Front and Center (25 page)

In the interests of journalistic integrity, or whatever the integrity fiction writers are supposed to have, I should report that Marty Beller, the drummer for They Might Be Giants, is married to my agent. But I was first introduced to TMBG (or "Giants," as they slyly describe it) in 1990 by a roommate of my friend Stewart, right before I almost crushed Stew's skull. The band embodies Beaner's irreverent exuberance.

B
IRDHOUSE IN
Y
OUR
S
OUL
They Might Be Giants
G
ET THE
P
ARTY
S
TARTED
Plnk
S
HOUT
The Isley Brothers
R
OCKY
M
OUNTAIN
W
AY
Joe Walsh
M
ONY
M
ONY
Tommy James and the Shondells
H
OLD
M
Y
H
AND
Hootie & the Blowfish
G
IMME
S
OME
L
OVIN'
The Spencer Davis Group
I
T'S THE
E
ND OF THE
W
ORLD AS
W
E
K
NOW
I
T
(A
ND
I F
EEL
F
INE
)
R.E.M.
D
EAD
They Might Be Giants
O
H
! D
ARLING
The Beatles
T
REAT
H
ER
R
IGHT
The Commitments
G
IMME
S
HELTER
The Rolling Stones
R
ESPECT
Aretha Franklin
W
HY
D
OES THE
S
UN
S
HINE
? (T
HE
S
UN
I
S A
M
ASS OF
I
NCANDESCENT
G
AS
)
They Might Be Giants
N
EW
S
OUL
Yael Naim
M
ONEY
(T
HAT'S
W
HAT
I W
ANT
)
Barrett Strong
B
RICK
H
OUSE
The Commodores
G
ET
B
USY
Sean Paul
A L
ITTLE
L
ESS
C
ONVERSATION
Elvis Presley
A
ND
I A
M
T
ELLING
Y
OU
I
'M
N
OT
G
OING
Dreamgirls
H
ELPLESS
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

• At the end of chapter 1, D.J. declares that "front and center sucks." What does she mean, exactly? How does this sentiment fit into the book as a whole?
  
• What's the biggest challenge D.J. faces in
  Front and Center?
  What did you think it was going to be?
  
• D.J.'s relationship with her family evolves a great deal over the book, and the series. Provide examples of this evolution with her father—mother—Curtis—Win—Bill.
  
• Brian's father has a small but critical role in
  Front and Center
  —indeed, in all three books. What does he add to the story? What do Amber and Dale add?
  
• Dale and Curtis are my two favorite characters in the series. Who are yours?
  
• What did you think about Brian and D.J.? What about Beaner and D.J.? What would you do if you were in D.J.'s shoes?
  
• Do you know anyone who's been recruited for college, either for athletics or for other activities? What was their experience? How would you feel in D.J.'s situation?
  
• How do the issues and problems that D.J. faces in
  Front and Center
  compare to those in
  Dairy Queen
  and
  The Off Season
  ?
  
• In
  Front and Center, The Off Season,
  and
  Dairy Queen,
  D.J. each time writes to a specific recipient—to an audience of one, if you will. How does this structure affect the books and the reading experience?
  
• What is the moral of
  Front and Center?
  Of the Dairy Queen series?
  

Front and Center
is the third and final book in the series about D.J. Schwenk and her family. Did you find it difficult to say goodbye to this cast of characters?

Yes and no. I miss them, but we spent almost six years together, and it's time for all of us to make some new friends. D.J. is so grown up—far more grown up than I was, or am, or will ever be—and it's nice to imagine her off on her own, making the world a better place.

Why did you write a third book about D.J.? Are you sure her story is over?

I never meant to write a third book, just as I'd never meant to write a second. But the volume of mail was so huge! It seemed that no one wanted the story to end. And I had some questions as well that I still needed to answer. I do have thoughts about her future, I'll confess, but I'm not going to write them down for many years. I'd really like to write about her freshman year of college, as there are so few YA books about that. This is absolutely shocking, but it's not surprising, not when you think about it. YA is read by twelve-year-olds. You can tone down high school, more or less, for middle-schoolers, but college is just way too raw. I'm not talking about the quote-unquote adult activity, but just the sheer reality of the collegiate experience. "All my life I've wanted to be a doctor, and now I'm flunking organic chemistry"...That's as much college as keg parties, and no less disturbing to a sixth-grader. So I'll probably just keep D.J.'s future to myself. But check back with me in 2020.

In
Front and Center,
D.J. deals with the college basketball recruiting process and you describe her feelings of angst and indecision so well. How do you know so much about this process?

While researching
The Off Season,
I'd inadvertently come across a great deal about college sports recruiting—for example, the biography of Adam Tagliaferra, a Penn State football player with a spinal cord injury. As a total non-athlete, I'd always viewed sports recruiting as a huge Get Out of Jail Free card. You have this great physical talent and so win yourself a scholarship—boom!—while the rest of us peons have to toil away writing essays and taking SATs and actually applying. But of course it turns out that the reality is far different. Recruiting requires years
—years
—of work by athletes, parents, and coaches ... One college coach told me, in so many words, "The system is completely out of control." Plus there's no more guarantee of success than in the regular admissions process. I'd argue it's even more stressful given the omnipresent threat of injury and the unknowns of future play (Will the student pick a winning team? Will's/he get playing time? Will the "star" athlete flounder at the university level?), compounded by the expectation of academic success as well.

