Written by Luke M.
Grade 12
Welcome to another addition of 5 questions with…, where teen library volunteers get to interview their favorite YA authors and ask them 5 questions about their books, careers, or even both. Today I had the privilege of speaking with Mazey Eddings. While she mostly writes adult literature, she made her mark in the YA market last year with Tilly in Technicolor, a story about two neurodivergent teens who form a connection with each other over a chaotic summer.
Q: When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in writing?
I came about it in a roundabout way, I think. As an undiagnosed autistic and ADHD only child of divorced parents, I spent a lot of time on my own. Social interactions didn’t come naturally to me, and I was always left feeling like I was looking through a window at my peers as they forged friendships and I sort of just… didn’t fit. But my greatest solace and source of relationships came from reading. I read everything I could get my hands on, and every book was this portal into understanding human nature better, safely going on adventures, and finding connections with characters. My love of reading really put authors on a pedestal for me, and writing a book was kind of unfathomable in my mind. I did take a lot of creative writing classes in middle school and high school, and I was even in this club called Power of the Pen where we would travel to different high schools and participate in writing competitions (essentially like a sports team for writing nerds lol). But, like I said, the idea of having an actual career as a writer seemed outside of my realm of possibilities, so I pursued a degree in my other love— science. I then went on to dental school where I had a bit of a quarter life crisis and was desperate for a creative escape to deal with the stress of my program. I rediscovered my love of reading and, for the first time in a long time, I started writing again. And I realized I couldn’t stop. I completed my first full length novel, A Brush with Love, while in school and was so in love with the characters and story, I decided to pursue publishing it because I had nothing to lose by trying. Eventually, the right people said yes to my work, and I now get to call myself an author and I still pinch myself that I’m so lucky.
Q: What inspired you to write Tilly in Technicolor?
My first three books were adult fiction, but my editor works on both adult and YA books, and she asked me if I’d be interested in writing a YA novel with an ADHD protagonist. My immediate answer was “YES AND HERE ARE ALL MY IDEAS FOR IT!!” I originally imagined the story to be singularly Tilly’s, a coming of age novel that normalized the fear and anxiety that comes with that transition from teenager to being technically an adult and not knowing what you want to do with your life. I think there’s so much unfair pressure on young people to know exactly what they want to do and have an iron-clad plan on how to get there that we end up stressing them out during their teen years when they should be experiencing adolescence and learning who they are first before they have to decide what they want to be. I also intended the novel to be more focused on Tilly’s relationship with her sister, Mona. While the latter is definitely a subplot of the book, when I started writing Tilly, Oliver popped up on the page and refused to leave. He was such a surprise to me in the best way, and his love of colors and color theory as a way to navigate and understand the world felt so special to me. The novel ended up being about how to honor who you are, discover what you want from the world, and take time to enjoy life exactly where you are in it instead of rushing to have it all figured out. And, obviously, finding people you love and that love you along the way.
Q: Were Tilly and/or Oliver based on people in your life?
Tilly and Oliver are uniquely themselves, as are all of my characters. They ended up being two people I would have loved to be friends with in high school. They’re different, they’re oddballs, and they’re so unapologetically themselves; I know I would have been so drawn to them as friends in high school (and now!)
Q: If you had the opportunity to adapt Tilly in Technicolor into a film, who would you want to work with (directors, actors, etc.)?
Oh gosh, could you imagine?! Let’s collectively manifest that haha! I would love to see Tilly as a movie, I think the visual play with colors and the various settings could be so amazing to see on a screen, and I’d also just love to see autistic/ADHD teens portrayed in a happy, feel good rom-com that highlights their neurodivergence as beautiful aspects of their being. If I could have my pick of directors, I think I’d have to go with Greta Gerwig as the director. Everything she touches turns to gold, and I feel like she’s so intentional and thoughtful in the choices she makes in representing source material for the big screen. I’d trust her fully to show Tilly and Ollie in a way that’s celebratory and dynamic and honors their uniqueness. I also feel like it would be important and awesome to cast neurodivergent actors for the roles to really get authenticity in the portrayal!
Q: As a neurodiverse author yourself, do you think the future is bright for neurodiverse voices?
Yes! The future feels very bright. I see more and more neurodivergent stories popping up in fiction and getting the attention they deserve! I think part of this is due to more people feeling empowered to claim their diagnosis and speak on it—the good, the bad, and the beautiful—in a way that others can relate to and feel seen. It’s such an exciting time for neurodiverse representation in all forms of media, and I encourage everyone to share their stories however feels best!
Thank you to Mazey Eddings for giving very thoughtful responses to my five questions. Check out Tilly in Technicolor at the Winter Park Library today!
