Stained Glass Summer
Mindy Hardwick
Thank you for coming to chat with us today. Why do you think Mindy Hardwick choose you to represent her/him?
First of all, Mindy did not choose me to represent her. I chose her to represent me! I sat down in her bedroom, tossed my legs over her blue and white striped chair and insisted she tell my story. Mindy has a strong survival spirit. I knew that was going to be important to tell my story. I’d had a hard road. I knew Mindy was just the right author to be able to understand the story and she had the persistence to not give up on my story when it didn’t sell for ten years.
Tell us a little about yourself?
I am twelve-years old and an artist! I’m spending the summer on a Pacific Northwest island and learning stained glass.
What is your biggest fear?
I was always afraid Dad would leave. He did, and I had to learn to let go of him. The good part was my biggest fear became a story. Not everyone can say they are a main character in a novel!
Is there anything you wish Mindy Hardwick had kept their mouth shut about?
Well, it’s kinda embarrassing to see how obsessed I was about Dad! I mean, I could have just enjoyed living on the island for the summer, but every time I turned around, I was wondering if Dad was going to call me or come home. I know it was important to the story, but, gosh, I wish Mindy didn’t have to include all of my moping about Dad!
Tell us about Cole what drew you to him?
STAINED GLASS SUMMER is the story of my artistic journey. But, there is this boy…Cole! Cole is thirteen, and I first heard about him on the ferry when Opal picked me up. Opal is his Mom. Opal teaches me stained glass. She is good friends with Uncle Jasper.
The morning I met Cole, I was sitting on the front porch with Uncle Jasper. I hadn’t even brushed my teeth yet, and Cole came riding up on his bike. He was so cute! But, I didn’t want to get too close to him because I was afraid he would smell my bad breath. That morning, I just knew Cole was going to be the first boy I kissed. But, it did take almost my whole story before I got that first kiss. The kiss was perfect!
Why should the readers be interested in your story?
My story is important because it’s about learning that a kid can’t cause a parent to get divorced. It took me a long time to learn that Dad didn’t leave because of something I did or didn’t do. And, I think the strength of my story is that I use my experience to help someone else. I become a mentor to five-year-old Sammy who has some of her own problems and reminds me a lot of me. My story also taught me that an artist is not only someone who wins awards like Dad. An artist is someone who cares about others and is involved in their community. I think that’s a pretty good thing to understand!
Will we be seeing more of you or are you stepping out of the lime light?
I do have another story….ducks head shyly….and I hope Mindy will tell it. It’s the story of my relationship with Cole. In STAINED GLASS SUMMER, I meet Cole and finally get my first kiss. But, that story is focused on my artist journey. A few years later, there’s more to my story with Cole. The problem is Mindy is a very busy writer. Maybe, Cole and I will both have to show up in her blue chair and insist she tell OUR story!
Mindy Hardwick
Thank you for coming to chat with us today. Why do you think Mindy Hardwick choose you to represent her/him?
First of all, Mindy did not choose me to represent her. I chose her to represent me! I sat down in her bedroom, tossed my legs over her blue and white striped chair and insisted she tell my story. Mindy has a strong survival spirit. I knew that was going to be important to tell my story. I’d had a hard road. I knew Mindy was just the right author to be able to understand the story and she had the persistence to not give up on my story when it didn’t sell for ten years.
Tell us a little about yourself?
I am twelve-years old and an artist! I’m spending the summer on a Pacific Northwest island and learning stained glass.
What is your biggest fear?
I was always afraid Dad would leave. He did, and I had to learn to let go of him. The good part was my biggest fear became a story. Not everyone can say they are a main character in a novel!
Is there anything you wish Mindy Hardwick had kept their mouth shut about?
Well, it’s kinda embarrassing to see how obsessed I was about Dad! I mean, I could have just enjoyed living on the island for the summer, but every time I turned around, I was wondering if Dad was going to call me or come home. I know it was important to the story, but, gosh, I wish Mindy didn’t have to include all of my moping about Dad!
Tell us about Cole what drew you to him?
STAINED GLASS SUMMER is the story of my artistic journey. But, there is this boy…Cole! Cole is thirteen, and I first heard about him on the ferry when Opal picked me up. Opal is his Mom. Opal teaches me stained glass. She is good friends with Uncle Jasper.
The morning I met Cole, I was sitting on the front porch with Uncle Jasper. I hadn’t even brushed my teeth yet, and Cole came riding up on his bike. He was so cute! But, I didn’t want to get too close to him because I was afraid he would smell my bad breath. That morning, I just knew Cole was going to be the first boy I kissed. But, it did take almost my whole story before I got that first kiss. The kiss was perfect!
Why should the readers be interested in your story?
My story is important because it’s about learning that a kid can’t cause a parent to get divorced. It took me a long time to learn that Dad didn’t leave because of something I did or didn’t do. And, I think the strength of my story is that I use my experience to help someone else. I become a mentor to five-year-old Sammy who has some of her own problems and reminds me a lot of me. My story also taught me that an artist is not only someone who wins awards like Dad. An artist is someone who cares about others and is involved in their community. I think that’s a pretty good thing to understand!
Will we be seeing more of you or are you stepping out of the lime light?
I do have another story….ducks head shyly….and I hope Mindy will tell it. It’s the story of my relationship with Cole. In STAINED GLASS SUMMER, I meet Cole and finally get my first kiss. But, that story is focused on my artist journey. A few years later, there’s more to my story with Cole. The problem is Mindy is a very busy writer. Maybe, Cole and I will both have to show up in her blue chair and insist she tell OUR story!
Website: www.mindyhardwick.com
Website: Blog: www.mindyhardwick.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stainedglasssummer
Twitter: @mindyhardwick
5 comments:
I love your character's voice and all the layers to her story. Sounds like a great YA novel!
I'm reading STAINED GLASS SUMMER right now, and I immediately got pulled into Jasmine's story. She's a very believable character, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen next. Great book!
I agree with Sara, a great character voice. No wonder Mindy had to write her story. I'm sure she wouldn't have left her alone!
I love these! Great interview. Sounds like an awesome story! You'll do wonderful with it!
Thanks all!
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