Lynn Almengor: Bones of the Voyager (Depression)
- A Novel Mind
- 22 hours ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 7 minutes ago
An Interview by Meg Eden Kuyatt
Welcome to A Novel Mind, Lynn!
Your story didn’t start as a graphic novel. Can you tell us about the journey of landing on this form?
I’ve always used writing to make sense of my life. So when my usual depression got much worse, I naturally tried to “write my way out of it.” I’d recently published my first novel, so writing a second felt like the logical next step in my career. Except I hated everything I wrote. The story felt so… depressing!
So I finally gave up, put my story in a closet, and got professional help.
After a few years, I felt much better and was ready to write about depression from a new perspective. I pulled out my original draft to look for anything worth saving and noticed how bogged down the story was by Nina’s inner monologue. She needed someone to talk to! And that’s what sparked the idea to manifest her depression as a sarcastic talking skeleton that followed her around, poking at her insecurities. The concept was so comedically visual, I knew right away it’d work better as a graphic novel. I’d never written one before—and couldn’t draw—but was finally excited about writing again!
Your representation of depression and neurodivergence in this book is done with such care, and even though you tackle challenging topics, there’s real hope for readers. How did those topics find their way into the story?
I’ve had depression most of my life. In grade school, I had to sleep with the radio on because I couldn’t stop thinking about death. I was also a little “off” socially and developed social anxiety to the point where I rarely spoke in school. My parents knew something was wrong, but because I was well-behaved and got good grades, the school counselor wasn’t worried. Even as an adult, I didn’t think I was “depressed enough” to seek help because I could still get out of bed every morning, drag myself to work, and joke around with friends. Ironically, the better I became at appearing “normal,” the worse my depression got because I was so disconnected from my real feelings.
This is sometimes called “smiling depression,” because you seem fine—even cheerful—on the outside, despite falling apart inside. It’s most likely to affect those of us who are perfectionists, image-conscious, or afraid that showing our true feelings will worry others or make them think less of us. That’s why it was so important for me to write a character like Nina—who no one would suspect was depressed—and tell her story with as much thoughtful nuance as possible. I hoped people like me would recognize themselves in her and become better able to explain their feelings and advocate for themselves.
I loved how your story captured the challenges of being an artist, of creating, of doubting, and trying to find a way back in. I know you have a background in filmmaking. What else inspired you to tell this specific story?
I once rushed a film into production before the story was solid. Summer was the only time my theatre major friends could work on my films, and if I didn’t finish the screenplay in time, I’d have to wait another year. The final film was messy and confusing, but making it was so much fun! The crew and I spent entire weekends talking shop, goofing off between takes, and doing what we loved.
I wanted to capture that feeling in Bones of the Voyager—to show how the experience of creativity has meaning beyond the success or failure of a project. Then I wondered, what if someone had been there to crash the party and call me out? Would I have listened? Probably not! And adding Beth as lighting tech gave me even more aspects of creative conflict to explore, like rivalry and completion anxiety.
There are multiple antagonists in this story: Nina’s depression, manifested as a skeleton named Vincenzo, but also the lighting tech Beth. Where did you get the inspiration for them?
Vincenzo is a skeleton because depression often feels like an unshakable sense of impending doom, and bones are a reminder of death. But I didn’t want him to be “scary!” Readers needed to be able to laugh both at his jokes and at his expense. His two-tone getup was inspired by a three-month depressive episode where the only music I could stand listening to was ska. I also liked the allusion to “black and white” thinking.
Meanwhile, Beth keeps the story grounded. Where Nina strives to ignore her mental health challenges through productivity and optimism, Beth would rather acknowledge them, even when it’s painful. But despite all the work she’s put in over the years, Beth still struggles with her own insecurities and lingering trauma from growing up with a mentally unstable parent. It was important to me to show that professional help won’t instantly change your life. You’re going to mess up sometimes. But the important part is to recognize where you went wrong, own your mistakes, and move forward making better choices.
You didn't set out to write this story for young readers, but some of your biggest fans have been teens and tweens. What do you wish you’d known at that age about depression and neurodivergence? What do you wish educators now would know about supporting students?
Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, I had only the narrowest understanding of depression and never heard of neurodivergence. Today, I see so many wonderful children’s books exploring these topics that I desperately wish I had access to back then. If these books aren’t in your local or school libraries, please advocate for and normalize reading them—even among students who don’t appear to experience these challenges. Words are powerful. When we can describe how we feel, we can communicate what we need.
Where can folks find more about you and your books?
Thank you so much for your thoughtful questions, Meg! Readers can visit my website at PlaidCoreProductions.com or follow me on BlueSky and YouTube at @PlaidCoreLynn.
Lynn Almengor writes funny character-driven stories about creating personal meaning from chaos. She’s the author of the graphic novel BONES OF THE VOYAGER and the novel NOW THAT WE’RE ADULTS, which was named one of the “Best Books of 2016” by BlueInk Review. Because her parents were right about art rarely paying, she also works as a UX Researcher in her hometown of Philadelphia, PA. When not working or writing, Lynn can usually be found playing video games, watching “bad” movies, or goofing off with her husband, ferrets, and jack chi.