I had no idea of this all when I began
Front and Center—
I certainly didn't know it while writing
Dairy Queen,
which explains why there's not nearly enough detail on recruiting in that first book! It was great fun getting to know several college and high school coaches, picking their brains. I didn't want D.J. to be a superstar, in part because I hadn't planted that seed well enough in the earlier books, but also because superstars aren't as interesting. "Oh, I'm perfect, I'm fantastic, everyone wants me"...Bring out the kryptonite for that dude. I found it far more intriguing (1) to make her abilities a bit more borderline within the D-I community, and (2) to have her doubt herself. The plot conflict of "will she get in or won't she" is far too pat. I much prefer the drama of her struggle not over whether she'll get in but whether she even wants to play. D.J. has spent her whole life feeling like an outsider and a bit of a loser, in the sense that she's never felt like a winner. When one is in that mind-set (and far too many of us have wallowed there, myself included), it's luxuriously easy to dismiss the winners—as D.J. phrased it in The
Off Season
—as having "easy lives." She's as much of a snob in her own way as Brian is. And in
Front and Center
she's
forced to confront the truth that winning isn't any easier than losing is.

You receive a lot of e-mails and letters from fans. Are there any in particular that stand out? Or an overall theme that stands out?

The fan mail is truly extraordinary. I don't know if it's her personality or her voice or her everygirl quality, but D.J. inspires the most passionate, heartfelt, unvarnished correspondence I've ever seen. At first I thought this was normal for authors, even though my agent and editor kept saying no. Now that
Princess Ben
has been out for a while, I finally understand how right they are. My
Princess Ben
mail is lovely: "Thank you for the wonderful book. Please write more fairy tales, as I truly enjoyed it." Whereas
DQ
and
TOS
produce—and I quote—"Your my favorite author ... You are an exceptional righter." Isn't that completely endearing? And it was from a librarian! (Joke.)

Everyone asked for a third book, or mentioned that they can't wait to read it. I also got lots of advice on how D.J. should progress romantically. Strong feelings about Brian—readers either love him and hope he sees the light, or want D.J. to drop him like a hot rock. Here's one example: "I was reading the FAQs on your website and you mentioned DJ and Brian possibly getting back together in
Front and Center,
please do NOT let that happen. I never really liked Brian and DJ deserves someone better. If I choose who DJ fell for it would be Beaner or Kyle, please take this into consideration."

Princess Ben: Being a Wholly Truthful Account of Her Various Discoveries and Misadventures, Recounted to the Best of Her Recollection, in Four Parts

"Your behavior is despicable!" the prince snapped.

"In what way?" I snapped back. "You have no cause to criticize me."

"No cause? I vowed, the moment I left that cursed Blue Room and your conniving sorcery, never to speak of what I had witnessed, and until this day I had no incentive to do so. Since our arrival in this demon castle, however, as I witness your handiwork, I cannot but fear for the preservation of all that I hold dear."

"My handiwork? As hostess and emissary?"

"Emissary? Hostess? Do not toy with me! I am no longer some innocent trapped by your lies and spell work! I demand, should you value your life and the lives of your people, to break at once the enchantment you have placed upon my father!"

So staggered was I by this fallacious and spiteful accusation that I nigh broke my ankle on the ridiculous heels on which I tottered. "Enchantment, you say? It is enchantment to practice dance for hour after hour, day after day, with a man who reeks of fish? To ride, and write, and prattle incessantly about nothing whatsoever? To stitch enough handkerchiefs to dam the Great River itself, and bully one's body into clothes more suitable for martyrs than ladies?" I snatched up one of my cursed slippers. "Does this smack of magic to you? Because allow me to inform you, my handsome young prince, that this be not enchantment—it be work!"

With that, I hurled the slipper at him, not caring if I caused his decapitation. (I did not.) Marshaling what little dignity I yet possessed, I stomped down the corridor—challenging indeed with one shoe—and around the corner.

I lay awake for hours. The prince had no right, not one, to indict me so, and if I had held the slightest hope of the magic book's assistance, I would have climbed at once to my wizard room for a spell with which to punish him. Death, perhaps, or humiliation. A croaking frog would be nice, particularly a frog that retained Florian's dark eyes. I should keep it in a box and poke it occasionally with a stick; that would be satisfying indeed.

Calming myself in degrees with such pleasant notions, I drifted at last to sleep.

Catherine Gilbert Murdock grew up on a small farm in Connecticut, where she wisely avoided all sports involving hand-eye coordination. She now lives outside Philadelphia with her husband, two brilliant unicycling children, and a one-acre yard that she is slowly transforming into a wee but flourishing ecosystem. Visit catherinemurdock.com to learn more about her books, favorite reads, and lots of other great stuff.

ALSO BY CATHERINE GILBERT MURDOCK:

Wisdom's Kiss
Coming in Fall 2011!