What inspired you to write Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters?
When I set out to write Freshman Year... about five years ago, I mainly wanted to create characters and stories that were more relatable than those I'd seen in YA books at that time. Girls who weren't necessarily polished, or uber-fashionable, or the prettiest in school, or rich... girls who were, well, normal.
I felt like there was a major dearth of normal girls having normal experiences, and instead a whole lot of battles with supernatural creatures in suburban backyards and six-figure shopping sprees at Bergdorf Goodman's. Sometimes simultaneously. Which is fine, and even awesome... but certainly not normal fourteen-year-old behavior. I wanted to write something that would strike a chord with the reader the way the books I loved at that age did for me. Even if only ONE kid thinks, "My life is a mess just like Kelsey's, and it's okay and I'm not weird" after reading my book, I'll be happy. That's really why I wrote it in the first place.
What influences and experiences did you bring into the book?
Well, the plain truth is that almost every single thing that happens to Kelsey in the book actually happened to me when I was around the same age. There's a bit of embellishment here and there, and the names and places have been changed... but I have been disaster-prone all my life. Still am, I'm afraid.
As for influences, my friends and family influenced a lot of the characters. I'm pretty lucky to have an amazing group of people around me who keep things interesting.
What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, and logistical) in bringing the book to life?To be honest, writing the book - the first draft, anyway - was the easiest part of the process. I wrote in my spare time, whatever came to me, and I enjoyed it. The only research I did was combing through my memories of embarrassing moments!
Could you tell us about your path to publication? Any sprints or stumbles along the way?
Getting to the release date of this book was very challenging - mostly because of forces out of my control. Without going into too much detail, once I finished the initial manuscript, I sent the book out to a few agents and one of them signed me. She started sending it to publishers and one of them - Putnam - decided to buy it. After that, the struggle began. My first editor gave me a lot of confusing notes and asked for totally pointless and time-consuming rewrites that never got used. He was eventually let go, so the publication date got pushed back and back... it was incredibly frustrating. But I got picked up by a new and fabulous editor who totally got me and the book, and it's been smooth sailing since then!
If you could have dinner with a book character, who would it be and why?
Oh boy. This is a tough one. Excluding all the very handsome male characters that everyone probably wants to dine with for aesthetic reasons, I think i'd have to pick... Precious Ramotswe from Alexander McCall Smith's "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series. She and I are such very different people - I think it would be absolutely fascinating. Also, I love the cadence of the way she speaks - voices are super important to me. I bet I could listen to her talk about anything, all day long.
What did you read as a teen?, which authors inspired you the most? And which are your favorite books and authors now?
There was nothing off-limits when it came to books in my house. I read everything I could get my hands on. Mysteries, historical fiction, my mother's library books (she'd get so mad when I swiped them!), romances... but the YA authors I loved the most were the classics - Judy Blume, Lois Lowry, and Paula Danziger especially. As I said before, being able to read about characters that I could relate to was so essential at that time.
Authors I love now... so many to choose from! Dara Horn, Cassandra Clare, Nicole Krauss, George RR Martin, Michael Gruber, Rebecca Wells, Audrey Niffenegger, Tana French, Margaret Atwood, Gregory Maguire, Curtis Sittenfeld, Stephen King... I could go on all day. I love literary novels, but I also love deliciously trashy chick-lit - especially Fiona Walker! - and crime/horror thrillers. I read pretty much whatever I can get my hands on!
For more about Freshman Year And Other Unnatural Disasters, visit:
http://www.kelseyfinkelstein.com/
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