Interview with Caroline Huntoon, author of SKATING ON MARS

 

Today's interview is with an author that I freaked out over when their name showed up. Today's interview is with Caroline Huntoon (they/them) author of upcoming middle-grade book, Skating on Mars (out May 30th)! This book was one of my "Need to Read" books for this year and I am absolutely feral that I was able to read the book and get to interview the author!

In this interview we talked a lot about Skating on Mars, a bit about Caroline's favorite part of writing, and about the upcoming releases Caroline's excited about!      

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When did you first start writing?

I didn’t start finishing novels until 2016 after my child was born. I had started many before then, but—for whatever reason—finishing them didn’t happen until after I had Winnie. Part of it was that writing gave me a creative outlet without needing to get a babysitter.

Huh, that's interesting! I'm glad you were able to start finishing novels about they were born! I totally see it being a good outlet for that reason.
What is your favorite part of writing?

Honestly, it’s whatever part I just finished! So right now, that would be line edits. If I take the high of completing a task out of it, my favorite parts are probably brainstorming ideas and revising based on a really good and helpful edit letter (shout out to my editor Rachel Diebel for giving me those!). Fanning the spark of an idea into a flame and figuring out how to nurture that fire while seeing where it goes is invigorating and allows me to explore humanity in a way that is deeply fulfilling. And when it comes to revisions, getting to work with my editor to make the story better than I could make it alone is really satisfying.

Ooh nicely said! You've got a way with words, makes me want to go out and brainstorm ideas! I get what you mean though. It sounds amazing!
How did you come up with the idea for Skating on Mars?

Every couple of months, I make concept maps of things I like and ideas that are sticking with me. Things like topics, tropes, new interests, quotations, etc.. I use those maps to generate story ideas. If certain ideas show up on multiple maps, they usually make it into a story—because that means that idea has been noodling in my brain for a while. With Skating on Mars, the ideas I wanted to combine were figure skating (which had shown up in a lot of my concept maps over the months; I skated as a child and have stayed interested in the sport since then), gender (always on the map and in the back of my head), and grief. I also wanted to write a book that—despite dealing with some serious topics—was quite fun. Once I had the idea, I drafted Mars pretty quickly.

That is such an awesome way of going about this! I don't think I've heard of someone doing this before and I absolutely love the idea of it. I definitely think you hit the mark on having the book deal with serious topics but still be fun!
How long did this book take you to write? (From first draft to final draft/publication or however you’d like to measure it)

I started writing in the fall of 2020. It took me about two months to write the draft that I queried with. The stars just aligned and the story flowed. I had offers from agents a month after that. I signed with my agent, Jess Mileo at InkWell, in January of 2021 and spent a few months revising based on her feedback. She put the book on submission in late spring of 2021; within a month, we had calls and a solid offer from Macmillan. By the summer of 2021 I knew the book would be published in the spring of 2023. So, all told, from drafting to publication, it was two and a half years, which (believe it or not) is breakneck speed in publishing!

Wow! That's impressive! Yeah that definitely seems like breakneck speed. I'm so glad that people took a chance on this book!
Where did you get the idea for Mars’ name?

Mars’ name just came to me. And once the name was in my head, there were so many reasons that it was right: the Bowie connection, Mars as the god of war (which really does connect with Mars’ reckoning with their own anger throughout the story), the opportunity to throw a Veronica Mars reference in… all good stuff!

Amazing! Love that it just came to you, but that it also connected in other ways as well.
Were there any big changes from the first draft to the final draft?

Nothing huge. We compressed the timeline and focused the story. Originally, there was a bit more of Heather’s (Mars’ sister) school play and Mars’ grandparents showed up. Ultimately, while those elements were connected to what I was exploring in the book, they didn’t allow the story to be as sharp and clear as it could be. So… I got to save those elements for future concept maps and future books.

That's awesome! I know some books change a lot and other's don't seem to change a whole lot. I'm very impressed that there weren't a lot of major changes in this book. And that those ideas might be used in future books.
Were there any important parts that stayed the same from the first draft to the final one?

The book that you will be able to get on May 30th is very much the book I wrote in the fall of 2020. Mars’ grief has always been integral to the story, and I am so thankful that I found an agent, editor, and publisher that understood that.

That's wonderfully said. Mars' grief was definitely a main point while reading the book and I am also glad that everyone understood that. It wouldn't have been the same book without it.
Is there any message(s) that you’d like readers to take away after reading this book?

Trans kids are kids. This book is coming out at this exact moment in time when the existence of trans-ness is being debated very publicly. I sincerely hope that this story can both allow trans/nonbinary readers see themselves in a story and allow other readers to cultivate some empathy and understanding for the trans experience. This book doesn’t propose a “solution” for a world that insists on clinging to a binary system, but I hope it can help more people to see that the world is wider than the binary.

YES! Wonderfully said! That's such an important message and I really hope people can see and understand that when reading this book (and other books like it).
Are you planning on doing anything to celebrate the release of this book?

We’ve rented out a skating rink and will be having an open skate to celebrate the book coming out—complete with a playlist inspired by the book!

Aww, that sounds like a lot of fun! I want to go!!
Are you currently working on any other books?

I just finished line edits for my second book, Linus and Etta Could Use a Win. It’s about a girl who makes a bet with her ex-best friend that she can get the new boy at their school elected student council president; but as Etta cajoles and convinces Linus to run, they become great friends. Writing those two characters has been great fun, and I cannot wait for readers to meet them (in 2024!). And, of course, I’ve got some other ideas swirling around — my next middle grade contemporary book (also featuring a nonbinary protagonist), a middle grade fantasy book about some magical foxes, a sapphic hockey story… There’s much more to come!

Ooh, yes to all of it!!! Whether all of these ideas come to fruition or not, I'm excited. Sign me up for each and every one of them!
Are there any upcoming releases that you’re excited to read?

Don’t Want to Be Your Monster by Deke Moulton, The Beautiful Something Else by Ash Van Otterloo, Venom and Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore and Elliot McLemore, and This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill, to name a few. I’ve already read If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come, The Otherwoods, The Song of Us, Jude Saves the World, and Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything, so I can’t wait for other people to read those (and gush about them with me!).

YES!!! Just all the yeses!! A lot of these books are either ones that I have read, are currently reading, or want to read!!!
Thank you so much for joining me today for this interview with Caroline Huntoon! Make sure to check out their socials and their preorder link below! I can't wait to see what else they might write!!
If you like what I do, consider giving me a follow on social media or donating to my Ko-fi. Thank you for reading!!

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You can find Caroline Huntoon on their website, Instagram, Twitter, and Goodreads.

You can buy Caroline Huntoon's book from Booksweet, an indie bookstore. I would recommend buying from their if you can! You can also find the book wherever books are sold.

If you can't buy their upcoming book but you still want to read them, consider requesting them to your local library or suggesting them on Overdrive!