Alexandra interviews debut author and Chicklish editor Luisa Plaja, whose novel Split by a Kiss is currently taking Britain by storm. Read our review here.
Hi, Luisa. What is it about Young Adult fiction that you love most?
I love reading (and writing) about that time in your life when the major decisions haven't been made yet - when you're still trying to work out who you are, and who you could be. It's often a time of new, intense experiences, and the smallest things can feel like a matter of life or death. Combine these fascinating qualities with the truly wonderful writers of this type of fiction (E. Lockhart, Maureen Johnson, Sarra Manning and Jaclyn Moriarty, to name just a few) and... well. You just can't beat YA, in my opinion. It's the fiction that has everything.
What’s your favourite chapter in your book, Split By a Kiss?
Wow, difficult question! It would be tempting to talk about later chapters, but I should probably pick something from early on in the book to avoid spoilers. I think I'll choose Josie's ice-cream parlour adventure, the one with the Alien Stare and the You're Welcome Tailspin. This is something that I've noticed can happen when you get a typical British person in a transaction with a typical American one: the "thank you/you're welcome" ratio of a normal transaction, for either party, is shot to pieces. The British person starts "thank you"-ing for England and the American is worn out trying to keep up with "you're welcome"s. Apart from featuring this phenomenon, this scene also contains an Albie moment, and Jake being ultra Jake-like and stunningly thoughtless throughout, plus Josie realising that the life of a Delicate is not as smooth as she once thought.
This is really an impossible question, though, you tough interviewer, you!
Albie was my favourite character, was he the most fun to write? Or did you have another favourite?
I do love Albie, of course, but I love the rest of the characters too! Don't make me choose! Waaa! What kind of interviewer are you?!
OK, well, I can tell you that the meaner characters, such as Chelsea and Kristy, were fun to write. I also have to confess that I developed a soft spot for Jake Matthews (though I already know that some people are horrified by this!) It's because he's quite confused, really, and he allows Josephine, in all her forms, to throw his life off balance. But perhaps the character I felt for the most was Rachel. There's a lot going on in Rachel's life and Split by a Kiss just touches the surface of it.
How are your ice-skating skills in comparison to Josephine’s?
Ha! Phew, an easier question! Well, unlike Jo, I used to skate a lot in my youth. I was the Dancing Queen on ice! What? I was! I'm talking youth-youth here, though - when I was a Lolly-aged toddler - and I seem to be the only person in my family who remembers my near-entry into the under-fives Olympics. After that, I didn't really skate much until I lived in Boston and discovered you could use the ice hockey rinks for free at certain times. Not to mention outdoor skating - oh, the joy! I had five-dollar skates from the thrift store, just like Jo's - in fact, I still have them somewhere - and I fell over all the time. I discovered that I am now totally rubbish at ice-skating. But I still enjoy it. I find hurting myself on a cold, wet surface while people glide expertly around me oddly fun.
What are you writing next?
I'm working on another novel for teenagers, but not a sequel. It's a whole new set of characters and adventures. I'll just say that this amazing site was, in some bizarre way, my inspiration.
Interview by Alexandra, interview-master extraordinaire
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