Authors Interviewing Characters: Arlene Mark

Author Arlene Mark shines light on a myriad of hot topics from global warming, immigration, and the impact of war at home, to unlikely friendships and parent-teen relationships in THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER (August 16, SparkPress, 12-16 years, grade 7-9). Perfect for fans of The Ice House by Monica Sherwood and The Queen Bee and Me by Gillian McDunn as well as students inspired by Greta Thunberg, this contemporary MG/YA novel explores the disasters—natural, man-made, and emotional-home ones—that erupt for two students in Albany, NY and how the seed for climate change advocacy in the younger generation can bloom.

“A touching story that intertwines the complex dynamics of both our relationships and the climate system … reminding us of the power of curiosity and scientific discovery in forging a better life. The rich storyline reminds me of my own love of skiing at a young (and older!) age.”

––John Fasullo, Ph.D. Project scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research – Boulder, Colorado

Arlene writes to give kids a voice, empower young people to “count.” As educational therapist, special education teacher, and school psychologist over the years, her interactions with children have prepared Arlene to write about what kids want most. As teens will soon inherit and manage their and our planet, she was inspired to write The Year Without a Summer, featuring eighth graders and two main characters, Clara and Jamie. 

Arlene Mark interviews Clara and Jamie from the young adult novel, The Year Without a Summer

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AM: So, Clara and Jamie. Great that I caught you both still in science before your next class. Can you tell us in a few words how a simple assignment could change your lives?

J: Um…well….um…Clara, want to go first?

C: Sure. Hurricane Maria destroyed our home and we moved here.  Is that a few words?

AM: Just the right number. Jamie?

J: Um…yeah, well, Geez, I’m wasting my words, right? Um…I never did research till this project. I googled natural disasters and saw a whole page. I made a volcano when I was in fifth grade, so clicked on volcanoes and the first one was Tambora. It blasted my mind. You have to read about it and…sorry….is that enough?

AM: Enough. Thanks. Following up on school assignments, can each of you talk about how you view your responsibilities at home…family ones vs. school?

C: Want to go first Jamie?

J: No thanks. You go. Have to think about this.

C: Okay. Mine are easy. Take care of my little brother after school. Make him snacks, play games, help him with homework, things like that. Start making our supper for Mami, Diego and me. Mami does the rest when she gets home but I like to get a start because she’s been working all day and is tired. I take Diego and Mami to parks and places on weekends, so they’ll get to know Albany. That’s what my papi wanted me to do…help them settle in. So that’s what I do. 

Oh, yeah. One more thing I do…worry about Papi…and send him good thoughts every day to come home soon. I never miss a day. 

J: Guess it’s my turn. So, responsibilities … at home, right? Um…well, I do help Mom, like I set the table sometimes and clean up after…that is, if my dad and I aren’t in a battle at the table. If I’m losing like I always do, I try to get away fast. If things are kind of low key, I clear the table and talk to Mom. That counts, right?

AM: It sure does, Jamie. Big time. Want to say any more?

J: Um…sure. Not sure if this is what you’re looking for but it’s about Lucas. That’s my brother. He enlisted. Bad choice because our dad never forgot that Lucas didn’t obey him and not enlist. He’s still on his case and mine, too, and I didn’t have anything to do with Lucas’s enlisting. So, now Dad’s 24-7 on my case to get good grades, get into college, don’t be like Lucas, but I want to be like Lucas. He’s great. I love him. I guess I do feel what you said, a responsibility, to make Dad happy, do what Lucas didn’t do. But it’s a heavy load ‘cause I don’t want to carry it…but I do… kind of. I used to like school and even some of the work but when Dad’s on me every day to do my best and study and be home early and is my homework done and all that, I just want to say, “No, Dad. I’m tired of the pressure.” But I never do. Guess my grades show him though, but he doesn’t get it. To stop pressuring me. Just hope I pass eighth grade. If I don’t, it’s my fault. I don’t blame my dad. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to like him. Maybe scratch that. It’s not always.

AM: Thank you, Jamie. That’s very honest and it must have been hard to reveal all that. I’m sure this will help young readers who might feel similar pressures. Your responses reminded me about peer pressures and what teens feel every day or some days. I’m removed from that scene so can you both talk about school pressures for you. Clara, can you start?

C: I sure can. I arrived in Albany from Puerto Rico when kids were already in seventh grade, had friends, knew the schedules and how everything worked. I felt pressure that first day … like a fish out of water. You couldn’t see me gasping for breath, but I was gasping. Must admit. Jamie was one of the first to welcome me. He came right up to me and said to sit next to him. That took a lot of pressure off…for the moment. I saw girls staring at me, probably comparing their white skin to mine. I don’t know. Maybe it’s unfair to say that but it’s what I felt. I wanted to be friends with them, but I didn’t feel welcome. So, being new but more than that, feeling different wasn’t fun. I knew I could catch up on the schoolwork. It was feeling that I didn’t fit in that hurt the most. 

AM: Thank you, Clara. Wow. A lot for a young person to handle. Jamie?

J: That’s hard. I don’t feel pressure from kids in class. I think they see me as the class clown. Can’t help myself. I love making people laugh…even if Mr. J or other teachers call me on my wise cracks. I can deal with that. But right now, I feel it from Coach and how I’m on kind of probation because of my grades and I can’t compete on the snowboarding team. That’s big-time pressure…to know when I’m going to get re-instated or IF. … I’ll be on the team again, you know?

