Even now that it’s come out, the thought “It could all disappear” still runs through my head occasionally.īTW : Zoe’s first impression of Digby isn’t one that would typically lead to friendship. When it sunk in that it had, I didn’t trust myself to feel good about it. For days after the sale, I didn’t believe it had happened. The Internet is overflowing with bad news about the “no hope” business of selling a book. Henry James said that same thing about writing novels.īTW : What was it like to learn that your debut title was being published?

And, second, they told me to cut down on stage direction and dramatize rather than explicate. No one really stands around waiting for their conversation partner to finish a long monologue, for example. I’d highlight two pieces of advice more experienced writers gave me that have been useful in my new gig as a YA writer: First, keep the dialogue real in terms of both content and circumstance. I try to write dialogue in a short quippy style; I think that’s a holdover from my film and TV writing. I also think the pacing and timing in Trouble is very much influenced by film. People often remark on the influence of action movies and slapstick in my writing. Stephanie Tromly: I’d say that having worked in visual media makes my writing style more kinetic. How has screenwriting and film in general influenced your writing? Your debut, Trouble Is a Friend of Mine, has been compared to TV’s Veronica Mars and 1980s films from John Hughes. program in English Literature at the University of Toronto, she lives in Winnipeg with her husband and toddler son.īTW : Not only are you a published author, but you are also a screenwriter. Tromly, who was born in Manila, grew up in Hong Kong, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, has worked as a screenwriter in Los Angeles.

A terrific read!” said Margaret Neville of The King’s English in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is what a YA book should be - smart, funny, and surprising. “Tromley has written a mystery/adventure with quirky characters who do not seem to like each other. Stephanie Tromly is the author of Trouble Is a Friend of Mine (Kathy Dawson Books), a Summer/Fall 2015 Indies Introduce title for middle grade readers and a top Summer 2015 Kids’ Indie Next List pick.ĭescribed as Sherlock meets Veronica Mars meets Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Trouble Is a Friend of Mine is the story of a wisecracking girl, Zoe, who meets Philip Digby, a weird but brilliant boy, and their roller-coaster of a semester that’s one part awkward, three parts thrilling, and five parts awesome.

Digby stephanie tromly