Was there a particular moment or incident that compelled you to write The Art of Being Normal? Did the plot come suddenly to you, or did it develop over time?

In August 2010 I started working as an administrator at the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock Centre in North London. GIDS is the NHS service for under-18s struggling with the development of their gender identity. One of my tasks was to audio type notes from therapy sessions and I quickly became familar with dozens and dozens of cases, every one of them different and complex. The stories I heard made me think about gender and identity in a totally different way and I felt moved on a daily basis. This got me thinking, if I was moved, perhaps others would be too, and I started to consider the possibility of writing a story from the point of view of a young transgender person.

The plot developed over time. I usually start with a character and perhaps a situation, with the plot coming later. Kate (born David) came to me first, Leo soon after. For a while the story was a single narrative but I kept wanting to get inside Leo’s head so he quickly stepped up to share narrative duties. For ages, Kate and Leo lived in entirely different cities and I spent months trying to engineer ways for them to meet. Eventually, I figured out it made way more sense for them to just live in the same town and that opened up all sorts of interesting possibilities. I’m really fascinated with social class and I enjoyed exploring the vast differences between Kate and Leo’s lives, despite the fact they only live a few miles apart. I also created then axed loads of characters along the way (RIP Eve, Gran and Marcus, to name just a few). The plot only really came together at the last minute. I had loads of key scenes but hadn’t quite worked out how to knit them together. It was really satisfying when I finally did! I really envy writers who can plot in advance. I tend to have to try lots of things out before committing to where the story is going. It’s perhaps not the most economical process but it works for me (eventually).

When writing Kate and Leo’s story, how did you strike the balance between emphasising problems with the way LGBT individuals are treated, while also showing how sympathetic humans can be?

I was definitely inspired by the experiences of the young people who visited GIDS. Some encountered bullying and prejudice, others overwhelming support and kindness. There is no universal experience and I wanted to communicate this. I didn’t want to sugarcoat things, but equally I didn’t want to paint a picture of gloom. There are scenes of bullying and violence and pain, but there are also scenes of triumph and hope and euphoria. I wanted to capture the highs and the lows, and a range of attitudes and reactions. It was important to me that I injected the story with a proper sense of hope. I don’t think this is unrealistic or unrepresentative. I have met so many young transgender people living happy, hopeful lives and I really wanted to reflect this.

Which do you think was the more powerful for facilitating change within your book: cynicism or optimism? Do you think this is reflected in real life?

I’m a naturally optimistic person, so I’d have to say optimism! I have a lot of faith in the kindness and tolerance of my fellow human beings and I don’t think I’m entirely naive in saying so. Without spoiling the end of the book, there is a scene towards the end that has a bit of fairytale quality to it. I think there is genuine magic in real life and I wanted to reward Kate and Leo with some. As a writer, I like to balance dark with light.

There are very few transgender protagonists in YA and children’s fiction (although this does seem to be changing). How does it feel to be one of the first? Was it easier to be original as the genre wasn’t already developed, or do you think it would have been better to have other author’s works to draw inspiration from?

When I sat down to write The Art of Being Normal, I sought out as much fiction featuring trans protagonists as possible. I was struck by how little there was, and how much of it was narrated by a sibling or friend, rather than the trans person themselves. I also really struggled to find UK-based stories with trans characters, which seemed disproportionate to the number of young people being referred to GIDS (dozens every single week!). Where were these kids’ stories?

I’m very proud to be one of the first UK authors to feature a transgender protagonist. I just really hope there are going to be lots more books, by lots of different authors, featuring characters with all kinds of different gender identities! It would really sad if there was an unofficial cap. There is no universal transgender experience and it’s important there’s a range of books and characters to reflect this. It would also be nice to be able to deviate away from the traditional ‘coming out’ narrative and simply see young trans teens going about their business without their gender identity being constantly referenced or key to the story.

