Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction writer Ciera Burch has a talent for adding a twist to every reality she puts on the page. In some worlds, that means making an unexpected summer a little bit more haunted, like her YA debut Something Kindred. In Camp Twisted Pine, a local cryptid might be the reason campers are disappearing.
No matter what, Ciera’s stories are about connection, and her latest book, Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away, is no exception.
Cut to the seventh grade—yeah, the seventh grade, where popular kids are born and embarrassing nightmares become reality. There are no ghosts here, but middle schooler Olivia Gray is about to find out that overlooked stories are not limited to people who have been dead for centuries. As everyone, from her older brother to her entire friend group, find that they’re more invested in crushes, dating, and the latest social media gossip, Olivia feels left behind. Because honestly? She just doesn’t get it. Middle school is getting complicated, and Olivia feels invisible. So much so that turning invisible is becoming a very real problem.
Olivia will have to learn where she fits into a social space that is suddenly shifting, and face the reality that not all friendships are forever. Middle school will make her face viral rumors and her first school dance. But maybe, through it all, she’ll find out who she is, even if she’s not the boy-crazy tween everyone expects her to be.
We’re not sure if Ciera Burch has an official fan club yet, but we’re definitely starting one—mail in your applications now. For now, though, you can check our interview with her below.
Showstopper Magazine Online: Your new book, Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away is out now! How does it feel to share that story with readers?
Ciera Burch: It feels great! It was such a heartfelt and important story to me, and I’m grateful that it will be there for anyone who needs or wants it.
SMO: How do you find your stories? When do you know you have the right place and the right people to write about?
Ciera: Most of the time, my stories, and characters, come to me, and I don’t have a huge say about the ‘right place’ or the ‘right people.’ Honestly, though, it’s when I get stuck on an idea circling around in my head like circling a drain or when a character voice is so strong that I can’t do much but listen to it and try to get things down on the page. When I become fully enmeshed in something, I think, that’s when I know it’s right for me to write about, and has enough meat to actually become a full-fledged story.
SMO: And the magic realism? How do those elements make it into your stories?
Ciera: I think reality is okay, but it can always be improved upon, and what better way to do that than with magical realism? I also love when emotional and mental elements of someone’s inner life manifest outwardly. Sometimes it’s hard to tell others how we’re feeling inside, but if it’s something happening for other people to see, there’s the sense that it’s more legitimate. It’s also always more fun to imagine things outside of our reality that have the potential to be real—who knows how much exists out there that we have no clue about!
SMO: Tell us about Olivia Gray! How did she come to life in your new book?
Ciera: A lot of who Olivia is came about based on my own feelings growing up. She’s somewhat of an amalgam of all those feelings, at least initially, made into a human girl. She’s shy and sweet and confused and wants things to stay the same, how she’s always known them, because change is hard and she was already very good at knowing who she was and was meant to be before the events of the book began. She had sixth grade down perfectly! Seventh was a whole new world.
SMO: Seventh grade is a major turning point in so many kids’ lives, but for Olivia, it means more than figuring out her locker combination. Can you tell us a bit about why you chose that year?
Ciera: Seventh grade was absolutely the worst year for me. I’d moved to a new school district for the first time, I had no friends, and a boy I thought I liked had a crush on my stepsister! It felt like my life was absolutely falling apart, when sixth grade had been so fun and exciting and eighth grade would be the true start of growing up. I chose seventh grade for those reasons—less my own experiences and more that it’s very middle of the road, stuck between the new and exciting year of sixth grade and the blossoming teenagehood of eight. Not to mention puberty!
SMO: Do you have a favorite moment from the novel?
Ciera: I always liked Olivia’s talks with her mom. Her mom doesn’t fully understand everything going on with either of her kids, but she loves them unconditionally and there’s nothing she’s not willing to learn or to listen to. Those moments were really lovely to write.
SMO: Everyone worries about being invisible, but for Olivia, that’s a very real possibility! What made you decide to use invisibility as a kind of curse rather than a superpower?
Ciera: If you’re already feeling invisible in the world—to your friends, to your family—actually becoming so would feel, to me, more like a nightmare than a dream. Sure, you could secretly spy on people or sneak downstairs for a late-night snack, but if being seen is something you’re craving, and for Olivia it is, then not being seen in the literal sense would be heartbreaking. But I also enjoyed the contrast of Jules showing Olivia the fun parts of invisibility, like sneaking into the cafeteria to grab food early.
SMO: What does Olivia’s story mean to you personally? What do you hope readers will take away from it?
Ciera: Oh, it means so much to me. There are so many ways to answer this question! Ultimately, Olivia’s story has allowed me to find and fully accept myself and where I fit into the world. I hope readers take away some of the same things and that they know that being seen will look differently for everyone and it’s most important that you learn to see—and love—yourself too.
