A Conversation with Sandi and Finn

Welcome to our Deaf World!

Sandi: Hi, I'm Sandi Ward, the author of The Astonishing Thing, which will be available October 31, 2017, from Kensington Books.

Finn: I'm Finn Sullivan. I'm 17 years old, and I'm a fictional character!

Sandi: Ha ha ha.

Finn: Readers, you'll have to imagine me signing to you. I use American Sign Language. It's also called A-S-L.

Sandi: If you want to see what Finn looks like, you can find photos of him in my Wattpad Featured story, Everything He Wants. I cast actor Hunter Parrish to play Finn Sullivan. And there are more photos of him in my Wattpad story Talk To Me, which was the first draft of that story. I kept the first draft available online so other writers could see how much the story changed over time through editing.

Finn: Yup. That's me in all my fictional glory!

Sandi: So Finn, can you explain to readers why you use ASL?

Finn: I use ASL because I was born with total hearing loss. I've used signing to communicate as long as I can remember.

Sandi: You don't use hearing aids?

Finn: Nope. I'm not a candidate for hearing aids. I have no hearing. At all.

Sandi: So how do you deal with being in a public high school? How do you get through the day?

Finn: In elementary and middle school, I went to a School for the Deaf. But I was always really athletic and could play baseball better than most kids. I'm pretty fast. I've got a good arm. And I can hit. So I was recruited to go to the public high school for baseball. At first, they gave me an interpreter. But she was this... older woman. Who followed me around all day, even to lunch and stuff. I had no privacy. I hated it. I worse than hated it. It sucked.

Sandi: Can you please watch your language for our younger readers?

Finn: I guess so. But Sandi, seriously, it sucked.

Sandi: I should point out to readers that there are signs for curse words—

Finn: Yeah! I can demonstrate—

Sandi: No, no. That's not necessary. So what happened with the interpreter?

Finn: Well, I got lucky. The baseball coach said I needed an interpreter who could come with me out to baseball practices and games, and that lady wasn't interested. So they hired a young, athletic guy named Jason who could interpret for me and also be an assistant coach. Jason is cool.

Sandi: And some kids learned signing too, right?

Finn: Yeah. My friend Dylan, who is really nice and plays baseball with me, learned ASL. And Catherine, who tutors me, learned too. I can read lips a lot of the time, as long as the person is looking right at me. And I text my friends constantly. You know, like most kids do anyway.

Sandi: So what should readers know if they meet a deaf person?

Finn: Well, just talk to me. Normally.

Sandi: Like the name of the book. Talk to Me!

Finn: Exactly. I always say that to my friends, "talk to me", and it just means... Look, I'm deaf. But otherwise, I'm just your average 17-year old. I'm like you. Look at me when you're talking to me—don't look at my interpreter. Make eye contact with me; don't just stare at Jason. Treat me normally. Don't shout or talk loudly. Don't talk super-slowly. I'm not stupid. Please don't shut me out of conversations. When we're in a group, don't talk around me like I'm not there. And don't forget to invite me if you're going out. Include me. That's it.

Sandi: It seems pretty simple. What else?

Finn: Hmmm.... Don't expect me to dance or know the lyrics to songs. Keep in mind I need the lights bright, and I use a nightlight all night. I'm not trying to be annoying; I just have to be able to see stuff. And don't ask me if I use braille to read.

Sandi: Ha ha.

Finn: (*smiles*)

Thanks Wattpadders for reading! And thanks to #visible for the opportunity to be here sharing Finn's story!

The Astonishing Thing will be in bookstores in late 2017, around the holidays. Finn is a character in The Astonishing Thing, so you can read even more about him in that book!

@sandiwardbooks