Interview: Ellen Hopkins

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Why she is one of my favorite authors: I don't think I can begin to describe how much Ellen Hopkins inspired and affected me. Her writing always reduces me to tears and leaves me enlightened and changed. I love how she dares to write about serious topics (drug abuse, suicide, teen prostitution) and doesn't sugar-coat any of it. Ellen Hopkins is a truly extraordinary writer and I can't get enough of her books. 

1. Describe yourself in 10 words of less

Multifaceted, accomplished, socially and environmentally conscious, adventurous, subtly funny woman.

2. Did you always want to be a writer?

It was always in the back of my mind, yes. And even when I wasn't writing for money, I was writing. Always.

3. Tell us one random/strange fact about you.

I have had a couple of out-of-body experiences. Not drug induced, either!

4. If you were stuck on an island and you could only have one book, what would it be?

A journal.

5. Do you have any plans for future novels?

Of course. I have several sizzling on a back burner in my brain. And ideas come to me all the time, from many different places. But I am only comfortable writing one book at a time.

6. Since Crank is based on your daughter's experience, was it very emotional for you to write it?

CRANK actually pretty much poured out on the page. Everything was still very fresh and the writing was a catharsis. The sequel, GLASS, was much more difficult, as it deals with the deeper stages of her addiction, and our lives at that time were permeated by pain.

7. You have a very unique (and brilliant) style of writing. How come you decided to write your novels in verse?

Liking the "brilliant" here. :-) I started CRANK in prose, but the voice was wrong. Too angry. Mine, not Kristina's. Put the book away and happened to hear Sonya Sones (who also writes in verse) speak at a conference. I've been growing my poetry for a number of years, so it struck me that verse could tell the story better. It did, and I discovered a talent for storytelling through narrative verse. The unusual formatting is something I developed to make my verse novels stand out from the rest.

8. I read a review on Amazon about one of your books: "I stopped reading it for personal reasons. Plus I am very uncomfortable with the subject." As an author who writes about serious issues, how do you feel when people can't read of finish your books because of the subject matter?

You notice the reasons here are personal, so the book hit a nerve. The same book will offer comfort to someone who might have experienced whatever it is that person couldn't yet read about. My guess is the damage to that person was fresh. No book is for everyone. But I don't shy away from tough subject matter because people who have experienced things like abuse or molestation or addiction need to know they're not alone. That there is a way out. I don't sugarcoat because honesty is key to understanding these issues and developing empathy for those whose lives they touch. For every person who can't finish one of my books, there are thousands who need them.

Thank you Ellen for taking the time to answer my questions!

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