls who read the manuscript and who told me how pleased they were that someone was interested in telling their story.

Q: Who is your favorite author and why?

A: My favorite author is probably Tobias Wolff, author of This Boy's Life. I also love Carson McCullers, author of Member of the Wedding.

Q: Who are your favorite comtemporary writers?

A. Some of my favorite writers are also, happily, my friends. Rachel Cohn, David Levithan, Sarah Weeks, Laura Gerringer and Libba Gray. The best new book I've read is Looking for Alaska by John Greene. It blew me away.

Q: Why did Callie cut? Why didn't she talk to anyone?

A: Callie cut herself because of feelings of guilt and anger that she couldn't express verbally. She was unable to speak, I think, because she was afraid of being misunderstood and afraid of letting out a secret that could have troubling consequences for the rest of her family.

Q: Is Sea Pines a real place?

A: Sea Pines is an imaginary place but it is modeled after a facility I visited once to see a friend.

Q: My friend is hurting herself. What should I do?

A: It may not be easy, especially if your friend has asked you not to tell anyone what she's doing, but you should turn this problem over to a trusted adult -- a teacher, guidance counselor or parent. Cutting can start out as a way to cope with overwhelming feelings, but it can quickly come to dominate a person's life, driving her away from the support of friends and family. The only way to stop is to get help.

You may also want to direct your friend to www.selfinjury.com, a responsible web site set up specifically to help self-injurers. This can be a good way for someone to start to get help and to get information about how destructive it can be. The founders of this site have written a wonderful book, Bodily Harm.

Q: Do you make library or classroom visits?

A: To schedule a shool or library visit, contact Dorcas Trawick at DorcasAlyce@aol.com.


If you are working on a book report, or have more questions, please contact me at pattymcpushback@aol.com.