A Teen Blog Interview with Melody Carlson

I went from being an atheist to a Christian during my teens. As a result I lived out a wide spectrum of experiences that are still vivid in my memory—sort of like the Wild Child meets the Jesus Freak and all the crazy scenarios that went with that. Anyway, I think that helps me to relate to teens today—combined with the fact that I really enjoy teens.

I’ve read a wide range of authors over the years, but I really like the ones who focus on relationships and character development. In women’s fiction, I particularly enjoy writers like Elizabeth Berg, Anne Tyler, Rosamund Pilcher, and Barbara Kingsolver and Maeve Binchy.

Notes from a Spinning Planet is inspired from my own travels. I served as a short-term-assistant on the mission field when I was only nineteen. And then I traveled around the world. The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor is my attempt to show readers that the most powerful supernatural force is God.

I did visit these places. I actually lived in Papua New Guinea for a year (while working in missions) and, believe me, that was a totally amazing experience that still makes my head spin to remember the crazy things I did there. Later on I visited Ireland with family. I fell in love with the emerald island and its remarkable culture and history. And finally, my husband I vacationed in Cabo—truly delightful! Even though I’d been in these places, when it came time to write, I did have to research. For me that’s part of the fun of writing. And research is made so much easier with the internet—with a click of the mouse you can travel the world. Still, it’s more fun to do it for real. And I don’t usually write about places I haven’t actually been to—unless it’s just in passing. I think books are more authentic when we write about what we know or have truly experienced. And I encourage writers to look closely at the places and things that are familiar Sure, that may seem ordinary to them, but to others it’s fresh and new. I think it’s all in how you tell a story. One of my favorite writers (Elizabeth Berg) has a gift for taking what might otherwise seem mundane and making it really compelling.

I hoped that Maddie’s curiosity about life, culture, the globe...would inspire readers to look beyond their “everyday” American teen experiences. Sort of broaden their perspectives and remind them that there’s a great, big world out there. And I wanted to show how people all over the planet are faced with serious challenges. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own problems that we forget that others are starving or suffering from AIDS.

It was fun helping Maddie to mature. I think she, like other people her age, was a little lost. So many high school graduates struggle to find where they fit in or what they should do with their lives. Sending Maddie around the world was a fun way to grow her up. And she did develop compassion and concern. Seeing others in difficult situations made her less selfish and shallow. And eventually, her main concerns were to help them.

I really wanted Maddie to go to Africa: But, alas, I haven’t been there myself and it didn’t look like we could work out a trip in time for a book. But so much is going on over there—with AIDS orphans, starvation, wars...and yet there is also a revival. I think Maddie could have a great time there. Our church supports an orphanage/school in Uganda. Who knows...maybe Maddie will pop over and help out someday.

I hope that these books will encourage readers to look outside of their own lives and be concerned with the bigger picture. I see a trend of teens and twenty-somethings stepping outside of their comfort zones and heading to third world countries, rolling up their sleeves and ultimately changing lives. Of course, the biggest payoff is that when you help others, your life usually changes the most. I can attest to this from my own experience at that age. Spending just one year in Papua New Guinea changed my whole outlook and impacted the rest of my life.

A lot of TV, books, movies have focused on the “supernatural” recently. And I know that teens, particularly girls, have a high interest in “unexplainable” phenomenon. And since I believe that God is the highest, most powerful supernatural power, I thought why not create a fictional story to celebrate this fact. Consequently, I created a character with an unusual gifting...and then I simply ran with it.

I knew that writing a “supernatural” series like this would be tricky. So I had to create a character with a very strong foundation of faith. She’s been through a lot (her father was murdered, her mother is floundering, her brother is an addict...) but ultimately she relies on God to carry her through her trials. My hope is that readers will be inspired to do the same. As far as Sam’s gift, I want readers to realize that her story is fiction and her gift is highly unusual, but that everyone has unique gifts—and that they need to seek out God, not the gifts, since he is the great giver of gifts.

I try to write about issues that are relevant to our times. Whether global concerns on a “shrinking” planet or the dangers of the internet, I want to write books that not only entertain, but inform. If one of my stories helps a reader to make a better choice—either sparing her from an internet misfortune or encouraging her to reach out and help others—I think my job is done.

Mostly I want readers to be inspired to be as connected to God as Samantha strives to be. It’s something I’ve attempted to do in my own life and it’s a path I can highly recommend. I also want to remind readers that God is enormously powerful and unexplainably supernatural. But even so, he is hugely interested in each individual life. He wants to connect with us. If readers get that, I am happy!