Evan Roskos takes on mental health in teens

Evan Roskos's “Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets” (Houghton Mifflin, 2013) is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's about a 16-year-old boy named James who hugs trees, chitters at squirrels, recites Walt Whitman and talks to an imaginary pigeon therapist named Dr. Bird. James is trying to unravel the mystery of why his older sister Jorie was kicked out of the house and out of school just a few months before she was supposed to graduate. James also suffers from depression, but this is not a depressing book. In fact, it's a book that will make you laugh out loud.

I was so taken by this book that I wanted to know more about the author and where this story came from. So I sent him a fan letter, which led to this interview:

Q: Where did you get the idea for this book?

A: “Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets” came from a joint project that I began with fellow author Matthew Quick (“Silver Linings Playbook”).

We hit it off and basically met for coffee once a week for a year to discuss writing and the post-(Master of Fine Arts) existence. After his first (Young Adult) book, “Sorta Like a Rock Star,” came out, he and I began discussing a cowritten book that would explore themes we both are fascinated with - mental health, community, family relationships, and the hope that's often hard to feel when you're faced with serious issues. We wrote about three chapters each but then we weren't able to continue. He encouraged me to keep my section and develop a stand-alone young adult novel. I was hesitant, since young adult seemed like a foreign type of writing and maybe not prestigious enough for me and my fancy MFA degree. Still, I loved James's voice and continued to write even though I didn't know if I would try and get the final product published. At the core, I wanted to write a book about a kid who suffers from depression and anxiety, but not a book that wallowed in the darkest parts of those issues for 300 pages. I wanted to laugh. As someone who was diagnosed with those very issues in his 20s, I wouldn't enjoy reading a gloomy book even if it did end hopefully.

Q: How long did it take you to write? And can you describe your writing process?

A: I had a very clear idea of the main plot structure when I first started writing. So, when I say that I wrote the book quickly - like, less than two months - it should be taken with a grain of salt. I'd thought about it for a month. And then I spent two more months editing it.

Q: What was the hardest part of writing this book?

A: The hardest part was writing about abuse and depression without depressing myself. I knew from the start that my character would say and do funny things but I also knew I'd have to bring the serious stuff out along the way so that the climax of the novel ... would work.

Q: What was the easiest part of writing this book?

A: The easiest part was finding the voice of the narrator. I knew from the moment I started writing in James's voice that there would be a glorious Walt Whitman rhythm to him and since I've been a fan of Whitman since graduate school.

Q: What was your path to publication? How long did it take you to find an agent and publisher?

A: I earned over 200 agent rejections for two projects prior to Dr. Bird. A good number of them were positive rejections, I should say.

When I wrote Dr. Bird I didn't attempt to get an agent for it right away. I had some preconceived notions about what the Young Adult label meant and I didn't want to be pigeonholed (pun intended) since I had aspirations to write adult fiction as well. Instead of doing research or just trying to find an agent, I put the manuscript away (in the digital sense). A year later, I dug it out, read it again, loved it, and found an agent in about two months.

Q: I understand your book has been optioned for a movie. Can you tell readers what that means? And how do you feel about it?

A: I'm ecstatic about the film option but also very, very realistic about what it means. ... An option is basically a contract that says a producer/film company has exclusive rights to produce a film based on my book. ... Many books get optioned, few get turned into films.

Since I know that I cannot do anything to make the film a reality, I'm just focusing on writing new books in the meantime.

Q: What I like best about your book is the fact that James takes his mental health into his own hands. He's willing to go pretty far to save his sister, but also to save himself. What advice do you have for teens who know they need help, but don't know where to turn or don't believe they have the resources to get the kind of help they need?

A: I get messages from readers all the time and some of them admit to dealing with depression, suicidal thoughts, or anxiety. I don't think my book is somehow magical in its ability to make people open up about what they feel, but it seems to make some readers feel less alone.

I suggest that anyone who can no longer manage their own mental health issues seek out someone who will listen and not dismiss them. ... If James Whitman can teach people anything, it's that often there are people helping us, but even our best friends won't have the skills to fight off suicide, self-harm, depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc.

Dori Hillestad Butler is the author of many books for children, including the Edgar award winning series, “The Buddy Files.”