Together at Midnight - Hardcover

Q&A with Jennifer Castle about Together at Midnight:

What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
I knew I wanted to write about two characters who had made a mistake together in the past and were forced to forge a relationship moving forward. I also knew that I wanted to set a story in New York City during that weird-but-magical limbo between Christmas and New Year's. But I was struggling to find the heart of the story. And you really, uh, pretty much need one. Then, a tragedy happened in my town. A teenage girl took her own life, and at her memorial, her family's rabbi delivered a eulogy that really resonated with me. He urged the young people in our community: "Look out for each other. Be brave. Risk losing a friend in order to help them. Share your deepest fears with each other, and your biggest dreams. Loving one another is wonderful and life-giving, but also very risky and challenging work. And it is the best thing you will ever do. Be bold, take a deep breath, and reach out."

That was when I knew this was going to be a story about kindness, and discovering how hard it can be, and how it doesn't always look the way we think it should. I felt it was a book that I needed to read and hoped others did, too.

Who is your favorite character in the book?
I loved writing Max because I've never written from a male POV before, and I just had such a crush on him by the end. He's sweet and smart and funny but also terribly neurotic. Neurotic is adorable! But I guess if I had to pick, my favorite character is Kendall. Because getting inside the head of this teen girl with ADHD helped me better understand my own adolescent daughter, who also has ADHD. I wish I could always see the world the way Kendall does.

Which came first, the title or the novel?
I had the inklings of the novel when the title fell into my lap. Well, okay. I stole it outright from my older daughter, who did a painting with one of her friends in art class and called it "Together at Midnight." I usually suck at titles, and here was this great one. So I grabbed it (with my daughter's permission) and the New Year's setting emerged from there. I love the double meaning, too -- we must all stick together at "midnight" if we're going to survive this crazy world.

Thinking way back to the beginning, what's the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?
One big thing I've learned, and sometimes have to keep learning, is that you can't write like anyone else. You can only write as yourself, and about things you care about. I have a yellow Post-It in my office that says "Trust Your Voice," and even though it's always there on the wall, I still doubt myself. Is anyone going to buy this book? Will I get good reviews? Why can't I sound like Amazing Author Who Just Won a Big Award? But you can't think that way. The other important thing I've learned is that if you take the time to craft complex, realistic characters, everything else about your story will come more easily. I am all about the characters!

What do you like most about the cover of the book?
I love everything about this cover, but most of all the paper buildings created by artist Beatrix Boros. They really evoke the feeling that you can make a place, even a big city like New York, your own...as long as you are with people you want to be with, and stay open to possibility. I also love the hand-painted title by HarperCollins designer Heather Daugherty. It's a work of art unto itself.

Which character gave you the most trouble when writing this book?
I would say Eliza was the most difficult to write. She is the "cool, edgy, risk- taking" girl. She was an antagonist in What Happens Now, and starts off that way in this book as well. But in this book, we're seeing her through Max's eyes, who is her ex- boyfriend and they have a complicated past. It was challenging to portray her from these different angles. In Together at Midnight, there are short passages from the POV of various characters that Max and Kendall interact with. Toward the end of the book, we finally get to hear Eliza's POV. I rewrote her scene many times, because I felt a lot of responsibility to finally write her as a narrator, to really see what she was thinking and feeling, and explain some of her behavior. I'm glad I was able to conclude my connection to her that way.

Did you have a writing playlist for this book?
Yes! A hugely long one! You can find it on Spotify and it includes songs from Bastille, Capital Cities, The Head and the Heart, Mumford & Sons, and The Strumbellas. Check it out!

Jennifer Castle is a proud geek and the author of ten books for children and teens. Her YA novels published by HarperCollins include THE BEGINNING OF AFTER, which was an American Library Association Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE, WHAT HAPPENS NOW, and TOGETHER AT MIDNIGHT. Her four-book middle grade fantasy series from Bloomsbury USA is BUTTERFLY WISHES. She's also the co-author of two non-fiction books, FAMOUS FRIENDS: BEST BUDS, ROCKY RELATIONSHIPS, AND AWESOMELY ODD COUPLES FROM PAST TO PRESENT and FRIENDS AND FRENEMIES: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE AWKWARD. Jennifer lives in New York's Hudson Valley with her husband, two daughters, and two cats/writing assistants on the edge of deep woods that are most definitely filled with magic...she just hasn't found it yet. You can visit her online at jennifercastle.com.