Susan

Susan asked Val Emmich:

Joan is such a completely original character....I couldn't help but love her. Was she inspired by somebody you know or was she just sheer genius and imagination on your part?

Val Emmich You're very kind, thank you! The inspiration to write part of the book from a child's perspective came, in 2013, from being a new father and spending time with my first daughter. Seeing the world through her innocent eyes reignited an innocence and playfulness in me. But my daughter is not Joan. I don't know exactly where Joan came from. Certainly she shares many of my own concerns about life and the world. But I don't possess her gift of memory, so she's not completely me. Over the course of writing, she took on a life of her own and I'm thankful--that was the goal.

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Zoe

Zoe asked Val Emmich:

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Got Books?

Got Books? asked Val Emmich:

How did you go about writing about such a sensitive topic like teen suicide in "Dear Evan Hansen" and how did you capture it to make it not so sensitive, but still make the reader feel like they are in the room with each character?

Laura Cobrinik

Laura Cobrinik asked Val Emmich:

Val-- My question deals with the acknowledgements at the end of the book. I have been familiar with "Dear Evan Hansen" since its conception, i.e. one of my good friends is Dr. Patricia Dreyfuss, the mother of Laura Dreyfuss, who played the role of Zoe in the Original Broadway cast. Therefore I wonder why you did not "Thank" Ms. Dreyfuss ? I hope the next edition will include her name. Laura Cobrinik, Boonton, NJ

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