Ismée Williams

Ismée Williams's new YA novel is This Train Is Being Held.

From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:

Q: How did you come up with the idea for This Train Is Being Held, and for your characters Isa and Alex?

A: If you talk to anyone who knows me from high school, they will tell you that I am a complete romantic. It’s true! I love LOVE. So, I’m always inventing scenarios for romance.

Given that I live in New York, I’m on the subway a lot. I’ve always been intrigued by how the train commute brings New Yorkers of different backgrounds together, in very close proximity.

Every so often you see connections form between strangers, someone offering their seat to another or picking up a dropped ski hat. The 1 train seemed like the perfect setting for two individuals who live very different lives to cross paths–multiple times.

Q: Most of the novel takes place on the New York subway. Can you say more about what made you choose that setting, and how important is setting to you in your work?

A: I’ve been taking the subway (and bus) since I moved to New York in 1999. We live where we live because it is close to the 1 train, which I needed when I was a resident in pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center since I often had to be at work before 6 am.

I took the subway when pregnant, then...[read on]

Visit Ismée Williams's website.

Coffee with a Canine: Ismée Amiel Williams & Rowan.

My Book, The Movie: Water in May.

--Marshal Zeringue