December 1997
A conversation with
Han Nolan
Everyone we talked with had much praise for both Han Nolan and her books, so we decided enough of these second-hand reports -- let's talk with Nolan herself. Here is some of our interchange with this twice-nominated author for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
BP: One of your great gifts is the use of sensory detail to make your writing more real. How do you do that?
HN: When I write, I'm visualizing the story. Everything is going on in my head at the same time, and I'm trying to capture the whole scene for readers.
BP: Many of your characters are a bit bizarre; they're people "on the edge." Do you draw either them or your stories from real-life experiences?
HN: I'm sure that deep down every character I create for a novel comes from some experience or memory, but I couldn't point to any one person. I create who I need for the story.
BP: Is there any connection between "Dancing on the Edge" in which the main character is named Miracle and your previous book "Send Me Down a Miracle"?
HN: Probably, although it's never planned. One novel spills over into another. I never know how, but after I've finished one, it happens naturally.
BP: What age group do you target as you write?
HN: I don't have any particular age group in mind. I know the range is wide because I'm writing about people of different ages in a given situation, but my protagonists have always been young adults. I just write the story I have in mind.
BP: What are you saying about life for today's young people with Miracle's crazy family situation?
HN: I wrote this book for children who don't have family to show them who they are. There are so many more of these children today. I adopted my children and I know the search for self is even more difficult for children who don't have parents. On a broader range, the story also deals with family secrets and how these secrets affect young people whether they are aware of them or not. For some children this can do a lot of damage, and I wanted to show that kind of situation.
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