I have to admit, nothing’s quite so thrilling as getting genuine, unsolicited comments from teens that have read my book and actually liked it. It’s kind of crazy, I know, but even after finding favor with an agent and a publisher and several editors, I still half expected BUSTED to be dismissed by its target audience. The fact that it hasn’t been is terrific, and reminds me how incredibly fortunate I am to be a writer.
However, all is not sweetness and light in Brookbank (the setting for the novel). Rumblings are afoot that BUSTED has been falling into the wrong hands, and frankly, it’s terrifying.
Despite a cover that’s about as attractive to adults as a government health warning, rumor has it that BUSTED has been read, reread, and inwardly digested by People of Advancing Years. From middle-aged Americans to my 93-year-old great aunt in Toronto, adults everywhere have been procuring copies with little or no regard for the fact that I’m pathologically incapable of writing about anyone over the age of fifty. Don’t they know any better?
Worst of all, these “mature” readers say they actually like the book. Truly, these are dark, dark times.
Hi Antony — I’m a 35-year-old former coworker of Audrey’s (at UW) who bought the book out of curiosity even though she warned me that I’m “not exactly the target audience.” I haven’t read any other YA literature recently aside from certain J.K. Rowling novels, which, in all honesty, I preferred to _Busted_. However, I did enjoy much of _Busted_’s humor, which seemed broadly Rowling-like: snappy dialogue, unexpected turns of phrase, etc. I especially liked the mom’s chapter-ending line about “Why is there a tampon up your nose?” and the cheerleader’s “That’s good information to know” mantra. I’m glad you used your music background to do justice to the music group scenes, but the references to “California Dreamin’” made me feel really old. I remember discovering that album in MY parents’ collection when I was a kid…. Final questions: (1) I suspect that the original title of your book was _The Book of Busts_ but that the publisher considered this too racy. Am I right? (2) My labmates and I want to know what sordid real-life events inspired the plot!
You know, I’m not sure how I feel about being called a “middle-aged American.” Even worse, it’s “dark, dark times” just because I liked the book! You know, Antony, at some point you’re going to have to accept that some of us just think you’re a funny guy, at whatever age…
And, don’t worry, I’ll keep mum about those “sordid real-life events” that crowther’s probing for. Yup, you can trust me–I won’t say a word about snogging after salsa.