An Interview with Caroline Hickey, Author of Cassie was Here

Cassie Was Here by Caroline Hickey gently captures one girl's impressionable summer. (Read my full-length book review.) I thought the book was adorable, so I placed it on my Best Books Read in June 2007 list. Caroline responded to the news with a "Yee haw!" Then we talked some more.

I never had an imaginary friend myself. I had Twinkie, my Siamese cat, who acted as my best friend, my confidante, and my captive (though discerning) audience. Did you ever have an imaginary friend?

Of course! I had an imaginary friend named Lulu when I was about three years old, but she only lasted a few weeks. If I'd had one when I was eleven, I would have wanted her to be just like Joey.

Why make your main character, Bree, eleven years old instead of, say, six?

I knew creating an imaginary friend for an older character would be tricky, because some people would say it wasn't plausible. But I found a lot of research about how kids cope with change and new situations, and how imaginary playmates are a sign of creativity and intelligence. And in the end, the book is fiction, and fiction is about exploring ideas. This is one I chose to explore.

When you were Bree's age, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A judge! I'm not sure how I first got the idea, but my great-grandfather was a judge and I thought it sounded neat. Even though I always loved books and writing, I had no idea I wanted to be a writer until I was in my twenties.

How old were you when the writing bug first bit you?

About third grade. I wrote poems then -- very bad rhyming poems. In middle school I moved onto flash fiction and short stories, and in college I went back to poetry. It wasn't until later that I started taking some fiction writing classes and working on longer pieces. I'd always been afraid to write something LONG, afraid it would be too hard. Now I'm scared to write something short!

How long did it take you to write and sell Cassie Was Here?