Lori Weber is a native of Montreal, Quebec, and has also lived and taught in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Her first young adult novel, Klepto (Lorimer & Co., 2004), was selected by the American Library Association for the “Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults” list, and received high praise from School Library Journal and KLIATT. Her other works include the Formac “SideStreets” novels Strange Beauty (2006), Tattoo Heaven (2005), and Split (2005). Weber teaches in the English Department at John Abbott College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec.
Recently, we got the chance to ask Lori about her experiences in writing this novel.
Do you see If You Live Like Me as picking up where your past works have left off, or is it more of a departure from them?
In some respects it is a departure since it is a much longer, fuller book. The mandate of the SideStreets Series that I published my other books in was to tell a story in about 35,000 words, which I was able to do. But here, I was able to develop the story more and let myself play within the narrative.
In terms of characterization, all the protagonists in my books are young women who are struggling to assert themselves and gain strength and confidence in the world, and Cheryl is no exception. She is trying to figure out where and how she belongs, which is a theme I have dealt with before. So, in a sense I see all my books as part of a whole, but each character is totally unique and experiencing a totally unique set of circumstances.
Cheryl comes from a strong, supportive family, so the book isn’t about family problems in the same way some of my other books have been. Come to think of it, of my four books, two are about divorced parents and two aren’t. However, in spite of the fact that this is a very together family, Cheryl’s feelings haven’t always been taken into account or given much credence in the family. So, I suppose that, once again, family discord is a familiar theme, but it is tackled here in a new way.
This is also my first book that is not set in Montreal, even though Cheryl and her family are from Montreal. It’s interesting that Cheryl misses Montreal so much and so I was still able to convey my love for this city, even though the book isn’t set here. That was definitely different, since it has been a very strong presence in my other books. It’s still there, but it takes a back seat to Newfoundland , which is okay, since Newfoundland is such a rich place to write about.
Newfoundland – the area and the people – play a key role in the
novel. What inspired you to set the novel there?
I had the good fortune of living [in Newfoundland] for two years, from 1991-1993, just at the start of the cod moratorium. In fact, I was living there when the moratorium was announced, in a house just up the street from the hotel that John Crosbie made the announcement at. Of course it was a huge topic of conversation on the streets, in the stores and wherever one went really. I had just had a baby but I was teaching one night course up at Memorial University, and many of my students were obviously very personally affected by the announcement, especially those that came from the outports.
I’ve gone back several times since and every time I have been awestruck all over again by the beauty of the land and by the unique character of the place and the warmth of the people. It all seems like some commercial cliché, but actually much of that is so true.
It seems that every time I return, I get very emotional on my first hike back up on Signal Hill. It brings back lots of wonderful memories and it is such a stunning spot. It was after returning to Montreal from a visit in 2003 that I began to write the book. I just had an image of a girl being taken to Newfoundland against her will, expecting to hate it, but of course she can’t help but fall in love with the place, just like I did and just like many people do. It’s amazing how many people go to Newfoundland either to visit or go to school, and just never leave. They get hooked. We would have liked to stay too, but jobs brought us back to Montreal. Still, I do feel a connection and love to go back.
Do you see yourself (or people you know) in the characters that
you write? Do you write from experience?
I think all good writing comes from experience. I have to really feel a story deep down inside me before I can begin writing it. Even if the actual details and plot are not based on personal experience (although some of my books have been fairly autobiographical in parts), the emotions have to resonate and have to be real. For example, my father was not a professor; I was never dragged around as a teenager, but the feeling of not having control over my own life may have been real. And certainly I have experienced the seduction of Newfoundland, which is a strong force. So, the emotional content of the book is true, in parts.
For example, I think, as a teen, I would have loved to meet a great guy like Jim (at least I’m really fond of Jim), so I really enjoyed creating him. I felt like I did know him, perhaps because I remember dreaming up my sort of fantasy boyfriend at the age of sixteen – someone smart and sensitive, like Jim. So, for me, in order to obtain emotional honesty and depth in a book, I have to write from some sort of experience, coupled with imagination, perhaps pulling from the experiences of those around me, things I see or read about. It’s a big cauldron really of different inputs.
What kind of research did you do for this novel in terms of location?
I wrote the book based on what I remembered ofNewfoundland, both from living there and visiting it, in terms of setting and location. However, I did have to do lots of research on various aspects of Newfoundland, including its history, geology, fishing facts. I also went to some museums in Montreal that helped me with fossils and geology. I read books and used the Internet, plus I asked everyone I could think of lots of questions. I don’t think it’s good to over-research when writing. You don’t want to sound like a textbook. I tend to write first, going purely on instinct, then do my research later, and adjust as needed. I’m always pretty amazed by how close I come to getting it right.
Finally, I had to go back and hole up in a house for three weeks and revisit all the places I mentioned in the book, to make sure I had captured them somewhat accurately, if that is even possible. That did lead to some touching up here and there. St. John’s is a city that has changed a lot since I lived there, mostly because of oil money. It is more commercial than I remember it, but it is still charming and unique.
