THE STEPS, TWO STEPS FORWARD POP PRINCESS GINGERBREAD, SHRIMP, CUPCAKE RACHEL AND DAVID YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME



Q: What inspired you to write this book?

When people ask me what You Know Where to Find Me is about, I often say that it's a "warm, uplifting book about grief, suicide, depression and DC statehood."

"What was the last part again?" they often reply.

You see, although I was not technically a DC native, I grew up in suburban Maryland, a mere blocks away from the "District" line separating Maryland from Washington, D.C. Washington is very much a company town when it comes to politics as its primary business, and I grew up very aware of that. I read The Washington Post daily, eager to see how issues of DC statehood would play out. I interned on Capitol Hill the summer before my senior year of high school. I remember being infuriated that the people I knew who lived in the District would not be entitled to the same voting and representative privileges I would have as a Maryland resident.

When I was a teenager, my mother taught English literature at Georgetown University, and I would often go to that area after school to hang out. I was fascinated by the old streets and beautiful architecture, but also by the realization that this posh, historic neighborhood was a small enclave of white privilege and power in an otherwise poor, black city whose Congressional representative was just a token figure with no real authority to vote for their interests. I always knew that I would one day want to write a book set in Georgetown, and which addressed the issue, however tangentially, of DC statehood. You Know Where to Find Me turned out to be that story for me. Although it's much more a story about loss, it was important to me to frame it within the city where I grew up.

The story began for me when I was thinking about the idea of nature versus nurture. I was curious how I could delve into that idea by contrasting two related teenage girls who shared a genetic background, but were raised very differently. I hoped to explore whether their differing upbringings could or would affect their shared genetic disposition toward depression. This notion sounds very lofty when I type it out, but that was not my intent. I simply wanted to explore, from a character standpoint, two girls who were essentially two sides of the coin, and see what would happen. Miles's and Laura's stories developed from that starting point for me.

I've also always wanted to write a book purely about loss. The kind of loss that Miles experiences in You Know Where to Find Me is not based on my own experience, but her voice is the closest to my own that I've ever written. I'm often asked why this book is so different in tone from my other books, and my answer is that I don't think of You Know Where to Find Me as "different" so much as a natural evolution of dark tinges that have been in everything I've written, but never so fully explored before. I guess this is the book where I finally let the dark side weigh heavier than the lighter side; I wanted to challenge myself as a writer to see if I could just go to that hard place and stay there. And to rally anyone I could find around the issue of DC statehood, while I was at it.



Q: Where can I get help for issues like depression and suicide?

I am not a trained therapist, but just speaking from experience, I'd say the single most important thing you can do if you need help is, simply, to seek it. Help is there for you, in so many forms - all you need to do is ask. The first step is talking to someone you trust, whether that's a friend or a parent or a relative, or any counselor. Reach out.

If you're not sure whom to turn to, this site is an excellent resource if you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, or you want to find out more information about how to get help dealing with issues of depression and suicide. Youth Suicide Prevention Resources is also an excellent resource for seeking help. For help anytime, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE/1-800-784-2433.