Kristin Dwyer grew up under the California sun and still prays every day for a cloudy sky. When she’s not writing books about people kissing, she and her spouse can be found encouraging their four overly opinionated misfits to get into trouble. Kristin is a part-time hair model and wants you to know she is full-time TSA PRECHECK, and one time a credible news outlet asked for her opinion on K-pop (it was the best day of her life). Please do not talk to her about your fandom, she will try to join.
SE: “The Atlas of Us” explores themes of grief, anger, and self-discovery. What inspired you to tackle these complex emotional topics in a young adult novel?
KD: My father was diagnosed with cancer when I was a young adult. I was desperate to see my own journey in someone else. I wanted to know that I would make it. I would survive. Because cancer is one of those terrible illnesses that doesn’t just affect the person sick, it affects everyone. I also really wanted to tell a story of the kind of grief I experienced and still do. Something that has no ending, but becomes manageable.
SE: Your protagonist Atlas undergoes a transformative journey in the wilderness. How did you approach crafting her character development throughout the story?
KD: It was important to make sure Atlas never completed her grief. The thing about grief is that it doesn’t end. So for Atlas to really grow in an authentic way, I wanted to show Atlas that there was still life to be lived. I think her friends were the biggest part of her development. They force her to confront her wounds and show her over and over again that they love her. I feel like that’s how it happens in life, too. Having people who love and support you is vital to growth.
SE: The book features a unique team of characters with names like Books, Sugar, Junior, and King. Can you share your process for creating these distinctive personalities and their dynamics?
KD: I had so much fun coming up with the names! I just pretended I was Joe and thought what is the MOST derivative name I could give a person. There was actually a deleted scene where all of their names were explained, but it ended up getting cut. For Books it was because he reads Manga, King because his name is Henry like King Henry VIII, Junior because Joe sees a lot of himself in Junior, and Sugar because in the deleted scene she has a photo card of Suga from BTS on the back of her phone case. I feel like Sugar would be a Yoongi stan. All Yoongi stans are big softies.
SE: As someone who describes yourself as writing “kissing books” and loving romance, how did you balance the emotional depth of grief with moments of connection or hope in “The Atlas of Us”?
KD: I feel like grief and hope are different sides of the same coin. I think the natural outcome of pain is always hope. And I think deep emotion allows a person or character to be vulnerable. I think it’s because my characters go through all that pain, it forces them to bond to each other.
SE: You’ve mentioned being “addicted to travel” in interviews. How did your personal experiences with travel influence the setting and themes in this novel?
KD: I grew up at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains so writing a story that took place there felt more like coming home than it did inspired by my travels. I think it would be hard to write about a place I traveled to. I tend to romanticize places I visit, so it would be hard for me to visualize a realistic version of it.
SE: What does your typical writing routine look like, and did it differ at all when working on “The Atlas of Us” compared to your debut novel?
KD: Yes! I wrote my debut novel during the pandemic when it was just me and my laptop. When I wrote Atlas I had an editor and an agent and a deadline. So I had to really learn how to write a book as a professional author. My daily routine starts with me drinking coffee, checking my email, doing admin, and then when the coffee kicks in, blasting my playlist to get in the right headspace to write a story! Some of the music on my Atlas Playlist below!
ALL WHO REMAIN, Beware of Darkness
GOODNIGHT, Lennon Stella
PARTE DE MI, Nicki Nicole
DELICATE, Our Savior Ms. Taylor Swift
Interview: SHELF ESCAPE
