Leah Konen is a writer living in San Francisco. She is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied journalism and creative writing. Her work has been published in Elle Decor, Good Housekeeping's Quick & Simple, Parenting, The Fiscal Times, and several regional newspapers and magazines. The After Girls is her first novel. Visit her at www.leahkonen.com.
Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part
of a series?
My next project is going to look very closely
at a girl who wants desperately to be a star both in her school and town. But
as she gets closer and closer to the most popular guy in high school (one from
the most well-to-do family in her Southern town), she’s going to realize that
labels, status, and the groups we divide ourselves into are not as important as
she once thought.
I’m not sure yet if it will be part of a
series. I’m going to see how far the story takes me!
What genre would you place your books into?
My books are definitely YA contemporary (i.e. there
are no vampires or dystopian settings—sorry!), but THE AFTER GIRLS does have a
hint of what could be interpreted as supernatural. I love books that toe the
line between strict reality and supernatural, and I think that’s why I had so
much fun writing THE AFTER GIRLS.
Do you have anybody read your books and give you
reviews before you officially release them?ie. Your partner, children, friends,
reviewers you know?
Definitely friends! I love to hear their thoughts
and advice. I think having people read your books is amazing—they discover all
kinds of things you didn’t even realize were in there, both good and bad.
Would you ever ask a reviewer to change their
review if it was not all positive about your book/books?
I wouldn’t, because I respect the role of the
reviewer, just as (I hope) reviewers remember that writers, at the end of the
day, are just people, too. I think reading reviews (positive and negative) of
your own book is great. It helps me discover what’s really working in my
fiction and what I can do better. As a I writer, I’m always looking to become
better.
Do you choose a title first, or write the book then
choose the title?
It changes for every book! My first book started with
an idea, then the title came after a lot of back-and-forth (and a few
not-so-good ideas on my part). For THE AFTER GIRLS, the title came before
anything else. I loved it, and I really developed the story from there. For the
book I’m working on now, the whole idea came almost in a flash, and the title
was secondary.
What do you think makes a book a really
good/bestseller?
Hmm… if you figure this one out, please let me
know! I don’t think there is a formula, but I think it has to be something that
readers are going to talk about and share with their friends. Whether that’s an
addictive plot, a character that’s captivating, a premise that is mind-blowing,
etc., I think with most best-sellers, there is something that is truly special
there.
Have you ever suffered from a "writer's
block"? What did you do to get past the "block"?
All the time! My only cure is to just keep writing.
It’s like exercise. I don’t like doing it. But I do like having done it.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which
is you favourite/worst book to movie transfer?
I think they do and they don’t. When the author is
too involved, I think sometimes they can come off as choppy or overly dedicated
to the plot of a book. I think they work best when they are thought of as a
separate work of art than than the book, itself. Lord of the Rings and The
Hunger Games were particularly done well.
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