Q & A with Jenny Han

Q. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
A. I don’t think I ever had a “click, lightbulb” kind of moment, I think it was just always something I wanted to do. It was more a matter of owning the desire to write, and just going for it.

Q. How old were you when you tried to pen your first manuscript?
A. I was 8 years old. It was called The Dream, and it won first place in the Young Authors contest at my school for all of the third grade! It was a glorious day.

Q. Most Asian-American writers tend to write Asian or Asian- American characters, what made you decide to make your main character a non-Asian character?
A. It was not a conscious decision, actually. The character of Annemarie came to me in my head, and she was who she was. If I had written a story about a Korean American girl in a small Southern town, it would have been a completely different story from a completely different perspective. Its focus would be different because its narrator would be different—her hopes and dreams, the way she looks at the world, all of it.

Q. Annemarie is an interesting character, what made you decide to give her the nickname Shug?
A. That also came about naturally. Her mother called her all sorts of nicknames, and shug was the one that really stuck. It’s definitely a common term of endearment in the South, and I thought it just fit for Annemarie and for this book.

Q. Shug is a straight-A student and an honor roll student. Were you ever on the honor roll?
A. I was always on the honor roll! I used to love report card day. Well, that is, until Algebra 2. And Chemistry!

Q. Annemarie is in 7th grade and hoping the boy next door will be her first kiss. How old were you when you got your first kiss? And did it taste like a cherry flavored Lifesaver like Shugs?
A. I answer this question the same way every time: Good girls never tell! I will say this though—it was a real pleasure to write Annemarie’s first kiss the way I did, because I never got that cherry Lifesaver moment in December. I wish every girl did!

Q. In the book, Annemarie has to tutor the class bully for an English assignment. What advice would Shug give on how to deal with a bully?
A. I think Shug would say, you should never let somebody walk all over you; you have to stand up for yourself!

Q. Shug has to deal with a lot in Jr. High; peer-pressure, friendships, boys, school dances, grades, big sister, body image, etc. How did you cope with the daily trappings of tween life?
A. I had some really great friends who totally had my back when times got rough. I was also really involved with my church youth group. And, I used to write in my diary all the time, which I have to say, is such a great source of catharsis. I also wrote terrible poems and read books and watched some really good TV shows. Buffy, anyone?

Q. Elaine is her best friend and they get along great, except for one time when they have an argument. What advice would Shug give if someone got into a disagreement with his or her best friend?
A. I think she’d say that nothing’s worth giving up your true best friend. Sometimes you have to bite your lip and say sorry when you know you did wrong.

Q. And last but not least, I have to know, did you type out Shug using the typewriter on the back of the book jacket? (Scary but I’m not sure kids today even know what a typewriter even looks like! LOL)
A. I didn’t! I sort of wish I did, though. I’ve always wanted a typewriter. But I really do love my snowy little iBook. She’s a gem.

To visit Jen and Shug go to http://www.jennyhanwrites.com

The winner of a copy of SHUG is Amanda Brice!