Q&A with Karys McEwen, Author of Her Debut Novel All the Little Tricky Things

Briefly tell us about your book.

All the Little Tricky Things is a middle-grade novel about a twelve-year-old girl called Bertie. It’s set in a small country town in the summer holidays before Bertie starts high school. She has a lot of worries about growing up and going through a big period of change. Her best friend, Claire, writes Bertie a Summer List of things she can do to feel more prepared. The book follows their journey as Bertie works through the different tasks, with a few bumps along the way! It’s a gentle novel about growing up, set during a time when everything seems to be changing quicker than you are ready for.

What are you hoping the reader will take away from reading your book?

I’ve always liked novels about average kids with big worries and big dreams, and plots that focus on the small moments of everyday life. I hope that young people reading this book feel like it is relatable and reassuring, and that they can see their feelings and experiences of growing up reflected back at them. I hope it makes them feel less alone and maybe even reminds them that everyone grows up on their own schedule; there’s no rush.

Tell us about your background and what led you to writing this book.

I have worked in high-school libraries for nearly a decade, so being surrounded by teenagers on a daily basis has given me some pretty interesting insights into their lives! I was lucky enough to be encouraged to write something by an editor at Text Publishing, and very grateful when they accepted my manuscript straight away. I was inspired to write All the Little Tricky Things after having a conversation with two year seven students about what it was like to transition from primary school to high school. They were embarrassed at how worried they had been because everything turned out all right in the end, but I knew immediately what they were talking about and I wanted to write that story. Like my main character Bertie, I also grew up in a small town and was sent to high school in the city, so I also wanted to include the experience of leaving the only place you’ve known for something much bigger.

How did you think of the title of the book?

Coming up with a title was challenging! I spent so many hours playing around with words and phrases to encompass that coming-of-age experience and those feelings of being ‘in between’ childhood and teenagehood. In the end, I stumbled across a quote by Sylvia Plath which ended up being the epigraph for the book: ‘Doing all the little tricky things it takes to grow up, step by step, into an anxious and unsettling world.’ For me, that perfectly summed up Bertie’s emotions about growing up, and nicely hinted at the list that she works through to feel more confident and ready for what’s next.

What’s your daily writing routine like and what are you working on at the moment?

I work full time as a school librarian so my writing routine is ‘whenever I have time’! I recently moved to the Dandenong Ranges, which is an area filled with thick forests and lush fern glades—the perfect writer’s paradise! My desk is right by the window and it’s lovely and peaceful. I try to write as often as I can, and at the moment I’m writing something for a slightly older audience. My main character is a fourteen-year-old boy, and so far it’s a similar coming-of-age story with a focus on a complicated sibling relationship. I’m enjoying the writing process, and I hope it’ll make its way out into the world at some point!

Buy a copy of All the Little Tricky Things here.

Buy a copy of All the Little Tricky Things here.