I’m Lucy Rose and here’s the thing about me: I am eight and according to my grandfather I have the kind of life that is called eventful, which means NOT boring. According to my mom and my grandmother, I’m what they call a handful. And according to my dad, I am one smart cookie. I say I am one girl who is feeling not-so-sure about things on account of my parents got a separation. Plus my mom and I just moved to Washington, D.C. Plus I haven’t met any friends yet, but I do know someone who is not one and that is Adam Melon, who I call Melonhead.
Here’s another thing about me:
Most of the time, I am plain hilarious.
How did you come up with Lucy Rose?
My mom is responsible. One day she was talking about her dog, Poppy (who, between us, is not the brightest) and my mom said, “Poppy has been so much better behaved since I started telling her where I am going and what time I’ll be back.”
That made me laugh like a loon. When I got back to my computer, I typed the sentence: My grandmother thinks her dog can tell time. I kept typing until I had a book! The moral of this story: Listen to your mother.
How come you made Lucy Rose a good singer and dancer?
Because I would like to be a good singer and dancer. But I’m not. I am terrible. And I’m not sure Lucy Rose is the greatest, although she is certainly better than I am, but she is self-confident and enthusiastic and can make the audience laugh.Those three qualities always make a performance better.
Why did you make Lucy Rose’s parents get a divorce?
Divorce is really hard on kids—and on parents. It’s also pretty common. I wanted Lucy Rose to go through the same things that real-life kids go through—like wishing their parents would get back together. I did not want to write a book all about divorce because nobody’s life is all about divorce. Even when you are in the middle of it, there are other things that need doing, other problems to solve and plenty of friends to make and fun to be had.
Are Madam and Pop real?
Madam and Pop are a lot like my mom and dad. The real Madam wrote an advice column for parents and the real Pop was a newspaper man. I grew up in a house with a lot of porches in Washington DC. Pop really did tell my siblings and me “School is as close to prison as I hope you children ever come,” which we appreciated. Some things are different. Madam is a health nut. My mom is a butter nut and you know how some people have a sweet tooth? Madam has sweet teeth.
How come Lucy Rose wears crazy outfits?
Like Pop says, Lucy Rose is an original thinker. Original thinkers aren’t like everybody else. They have ideas. Some are wacky. Some seem impossible. Some are impossible. And some change the world. Really.
