Every year, I keep my eye out for two things in the middle grade book world: Delightful surprises and debut authors! Allie Millington’s Olivetti checks those two boxes for me this year. I typically like humans to star in the stories I love, so when I fall in love with a story starring a typewriter of all things, I know there’s something good there. I really hope kids connect with Allie’s debut as much I did. In this interview, we talk about the inspiration for this book, the possibility of a sequel, and the third grade event that convinced Allie she was born to write.
Happy reading!
Interview with Allie Millington About Olivetti
Hi Allie, welcome to Reading Middle Grade! As you know, I absolutely loved your debut middle grade novel, Olivetti. A book that, on the surface, is about a boy and a talking typewriter, but it knocked my socks off with its reflections on vulnerability, loss, and family.
Why did you decide to write about the Brindle family through the eyes of Olivetti and Ernest? And why a typewriter?
Something that has shaped a lot of my writing is asking the question, “Who have we not heard a story from before?” I thought a typewriter’s untold side of the story would be interesting to discover and that, given the chance, they’d naturally have a lot to say (being full of words).
Olivetti offers a unique perspective on the Brindle family as someone who has observed them and kept their memories for years and has seen how they’ve changed. Of course, having an inanimate object as a main character has its challenges, so having Ernest’s point of view was important and necessary to tell the full story.
Besides Olivetti, Quinn was my favorite character! Her expressiveness, kindness, and strong will. Was she inspired by any specific person in your life?
I love that Quinn is one of your favorites! Like many of my characters, Quinn has bits of me in her—mainly the broken overall straps and her habit of collecting things. But also, like most of my characters, Quinn took shape all on her own. She was so sure of herself and her voice from the start, which made it feel like I wasn’t having to try very hard to write her. In fact, I wasn’t really writing her at all—she was already just who she was.
Loss is a tricky subject to navigate in middle grade books. Books about grief can easily become unbearably sad and difficult to read. How did you manage to maintain the levity, humor, and hope in Olivetti?
It really is tough to find that balance and to know just how deep to dive into a topic like grief. I’ve found when talking about a difficult subject, sometimes less is more. Keeping those scenes more brief and vague and actually using fewer words to describe them helped them not feel tremendously heavy, I think. But also without losing the emotional impact of those moments.
I personally look to humor as a way to cope with hard times, so I tried to have that sprinkled throughout my book. It also helped to have two narrators—if one was describing a sadder chapter, I could find a source of light and hope in the next chapter. It almost reminds me of the beauty of friendships or relationships—if one person is struggling, the other person is there to pick them back up and find the brighter side of things.
I’d never thought much about artists who create work out of other appliances or tools by tearing them apart (it hurt my actual heart when that artist did that thing—avoiding spoilers!). How do you feel about art made from equipment parts?
I think it depends on what that machine or appliance is, and whether or not it’s in functioning condition. Making art from old parts of a machine can be such a creative way to recycle and refurbish things that would be thrown out otherwise…but it’s definitely harder not to be as attached to that machine if it was still in use. (For me, at least, who tends to be a bit sentimental with inanimate objects). I think many outdated machines like old-school telephones, record players, and typewriters are works of art in themselves. They all have stories to tell!
I wanted to know more about Quinn, and Ernest and his siblings—all testament to how fully fleshed out your characters were. Would you ever consider returning to the Brindle family in a sequel?
Oh, absolutely! I’ve definitely missed these characters who I spent so much time with and got to know deeply—they feel like old friends of mine. I often wonder what the Brindles might be up to now (and if I could be invited along). I’ve even daydreamed of writing a sequel from Remington’s point of view to see where she ended up!
Did you always want to write books for kids? How did you find your way to kid lit?
In 3rd grade, my school had a writing reflection contest with the theme of “A Hero”. I chose to write about a pencil because being the vessel of writing stories certainly seemed like the most heroic duty you could have. A duty that felt engrained in me, too, even at a young age.
I write for kids for many reasons, but mainly because I still am one—I’m still that 3rd-grade girl, curious about the small, unseen heroes that make up our stories. There’s an endless amount of things one can learn from kids, and I don’t want to be in any hurry to grow up!
What would people be surprised to learn about the writing and publication process for Olivetti?
Olivetti’s first title was actually Sincerely, Ernest—because I couldn’t resist the play on synonymous words with our dictionary-loving Ernest. This book had dozens of rejections from literary agents, multiple rounds of complete rewrites, and all the while I was learning how the story best needed to be told. It was a long and emotional process (and there were a few times I was tempted to quit the book altogether), but it really did help me solidify my voice as a storyteller. After my last rewrite, where I felt like I’d finally found that voice, I signed with an agent and got a book deal with my publisher, all within a three-month period.
I know you have two other book deals in the works. Could you tell us a bit about your forthcoming work?
I do, thanks for asking! My next middle-grade novel, ONCE FOR YES (Macmillan, 2025), is also told by a unique narrator—a snarky apartment building who is tired of putting up with people and their problems. ONCE FOR YES features a big cast of quirky characters, a budding romance, the grief of goodbyes, and an unlikely friendship.
I also have an allegorical picture book series coming out—WHEN YOU FIND A HOPE and WHEN YOU FIND A QUESTION (Hachette Book Group).
Thank you so much for being here, Allie! I can’t wait for readers to meet Olivetti.
Thank you for having me! I hope readers can find a friend in Olivetti!
Olivetti is out on March 26!
About Olivetti
About Allie Millington
Allie loves writing books for children that are full of What Ifs and seeing the world from unique perspectives. Her debut Middle Grade novel, OLIVETTI, will be out 3/26/24 with Macmillan Publishers. She is scheduled to release another Middle Grade novel, ONCE FOR YES and two picture books, WHEN YOU FIND A HOPE, and WHEN YOU FIND A QUESTION. Allie lives near Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, their dog Crumpet, and a collection of clacking machines. You can find her on instagram here: @allieinink or possibly in her pillow fort.
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