Thursday, September 8, 2016

Mike Grosso

Mike Grosso is the author of the new middle-grade novel I Am Drums.

From his Q&A with Deborah Kalb:

Q: How did you come up with your character Sam, and why did you decide to have her be an aspiring drummer?

A: I've always felt like drummers live on another planet. I learned to play growing up, along with guitar and bass, and there's a different emotional connection a musician has with the drums.

When I created Sam, I thought about what's going on in a drummer's head that other musicians (and non-musicians) might not understand. The character of Sam, along with her story, wrote itself from there.

Q: How did your own experiences as a teacher affect the writing of the novel?

A: It helped me understand middle grade voice more than anything. As a teacher, I spend more time with kids than adults. There's a cadence and rhythm to the way kids speak and interact with the world, and middle grade stories don't work unless...[read on]
--Marshal Zeringue