Author Chat with Meera Trehan (The View from the Very Best House in Town), Plus Giveaway ~ US Only

YABC:  What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

Usually, I have ideas and questions and thoughts percolating in my head for years before I start drafting a novel, and this book was no exception. I think so much—lived experiences, articles, emotions—flowed into this book that’s it’s hard to capture it all.

But a big piece of it was my desire to find answers to some of my own questions:

What happens when there’s a gap between what we tell kids we value—kindness, caring—and what we show them we value—social status, conventional achievement? How does the near universal desire to make our kids happy sometimes lead to so much unhappiness? Also, I was thinking about subtle and not-so subtle form of ableism, and the forces that can makes friendships fray as kids get older.

After years, these thoughts coalesced in the characters of Asha, Sam and Donnybrooke, their families, and eventually, after lots of drafting and experimenting, this book. 

YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?

It’s so hard to pick just one! Donnybrooke, the mansion with a big attitude, was tremendously fun to write. It was also essential to the story I wanted to tell and because it viewpoint doesn’t neatly mirror any of the human characters. I could explore issues and poke fun at it in a way that I couldn’t in any other POV. It also surprised me! I hadn’t expected Donnybrooke to have much of an arc when I first started writing it, but it turned out to grow as much as any character in the book. 

My editor, Susan Van Metre, once called Asha “the beating heart” of the story, and I think that captures her perfectly. I love her insights, her interests, and especially, how true she is to herself. I also adore Rohan, Asha’s loving, kind, and a little intellectually pretentious, big brother who is struggling to grow a real beard.

YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?

The novel, and it wasn’t even close! I completed multiple drafts of the entire novel before I called in anything other than “HOUSE.” I had list after list of titles, none of which were quite right (and many of which were embarrassingly wrong). I didn’t even particularly like the title I had when I queried. After I signed with my agent, Molly Ker Hawn, we agreed that the title needed changing, and just before we went of submission we settled on THE VIEW FROM THE VERY BEST HOUSE IN TOWN. Now, after all that, I can’t imagine it being called anything else. I’m not sure why it took so long to get there, other than sometimes it just takes a while to get things right. 

YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?

Everything! I am in awe of how the cover captures the feel of the book as well as the actual story. I’m amazed at how it brings to life the house and the three primary human characters—the details are plentiful and perfect. It’s also so eye-catching and unique. I get compliments on it all the time, but the credit goes to the cover artist, Nicole Miles, and the book designer, Maya Tatsukawa. I’m so grateful for their work.

YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2022?

There are so many good books coming out, but I’ll limit myself to one middle grade and one YA. 

On the middle grade side, I’m excited for BE REAL, MACY WEAVER, Lakita Wilson’s middle grade debut about a girl who, while trying to make a new BFF, tells a little lie that spins out of control. Lakita is so good at capturing that middle grade voice and humor, and I can’t wait for her to share this story with the world.

On the Young Adult side, I’m looking forward to DEBATING DARCY, a Pride and Prejudice retelling set in the world of high school debate by Sayantani DasGupta, I’ve loved Pride and Prejudice ever since my mom sat me down to watch the Masterpiece Theater version when I was 10, and I’m so excited to read this update. Sayantani Dasgupta’s stories are fun, funny, and deeply insightful, and this one promises to be the same.

YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?

I only just read A GAME OF FOX & SQUIRRELS by Jenn Reese. I’m very interested in how authors choose to tell their stories, and I thought the device she used—the game of fox and squirrels—allowed me to viscerally understand the characters’ experience in a way that is brilliant and rare. 

I also really enjoyed HOW TO FIND WHAT YOU’RE NOT LOOKING FOR by Veera Hiranandani. I thought she did a terrific job capturing the historical time period—the late 1960s—while still making the story feel relevant and fresh. And as a lawyer, I really appreciated her focus on the 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia. It can be easy to forget how the law impacts everyday people and until how recently in our history some of the most egregious, expressly racist laws were in effect. This book does a great job of capturing that while telling a compelling story about individuals that feel real and complex. 

YABC:   What’s up next for you?

I am working on a middle grade fantasy with fairy tale elements and snow. A lot of snow. This is my first time writing fantasy and I wasn’t sure I could do it—in fact for a long time, I was in denial! I’d say I as working on a realistic fiction book with a bit of magic in it. My writing friends are very kind, and they humored me until I was ready to acknowledge that I was in fact writing a fantasy with all of the creative challenges and opportunities that entails. 

YABC:   What advice do you have for new writers? 

My first piece of advice is that you don’t have to follow every piece of the advice you hear. Rather, take the advice that works for you, that helps your process, and that inspires you to write. While it’s important to keep learning and have an open-mind, writing is such an individualized process, and what work for me might not work for you. That’s fine! There’s not one right way to write a novel.

Also, it is okay if the process takes more time than you expected. The books you’re reading, the pieces of writing that don’t seem to go anywhere, even the breaks you take—it’s all working toward something, even if though it can be hard to feel that in the moment. So, give yourself space to have fun with your writing, to find your truth, to play with things you weren’t planning on. You may well find your best work that way, but even if you don’t, you’ll enjoy the process, and that has value too. Write what makes you excited about writing.