So, how do two people write as one?
With a lot of laughter, in the case of Alli Frank and Asha Youmans, co-authors of the new novel "The Better Half," out July 1. The two women, who met about 10 years ago when both were working at Seattle's Bertschi School, quickly found that they shared "a very similar sense of humor," Youmans said, in an interview this month. (Youmans still lives in Seattle; Frank is now based in Sun Valley, Idaho.) Although both moved on to other jobs, they stayed in touch, and one day in 2018, Frank contacted Youmans with an idea: Why not write a novel together?
That book was "Tiny Imperfections," inspired by Frank meeting a Black woman in San Francisco who was the head of an elite private school. "It ran through her mind, watching this woman surrounded by white families: She's holding the keys to the kingdom. What's it like to be her?" Youmans said. Frank, who is white, wanted to turn the idea into a novel, but felt she needed some help to authentically convey the Black experience — so she called up her former colleague.
