Hang onto those ideas, writers—you never know when they’ll come in handy.
Michael Dubrow’s inspiration for his young adult novel, “Always Agnes” came while working on a film set and stayed with him through the years. Partially inspired by his own family, the book, released through Brother Mockingbird Press, centers on a woman named Agnes her journey through time to save her mother.
In this interview, Michael explains the book’s origin, creating unlikable characters, and his lengthy writing background and how this helped with the story.
What was the inspiration for this book?
The 48 Hour Film Project is a contest where competing production crews have 48 hours to write, shoot, and edit a short film based on a genre drawn at the kickoff. In 2014, I joined a production crew as a co-writer. We were spit-balling script ideas, and I suggested a funny story about a woman going back in time to stop her mother from sleeping with the wrong man. We ended up writing a different script, but the idea stuck with me.
I didn’t become obsessed with writing it as a time travel novel until I decided the reason the daughter went back in time was to save the mother in the present. That unselfish love between mother and daughter hooked me. Before my mother-in-law passed away, she and my wife were very close. They called each other many times a day. I saw first-hand how deep a mother daughter relationship can be. In a way, this novel is a tribute to mother daughter relationships that can messy and complicated and unbreakable.
Tell me about Agnes Cook and how this character was created?
Agnes Cook is a 17-year-old genius who invents a time machine and uses it to go back to the night her parents created her and stop them from having sex. She knows doing this will delete her existence, but she is convinced this is the only way to save her mother in the future.
I based her in part of some super smart people I know who had a lot of book knowledge, but their social skills and common sense were weak. I like a character who is a bit unlikeable. Her flaws made her more real for me.
You have an impressive writing background. Did this help when it came to this novel?
Thank you for the compliment. Just like a musician or an artist, a writer needs to practice to become a decent storyteller. I’ve written both fiction and non-fiction, short and long form. My 30-plus years doing television promotions was very beneficial. During most of those years, I promoted movies, which meant I had to watch a ton of movies. Action movies, horror movies, dramas, comedies, fantasies, I promoted whatever I was assigned.
As I watched the movies, I absorbed elements of storytelling. But the most important thing I learned working in television was how to overcome writer’s block. I couldn’t promote a movie after it aired. I had to have a script before deadline, or I would be out of a job. I learned how to ignore my inner voice of doubt and play with ideas until I came up with something.
Given that this is a YA novel, how did that impact the cast or story?
Someone asked me if the story had a happy ending because it was a YA novel and I explained that it had a happy ending because I wanted it to have one. But it was a valid question in that a YA novel no matter how grim should have some ray of hope at the end. Also, because it was a YA novel, it was important that Agnes solve her problem. She could get assistance from adults, but this was her adventure. She needed to find the answer on her own.
What’s next for you?
I just completed an urban fantasy about a rabbi who uses traditional Jewish magic to solve mysteries. He frees a family who have been trapped in a time bubble for a hundred years which ignites a feud with another rabbi who uses traditional Jewish magic. The working title is “Sadie Dreams of Coney Island.”
What was the inspiration for this book?
The 48 Hour Film Project is a contest where competing production crews have 48 hours to write, shoot, and edit a short film based on a genre drawn at the kickoff. In 2014, I joined a production crew as a co-writer. We were spit-balling script ideas, and I suggested a funny story about a woman going back in time to stop her mother from sleeping with the wrong man. We ended up writing a different script, but the idea stuck with me.
I didn’t become obsessed with writing it as a time travel novel until I decided the reason the daughter went back in time was to save the mother in the present. That unselfish love between mother and daughter hooked me. Before my mother-in-law passed away, she and my wife were very close. They called each other many times a day. I saw first-hand how deep a mother daughter relationship can be. In a way, this novel is a tribute to mother daughter relationships that can messy and complicated and unbreakable.
Tell me about Agnes Cook and how this character was created?
Agnes Cook is a 17-year-old genius who invents a time machine and uses it to go back to the night her parents created her and stop them from having sex. She knows doing this will delete her existence, but she is convinced this is the only way to save her mother in the future.
I based her in part of some super smart people I know who had a lot of book knowledge, but their social skills and common sense were weak. I like a character who is a bit unlikeable. Her flaws made her more real for me.
You have an impressive writing background. Did this help when it came to this novel?
Thank you for the compliment. Just like a musician or an artist, a writer needs to practice to become a decent storyteller. I’ve written both fiction and non-fiction, short and long form. My 30-plus years doing television promotions was very beneficial. During most of those years, I promoted movies, which meant I had to watch a ton of movies. Action movies, horror movies, dramas, comedies, fantasies, I promoted whatever I was assigned.
As I watched the movies, I absorbed elements of storytelling. But the most important thing I learned working in television was how to overcome writer’s block. I couldn’t promote a movie after it aired. I had to have a script before deadline, or I would be out of a job. I learned how to ignore my inner voice of doubt and play with ideas until I came up with something.
Given that this is a YA novel, how did that impact the cast or story?
Someone asked me if the story had a happy ending because it was a YA novel and I explained that it had a happy ending because I wanted it to have one. But it was a valid question in that a YA novel no matter how grim should have some ray of hope at the end. Also, because it was a YA novel, it was important that Agnes solve her problem. She could get assistance from adults, but this was her adventure. She needed to find the answer on her own.
What’s next for you?
I just completed an urban fantasy about a rabbi who uses traditional Jewish magic to solve mysteries. He frees a family who have been trapped in a time bubble for a hundred years which ignites a feud with another rabbi who uses traditional Jewish magic. The working title is “Sadie Dreams of Coney Island.”
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