April 24, 2014
What happens to a kid who feeds horses carrots in Central Park and reads The Saddle Club series religiously in the back of a saddle store? She grows up to write a book about a girl, a horse, and their joint dream to race in the Kentucky Derby!
At least in the case of Skylar James, the author of SHADOW OF A DOUBT! Read our interview with Skylar below, where she talks about her favorite books as a kid, what it’s like to write animal characters and the next project she’s working on.
Kidsreads.com: What made you choose to set your book at the Kentucky Derby?
Skylar James:The Kentucky Derby is such an iconic event and it’s such an important piece of American culture, it just seemed like the perfect setting for the book. Shadow puts all his hopes and dreams into this one moment, this one great test of character, so it had to be an event worthy of such importance. And the Derby is certainly worthy. Plus, the Derby is a crossroads of all walks of life; everyone from the racehorse owners to the peanut vendors is there, which is terrific from a character standpoint.
KRC: Have you ever been to the Kentucky Derby yourself? If so, what was it like?
Skylar James:I’ve always wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby but never had the chance. There’s so much excitement and energy around the Derby, I think you can’t help but want to be a part of that. It’s known as “the most exciting 2 minutes in sports!” And don’t get me started on the hats! Fabulous.
This year, I’ll be in Louisville a few days before the Derby to talk at the Louisville Public Library and do a signing, so I definitely had to carve out a little time to take in Churchill Downs. I’m so excited to experience them for the first time.
KRC: Did you grow up around horses, and did you ever ride or race? If so, do you have any fun equestrian stories to share?
Skylar James:I grew up in New York City where the horse-drawn carriages would line up by Central Park. I loved being around those horses --- right in the middle of the city! Sometimes the carriage drivers would even let me feed them a carrot on my way home from school. I rode a little bit when I was just 6 years old, but it turns out I’m better at writing about horses than I am at riding them. J
KRC: Did you read books about horses when you were growing up? If so, what were they, and did any of them help inspire SHADOW OF A DOUBT?
Skylar James:YES! I was a huge fan of The Saddle Club series! I would buy the books at Miller’s Harness Company on 24th Street. The whole place smelled like leather from all the saddles they had for sale. I’d curl up in the big brown leather chairs in the back of the store and lose myself in those books. I also fell in love with BLACK BEAUTY. It’s such a great classic story. That definitely helped inspire me to write SHADOW OF A DOUBT.
KRC: Where did you pick up the colloquial language used in the story?
Skylar James:I’ve always had an ear for dialect. I’m fascinated by the way people talk. Often times, I think the way a person says something can tell you just as much about them as what they’re saying. In SHADOW OF A DOUBT, I tried to use the language to help build the world and be really authentic to this particular place.
KRC: Tell us about the illustrator and your decision to include pictures in your book.
Skylar James:I was very lucky to have the fabulous Kelley McMorris illustrate the book. I wanted to include pictures because some of my favorite books when I was growing up, like CHARLOTTE’S WEB and RABBIT HILL, had illustrations and those pictures have stayed with me to this day. I can still see them so vividly! The reader’s imagination brings a moment to life, and an illustration etches it in her mind forever.
KRC: Who was your inspiration for the main character, Fyfe?
Skylar James:Fyfe is sort of a composite character, which means she was inspired by a few different people. I’m lucky to have a lot of awesome girl power around me that I can draw from. There’s also a little dash of Hayley Mills in Fyfe, from when she played Pollyanna.
KRC: Many of the characters in SHADOW OF A DOUBT are farm animals. How did you come up with their personalities, and was writing the animal characters different from writing the human characters?
Skylar James:Writing the animal characters was TOTALLY different than writing the human characters! Interestingly enough, both groups of characters face a lot of the same challenges, since the threat of losing Flynn Farm hangs over them all. However, they deal with it in very different ways.
The animal characters tend to be really reactive, for the most part. They have a ton of energy and they’re often bouncing off the walls, which makes them really, really fun to write. They’ve got a particular rhythm in the way they interact with each other. And there’s an element of humor with the animals that I think is really important. Coming up with the different animal personalities was a blast! And they’re all very different. Shadow is our hero and there needed to be a real sense of honesty and openness to his character in order for the reader to go along with him on the journey of chasing his dreams. Then you have Red and Raelynn, who are just a hoot. I think of them as a classic comedy duo, like Punch and Judy or Statler and Waldorf. And then you have Oats, the world-weary Shetland pony. He thinks he’s seen it all, but Shadow might just be able to show him a thing or two…
KRC: Fyfe, Roscoe and all of the animals have to face a lot different hardships throughout SHADOW OF A DOUBT. What is your advice for anyone going through a tough time?
Skylar James:The best advice I can give is keep dreaming. You’ve got to have something to fight for. Don’t give up and don’t ever stop believing in yourself, and you will amaze yourself with what you can accomplish. You are capable of great things.
Also, reach out for help if you need it. Shadow helps Fyfe get through her tough times. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a parent, a teacher or a friend. Sometimes just talking about your problems can help.
KRC: What was your writing process like for this book? What kind of research did you do?
Skylar James:This was my first novel so that was both exhilarating and also challenging. I was really diligent about outlining. I think that with a work as complex as a novel, it’s really important to have a roadmap for your creative journey. I tend to see a story in terms of individual scenes. I’ll know how I want it to start, and I’ll know every tiny detail of how I want the final race to play out. But then you’ve got to figure out how to get from point A to point Z and make every point in between really interesting and suspenseful and engaging. I did a lot or research because I really love the world of racing and the Kentucky Derby, and I wanted to do it justice. Just learning the ins and outs of the Kentucky Derby qualifying process was some pretty hefty research on its own. But I also learned a lot about how to train a racehorse and specifics about the horse tack, and things like that.
KRC: What are you working on now?
Skylar James:I’m working on a Christmas story! Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year and I love every aspect of the season. I’ve been playing Christmas carols as I write and researching Christmas traditions from around the world. It’s so much fun to immerse yourself in that much jolliness year-round! J
