Carla Gunn interviewed in the Chronicle-Herald

Carla Gunn talks to the Halifax Chronicle-Herald about some real-life sources she drew from and challenges she encountered in writing Amphibian, which follows an eco-anxious nine-year-old character, Phin Walsh.

From the article:

Gunn explains that Phin and other children his age have problems understanding adult logic because much of it is based on tradition or habits.

'One of my sons once asked why plastic bags are even legal if they cause so much pollution,' Gunn says. 'I tried to explain that it's because when they were invented they weren't known to be so harmful to the environment and that, combined with they fact that they’re so convenient, has made it difficult to get rid of them.

'He just didn’t buy this argument. After all, lots of other things — like peeing on the street — are convenient but we don’t permit them.'

Gunn says she drew heavily upon her sons — one of whom was nine when she started writing the book — to shape Phin's character and dialogue.

Read the full interview at http://thechronicleherald.ca/Books/1122482.html.