YA authors love Teen Read Week as much as YA fans! Were psyched that the talented team at BookSparks got a chance to sit down with Evangeline Denmark, author of CURIO, to talk about what inspires her to write for teens, how she is celebrating Teen Read Week and more. See her answers, below!
Q: What inspired you to write in the YA genre?
Evangeline Denmark: I’ve always read and loved YA, but writing in the genre was a departure from what I had previously written. I fell in love with the freedom of YA fiction, particularly the honesty of emotion. Sometimes with the adult genres, you feel you have to rein in your characters’ emotional experience. Not so with YA. All the feels!
Q: If you could co-author a book with another YA author, who would it be and why?
ED: This is in Fantasy Land, right? Because in Fantasy Land I could meet and interact with Tahereh Mafi and still manage to remain a functioning human being. But in reality that meeting would go something like this: Tahereh Mafi: Hello. Evangeline: Duh…*drool* Tahereh Mafi…words. But seriously, her writing is so unique and vivid. I would love a peek into her process, and getting to craft a story with her would be… nope, I can’t even…duh, words.
Q: Which character in your book can you relate with the most?
ED: I relate to Grey in CURIO because she begins the story uncomfortable in her skin and feeling like she sticks out. She struggles to accept her large stature in a community of smaller-framed people. That was my experience and perception of myself as a teen. The truth is, I’m so much more than my outward appearance, and my interactions with other people are infinitely more important than the size of my jeans. The outside stuff is just soul packaging. Part of crafting Grey was confronting those hang ups and letting Grey not only learn to breathe in her skin, but really come into herself as a young woman of strength.
ED: Story is something that is always going to be there, as an escape, as an outlet. Connecting with words can help us make something beautiful out of something hard or painful. Reading really can save lives.
Q: How are you celebrating Teen Read Week?
ED: Well, in addition to reading in my favorite genre --- YA! --- I’m participating in a Google hangout with some other fabulous young adult authors. The party is happening this Saturday, October 24 at 12 PM EST. You can ask questions ahead of time on Twitter with the #BlinkTRW hashtag or during the live event.
Evangeline Denmark is a children’s book author, novelist, blogger and pajama enthusiast. She co-wrote THE DRAGON AND THE TURTLE (Waterbrook Press, 2010) and THE DRAGON AND THE TURTLE GO ON SAFARI with her mom, CBA best-selling author Donita K. Paul. CURIO is coming out on January 5, 2016.
