Author Interview: Alex Flinn

I have my first author interview ever! Alex Flinn! I've read only one of her books, Beastly, but I'm planning read her first novel, Breathing Underwater, sometime within the next two weeks or so! A review of Beastly found here. Without further ado, here's the interview!


Q: What sparked the idea for Beastly and its characters?

I often get ideas for books from things I wonder about. I was really curious about the beast. What happened to his family? Why was he alone in a castle in the woods? Also, why does Beauty's father let her go live with the Beast? So, that was what inspired me to write the book.

K: I get ideas like that as well!

Q: What was the biggest struggle for you in the writing process with your first published novel, Breathing Underwater?

Getting the viewpoint right. I started writing it about the girl.

Q: What is your favorite part of writing?

When it's going well, it's a lot of fun.

K: I most certainly agree!

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Write what you want to write, not what you think will sell. I mean, it's probably better if you don't write about your cats, but if you write something that doesn't have your heart in it, because you think other people will like it (e.g., think, "There are a lot of vampire novels out; I should write a vampire novel too," even though you've had no previous interest in vampires, for example), it will show. It's better if you're genuinely excited about your subject matter.

Q: If you were still a teen, which one of your male characters/love interests in any of your novels would you date?

Michael in Nothing to Lose. He's a great guy.

K: I'll have to read that! 

A big thanks to Alex Flinn for being able to answer some questions! YAY! :)

Also, stay tuned for tomorrow's blog post in celebration of my 100th post about something very special!