Guest Post
The Electric Girl: Character Hang Out
Would you ever hang out with fictional characters?
If the answer is yes, today’s post is right up your alley. We’re chatting with author Christine Hart – and the lead characters of her new YA, The Electric Girl. Keep reading to meet two incredibly unique girls – and their creator.
Christine, what should we know about you before we meet your characters?
I wear a lot of hats. I’m a tech blogger, mother of two, and a metalsmith with a small Etsy shop. I’m one of those ladies that decided to go the side-hustle route when I became a mother. Because child care is expensive and if you don’t have a boss, you don’t need permission to stay home with a sick kid or drive someone to a dentist appointment.
On a related note, I’m not as young as I used to be. I think it’s relevant for YA authors and as much as I love it, I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to write for young readers. I started writing YA fiction when I was 26 and I felt well-equipped to revisit my teen mindset. At this moment, I’m 42. I have children of my own – the oldest of which is much closer to his teen years than I am to mine.
And still, I relish chances to inhabit that phase of life. They were the years I was most free to be myself without too many demands. Hopefully I’ll know if I start missing the mark in my books.
Polly, what do you want to tell us about how you handled yourself in this story?
I still can’t believe it all really happened. I have these little moments where I look at the repairs on my house – or I glance at my pendant from Psyche – and I know it was real.
Part of me thinks it’s awesome that I could be so brave and that I fought as hard as I did. And then I think, ‘Oh, my god, that could have gone so badly! What was I thinking?’
I feel kind of like I don’t need to make excuses for myself anymore. I’m pretty fantastic. Nowadays, anybody that doesn’t see that can suck rocks. My friends and I rule!
Psyche, can you share something none of our readers learned about you in the book?
I do feel a sense of being drawn out into the universe. I do not know if this is to continue interstellar and inter-dimensional exploration, or perhaps to somehow continue to develop my individual consciousness. I never pursued self-improvement for its own sake; I was a gatherer of knowledge and then a guardian. I have a growing need to find out what it will be like to simply exist for my personal enjoyment.
I was very fortunate to (mostly) enjoy my teen years, awkwardness and all. I was an art/literature geek, but I rebelled too. I was a careful student, but I did bad things. (I won’t elaborate too much on that last point.) I struggled to balance academic and social. I felt unrequited love, artistic let-downs, and the disappointment in self that most over-achievers typically feel. Throw in a little imposter syndrome and that’s me in a nutshell.
An awesome cover and an intriguing synopsis, this sounds like a must read for me. Thank you for sharing the book and author details
ReplyDeleteAnastasia, thank you for posting about The Electric Girl. Much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteI'm new to Magic Realism.
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