hark! david levithan replies! and there was much rejoicing.
Oh man oh man oh man. Again.
David Levithan wrote me back. He wrote me back. I am so excited. I replied again, too, but it gets a little boring, so I won't post it. Here's his, though:
----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: davidlevithan
Date: Jan 1, 2006 9:55 AM
Hi Jordan,
Thanks for the kick-ass response. I hardly know where to begin. It's truly still an amazement to me that words I type on my computer alone in my apartment can then take this life of their own where they enter the lives of complete strangers and mean something. I'm always so happy just to tell the story that the life of the story is this added thing I'm never entirely prepared for, and reactions like this just blow my mind. So thank you. It's completely inspiring to hear this.
Obviously, I set out to write a book that was different than the rest of gay teen lit -- although I must say I find much more merit in the titles you mention than you may have. Different people have different needs, you know. I often, often say that a book does not have to necessarily reflect reality -- a book can also CREATE reality, and (without really articulating it to myself) that's what I set out to do with BMB. It's not meant to be a fantasy world -- it's meant to be a somewhat ideal world (with Tony's world, less ideal, right next door). One of the first readers was thrown by this -- he was obsessed with the question, "I don't get it -- is this fantasy or reality?" And it took me years to figure out a precise answer, and it actually gave me the title for my second book. Now when I'm asked where the book takes place, I say it exists within the realm of possibility. Because it does. I've been to schools that are actually like the school in the book. There aren't many, but there are some. And I've certainly met thousands of people who would be very at home in Paul's town -- only they don't all live in the same town, and are instead trying to make their own communities better places for everyone. Will we get there soon? Probably not. But in some places, yes. And that's a start.
Tony's my favorite character, too. He's really the heart of the book, which is something a lot of people don't necessarily notice. I'm glad you did. I'm also so glad that you felt a kinship to the 'Old Queen, Young Punk' idea. It's one I strongly believe in, too. (Especially as I start to navigate the middle ground between the two!)
Thanks, again, for such a thoughtful, heartfelt response. It only makes me want to write more. Which is as it should be.
Take care!
/:) David