Christine Kole MacLean talks to Marla Arbach about How It's Done

About you

Please introduce yourself.

I’m Christine MacLean (pronounced the Scottish way: MacLANE).

Were you raised in a religious family like Grace from How It's Done?

Religious but not fundamentalist and not strict. I’m the youngest of six, so by the time I came along, my parents couldn’t micro-manage my life, even if they’d wanted to.

How It's Done is not your first book, but it is your first novel for young adults. How is it different from writing for children?

Writing for eight-year-olds using first person, as I do for my MARY MARGARET series, requires forgetting everything I’ve learned since I was nine. When it comes to writing for older teenagers in first person, I only have to forget everything I’ve learned since I was 16.

What other jobs have you had (including current ones) and which was your favorite? How did your other jobs influence your writing?

Growing up, I did farm work, like picking and selling asparagus and sweet corn. I’ve also roofed houses, worked in a “carrot factory” sorting fresh carrots, cleaned dorms, edited magazines, and worked for large companies. Right now I’m a freelance writer, and I like this job best because it gives me flexibility and control.

It might seem backwards, but my corporate work has taught me a lot about establishing and controlling voice and tone. It also taught me to write to a deadline, sift through feedback (some of it conflicting) from many people, and revise endlessly—all of which are important in fiction writing, too.

About the books

Who do you think will like/should read How It's Done, and why?

Young women who are, have been, or plan to be in a serious relationship, and their mothers. My hope is that it will spark honest conversations about love and marriage and boundaries.

Why should they read it? Because, as with all books, this one allows readers to “try on” different behaviors and see how they play out for the characters. That doesn’t mean the same choices would play out in the same way for every reader, but there’s value in seeing what other people do and thinking about how we might handle a similar situation. Reading books helps us understand not only the characters but also ourselves.

What do you like about your characters? (Be specific.)

I like Grace’s understated humor and vulnerability, and that she finally takes some initiative in her own life, instead of floating along. I like Liv’s high-spiritedness and her “bring it on” attitude. Liv is a survivor. I like Tori’s fierce independence and awkward kindness. She comes across as gruff but she has a big heart. I appreciate Michael’s willingness to try love again after he’s been burned, although I think his judgment could be better. Mostly, I like that my characters keep trying, each in their own way.

In what ways is Grace just like every other girl her age, and in what ways is she different?

She’s like many teenage girls in that she thinks her parents are overbearing and unreasonable, and she has romantic notions about love. She’s different in that she makes a few consecutive poor choices that put her in a situation where she has to figure out who she is and what’s important to her very quickly.

What role do religious beliefs play for the various characters in the novel? What message does the book send about religion? Do you think that it comes across in a bad light through the character of Grace's hypocritical father?

Grace’s beliefs are malleable, although I think she’s surprised to discover that about herself. She hasn’t given a lot of thought to what she believes—she hasn’t really needed to. Michael is a relativist—truth and moral values are not absolute. They depend on the situation and the group of people, and you have to really think about things, not just adhere to a set of rules.

Grace’s father believes that God has charged him with raising Grace and saving her soul—a responsibility that he takes seriously. His beliefs justify his harsh actions, at least in his mind. I wasn’t trying to be pejorative or cast Grace’s father or religion in a negative light. He holds certain views and his actions are consistent with those views. They have to be, otherwise he wouldn’t be believable as a character.

Grace’s mother draws comfort—and ultimately strength—from her beliefs. I think she understands the concept of grace and, by the end, is able to accept it for herself, which is major for her.

I don’t know if religion comes across in a bad light. I think it depends to a large degree on the reader. As Jane Yolen has said, “Just as [writers] write the story we need to write, [readers] read the story they need to read.”

Grace says that she and Michael "might be too different to spend a whole life together.” Do you think relationships between people of different ages, backgrounds and social positions can work?

Yes, they can work. It’s a matter of deciding which differences you can live with and which differences violate your core beliefs and set you up for a lifetime of heartache. And those are decisions that we each must make for ourselves. Parents can’t make those decisions for us. Neither can friends or lovers—even if we wish they could, because it would be easier and we wouldn’t have to take responsibility for the choice.

Your portrayal of parents in the novel is largely negative. Why? And which parent do you feel has the strongest relationship with a child?

It may seem that way, but remember the book is written firmly from Grace’s point of view, and her perception (as well as that of her friends) is that her parents are stifling her. Meanwhile, Liv and Tori feel like their parents let them down. I was trying to be true to the characters and the way they see the world, accurate or not. This is what I meant earlier when I said I have to forget everything I’ve learned since I was 16. I had to see the world through their eyes, not my own.

Regarding a strong parent/child relationship, I think Grace and her mother have a very strong bond, although their relationship is not perfect. Grace refuses to give up and desert her mother, and her mother won’t take the chance of losing Grace. They may not be seeing or understanding each other all the time, but they always hold onto each other. During adolescence, that may be all a parent or teenager can do. Just hold on. But that can be enough.

With Michael, Grace has her first sexual experiences. What message do you think the book sends about sex?

I don’t know what message it sends. I just wrote a story about two flawed people and their journey. Whether as a result of reading my book or lots of other books that deal with sex in a mature way, readers might come to understand that having sex—any kind of sex—is not something we should take lightly. It’s not a commodity, or a joke, or a game, or a bargaining chip, or a way of getting back at someone. While we might feel like we “get away with” sexual intimacy (in the sense that we don’t get pregnant or contract an STD), it still changes us and the relationship in ways we might not expect or welcome.

Liv sees no way out of her unhappy situation and ends up making a stupid, potentially tragic mistake, but the story of Grace's mother has a different outcome. What message would you send to readers who feel trapped in their home life?

No message, really. Only options, possibilities, ideas. True to character, Liv takes a wild leap into the unknown. Grace’s mother, on the other hand, chooses to take a baby step in the right direction. It’s small, but I have a feeling it’s going to be effective. Change one piece of the system, and the whole system changes.

If you could change one thing about the book, what would it be?

Ha! Insanity that way lies.

Does How It's Done have a message?

No message, but it does have a central theme: There are no shortcuts to finding yourself. It’s messy, complex, difficult work—and you are the only person who can do it.

Fun stuff

When was the last time you

a) visited a new place?

Two weeks ago I went to a river and I learned how to fly fish. I caught my first fish (a rainbow trout) and then threw him back.

b) made a new friend?

About two minutes ago. (I just joined MySpace.)

c) got something you really wanted?

Yesterday. I’ve wanted a bulletin board for my office for six years and I finally got one. It holds things that make me happy—photos of my friends, drawings by my kids, meaningful quotes.

d) forgot something important?

I can’t remember.

e) received an unexpected gift?

Today—an hour on the beach with a good friend.

What book do you wish you had written yourself?

Olivia. It’s got everything—heart, drama, and a pig. Plus, it’s another answer to the question, “What’s black, white, and red/read all over?”

If they were making a movie about your life, who would you like to see playing you?

Tracey Ullman, because she can make anything funny, even normal life.

Any final thoughts?

When’s lunch?