Ask the Author: Jennifer Castle
Answered Questions (3)
Jennifer Castle
I'll echo what my dad said to me one day when I was twelve, in the car en route to a Girl Scouts meeting: "You know, Jennifer, the only thing that will ever stop you from being a writer is yourself." It's so true, it hurts.
Jennifer Castle
I've always wondered what happens to reality TV and documentary film subjects after the cameras go away. Do they live their lives differently, like someone's always watching? Does the way they're portrayed on screen change the way they see themselves in real life? The possibilities of character and story seemed so juicy, I couldn't resist. Then I started thinking about how the rise of blogging and social media has allowed pretty much everyone to make themselves the "stars" of their own documentary. Every time we post a status, a photo, check in at a location...we're building a narrative of our own lives. I think it's scary-easy to share so much of ourselves, to think so obsessively about what we're putting out there for the world to see, that we lose track of who we really are.
I'm also a huge fan of documentary films, perhaps for the same reason why I love writing contemporary YA fiction: sometimes there's nothing more fascinating than real life. One of my favorite documentaries is the "Up" series of films by director Michael Apted. He started by interviewing a group of 7-year-olds in England in 1964, and has checked in on their lives every 7 years, with the most recent being "56 Up." This seemed like a great premise for a novel, and I couldn't resist.
I'm also a huge fan of documentary films, perhaps for the same reason why I love writing contemporary YA fiction: sometimes there's nothing more fascinating than real life. One of my favorite documentaries is the "Up" series of films by director Michael Apted. He started by interviewing a group of 7-year-olds in England in 1964, and has checked in on their lives every 7 years, with the most recent being "56 Up." This seemed like a great premise for a novel, and I couldn't resist.
Jennifer Castle
With both "The Beginning of After" and "You Look Different in Real Life," I loved writing the romantic storylines. So my current project is a summer romance, pure and simple (even though romances are never pure and simple, are they?). It’s about what happens when a killer crush actually leads to something, and you have to navigate that intersection of fantasy and reality. It’s about figuring out what love actually is, when you don’t have any good examples in your life to base it on, and also about cosplay, depression, and family. There's a hot guy who is amazing but not flawless, craveable but problematically complex, because “perfect” boys in YA lit really bug me. Look for it from HarperTeen circa Summer 2016.
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