I’m very reluctant to label books featuring trans main characters as a “genre”. Although gender identity is an important theme in The Art of Being Normal, it is also a story about friendship and family and falling in love and fitting in and self-discovery. I didn’t want any of my characters to be defined by a single issue or characteristic, just like all the young people I met working at GIDS. In terms of inspiration, I read a lot of contemporary YA novels. I especially love reading about the complexities of relationships (all sorts) and different kinds of love.

It must be scary submitting your first book for printing, If you could sum up the experience in three words what would they be and why?

Vulnerable. Stressful. Exciting.

The Art of Being Normal took me two years to write. Admitting it was finished was a bit like saying goodbye. Knowing there was nothing more I could do or change made me feel pretty vulnerable. The days between advance proof copies going out and feedback trickling in were among the scariest of my life. (I was so stressed my eyebrows started to fall out!) It’s just a bit weird to see the story you worked on in your pyjamas suddenly in print and being read by other people, by strangers. It’s exciting, of course, but mostly just very, very weird. It was only really when I started to hear nice things from real life readers that I dared relax a bit. I actually now really love that it’s out there in the world and that other people feel ownership over it. I still pop into bookshops and visit it. I give the cover a bit of a stroke then walk out again. Bit creepy really...

I firmly believe you capture David’s personality and experiences brilliantly. Do you think this will help raise awareness of teenage identity issues and transgender struggles in real life?

Thank you! Wow, I hope so. I’ve received loads of lovely emails from young people, of all different backgrounds and gender identities, and the response has been really encouraging. I’ve heard from trans teens who feel the existence of the book alone has made a massive difference (one said seeing a stack displayed proudly in her local high street bookshop made her feel like she wasn’t ‘a freak’). Others report using it as a stimulus for discussion with friends and family. I’ve also heard from lots of cisgender readers. Some have admitted their perceptions of gender and gender identity have changed as result of reading it, or reported relating to the characters in ways they never anticipated. I find hearing this endlessly exciting. I think stories have so much more emotional power than an article on the internet or in a newspaper might.

And finally, do you have any advice or words of inspiration for young, budding writers?

I was 34 when my first book was published and for years I didn’t write at all. The road to publication is not a race. If life gets in the way, it’s all good, there’s absolutely no need to punish yourself for it. When it’s the time to write, you’ll write. I would advise keeping a diary though. For one, they’re a pretty special thing to have twenty years on (I’ve just re-read my teenage diaries and I’m so happy I wrote them, even if they do make me want to crawl under my duvet with shame at times). Diaries are also a great way of honing your voice and style without the pressure of anyone else ever having to read it. If you’re worried about it being discovered, try writing it in the form of emails and email your entries to a secret email address (this is what I do these days). Read a lot. Work out what you like, what you don’t like, the sort of writer you want to be. Having said this, I know some incredible writers who hardly read full-stop, so just do what works for you. Personally though, every time I read a great book, I feel inspired to be a better writer. Write about whatever excites you. Don’t write to order or try to follow trends, write the story only you can tell – it will come across. The rather brilliant and incredibly wise Jenny Downham (author of Before I Die and Unbecoming) passed on this excellent piece of advice – abandon effort and treat writing like fly-fishing instead of weight lifting. It’s a really good reminder that writing should be, above all else, just really, really good fun.

Join us for a live Twitter chat on Thursday 28 January 2016, 7-8pm using #Gdnteentrans

Lisa Williamson, author of our current teen book club read The Art of Being Normal @lisa_letters, will join our first Twitter chat of the year on @GdnChildrensBks. We are going to be discussing all things trans on Thursday 28 January from 7-8pm #Gdnteentrans, along with transgender author Juno (ex James) Dawson @junodawson, T Cooper @RealTCooper (co-author of Changers with Allison Glock-Cooper @AllisonGlock), Robin Talley @robin_talley, author of Lies We Tell Ourselves, Raziel Reid @razielreid author much talked about debut When Everything Feels like the Movies and Alex Gino @lxgino, author of George. It’s going to be amazing!