About the Book
By Michaela MacColl
$16.99
Ages 12 and Up
April 2013
One day, fifteen-year-old Emily Dickinson meets a mysterious, handsome young man. Surprisingly, he doesn’t seem to know who she or her family is. And even more surprisingly, he playfully refuses to divulge his name. Emily enjoys her secret flirtation with Mr. “Nobody” until he turns up dead in her family’s pond. She’s stricken with guilt. Only Emily can discover who this enigmatic stranger was before he’s condemned to be buried in an anonymous grave. Her investigation takes her deep into town secrets, blossoming romance, and deadly danger. Exquisitely written and meticulously researched, this novel celebrates Emily Dickinson’s intellect and spunk in a page-turner of a book that will excite fans of mystery, romance, and poetry alike.
"MacColl skillfully draws from Dickenson’s life to create a vision of the young poet as sharp-thinking, nature-obsessed, and determinedly curious..." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"A suspenseful, often humorous historical novel... MacColl demonstrates how accessible Dickinson's poetry was." --Shelf Awareness for Readers, starred review
“This imaginative take on the young poet... will find a wide audience for both classroom connections and personal reading.” --Booklist
“MacColl takes a character that most people do not really know much about and brings her to life... fun, interesting reading” --VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates
About Michaela MacColl
Michaela MacColl studied multi-disciplinary history at Vassar College and Yale University, which turns out to be the perfect degree for writing historical fiction. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and three extremely large cats in Connecticut
Also by Michaela MacColl:
1. What inspired you to write Nobody’s Secret? Was it an idea that had been marinating for a while or did it come to you all at once?
I love historical mysteries and I wanted to write one. For preference about the childhood of a famous writer. I’ve always liked Emily Dickinson and she seemed to fit the bill – particularly since her reclusive adult life is so famous – I wanted to show a different side to Emily.
Once I had chosen Emily, I needed a murder victim. For that I turned to her poetry. One of my favorite poems is “I’m Nobody, Who are You? / Are you Nobody too?” The poem is about Emily’s need for anonymity and solitude – but still she’s speaking to someone! Who? Who inspired the poem? Might she have cared for him? Perhaps we have no record of him because something happened to him? What ifs and Perhaps are the way I design a book.I love historical mysteries and I wanted to write one. For preference about the childhood of a famous writer. I’ve always liked Emily Dickinson and she seemed to fit the bill – particularly since her reclusive adult life is so famous – I wanted to show a different side to Emily.
2. What was the process writing Nobody’s Secret like? Did you plot out the whole book first and then write? Or did the story and characters come to you as you wrote? Some combination?
For me the mystery is the hard part. I play with a lot of ideas and write out lots of little descriptions (like when the detective at the end reveals all). Then I start to write. For me the hardest part is the first chapter. Once I write that and have the tone and character’s voice --- then I outline the rest. I find that writing the outline enough – I usually don’t look at it again.
I do a lot of reading about my character and I’m always looking for interested characters I can use. In Nobody’s Secret, there’s a quirky Doctor and an impressive clergyman who were friends of the Dickinson family in real life. Then I need to invent other characters to forward my plot. Somehow it all comes together!
3. What made you decide to build a character around someone that existed in real life? Was this limiting at all? Or did you feel like it prompted creativity?
So far all my books have been about the adolescence of famous women. I love melding factual details about real people with a story that I get to make up. I read diaries, letters, poetry – anything I can find to hear my character’s voice. It is limiting in the sense that I can’t have my protagonist do anything anachronistic or out of her real character. On the other hand, I think I’ve got a flair for introducing kids to these famous people in an accessible and engaging way.
4. How many revisions of the manuscript did you go through?
I pride myself on very tight plotting so when I deliver the manuscript the story is pretty set. My editor and I did three revisions, none of them major, before we delivered the book to the copy editor.
5. How did you come to be published by Chronicle Books?
Victoria Rock is my editor at Chronicle. She bought my first and second books (Prisoners in the Palace (2011) and Promise the Night (2011)). We worked well together and I loved the final results. The designers and marketing/publicity team at Chronicle are great to work with too. So it was an easy decision to pitch my literary mystery series to Chronicle. Fortunately, they liked the idea.
6. What was it like working with your editor on this project? Was it collaborative?
Victoria is a super-respectful editor. She suggests changes or just highlights areas that she feels don’t quite work. A few times I’ve stubbornly dug in my heels and fought her on something (for four revisions!) until I gave in and tried her way. She was absolutely right! So I’ve learned to trust her. I think she trusts me – so collaborative is a good word.
7. What advice would you give to YA writers?
Read. Read everything. But especially read in your genre. It’s hard enough to publish a book. Why hurt your chances by writing a book that’s too similar to other books out there? You want to make it easy for your editor or agent to pitch your book as special.
8. What is your favorite scene in Nobody’s Secret?
I’m partial to the first chapter – it’s a romantic start and for me it set Emily’s personality immediately. She’s playing hooky from chores and lying in a meadow hoping a bee will land on her nose. You see, she wants to know how it feels. When she meets a handsome stranger, not only does he understand what she’s doing, he dabs a bit of honey on her nose to help a bee find its way to her nose. (The honey becomes a clue!)
9. What book is sitting on your nightstand right now?
I’m reading Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. Laurie’s a friend and I’m blown away at how she nails the voice of a young black slave during the American Revolution.
10. Where is your favorite reading spot?
My living room has the comfiest couch on the planet and big picture windows that look out into the woods. It’s a peaceful place. (And there’s usually at least one cat sleeping next to me)
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