Jennifer Pearson

Jennifer Pearson is a former teacher and author who lives in the northeast of England with two energetic boys and her somewhat energetic husband. She’s the author of several middle grade novels, writing as Jenny Pearson, and has been short-listed for the Costa Children’s Book Award and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and was the winner of the Lollies (Laugh Out Loud Book Awards). When she’s not writing, Pearson can either be found doing something sporty or binge-watching true crime documentaries while eating astounding quantities of cheese.

Pearson's new novel is Drop Dead Famous.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

My working title for Drop Dead Famous, a YA story about a girl who investigates the murder of her superstar sister Blair Baker, was Homecoming. I think this title worked in some ways – Blair is killed during the opening act of her homecoming tour, and it hints that the home is an important part of the story, but I don’t think it was quite strong enough for the YA audience. It doesn’t mention murder or death, words which are frequently found in YA thrillers as they serve as good genre touchstones. By the time the book went on submission to publishers, I had changed it to Drop Dead Famous which I think does a good job of signalling the core themes of murder and fame to the reader.

What's in a name?

I think I’m quite instinctive when it comes to naming characters. Often, I’ll hear a name I like or find interesting during a school author visit and file it away to use later – which is how Colby’s name came to me. It works for her because to me, Colby is a fun sounding name. For Blair Baker, I wanted something that felt like a teen star, and I think the alliterative name helps with that. I’ve always liked the name Stevie, (huge Fleetwood Mac fan) and I think Stevie Budd in Schitt’s Creek was partly in my mind when I was writing her.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

My teen self would be very surprised! My current self continues to be very surprised! I really had no idea what I wanted to do career-wise as a teenager, but becoming an author seemed like such a ludicrous proposition, I never seriously considered it.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Endings are the worst. By far. And I change them a lot. With a mystery, there is always so much to do – so many loose ends to tie up, characters to give moments to. A reader will not forgive you if you mess it up at the end. You can’t take them through 300 pages and then drop the ball at the last moment.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

I suppose I’m a positive person like Colby and we have a similar sense of humour. There are elements of me in Stevie too. She can get pretty hyper-focussed, and I see that in myself, especially when it comes to writing. I can lose a whole day at the laptop and realise I’ve not eaten.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

Not suggesting that they are non-literary, but the biggest influences are my family! My grandparents, parents, my sister and my extended family have shaped my humour, they’ve shaped my ability to tell an interesting story (you cannot get away with being boring with my lot) and they’ve shaped a lot of the characters I have written.

Visit Jenny Pearson's website.

My Book, The Movie: Drop Dead Famous.

The Page 69 Test: Drop Dead Famous.

--Marshal Zeringue