Debut You is an interview feature on Our Stories Matter blog. Debut authors, who have released or have upcoming releases in 2022, are given five questions to answer about themselves and their book. Currently, the questions are the same for all authors. We hope you enjoy getting to know Charity Alyse and can offer your support. Go here for past Debut You features.
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Describe yourself in five words, then expound on one of them.
If I could describe myself in five words, they would be: determined, creative, resilient, energetic, and homebody.
I am a serious homebody. My dream is to one day own a cottage in the mountains where I can decorate it to my liking. I want sheep and a beautiful garden outside, a typewriter, and a room full of books. With all of that, I’d never go anywhere!
Explain your book’s journey—how long did it take—from idea to publication?
Other Side of the Tracks was birthed out of a ten-page homework assignment for my Creative Writing Children’s Stories class. Crazy, huh? This was during the time BLM really started to gain media traction. I didn’t know how to figure out what was going on within me. I felt so angry and saddened. I was also so afraid for my brother. Whenever he’d leave for the store in his car, I never knew if he’d come back. For this assignment, I poured myself onto the page. I wrote about a girl, a lot like myself, who existed in a world like mine. After a boy she hardly knows is murdered by a police officer, she seeks to understand what equality means in the present and if it’s really that different from the past. She also falls in love with a white boy from the all-white side of town. This created a host of problems as well, especially with her brother, who questions her loyalty.
My class responded in a way I hadn’t imagined. So many of my peers were in tears. My professor encouraged me to turn it into a novel, and I went to work. I switched from one point of view to three so the reader could better understand the two towns and characters and not feel pressure to choose a side. It took nine months to write and a few years of rejections; 234 rejects, to be exact. My mother was the one who encouraged me not to quit my daydream when I thought I couldn’t face another pang of rejection. On my 235th query, I got the yes! Shortly after, we sold Other Side of the Tracks on auction to Denene Millner Books, an imprint of Simon Teen.
Belief in oneself is important; besides you, who has been your cheerleader(s) throughout this process?
My mother has been and still is a huge support! She was the one who encouraged me throughout all the rejections I went through. I was tempted to give up so many times, but she really encouraged me to keep going. I’m a Christian, so my faith plays a really big role in my writing and my writing journey. I found a lot of encouragement through reading encouraging scriptures and praying as well. Lastly, my fiancé was and is also a huge cheerleader. His ear is always open when I’m drafting ideas, and his arms are always open to give the best hugs when I’m stressing out and need them.
Understanding your audience is essential. What do you know for sure about the audience you are writing for?I know that the people who make up the audience for Other Side of the Tracks are those who don’t give up. They are the ones who believe that making the world a better place starts with us. From paying for the person’s coffee before us in line to marching in a protest, my audience stands up for what they believe in. They know true change lies in the little things and the big things. If we stick together and fight for the same future, we’ll see a better world.
Tell us about your book.
I love this question! Other Side of the Tracks tells the story of a racially divided town separated by train tracks and what happens when Black blood is spilled on the white side of town. It’s told in three POVs, centering around three teens who live on either side of the tracks. As the events unfold in the story, their lives change drastically, and they grow tremendously over the course of the novel. There is also forbidden love like Romeo and Juliet (but interracial), social justice, Black romance, and found family. It’s the bravest thing I’ve ever written, and I can’t wait to connect with readers!
YOU did it, congratulations! Your story is going to be read by children or teens, educators, parents, librarians, book bloggers, etc. How do you feel, and are there any other projects in the works—that you can discuss?
Thank you!! It was such a long journey. I can’t believe so many people will be reading Other Side of the Tracks. It’s amazing how it doesn’t just belong to me anymore. It belongs to everyone! I am so excited. I really feel so blessed to share my stories with the world. I hope my personal story, along with this debut, really encourages writers and dreamers to know that anything is possible. Right now, there is no news for another book. I am working on something, though! In publishing, slow and steady wins the race, so be on the lookout!
Other Side of the Tracks
Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster BYR | November 22, 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
Charity Alyse earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature at Rowan University and is currently working toward a master’s degree in clinical mental health therapy. Other Side of the Tracks is her first novel. Alyse lives in New Jersey.
Connect with Charity Alyse: Website | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter
