So like The Truth About Forever, my last book, Just Listen has a lot going on. Instead, I begin with one idea, which morphs into another, and then another, like a picture that grows past its frame to show everything else that’s happening you can’t see at first. It is always my intention to write a simple, streamlined novel, short and sweet. And just like that, Annabel’s story, which had been hovering in my head in bits and pieces, began to come together. I started to wonder what it would be like to be one of those girls, with everyone so quick to judge, and just how wrong they might be. After all, nobody’s life is perfect, and you can’t tell anything from just one shot, one day. Later though, when I was driving home, I kept thinking about that picture, and how quickly I’d made assumptions about it. Then someone called my name: it was time to give my talk. A great family, fabulous social life, palpable confidence, all the stuff I wished I had in high school, and beyond. It was a shot of three beautiful girls, obviously sisters, all blonde, posing together by a pool, and even at first glance all I could think was that they looked like the kind of girls who had everything.
I picked it open and started to flip through it, looking at the sports shots, different classes, and finally the senior pages, which were filled with personal photos from each of the graduates. One day, I was sitting in the lobby of a private school, waiting to do a talk, when I saw a yearbook on the table beside me.
I had a couple of ideas kicking around in my head, some things I knew I wanted to do, but nothing concrete just yet. It was the fall of 2004, and I was about to start a new book. Other times, though, you can trace a story’s beginning back to a specific moment. The truth is, sometimes I don’t even know: rather than just one big moment, it’s often a lot of little random thoughts, scribbled notes on scraps of paper and backs of receipts, that make up a novel. "People are always interested to learn where a story comes from, and I’m often asked where I get the ideas for my books.
Mallory Armstrong Where else did I read about that? Characters Places Things Sarah's Words from Sarahland With his help, Annabel may start facing her fears-and more importantly, speaking the truth to herself. In the midst of her isolation, she meets Owen-a music-obsessed, intense classmate who, after taking an Anger Management class, is determined to tell the truth. Her sister Whitney's eating disorder is weighing down the entire family, and Annabel fears speaking out about her past and her lack of enthusiasm for modeling. This left her alone and friendless at the beginning of a new school year. Her friendship with her best friends Clarke and Sophie ended bitterly, due to a few events that tore them apart. Annabel Greene is a girl who has it all-at least, that's how it seems on TV commercials.
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