Hi! I’m Lara’s daughter Catherine. I’m 12 years old and I love to write, too! I asked my mom questions about her story, The Red Envelope that I thought might be interesting to other kids my age. Some of my questions will make more sense after you read the story, just so you know. Feel free to add a comment if you have more questions you think I should ask my mom!
Catherine: Kevin, from the Red Envelope, calls a lot of people nicknames. Did you ever have a nickname? When?
Lara: When I was young, my aunts and uncles nicknamed me Luke, and it stuck through college. Then, when I got my first real job, everyone was identified by their initials. My name was Lara Anne Degenhart, so everyone called me Lad.
Catherine: In the Red Envelope, each student participating in the contest has a subject area they excel at. What would be your subject specialty?
Lara: My subject specialty would be reading and grammar, just like Peter.
Catherine: Trying for a spot in Mr. Micheal’s honor team is an option, not a requirement. Would you have participated in the contest?
Lara: Oh, absolutely! I love a good challenge.
Catherine: Sometimes, things just click for students working on Mr. Micheal’s puzzle. When writing this book, did anything ever just click for you? Did you make any dramatic storyboard changes while writing?
Lara: After I finished writing the basic story, I went back and added clues at the beginning that signaled where the story would end.
Catherine: In the Red Envelope, Kevin calls Catherine McCleary ‘McClever’. If you were Catherine, would you prefer to be called by your real name, or would ‘McClever’ be a compliment?
Lara: If the name is said in a friendly way, I think having a classmate call me McClever would be a wonderful compliment.
Catherine: Linda grumbles a lot, but Catherine always tries to be cheerful. What was the best part of writing your short story? What was the hardest part?
Lara: The best part was having the whole story come together with a logical solution. The hardest part was making it short enough and cutting out bits of the story. I also had to cut out some characters I liked.
Catherine: Colors play a big part in this mystery story. What is your favorite color, and does any character in the book secretly like that color too?
Lara: My favorite colors are yellow and blue. Catherine likes blue too, and she used to carry a bulging blue backpack, but I cut it out for space.
Catherine: Janie and Bill know how to read music. How well can you read music? When did you learn?
Lara: I read music very well. I started playing piano when I was young, but I switched over to voice lessons and sang in choirs and musical theater productions through college. I was supposed to play Aunt Em in a community theater performance of The Wizard of Oz last spring, but it was canceled on the night of our dress rehearsal (as you know, because you were in the show, too!)
Catherine: Throughout the book, there are many cleverly coded messages and puzzles. What is your favorite code in The Red Envelope?
Lara: My favorite code is the notes on the music staff. I think that’s a pretty cool way to send a message. It’s also an essential reference to mnemonics.
Catherine: Linda is dramatic; Catherine is smart; Janie is kind. Of all the characters in the story, who is your favorite? Why?
Lara: I like all of the characters, but I especially like the way Tony stands up to Kevin and reminds him to be a team player.