Get ready to learn more about the book Caught Inside in this discussion with sapphic author Lynnette Beers.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Lynnette Beers about Caught Inside, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the First Love category in the 2024 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Caught Inside?
I’ve always been interested in coming-of-age stories–books which show characters overcoming challenges and adversities. I wanted to write a book focusing on a teenager who moves from another state to Southern California where she’s the outsider. As the new kid at her high school and as a girl who’s got a Chinese mom and a white father she has never met, Maddie Fong is initially singled out as being different. She’s lonely and awkward and keeps to herself, but as she adjusts to her new school, she meets an intriguing Hawaiian-Japanese man who takes her under his wing. He introduces her to surfing, and she realizes that she can be really good at this. As she gets better at surfing, Maddie also discovers that she has a crush on a girl at her high school. At first, those feelings are confusing to her, but the book follows her journey of self-discovery. So many teenagers, especially LGBTQ+ individuals, are just trying to find their way in life, and I felt that ‘Caught Inside’ tells a story of self-discovery, which many people can relate to. The book is considered YA, but it appeals to a wide audience. I wanted to show LGBTQ+ teens and young adults that there are allies out there who can support them. The dedication sums up one of the main messages in my book: “This book is dedicated to all LGBTQ+ teenagers who have ever felt lost or alone. Find your allies . . . We’ve got your back.”
Who is your favorite character in the book?
Kai Tamamoto is my favorite character in the book. He’s incredibly kind and always looking out for Maddie. He shows up one day at Royal Palace, the restaurant Maddie’s family runs, and has an immediate strong impact on Maddie’s life. Kai is Hawaiian-Japanese and embraces many Hawaiian traditions. He’s an older guy and protective of Maddie. He’s buff and has tribal tattoos on his arms and shoulders. Kai is not like me at all, but he’s the type of person I’d want in my close circle of friends because he’s protective and would always have my back.
What was the biggest challenge writing this book?
This book started out as a much longer novel, focusing on Maddie Fong when she’s a teenager and when she’s in her mid-thirties. I alternated chapters–starting when Maddie was in her thirties and then going back to when she was a young teen. Everything felt very balanced as far as the dual timelines, but two editors said the going back & forth format for this book wasn’t working. A couple beta readers loved the way I’d structured the book, but enough editors said it wasn’t working. My publisher & I had a long chat about my book. We both realized that my book should be two separate books. I was initially very overwhelmed with the thought of having to separate my book into two separate books. That meant writing some new chapters, radically revising other chapters, and getting each book to work as standalone novels. Although this was a difficult challenge, it ended up resulting in two really great standalone stories. I wrote new chapters for ‘Caught Inside,’ which ended up making the book much stronger.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
This is a great question! The term “caught inside” is a surfing term. It refers to when a surfer is caught between the white water and the breaking wave, making it difficult to paddle out past the incoming breakers. If a set of big waves is coming in and the surfer doesn’t paddle out in time, they might get “caught inside,” which often results in them getting stuck in that area. As a frequent ocean swimmer myself, I have been caught inside many times. When the waves are massive, this is a scary position to be in because it becomes exhausting trying to dive under each wave and not being able to swim past the set. For Maddie, she gets caught inside both literally and figuratively—caught inside when surfing but also stuck inside her head when trying to navigate being the new kid at her school. ‘Caught Inside’ is very much a coming-of-age story, and the title fits quite well.
If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
I actually already do have a sequel, but it works as a standalone book. The sequel is titled ‘Uncharted Waters’ and focuses on Maddie in her mid-thirties. She’s living in the Central California Coastal area, facing unexpected challenges she never imagined facing. In addition to Maddie Fong being in the sequel, some of the same characters from ‘Caught Inside’ appear in the sequel, including Kai, Dot, and Angela. It was fun to write more about Kai and Dot because these two have a very strong impact on Maddie even when she’s an adult.
What is your favorite line from your book?