AM: Yes, Jamie. It must be hard to wait. So, I’ll change the subject for this question. Were you surprised and how did it affect you to hear your classmates reveal how climate change is affecting their lives?

J: I’ll go first. So, yeah. Wow. I didn’t know Chuck’s family was moving ‘cause his dad lost his job up at the ski resort. The man-made snow doesn’t last. Or Nick’s relatives moving in because a fire destroyed all they had.  Then kids got courage to talk about their own stuff, like this girl who’d never said two words in class was so upset about the animals disappearing. And other kids said they couldn’t go on vacation because it was too hot in those places. And the pollution. One girl talked about a photo she saw of somewhere in India and it was daytime, but it looked like nighttime. “People said they felt the pollution in their throats.” A few kids in class even coughed when she said that. I mean, kids said stuff I never imagined like they were glad to get all this out. Yeah. 

C: That’s what they said in our meetings. And kids from class hated that animal species were dying out, their habitats destroyed for commercial purposes…like loggers cutting down forests and planting palm trees for palm oil to use in potato chips and peanut butter…stuff like that. But killing the orangutans in the process. 

AM: Thank you both for those honest answers. Very courageous. And helpful for your classmates. So, deadlines are always pressuring. Were there any deadlines you work working against that had you worried…pressured? 

J: I’ll go, ‘cause deadlines are with me all the time. First off, Lucas, my brother. He’s in Afghanistan like I said, and I’m hoping he’s coming home every day. So, I tell myself, just let him be safe today. Then when I figure he made it, I do the same thing the next day. DD. Daily Deadline. That’s the main one. And oh, yeah…I’m probably off the snowboarding team at school because of my grades. If…I get my grades up by a certain time, I might get back on the team. Coach didn’t say that exactly but I’m making up my own deadline for that. Crazy, huh? 

AM: Well, we all do that to a certain extent…create our own deadlines. Guess it’s part of life and moving ahead. Clara, can you talk about any deadlines you might experience?

C: I feel like Jamie. Deadlines surround me. Biggest one…my papi who I already told you is back in Puerto Rico helping rebuild after the hurricane. We can’t get in touch with him because of phone towers not working so every day, I hope he’s still safe. I keep thinking, maybe next week, we’ll hear….so there’s my deadline. Then we don’t hear and I make up a new deadline. Like Jamie said, crazy.  And here’s a deadline I have to make. I’m going to go to the capitol to see the governor. It’s a secret, though. Mami doesn’t know. She wouldn’t let me go on the bus all by myself, but I have to go. Maybe they know something about how things are in Puerto Rico. Maybe they can reach my papi. But the deadline on this day. I have to be home by 3 for my little brother, when he gets home from school because my mother is still at work. This is a deadline I can’t miss. 

AM: I hope you can get all that done and back home by 3, Clara. A lot of pressure. I’m amazed at how much both of you do and feel that nobody would know. Except we do now because you’ve shared with us. We’re so grateful. Now we know you both in different ways than at the beginning of this interview. My last…I think…question is about family disasters that you both experience in the novel. Is it possible that family disasters can bring families together? Did you experience this?

J: All I know about bringing us together is that Lucas’s coming home and how he was when he got home at first divided us. We all wanted to help, do something for him, and we all had different ideas. Then, but it took some time, we all started coming together. I don’t think we thought about it. It just happened. I think Lucas did that. He got us to come together. He’s so cool.

C: Our disaster was that our family was separated. I couldn’t do anything about Papi but I could help Mami and Diego and get a part-time job where I played with little Gus and got him to feel happier because he kind of looked sad.  I guess I thought by helping others, maybe someone far away would be helping my papi, too. 

AM: Thank you, Clara. Thank you, Jamie. And I know readers thank you, too. You’ve shared your innermost thoughts and that helps us all to realize how similar we all are and how our worries are, too. I have no more questions for now, but I want you to have the last words. 

C: I just want to be heard and offer my opinions.

J: Yeah. I want the things Clara wants.  Respect is good, too. I feel good when I’m respected. 

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Arlene Mark was born and grew up in steel country in western Pennsylvania before making her way to New York City to begin her career.  After working in fashion, her husband and three children lived in London, Caracas, and Toronto before settling in Greenwich, CT.  Her MA in Special Education, certification in School Psychology, and internship at New York State Psychiatric Institute treating hard-to-reach children empowered her to help them communicate and grow.

Her interest in writing this novel stemmed from her belief that children of all ages seek desperately to find their voices. Only then can they feel validated and develop their true potential.  Her work has appeared in Highlights for Children, Spider, the Magazine for Children, Skipping Stones, Adolescence, Their World, and Greenwich Magazine. She authored To the Tower, A Greenwich Adventure and co-authored Paraverbal Communication with Children: Not Through Words Alone. She has been a Contributing Editor to The Greenwich Time, offering articles about children’s emotional lives. Her eight grandchildren are enthusiastic fans. When not writing, Arlene can be found lobstering with her husband, Reuben, traveling to third world countries and visiting schools there, reading mostly books for kids, or screening current films.

Learn more at Arlenemark.com.

 

 

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Category: Interviews, On Writing