I’m talking today with Miriam Thor, author of the contemporary young adult novel Listening to the Rain.
DJS: Why did you choose to write about a character who has a hearing loss?
MT: When I was around seven years old, a deaf girl started attending my church, and a few ladies taught a children’s sign language class to help other kids communicate with her. That was when I fell in love with American Sign Language (ASL). By the time I came up with the idea for Listening to the Rain in high school, I felt like God was leading me to major in ASL in college so that I could work with deaf children. Including a topic I was so passionate about in my story just felt natural.
I didn’t really have much time to write in college, but I continued to develop the idea for Listening to the Rain when I could. After I graduated with a degree in ASL, I started writing the book in earnest while working as an interpreter in the public school system. My experiences in college and in my career influenced my decision to stick with the idea of including a character who loses his hearing.
DJS: Were there specific incidents that you used as an inspiration for your novel?
MT: My experiences as an interpreter provided inspiration for a lot of events in the book, but it is hard to choose one specific incident related to that. However, the Disciple Youth event that I describe in chapter four is heavily based on the Disciple Now weekends we had at my church growing up. Specifically, the scavenger hunt they go on is very similar to the one I did with my youth group during my senior year of high school.
DJS: When you were researching for your book, did you come across anything that surprised you?
MT: I was surprised by some of the research I did on traumatic brain injuries. Originally, I’d planned for the injured character to be in a coma after his accident. I was surprised to learn that when someone wakes up from a coma, it does not typically happen as quickly as it seems to in the movies. I ended up having the character be sedated instead of in a coma because it worked better for the plot.
DJS: If you could design a perfect world for your characters in the story, what would that look like?
MT: By the end of the novel, I think a perfect world for my characters would be a world where no one needs extended stays in the hospital and everyone takes the time to communicate clearly with deaf people, whether by signing, writing, or other means.
DJS: Communication is vital. Being heard and understood is a deep need of us all. If you could give your teen readers one piece of life advice, what would it be?
MT: Turn to God during the hard times, even if you feel like turning away from Him. Come to Him with whatever is bothering you, no matter how big or small it seems.
“Nothing is too great for His almighty Power. Nothing is too small for His love.”
Corrie Ten Boom
DJS: That’s a wonderful quote, and such a great reminder.
Miriam Thor started writing in second grade and never stopped. Her published works include Listening to the Rain, A Kringle Family Christmas, and Her First Noel. She has also had several short stories and poems published. Miriam grew up in Louisiana. After graduating from high school, she attended Gardner-Webb University where she earned a degree in American Sign Language and elementary education. Currently, she lives in Alabama with her husband and six adorable cats.
You can find out more at her website: https://www.miriamthor.com/
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