“Be silent, and you’ll hear the call of the sea.” Kai says this to Maddie one day when they’re at the beach, and it is a line that resonates with me personally.
What is your writing process like?
I tend to do a lot of my brainstorming in my head when I am not at my computer. I’ve always been a pantser, but I usually do a lot of thinking about my WIP when I am out hiking or biking. As a pantser, I love the surprising details that come flowing out. When I am well into writing a book, I’ll usually put together an outline. That’s mainly to make sure I don’t leave out any important details. One thing I do wish I could change is that I over-edit anything I’ve already written. I will spend hours & hours tweaking words and sentences instead of writing new scenes. I probably could benefit by sticking to a stricter writing schedule, such as allowing myself an hour to edit a previous scene but then dedicating three hours to writing a new scene.
Do you have a pet who helps/hinders your typing?
I love animals! I have a dog named Maggie. She’s a Schnauzer and is 15 years old. Since she’s an older dog, she’s pretty mellow and quiet and lets me get work done on my books, but when the gardener is here, she’ll bark nonstop while the lawnmower and weed whacker are going outside. When that happens, I usually keep Maggie on my lap and try to get her to not grown at the gardener. She’s a small dog, but it’s hard to type while she is on my lap. Fortunately, the gardener only comes twice a month.
When I was a writer in residence on the island of Molokai in Hawaii, I had a few dogs and cats who’d stop by the bungalow where I was staying. I became friends with a dog named Pua. She’d stop by, and I’d invite her in for some water and a little rest while I worked on my book. I’m not sure what breed Pua is. Probably a mix of a few different short-haired tan dogs, but she had such an impact on me that I ended up including her in my current work-in-progress. I’ve also added another pet to my work-in-progress: a cat named Miss Hazel. She’s an orange tabby and lives in Hawaii, which is appropriate since that’s where my work-in-progress takes place. 😊
Have you ever cried when writing an emotional scene?
There’s a scene in ‘Caught Inside’ focusing on Maddie and Kai. I don’t want to include too many details here because it’ll be a spoiler for what happens in the book, but there’s a scene where Kai shares some words to a Hawaiian song. He translates the words for Maddie. The words show that Kai will always be there for Maddie no matter what. When I wrote that scene and later when I revised it, I got teary eyed. The scene shows the bond between Maddie and Kai, who ends up becoming a father figure to her.
Have you ever hated one of your characters?
I hate Brian Fluss, a kid at Maddie’s high school. He’s the epitome of evil when it comes to teenagers. I did want my readers to hate him, and I have been told I did a good job at making him a hate-able character. When my editor was editing my book, she told me how much she hated this kid, and I realized that I’d definitely done my job at making Brian a jerk.
What books have you read more than once in your life?
I’ve read only a few novels more than once, but I’m going to use a different genre for this response. I enjoy reading authors’ letters and diaries. I’ve been a member of the International Virginia Woolf Society for several years. I’ve presented papers at Woolf conferences and studied her extensively in graduate school. Once in a while, I will reread some of Woolf’s letters and diaries. They’re a glimpse into history. Even though I know what happened in Woolf’s life and in England during the years she wrote those letters and diaries, I still enjoy rereading them because she had a unique writer’s voice.
Do you only read books in one genre or do you genre hop?
Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve always been the type of reader to enjoy a variety of genres. When I’m busy grading or prepping for the classes I teach, I usually only have time to read short essays. I subscribe to a really great magazine called ‘The Sun,’ which publishes narrative essays, poetry, interviews, and short stories. One of my favorite sections in that magazine is called ‘Readers Write,’ which is a collection of short narrative pieces written by readers of the magazine submit. Each month they have a different theme. Because each piece is very short, I enjoy reading them each month when I get ‘The Sun’ in the mail. In addition to the short narrative pieces, I read everything from contemporary romance to historical fiction and biography. I also enjoy suspense and mystery and occasionally like to read psychological thrillers.
