In the new Orca Soundings book, Sugar Crash, diabetic teen Zoe accepts a ride to a school camp from her former best friend, and things turn potentially deadly when a crash sends them flying off a remote mountain road. Worse, Zoe’s insulin goes missing in the crash. Now the estranged pair need to band together to find their way to safety. Keep reading to hear from the author about her writing process and inspiration for the book!
What inspired you to write Sugar Crash?
I’ve wanted to write a book with a T1D (type one diabetes) main character for a long time. Being T1 myself might have something to do with that. The opening lines are a true (ish) story. In about 10th grade, one of the questions on an essay assignment was, “If you were stranded on a deserted island, how would you survive?” I had never really thought about that before. I would not survive—not unless I got away from the island pretty darn quickly! Another key inspiration for me is the constant misrepresentation of diabetes in TV and film, as well as general misconceptions about T1. I have a million examples and could complain for hours! But a few that stick out in my head are:
- A TV show where the T1 had hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and the main character—a doctor—administered insulin. Insulin brings blood sugar down. That doctor would’ve killed the T1!
- A TV show where a character became T1 and started eating everything in sight, then never had the condition mentioned again throughout the whole of the series.
- A movie where the main character’s son has T1 and they somehow miraculously have enough insulin and supplies to last them a year, and they supposedly cart it along with them, but you never see the supplies. (Spoiler alert: it’s a lot of supplies.)
Having ex-best friends fall in love is such a fun storyline! What was your favorite part about writing the duo?
As a writer of romance, I can say that writing the “enemies to partners” trope is my favorite. I love a good push/pull, fighting each other but really fighting attraction, setup. For me, the quick dialogue is the key!
There is a lot of suspense in the book. What strategies did you use to keep the stakes high throughout the whole story?
I also write a fair amount of adult suspense, so I’m used to upping the stakes. I also enjoy putting a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter. Often, I come up with the cliffhanger first, then work to lead into it through the chapter.
How has your personal experience with T1D impacted the way you crafted Zoe’s character?
T1 is just another part of me. I think of it as an unwanted, unpaid part-time job. Haha. I wanted Zoe to be very real. To not be bitter but to acknowledge that diabetes shapes her day-to-day actions. I wanted her to be independent—for me, independence and agency over my T1, over my body, is important. I also didn’t want T1 to be all she is. That is, oftentimes, it’s just another personal characteristic. Like having brown hair or being quite tall. So, I was working hard to strike a balanced character. And yes, I definitely used my own feelings about diabetes to do so. Zoe won’t be like every T1; she will be her own version of a person living with the condition (like all of us).
What advice would you give to teens who have T1D? And what would you like teens without T1D to know about it?
You’re your own best advocate. T1 is part of your life and part of you, but it is not all you are. You can control things in a good way. And for the non-T1S: Yes, yes, we can eat that (whatever that is).
Melinda Di Lorenzo has been writing professionally for more than a decade and is the author of Counting Scars, Racing Hearts and Normal Kids in the Orca Soundings line. She is the bestselling author of more than 30 books. Melinda lives in the lower mainland in BC, where she finds plenty of inspiration.