Rachel Lynn Solomon's new YA novel is Our Year of Maybe.From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Our Year of Maybe, and for your characters Sophie and Peter?Visit Rachel Lynn Solomon's website.
A: Initially, I wanted to explore the aftermath of a kidney transplant between best friends because I’m fascinated by organ donation and can’t imagine a more selfless act.
As I grew to know my characters better, though, I wondered if this selfless act did actually include a bit of selfishness. Sophie, the donor, is in love with her best friend Peter, the recipient, and part of her hopes that after the transplant, he’ll love her back. It’s a very small part, she acknowledges -- but it’s still there. I wanted to dig deep with all those messy feelings.
Sophie and Peter evolved during the writing process, but Sophie was always more introverted, always very attached to Peter. And Peter was always more curious about the world beyond their friendship -- and yet he feels an immense amount of guilt because it's thanks to Sophie that he's able to...[read on]
--Marshal Zeringue