School Library Journal has a nice roundup of interviews with Vince Vawter, author of Paperboy. If you haven’t read this novel, please do.
It’s a rare gem of a story that has something for everyone–readers of all ages. One of the many wonderful aspects of the story is that the main character is coping with stuttering. This is something that the author has personal experience with. I have a dear friend and a close family member who struggle with this same thing. This novel was especially moving to me because of the way he portrayed what it’s like to cope with stuttering. It’s not the focus of the book–the book has action and a powerful historical setting and lots of other wonderful reasons to read it–but the struggle with stuttering was what drew me in and what brought me to tears.
I’ll leave you with Vince Vawter’s three rules for writing. They are the best three rules I’ve encountered.