Then Again, Maybe I Won't

Author Q&A

Judy Blume talks about writing
Then Again Maybe I Won’t

I had just finished writing Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. when I decided it would be interesting, and maybe even fun, to write a book from a boy’s point of view. So for six months I became (in my mind, anyway) twelve year old Tony Miglione. I was fascinated by Tony’s hardworking family. I respected them. And I was curious about what might happen to this close-knit family, who had always struggled to make ends meet, if suddenly they struck it rich.

The love of money might be the root of all evil, as the bible says, or it might not be, but greed and entitlement were what most interested me when I started telling this story. I’m just as interested in these topics today. There are still many kids like Tony, kids who are trying to figure out where they belong in the world. I think there always will be. I gave Tony the stomach pains I had when I was young. I had a lot of anxieties, too. But his puberty–well, I talked to a number of guys and then I just let my imagination do the rest.

This was a complicated book to write. It went through more than six drafts. I dedicated it to my editor, Dick Jackson, to thank him for his support and his patience.