BIO

A freelance writer and full time mom, Natasha Friend has taught at the Brearley School in New York City and Ecole Bilingue in Cambridge. Most recently she served as director of the Brimmer and May Summer Camp in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. She has been writing for ten years about her work with young people. Her writing has appeared in Family Fun magazine and CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE VOLUNTEER'S SOUL. Tasha lives in the Boston area with her husband and young son. PERFECT is her first novel.

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AUTHOR TALK

March 2005

In this interview Natasha Friend, author of PERFECT, talks about her personal experiences with eating disorders --- which is central to the storyline of her debut novel --- and explains what she hopes young people will learn from reading this important, true-to-life story. She also discusses certain aspects of the writing process, offers advice to aspiring authors, and gives us a sneak peak at her second novel.

Question: Did you always want to be a writer?

Natasha Friend: Yes. And an actress, and a singer, and a doctor, and … the list goes on. But, yes; I always wanted to be a writer. When I was little I would dictate stories to my father and he would type them up on his 1930s Remington typewriter. Princess Puini and the Mud Dilemma was the first. I still have it somewhere.

Q: What is the writing process like for you? How do you write?

NF: I have to be inspired. I'm not one of these writers who can just sit down at the computer each morning and start cranking away. I wake up and think, "Is today a writing day?" Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't. If it isn't, I forgive myself. But if it is, everyone knows to get out of my way. When The Groove is On, I can't even hold a conversation. All I can do is write.

Q: Have you written any books besides PERFECT?

NF: I've written a couple of magazine and newspaper articles, but PERFECT is my first published novel. The unpublished ones --- in varying stages of completion --- are sitting in dusty piles under my bed, waiting for resuscitation.

Q: How did you choose the title PERFECT?

NF: Originally the book was called HALO EFFECT. When my editor asked me to change the title I was apprehensive; I didn't think I could find anything that would work as well. PERFECT occurred to me a few days later. I liked it for its simplicity, and for its irony.

Q: How much of yourself is present in Isabelle and Ashley?

NF: I think there's a part of me in every character I create --- consciously or not. I see some of my own insecurities in Isabelle, and some of her toughness. If you were to ask my friends, they would probably tell you I'm more of an Ashley Barnum type, at least from the outside. Like Ashley, I can fool the outside world into thinking I'm more confident, or problem-free, than I really am. Sometimes that's a good thing.

Q: Bulimia is central to the PERFECT storyline. Have you had personal experience with eating disorders?

NF: Definitely. As a former competitive gymnast I was introduced to the concept of dieting and weight control at an early age. Our coach labeled the two springboards in our gym with tape and magic marker: Under 100 Pounds and Over 100 Pounds. There was no question about which board was acceptable and which wasn't. I went on my first diet at the age of eleven. Although I never developed a full-blown eating disorder, I knew girls who did, and I certainly dabbled in some of the behavior: laxatives (once was enough), binge eating and vomiting.

Q: Are you concerned that your detailed descriptions of bingeing and purging behavior might serve as a how-to guide for young readers?

NF: On the contrary; I think the more informed girls are, the less likely they will be to indulge in self-destructive behavior. When I was in middle school I read every eating disorder book I could get my hands on. PAPER DOLL; THE BEST LITTLE GIRL IN THE WORLD; SECOND STAR FROM THE RIGHT. I'm convinced that reading those stories kept me from becoming one of those girls. They scared the pants off me.

Q: Why did you decide to write a book about eating disorders for such a young audience?

NF: Have you entered a middle-school lunchroom lately? You have to hear how some of these girls talk about their bodies. As a former middle-school teacher and camp counselor I can tell you, it's heartbreaking. Ten year olds thinking they're fat. Camp mothers asking me to police their daughters over the summer --- to make sure they don't gain weight. People think the problem must be getting better because we talk about it so much, but the truth is it's getting worse. And the target vulnerable is only getting younger.

Q: At the end of the book Ashley gives Isabelle a Christmas present, but the reader never finds out what the present is. Why not?

NF: I toyed with the idea of a couple of different presents, but none of them rang true for the characters. Ultimately I decided to leave Isabelle feeling conflicted about the potential contents of the box. That felt right to me. There's a part of Isabelle that still wants to hold on to an idealized version of Ashley --- that doesn't want to be disappointed.

Q: Will you write a sequel to PERFECT?

NF: Probably not. But I'd love to hear from readers what they think will happen to the characters.

Q: Is writing difficult for you? What is the most challenging element?

NF: Yes and no. When I know where I'm going with the story and I can write uninterrupted for a long stretch, I love the process. When I have to spend two hours crafting and re-crafting the same two sentences to get them right, I can go quietly insane. The hardest part about writing these days is finding the time. I'm the full-time mother of a toddler who would much rather I play trucks than write. I'm getting pretty good at trucks.

Q: Whose writing do you admire? Do you have a favorite author?

NF: Two words: Judy Blume.

Q: What do you hope your readers will get out of reading PERFECT?

NF: At the very least I hope they will come away from the book saying, "That was real. Those characters were authentic. I felt for them." At most, I hope the book will be tonic for girls who are struggling with body image issues, or eating disorders, or grief over the death of someone close. I want them to know they're not alone, and there are ways to get help.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

NF: Read! When my brother and I were growing up our parents made the deliberate decision to raise us in a household without a TV. Of course we thought it was the worst form of child abuse at the time, missing out on "The Cosby Show" and "Silver Spoons." But we read all the time. And I know that's why we're both writers now. Read. It's bar none the best possible advice I could give.

Q: What are you working on now? What projects lie ahead?

NF: I'm plugging away at novel #2 right now, for the same age group as PERFECT. The protagonist is another 13 year-old girl, but the narration is 3rd person, present tense, so the tone will be different. I've taken the advice of the young readers I've spoken with and will tackle some of the issues they think are most important: teen depression, peer pressure, alcohol. With tough subject matter, humor is essential, so I'm working to inject some levity. If I can make my readers cry and laugh in the same book, I've done my job.

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