Interview with Simone Elkeles!

Welcome to Jagged Edge!

Would you like to tell us a little about yourself?

I was born and raised in Chicago, love sports (as a native Chicagoan, it’s in my blood) and wanted to try out for the football team in high school but no other girl would try out with me.  I have a sister who lives in California and my father was Israeli (my mother is American).  I love dogs (I have two) and I’m married with two kids.  People say I have a Chicago accent, but I don’t believe them, ha ha. 

What inspired you to write?

I hated reading as a teen and wanted to write books that I think I would have liked to read as a teen. 

What authors influenced you as a writer?

If I had to pick, I’d say Judy Blume because she was the only author of teen novels who pushed the envelope and wrote edgy novels that had to do with REAL teen issues like sex. There was another book called Sooner or Later (which eventually became a made-for-tv movie) that also dealt with real issues that I loved.

Your favorite character? Is it your character or a different authors?

I think my favorite character would have to be Alex Fuentes from my book Perfect Chemistry because he’d do anything for his family and I totally love and respect that!

What is your favorite Quote? Why is it your favorite?

“Getting close to the fire doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get burned.” ~Alex Fuentes in Perfect Chemistry

I love that quote because it shows such confidence – I like confidence in a man and Alex knows when to use it.

If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world, which would it be?

DEFINITELY not The Hunger Games!  I’d like to live inside my book Perfect Chemistry so I could tell Alex that everything will turn out great in the end!  (I’d also want to meet him personally!)  I’ve lived in Amy and Avi’s world in my How to Ruin series – everywhere in the book she goes in Israel I’ve been and I also met my Israeli husband in Israel when I was 17 (we got married 9 years later).

What is at least one thing that every writer needs to have or do?

Have a great imagination, and not be afraid to put your characters in awful situations.

Are your books different to your personal favorite books by other authors?

I love reading my own books (seriously), but I also like to read historical romance novels by Julia Quinn- they’re amazing!

What lead you to writing in this genre?

I tried writing adult books first, but when I started my first Young Adult novel the words just flowed out.  My “voice” is definitely teen-centric and it works for me!

Where readers can find you?

They can always find me on Facebook (I’m active on my personal page and my other fan pages like the Perfect Chemistry fan page and the Simone Elkeles fan page).  My website is at www.simoneelkeles.net and I’m also on Twitter @SimoneElkeles.

LAST QUESTION:

When is the Chain Reaction book coming out, and when can I get a sneak peek at the book trailer for it?

Thanks for asking!  Chain Reaction will be in bookstores in the United States on August 16^th.  The book trailer (with Alexander F. Rodriguez as Alex, Giancarlo Vidrio as Carlos, and Gabriel Chavarria as Luis) will be released on Figment.com hopefully this week!

Thanks for the interview!

~Simone