Katie McGarry writes young adult fiction that explores the lives of teens that are struggling to find their place in the world.
McGarry’s novels feel real because she goes the extra step when it comes to research. For her latest novel, Nowhere but Here, McGarry hung out with a motorcycle club.
Nowhere but Here is the first novel in Katie McGarry’s new series Thunder Road. The new series introduces us to Emily, who lives a sheltered life with her mom and step-father. Emily’s biological father has never been a part of her life until she goes on a visit that turns into an entire summer. Emily’s dad is one of the most respected members of a motor cycle club, Reign of Terror, and Emily learns not all is what is seems within the club, including Oz, the boy set to protect her from a rival club.
Katie McGarry has crafted another story that pulls you into a world that is unique and filled with real people. The characters comes to life in large part to the research McGarry does for each novel. She spoke with us about how she creates these worlds and the lengths to which she goes to get them right.
Katie McGarry on research
I hung out with a motorcycle club as research for Nowhere but Here, my new young adult novel.
I love the wide variety of reactions I receive the moment I say that. From the open-mouthed gasp to the are-you-insane glare to the people who grab my arm and say, “Tell me all about it.”
It wasn’t a stretch for me to do hands-on research, really. I pride myself on writing authentically about each subject I tackle in my books — and that generally means I’ll do whatever is necessary to create a story that resonates with readers. For example, I learned to play baseball while plotting Dare You To, went drag racing while writing Crash into You, and took MMA classes to prepare for Take Me On. With each new activity, I gained deeper insight into my characters — their loves, hates, triumphs and challenges — and I discovered new facets of myself in the process.
But of all the research I’ve done, all the sources of inspiration I’ve drawn from, it’s the motorcycle club that seems to surprise people the most. People think I’m gutsy, a suburban mom stepping into uncharted territory, but really, I’m not. I grew up in a neighborhood where motorcycle clubs were a part of life, and they didn’t scare me. As a kid I routinely saw these men helping out both each other and their neighbors.
First question people ask: “How did you get to hang with them?”
Easy — I asked for permission. I sent them an email describing myself and my desire to write a young adult series about teens being raised in a motorcycle club, and then I waited. And waited. And waited some more.
I waited so long that I was thinking I was going to have try another club and then out of nowhere, I received a call from the president of the chapter. They purposely took their time considering my request. They had to discuss me within their board and with the club’s national members and then they had to carefully deliberate whether it was worth whatever risk there could possibly be in allowing me a sneak peek into their lives.
After swallowing to help out my suddenly dry mouth, I realized I was being given a tremendous opportunity and I jumped on it, asking as many questions as I could about their world, their rules, their experiences. But the more I learned, the more I wanted first-hand knowledge to further inform my story. Finally I grew bold enough to ask if I could spend some time with them at their clubhouse.
Won’t lie, I did a happy dance when the answer was yes.
What was the club like? At times, insane and crazy. These men knew how to throw a party. The music was loud, the stories long, the laughter contagious, the drinks were flowing and once there were even strippers on a bar. Other times? It was laid back, a family that shared potluck dinners, and an abundance of loyalty and love.
I’ll admit, I had walked into the motorcycle club expecting the craziness. For example, the abundance of bras decorating the clubhouse wall totally fit my vision of a biker’s life. (Yes, for those of you who are curious after reading Nowhere but Here, that detail was absolutely real.) But I wasn’t prepared for the sense of brotherhood and family, and that’s what this group was above all else. They loved each other. Cared for each other. If one person should fall, you knew there would be easily thirty strong men ready to catch him.
While I knew the plot of Nowhere but Here before I ever walked into the clubhouse, it was the sense of brotherhood, love, loyalty and family I experienced during my time there that helped shaped the characters and themes.
Nowhere but Here is a story about family, about the different types of love we experience in life. Above all I hope readers will come away from it reflecting on how, at the end of the day, the people we call family may not only be those we’re blood-related to, but those we choose and who choose us in return.