Kristen Kittscher combines life experience, imagination in ‘Wig in Window’

Like so many authors before her, Kristen Kittscher had a lifelong love of telling stories, but lacked the courage to take writing seriously until the right project came along.

For Kristen, that project developed from her experience teaching “very clever, funny” seventh-grade English students at an all-girls school. They became her muse for “Wig in the Window,” (June 18, HarperCollins Children’s) a fast-paced mystery/adventure featuring two girls whose game of spying on neighbors turns into something unexpected.

“I’d long wanted to write a novel, but it wasn’t until I thought of creating a story that would entertain kids like them that I finally threw myself into the project,” Kristen told Cracking the Cover. “It helped that one of my students had loaned me Kirsten Miller’s ‘Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City.’ I loved how Miller didn’t shy away from high stakes or talk down to her young readers — it gave me a sense of the possibilities when writing for kids!”

“The Wig in the Window” was born out of old snippets of free-writing experiences that Kristen stumbled upon. The snippets, which the author admits were heavily autobiographical, focus on an adult main character reminiscing about her sixth-grade exploits as a neighborhood spy.

“It was fun material,” Kristen said. “And I wondered what it might sound like from a kid’s point of view. I scrawled a note then: ‘Nancy Drew meets Rear Window?’ and further down on the page, another, cozy mystery for kids.’”

Kristen also knew she wanted to create a story that would portray the ups and downs of middle school friendship at a time when kids are wanting to be more mature but still hold on to their childhood innocence. “At the heart of the novel is how [Sophie] Young & [Grace] Yang navigate the tensions in their friendship as they undertake increasingly dangerous investigations,” Kristen explained.

In at least one way, Kristen’s characters are extensions of herself. Kristen was — and still is — just as inquisitive as Sophie and Grace. Although Kristen does say the childhood spy games she played as a kid “were more about inventing stories than inquisitiveness — and making super cool ID badges, of course. Nothing says ‘undercover spy’ like official identification cards with photos.”

In general, however, Kristen was very inquisitive. “Like Sophie Young, I had a lot of passing phases of intense interest: there was the time I read a biography of Henry Diesel, then wanted to build my own engine for my bike; then there was the period I was very into the idea of astral projection; I wanted to be a jazz trumpeter for a while. My parents didn’t like that phase so much.”

When asked how Kristen came up with all of Sophie and Grace’s hijinks, she finds herself a bit flummoxed. There’s no real answer, she says. “Mostly, I tried to follow a chain of logic: if x happens, what would these two enterprising sleuthing friends do and think next? I guess hijinks come after character for me, even though mysteries are plot-driven.”

Every author has a favorite part of the creative process, and for Kristen, that part was watching her characters develop.

“There’s nothing better than surprising yourself when writing — when a witty line or suspenseful twist seems to come out of nowhere onto the page,” she said. “I savor those moments still.”

Beyond begin a funny mystery, Kristen says “The Wig in the Window” is a character study. “It’s also about Sophie Young finding her inner boldness and her voice — taking herself seriously, at last. Thematically, her journey parallels my own as a new writer. I’m still discovering what I have in me — and, hopefully, there are lots of new discoveries to make.”

Kristen likes to joke that “The Wig in the Window” is a more of a psychological thriller than a mystery, which must put it in the minority of kids’ books.

Betsy Bird’s reported first impression of the book from the HarperCollins’ preview makes the author chuckle: “You’ve gotta kind of respect a middle grade novel that begins with the heroines convinced they’ve just watched their guidance counselor killing someone only to find that she was merely making pickled beets.”

In all seriousness, though, Kristen says Betsy’s summary touches upon what makes “The Wig in the Window” unique. “It’s a book that gives kids a fun, over-the-top ride with thrilling life-or-death stakes — but it’s still a safe, wholesome read. Sometimes it seems like there’s a gap in reading options for kids who want more sophisticated plots and high stakes but aren’t really ready for Hunger Games. I named my main character Sophie Young, because she exemplifies that in-between age: wise and young. And I think those are my readers, too.”

Kristen is currently working on a sequel to “The Wig in the Window.” It’s currently titled “The Tiara on the Terrace,” and it follows Young & Yang (and their new friend Trista Bottoms) as they go undercover as “Royal Pages” in their town parade, which is loosely based on Pasadena’s Rose Parade. Kristen thinks of it as “Miss Congeniality” set in middle school. And she promises, “even more hijinks and silliness in this one!”

*Read a complete transcript of Kristen Kittscher’s interview with Cracking the Cover.

**You can win a copy of “The Wig in the Window.” This giveaway, hosted by Alethea at readnowsleeplater.com, is open internationally.
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