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?--Marshal Zeringue
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]