So now there's a part of this graphic novel about Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, which is this theme park place that I went to a zillion times as a kid because it was the only somewhat educational thing to do around my cottage, so my parents were always making us go. It's funny because you think, 'This would be really funny if it was in a book,' and then as a writer you get a chance to do something like that. We went to Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, which is in the book. So it was actually really fun to just go and do this anthropological research of cottage country. I was writing this book based on my own experience and my own understanding of northern Ontario cottage country, but Jillian's from Calgary, and she'd never been. 'The best part of This One Summer was that it involved research. Mariko Tamaki on when she realized she would never be a respectable citizen.I'm just going to write that down and throw that in there.' So there is this serendipitous nature to it that is married with this 'sweat it out, look at a comma, look at a word and decide if that's the best word' type of situation. It's like two-in-the-morning moments where you're watching Star Trek: The Next Generation and you're like, 'Huh, that makes me think of this. For me, there is a part of writing that is sort of thinking through what each decision means, and what each word means, and there's a part of it where it just pops into your head and you throw it down on the page.

'But actually, there is a part of writing that is very slapdash. The only way to make this seems like it would have to be so composed and so controlled. I admire works by other writers - for example, I was reading Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood - and it just seems like the composition is so incredible and thought out. 'There is this element of writing that feels very studious and calculated. In her own words, Mariko lays bare her diverse influences for this tender and beautiful coming-of-age tale set in Ontario's cottage country. The book racked up a shelfload of honours, including two Governor General's Literary Awards nominations (Jillian won for children's illustration), best YA title in the CBC Bookies, and the 2015 Eisner Award for best new graphic album. Mariko Tamaki's graphic novel This One Summeris her second co-creation with her cousin, illustrator Jillian Tamaki.

This one summer mariko