Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Janice Lynn Mather!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Janice Lynn Mather
Janice Lynn Mather is a Bahamian Canadian author. Her first novel, Learning to Breathe, was a Governor General’s Award finalist, a Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize finalist, shortlisted for the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award, an ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, an Amelia Bloomer Book List pick, and a Junior Library Guild Selection. Her second novel, Facing the Sun, was an Amy Mathers Teen Book Award winner. Where Was Goodbye? is her third novel for teens. Janice Lynn lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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About the Book: Where Was Goodbye?
A teen girl searches for closure after her brother dies by suicide in this breathtaking novel from the author of Learning to Breathe and Facing the Sun.
Karmen is about to start her last year of high school, but it’s only been six weeks since her brother, Julian, died by suicide. How is she supposed to focus on school when huge questions loom: Why is Julian gone? How could she have missed seeing his pain? Could she have helped him?
When a blowup at school gets Karmen sent home for a few weeks, life gets more complicated: things between her parents are tenser than ever, her best friend’s acting like a stranger, and her search to understand why Julian died keeps coming up empty.
New friend Pru both baffles and comforts Karmen, and there might finally be something happening with her crush, Isaiah, but does she have time for either, or are they just more distractions? Will she ever understand Julian’s struggle and tragedy? If not, can she love—and live—again?
~Author Chat~
YABC: Who is your favorite character in Where Was Goodbye?
I’ve admitted before (when speaking about Facing the Sun) that I get a special kick out of writing badly behaved characters, so it’s probably no surprise that my favourite here is Pru. She’s complicated, caring, and challenges Karmen in the best way. Plus, Pru is appealingly inappropriate. As someone who works a little too hard to appear well behaved, I am both fascinated by and mildly envious of, her.
YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?
Neither. The bones of the story came first: a girl, the brother she’s lost, and the journey of answer- seeking that follows.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
I’m not sure if it’s the most important thing I’ve learned, but I was recently challenged by some wise creatives to consider author safety, just as we’re encouraged to consider reader safety. I’ve always been drawn to weightier topics, both in reading and in my own writing but I’ve not always thought of treating myself with the same gentleness as I try to treat both my characters and my audience. I’m still learning to change that, and I’m welcoming this challenge.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
A bit of rest, then delving back into my first adult novel, Madame Dee’s Luck Dream Emporium.
YABC: Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?
Without giving too much of the book away, Karmen is obviously searching for answers and closure after Julian’s death. I think the most painful moments for me to capture are those where she comes face to face with the question of whether she will receive the closure she’s desperate to find.
YABC: Which character gave you the most trouble when writing Where Was Goodbye?
Robbie really shifted in prominence. I knew he had a part to play and ultimately his role ended up being smaller, but as a bully who harasses stressed Karmen, it was a challenge to let a bit of his story and his own reasoning shine through. There’s always a reason for behaviour, but some characters are easier to sympathize with for me.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from Where Was Goodbye?
As time goes on, I feel less qualified to see deliver lessons and more qualified to offer considerations. I think the story is one that reflects on what we do in the absence of closure. How do we keep going when we’re struggling to find our goodbyes?
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
There are several resources at the end of the book, but I want to mention Canada’s new 988 suicide crisis helpline that launched in late 2023. It’s a huge, important move. (Note: there are resources listed at the end of the book for readers in the US and The Bahamas as well.)
YABC: What advice do you have for new writers?
Life is seasonal. The way you write now might be different from the way you wrote months or years back. That’s okay. Example: just before I signed on with Simon and Schuster for my first book, I routinely woke at 5, wrote until 10 and wrote through my half hour lunch break on my warehouse job. Now with my young family’s schedule, I tend to write in bursts, as needed.
Title: Where Was Goodbye?
Author: Janice Lynn Mather
ISBN-13: 9781665903950
ISBN-10: 1665903953
On-sale date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Ages: 14 and up; Grades 9 and up
*Giveaway Details*
Three (3) winners will receive a copy of Where Was Goodbye? (Janice Lynn Mather) ~ US Only (No P.O. Boxes)!
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway!*
Striking cover and the story sounds like a really important one!