As a deputy district attorney, I have worked with many girls who have been neglected or abused and I have fallen in love with their courage and vulnerability. You don't realize how much a part of you people become until you start writing. Stephanie, the main character in invisible girl is kind of a compilation of a lot of the girls who've trusted me to take care of them in court.
What lessons will readers learn from your novel?
I hope they will learn hope! That no matter where you come from or how you grow up, you don't have to let other people have power over you.
Can you tell us what Stephanie is like?
Stephanie is someone who very much wants to be loved like all of us. She has to go through the tough stuff of middle school, but it's even harder for her because of her background. At the end, we see who she really is and she's someone with a lot of courage.
Was there a part of the novel that was hard to write?
None of it was hard to write since the story seemed to be already in my head, but the first chapter was really hard to go back and read. I felt like putting a footnote at the bottom of the page to let people know that the book had a happy ending.
How does your mood affect your writing?
Very good question! As I analyze it, I think I can answer it better that my mood doesn't affect the writing, but the writing affects my mood. Whatever mood I'm in, as soon as I get back into my character's life, I'm really happy.
What are you working on now?
I'm working on the rewrites for the Comedown Life which comes out next year at this time. The main character is sort of the opposite of Stephanie in some ways, she comes from a lot of money and is sent to a factory town to live with a father she barely knows.
Today is the release of your novel. Invite them to grab a copy!
Since today is the release of invisible girl, I would be thrilled if anyone were so kind as to enter the world of my girl and see if you feel as protective about her as I did.
Thank you Mary!
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When poor Boston girl Stephanie is abandoned by her abusive mother and taken in by Annie’s Beverly Hills family, she feels anything but home. Her dark complexion and accent stick out like a sore thumb in the golden-hued world of blondes and extravagance. These are girls who seem to live life in fastforward, while Stephanie is stuck on pause. Yet when a new rival moves to town, threatening Annie’s queen-bee status, Stephanie finds herself taking sides in a battle she never even knew existed, and that feeling invisible is a wound that can only be healed by standing up for who she is.
Brilliant newcomer Mary Hanlon Stone delivers a compulsively readable insider’s view of growing up in a world where money and privilege don’t always glitter.
For more info and updates, visit Mary's Official Website.
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That sounds like a really cool book! Definitely one I'd check out in the library, and I like the cover.
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