Interview with YA author Ari Rosesenschein

Young adult author Ari Rosesenschein is chatting with me about Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph.

During his virtual book tour, Ari will be awarding a signed paperback copy of Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph (US only) to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
Ari Rosenschein is a Seattle-based author who grew up in the Bay Area. Books and records were a source of childhood solace, leading Ari to a teaching career and decades of writing, recording, and performing music. Along the way, he earned a Grammy shortlist spot, landed film and TV placements, and co-wrote the 2006 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Song of the Year.

In his writing, Ari combines these twin passions. Coasting, his debut short story collection, was praised by Newfound Journal as “introducing us to new West Coast archetypes who follow the tradition of California Dreaming into the 21st century.” Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph (Fire & Ice YA) is his first young adult novel.

Welcome, Ari. Please tell us about your new release.
Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph is a young adult fiction book that takes place in the late ’90s. The story centers on Zack Coleman, a sophomore from Arizona who moved to Berkeley with his mother, a recently divorced science professor. California is a gargantuan shift from what Zack is used to as a mainstream kid from Tempe. Soon, he befriends free-spirited Matthias Alexander, a skateboarding punk rock enthusiast who introduces him to a whole new world of Bay Area music and subculture. Their friendship deepens, leading to a powerful bond, but things get tricky when Zack falls for an older girl, Zaylee. Zack also has to deal with the absence of his father, a mysterious poet who abandoned his family to live in the desert.

What inspired you to write this book?
The initial inspiration for this book came from a desire to tell a story about those early friendships that define who we become—the mind-meld types of connections that feel so intense in adolescence. I wanted to write about the Bay Area (where I’m from) and how music impacted my young life, but to do so outside of my era and interests. So I set the book in a city that was new to me, in a period I didn’t know as well, and put the focus on sports that were outside my knowledge base.

All three elements required me to do extensive research and learn about everything from skateboarding to water polo to Berkeley neighborhood history. It was a rewarding experience, and I got to include the emotional core of my story in a whole new context, which feels fresh and exciting to me.

Excerpt from Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph:
“Kick back, Zack,” Danny says. “Let me you take for a spin around the neighborhood.”

As we cruise, Danny blasts nothing but his favorite band, Nirvana. “We’re in Oakland now,” he explains before launching into a thudding drum roll on the steering wheel.

“Berkeley and Oakland are like siblings. But one got all the nice shit, and the other got left to fend for itself.”

He’s right. Through the soot-streaked passenger window, the city scenery transforms before my eyes. Graffiti-covered buildings, dilapidated cinder-block walls, women in slippers pushing strollers, AC Transit buses exhaling smoke. We’re not in college hippie town anymore.

My blissed-out driver barely seems to register anything but the music.

“How far is Alameda?”

“Relax,” Danny instructs me. “You got somewhere to be?”

“No, I’m good.”

What exciting project are you working on next?
In addition to a number of short stories, I am working on a new book set in the Seattle tech world in 2019, when the industry was at its height. The story focuses on a dysfunctional team dealing with life, love, and jealousy in the Emerald City. I also have a pair of new book ideas I’m excited to begin fleshing out once I’ve finished the one I’ve just described. So many book concepts, so little time. Each project ends up taking far longer than I initially anticipate, and there’s always the added challenge of dealing with my perfectionism.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
While I have always written songs and the occasional record review or guest blog post, I began to consider myself a writer when I returned to school at the University of Washington for my nonfiction writing certificate. At that point, I began to write with real rigor and started to produce.

When I published my first piece in The Big Takeover magazine, a profile of musician Jennifer Finch, I realized that I had made the jump and was a “writer” rather than someone who periodically churned something out. The discipline I started to apply to my process was the new ingredient. I became obsessed.

I spent several years pursuing journalism and got my first serious writing job at KEXP. After earning my UW certificate, I decided to push things further and went after my MFA at Antioch. That experience changed my life and brought me to fiction writing.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Although I don’t write fiction for a living, I am immersed in the world of writing every day. As Global Editorial Content Manager at Roland, a legendary musical instruments corporation, I helm our articles platforms. As a result, I am very fortunate to write, edit, interview, and lay out editorial stories. Best of all, I get to work with wonderful external contributors and co-workers worldwide.

As for my writing, I fit it in wherever I can. Often, that means early morning sessions for an extended period. Sometimes, I have to burn the midnight oil. I consistently take advantage of NaNoWriMo as an opportunity to draft new work every year. The month of November is a holy time for me. During that quiet, dark month, I dig into new work and come out the other end with something unexpected.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
One quirk I have is that I often feel more like an editor than a writer. This may come from my day job when I’m constantly reviewing other writers’ work, helping refine their stories. It also may come from my background as a songwriter and music producer, where so much of the work occurs in the process of eliminating—cutting away the flab to reveal the lean essence of a piece of music. Regardless of the origin of this trait, I am enlivened by the process of editing, pulling apart words, sentences, paragraphs, and even chapters, and then recasting them in novel ways.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
My various childhood dream jobs included being an actor or comic book artist. But when the music bug bit me, there was only one path: I wanted, no, needed, to be a musician. I followed that path for decades and could carve out a living through a combination of teaching, touring, and songwriting, but writing was always there, silently waiting for me to take it more seriously. I’m glad I finally answered the call.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Writing a book is a labor of love, a long, often frustrating process filled with self-doubt and overthinking. Because of the inherent solitude writing requires, the ecstatic release of connecting with readers takes on an even more profound significance than other art forms. I appreciate every thoughtful comment and review I receive about my work. Engaging with a book is a profoundly personal experience that happens in our mind’s eye while we read. I can only hope my books move some readers like my favorites do for me.

Links:
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