☆ Author Interview ☆

Welcome, and thank you for stopping by! Tell us a little about yourself and your writing goals.

Thank you so much for having me! I’m Jen, a queer YA writer and artist. I’m a huge fangirl, movie buff and spend way too much time on the internet. My writing goals are to just keep writing queer stories, and one day venture into screenwriting.

Congratulations on your new release. Please tell us a little bit about it. What’s your favorite aspect or part of the story? Do you have a favorite character? Who/Why?

THE BRIGHTSIDERS is about Emmy King, a teen drummer in a famous rock band as she deals with the fallout of a wild night out. After being branded a train wreck by celebrity gossip blogs, Emmy has to battle the press, her parents and her own insecurities in order to pick up the pieces of her life.

My favourite aspect of the story are the strong friendships between all the characters. It’s very much a story about queer people finding their found families, which I think is something a lot of people can relate to. My favourite character is probably Alfie. He’s genderqueer and a total, Bowie-esque rockstar. What’s not to love?!

Are you a planner or a pantser? How much do you know about your story before you start writing? How often does your plan change? Why does this work best for you?

I am definitely, 100% a planner. I map out almost the whole story before I start writing, from major plot points and scenes and sometimes pieces of dialogue I want to include. But, in saying that, the outline ends up being more of a guide. When new ideas pop up as I’m writing, I go with it.

What was the most difficult part of writing this book? Why?

This is the longest book I’ve ever written, so there was a ton of editing that needed to be done. And editing is…not my favourite thing. So the most difficult part of writing this book for me was breaking through the overwhelming task of rewriting, cutting, and rewriting again. Characters were cut, scenes were swapped, deleted and added. It was a lot! Luckily, I have amazing editors to help me through it.

How do you develop a story idea? Do you always use the same method? Specifically, which do you develop first in your story building, the characters or the plot?

For me, it starts with the characters. I figure out who my main character is, what their goals are, what scares them, who their friends are…then the plot tends to grow from there. With every book, I write short character bios and profiles, then I create a pinterest board for the book, and write a detailed outline of the plot. The brainstorming/researching/plotting part of writing a book is always the most exciting for me.

What are your favorite genres when it comes to your own pleasure reading? Do you prefer to read ebooks or print?

I love reading YA contemporary romance, especially #OwnVoices and queer stories. I also really enjoy reading autobiographies and feminist non-fiction. As for ebooks or print, I have to admit there’s nothing like holding a book and being able to see it on my shelf in my living room.

What are your short-term and long-term writing goals?

Short-term, I’d love to keep writing queer YA romance, and there’s a YA horror I’ve had on my mind for a while. Long-term, I want to venture into screenwriting and bring queer teen characters to the big and small screens.

Who would play the main characters in a movie about your book?

Kristen Stewart would play Emmy, Ruby Rose as Alfie, and Ki-hong Lee as Ryan.