Alex McAuley

Shelter Me
by Alex McAulay

Maggie Leigh just wants to be a normal teenager, but when German bombs tear apart London during World War II, her ultra-religious mother sees the destruction as divine punishment. She sends Maggie to a remote boarding school in coastal Wales, supposedly to keep her safe, but also to keep her in line. The school is creepy, the headmistress is a lunatic, and the students range from spoiled rich girls to speechless trauma victims. But when a tragic accident happens on the beach, Maggie and three friends are forced to flee the school, plunging into the nightmarish world of Europe during wartime. Now every decision Maggie makes is fraught with danger, and living to see another day depends on how quickly she can think and act...and how far she's willing to go.

IB Teen talks to Alex McAuley

IBT: If you could choose one fictional character to bring into real life, who would you choose?

AM: From my books, or books in general? From my books, it would have to be Maggie Leigh from "Shelter Me" because it would be interesting to see what a teenager from WWII-era Europe would make of today's society. From other's people's books, it would probably be Elizabeth from "Pride & Prejudice", or Nicholas from "The Magus" (a very strange book by John Fowles that was the unofficial basis for David Fincher's 1997 film "The Game").

IBT: How did you survive being a teen?

AM: I'm not sure. I spent most of my teen years being an emo/punk/nerd/outcast/film geek who played in a punk rock band but also spent a lot of time studying (I had really strict parents). I grew up in Dayton, Ohio and there wasn't much to do there. The only cool part was that Kim Deal from the rock bands The Pixies and The Breeders lived a few streets down from me and used to let us kids hang out at her house. Once I got out of Dayton at 17, I went wild.

IBT: Have you ever written something that you feel uncomfortable writing, knowing that your family and friends will probably end up reading it?

AM: Yes, absolutely. But that book hasn't been released yet. It's my next project. It's pretty dark, and will probably make a lot of people I know unhappy. Writing it is really hard. But I'm hoping it will also turn out to be psychologically rewarding (and won't just drive me insane or something awful).

IBT: What do you think are the biggest issues that teens need to be thinking about today? Do you think teens today are looking for quality in the books they read, or just to live vicariously through superficial characters?

AM: It's a mix. I don't think core psychological traits change that much from one generation to another. Everyone wants to have friends, to be loved, to have enough money to live on (at the least), and to do something cool with their lives. I don't know what issues teens think about--they're probably similar to what I think about. (I remain hopeful we'll soon see an end to the pointless, colonialist war in Iraq, for example). And I think it's a mix in terms of reading for quality vs. reading for superficial characters--sometimes one is fun, sometimes the other. I love trashy horror novels/graphic novels as much as I love really complex "literary" postmodern novels.

IBT: How have the books you’ve read inspired the books you’ve written, if at all?

AM: My favorite books (especially the works of Stephen King, J.G. Ballard, William Golding, Truman Capote, Paul Theroux, and Alex Garland) inspired me to become a writer in the first place. A great book (or movie!) is a constant source of inspiration and creative energy for me.

IBT: What is the strangest thing you have ever gotten inspiration from?

AM: Bizarre and shocking events from my past.


IBT: Many writers say parting with a character is hard. Do you ever look back on a character and wish you had changed something about him or her?

AM: Sometimes. I'm happy with the characters in my first novel "Bad Girls" and in my most recent novel "Shelter Me." Sometimes characters take a weird turn when I'm writing. Some of my favorite characters are based on people I know.

IBT: What is the one thing such as, sky diving or any other daring thing, that you would love to do but you are too afraid?
AM: Challenging Axl Rose to a charity boxing match.


IBT: What do you do when you are faced with writer’s block? What helps you get over it?
AM: Writer's block can be cured by copious amounts of alcohol (warning: this is probably not a good long-term strategy). But seriously, I write almost every day. It's like running--the discipline keeps away the problems.

IBT: WWII is one of my favorite times in history to read about, what inspired you to set the story during this time?
AM: My parents were alive (as babies) during WWII and living in London. My dad's house was bombed and he barely survived. My mom was sent away to Wales to a safe area. Their stories and the stories of my grandparents inspired my novel. It sounds like a brutal time. I remain fascinated by the fact that Britain and America managed to stop the lunatic tide of Nazism that had conquered most of Europe. I wish Britain and America would return to their onetime roles of doing good in the world, instead of invading foreign countries for profit.

IBT: Are you working on anything now and can you share anything about it with us?
AM: I'm writing a memoir about my youth. It's not specifically aimed at teens, due to the extremely disturbing content, but I think a lot of teens might enjoy reading it. I'm also working on my fifth young adult novel, which is set in Utah.