Today author Wendelin Van Draanen joins me for an interview. Welcome, Wendelin!

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LB: I’m very glad you encouraged me to read Hope in the Mail. I laughed through your stories of the Turquoise Turkey and family camping trips, and I loved learning the behind-the-scenes of your publication journey and your descriptions of story elements. Even in nonfiction, your voice is relatable and humorous. What was it like for your math students to find out you’re an author? 

WV: Thanks for making time to read Hope in the Mail—it’s my hope that it serves as inspiration and motivation for people interested in writing and/or publishing. I know it would have helped me a lot when I was trying to juggle a “real” job, family, and writing! And my students? They were like, Whaaat? when my first novel got accepted because they had no idea I’d been writing and trying to get published for about ten years. They also had no idea that I’d regularly lift names for characters from my gradebook!

LB: Haha, way to surprise them! Do you have any favorite stories of meeting a fan?

WV: Oh my gosh. Fans make me cry. They are the best. I actually have a lot of stories about “Sammiacs”—people who are really into the Sammy Keyes series and have gone to great lengths to come out and see me on tour. I’ve also had the most wonderful, thoughtful, and sometimes heart-wrenching letters/emails from people who have strongly identified with one of my stand-alone titles. Runaway, especially, but also Flipped, The Running Dream, and The Peach Rebellion seem to reach people’s heart in unexpected ways. I’m always so grateful to receive mail like that because I put a lot of emotion and effort into the books I write, and reader reaction is actually the payoff that means the most to me. 

LB: Oh, that must be so gratifying to meet Sammiacs and receive heartfelt mail! Generally speaking, I see very few movies, but Flipped was a movie that I fully enjoyed (and then I fell in love with the book!). What was it like to see your book developed into film? 

WV: Wow, I could talk about this for days. At first it was very…strange. The only real difference between the book and the movie is the time period. I wrote it as a more contemporary story, but the director (Rob Reiner) wanted to set it in the 50’s & 60’s. His reasoning made sense to me, and I’m actually glad he made that choice because it created an “instant classic” feel to the movie. But the strange part about that was seeing the characters “come to life” in a time period that was before they originally existed (in my mind). But I’m over that now and feel really fortunate that the movie is so true to the book. It has a real cult following now, which leads people to discovering the book, which is awesome. 

LB: I know what you mean about the 50’s-60’s setting giving the movie a classic feel, which is great even if it’s different from the book (and I’m also really glad the movie is so true to the book). When you first began writing Juli, did you know about her uncle, or did that element in the story emerge later as you got to know Juli? 

WV: Interesting question! But yes, Juli’s uncle appeared very early in the process. There is a personal-experience element to his subplot, but the global view of it is a reminder of how one shift in life can completely alter its course. It also illustrates how our reaction to difficult, life-changing events can make us more compassionate and stronger if we accept that yes, life is unfair, and choose to move forward with heart and honor.

LB: Eloquent explanation. You don’t describe yourself as someone who loves running, but your health and imagination benefit from it, so you keep doing it. Next time you run a marathon, let’s say you come across the blind runner tethered to the seeing runner. Would you tell him that he played a role in the inspiration for The Running Dream? 

WV: Haha, no, I wouldn’t interrupt him in the middle of that arduous effort! But I continue to try to make up for my initial lack of understanding whenever I do a school visit assembly for The Running Dream. The punchline of the story I tell being my husband asking me, “So who’s the idiot here?” The answer, of course, is me.

LB: Haha, well you certainly did something meaningful from the experience! Speaking of that powerful book, have any readers shared with you that The Running Dream has had an exceptional impact on them? 

WV: Yes. Many. Schools that do All School Reads or One Book Community Reads often choose The Running Dream and then have me as a guest speaker as the program culminates. Those visits are filled with people sharing incredible stories of how the book has inspired them or instilled them with determination—usually not regarding running or sports, but about being resilient in the face of adversity. Teachers also love it as a tool to get students thinking more inclusively, which was actually my goal with the book, so that’s emotionally rewarding for me.

