Today I’m happy to welcome Lauren Bjorkman to my blog, to answer a few questions about her debut novel My Invented Life.
Q: Tell us about a scene or character from your novel that was especially easy (or especially difficult) to write.
A: For me, the first scene was the hardest because I gotl tangled up trying to achieve just the right balance of atmosphere, action, conflict, and backstory. Also, I wanted to start with a slightly unlikable/oblivious protag, who becomes more sensitive as the story progresses. But if I made her too unlikable, no one would read past the first scene. I think I rewrote the first five pages fifty times!
Q: What is your favorite (or one of your favorite) myths or fairy-tales, and why? Or alternately, what fairy-tale or myth do you dislike, and why?
A: I love Greek myths for how they explain the world in unusual ways. And for their often heart-breaking endings. But, even as a child, I was angry that Orpheus looked over his shoulder at just the wrong moment (after he’d been warned not to!) and doomed his love for Eurydice. How could he be so stupid.
Q: So, what has been the most exciting part of selling your book(s) and getting published so far?
A: On the day my agent called to say my novel sold, a fog descended (a fog of joy, no doubt), but I can hardly remember how I felt. Except I couldn’t sit still. And the day the proof pages came in the mail, and I saw how my book would look in print–that was truly blissful.
About My Invented Life
Roz and Eva are sisters, close friends, and fierce rivals. Roz fantasizes about snagging the lead in the school play and sexy skate god Bryan as her boyfriend. Sadly a few obstacles stand between her and her dreams. For one, Eva is the more talented actress. And Bryan happens to be Eva’s boyfriend. But is Eva having a secret love affair with a girl? Enquiring minds need to know.
Roz prides herself on random acts of insanity. In one such act, she invents a girlfriend of her own to encourage Eva to open up. The plan backfires, and Roz finds herself neck deep in her invented life. When Roz meets a mercurial boy with a big problem, she begins to understand the complex feelings beneath the labels. And she gets a second chance to earn Eva’s trust.
My Invented Life is set in a small California high school during rehearsals for a Shakespeare comedy.
About Lauren Bjorkman
Lauren Bjorkman grew up on a sailboat, sharing the forecastle with her sister and the sail bags. Against all odds, they are still friends. She enjoys making things up, chocolate in large quantities, and anything that makes her laugh. She lives in Taos, New Mexico with her husband, two sons, and a cat that plays fetch.
Learn more about Lauren at her website.
My Invented Life is available now! I encourage you to shop at your local independent bookstore!