LB: That sounds wonderfully rewarding! Isn’t it cool how a character’s experience can touch readers who don’t even share the same hobby? With your Sammy Keyes books, did you know each mystery’s ending when you started writing (minus Sammy’s birthday/grade mix-up)?

WV: Especially with mysteries, I believe it’s not fair to the reader if the writer doesn’t know who-dun-it from the get-go. It’s really important to me to write a “fair” mystery—one where you give the careful reader everything they need to solve the mystery at about the same time as the protagonist does—and how can you accomplish that if you’re just winging it? So, yes, I know the ending before I begin. I also knew the how the overarching plot of the Sammy Keyes series would end, and it’s actually what kept me driving forward through the 18-books. By the way, knowing the ending before I begin writing is also a must for me before beginning a stand-alone novel. For me, it’s better for the plot if I know where I’m headed. No fruitless “trips to grandma’s” in my books!

LB: I’m a bit in awe of mystery writers, but the importance of fair mysteries seems to be a common thread. Even though the idea of writing a mystery is, well, mysterious to me, I can understand the need to know where the book is headed and how every plot point needs to be a step toward the goal. You’ve won awards and hit bestseller lists. How do you define success? 

WV: You can have all the externals—money, fame, acclaim—but if you’re not more than superficially happy, you’re failing at life. So do the things that give you a deep internal happiness. In writing, that should be embracing the joy of the craft no matter how hard it feels at times. Do it because you love it, not because you want to be rich or famous or published. And in life, don’t measure yourself against others. Instead, be grateful for all you do have, or have accomplished. Happiness beyond the superficial is something many people we perceive as successful haven’t managed to achieve, so never measure yourself against them. They aren’t successful at life, and that’s what truly matters.

LB: You packed a lot of worthwhile advice into that thoughtful response. Can you tell readers a little about your current writing project? 

WV: I’m having such a good time with this latest novel! Joy of the craft, right? This one’s a doozy of a thriller/mystery for young adults involving murder, subterfuge, family dysfunction, chess geeks, and, well, Twinkies. Does that sound like a Wendelin book, or what? It’s titled The Steps (think stepsisters) and will be out in Fall of 2025 (or thereabouts) through Holiday House. Can’t wait!

LB: That’s the best – when writing the book is fully enjoyable. What’s your favorite way to connect with readers?

WV: I actually love meeting them in person! That happens mostly during school visits, at conferences, and when I’m on book tour. But email (through my website: www.WendelinVanD.com) is always fun and appreciated, and the written letter via a publisher is precious (but often very delayed). And of course I love (and try to respond to) posts online (X, Facebook, Insta, TikTok—all @WendelinVanD). I appreciate my readers so much and do try to remain available to them. 

LB: Your dedication to your readers shows 🙂 Thank you, Wendelin! Readers, comment below with your favorite Wendelin book!

WV: Thanks again for reading (and loving!) my work. Best wishes.

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​Wendelin Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers and teens. She is the author of the 18-book Edgar-winning Sammy Keyes series—often called “The new Nancy Drew”—and wrote Flipped, which was named a Top 100 Children’s Novel for the 21st Century by School Library Journal and became a Warner Brothers feature film, with Rob Reiner directing.

Van Draanen’s latest novel, The Peach Rebellion, explores the lives and loves of three young women who come from completely different backgrounds and join forces to take a stand against the patriarchy.
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Her other stand-alone titles include Wild Bird, The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, Runaway, Confessions of a Serial Kisser, Swear to Howdy, and The Running Dream, which was awarded American Library Association’s Schneider Family Award for its “expression of the disability experience.” 

Van Draanen has also created two four-book series for younger readers.  The Shredderman books feature a boy who deals with a bully and received the Christopher Award for “affirming the highest values of the human spirit,” and was made into a Nickelodeon movie. The related Gecko & Sticky books, which are full of alluring alliterations that make for rousing read-alouds, are perfect for reluctant readers.
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A classroom teacher for fifteen years, Van Draanen resides in California where she can be spotted riding shopping carts across parking lots. She and her husband, Mark Parsons, have two sons and enjoy the three R’s: Reading, Running, and Rock’n’Roll.