Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Author interview: Luisa Plaja

I am very pleased to welcome author Luisa Plaja on the blog! Luisa is the author of Split by a Kiss, Extreme Kissing and her third teen novel Swapped by a Kiss will be released in April 29.

Welcome Luisa! Can you tell us briefly about your newest book?
Sure! In Swapped by a Kiss, Rachel arrives from the States to surprise her boyfriend at a music festival, but instead she's the one who gets the surprise: she sees him kissing her friend Jo. She's always been jealous of Jo, and always wished her relationships were as easy as Jo's... even Jo's relationship with her boyfriend. Rachel runs away, wishing she was Jo. And suddenly she finds herself swapped into Jo's body, living Jo's life...

When did you know you wanted to be an author?
When I was about four years old, and I used to "publish" my own books with folded paper and staples.

Why did you chose to write for teens, and what do you like the most about writing for teens?
I absolutely love teen fiction and I always have. Strangely enough, it didn't immediately occur to me to write for teenagers, though. A few wonderful writers I met online helped me to see that it was what I naturally leaned towards writing - and, more importantly, what I adore writing. What I love most about it is that the teenage years are full of possibility. Nothing is decided and everything is ahead of the characters. Teenagers are developing their sense of identity and discovering who they are and who their friends are. These are fascinating themes to explore.

What inspired you to write your books (I love that they all are themed with a kiss!) and in particular, Swapped by a Kiss, your newest book?
Various things! I wanted to write about culture shock in Split by a Kiss, and how it can alter people's perceptions of themselves. Extreme Kissing was inspired by an article I read about random travel, which made me think of the difference between people who label themselves as 'risk-takers' versus those who consider that they 'play it safe', and whether these people are as different from each other as they think. Swapped by a Kiss was partly inspired by my love of Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers, but also by the way this kind of plot fits perfectly for characters who are uncomfortable in their own skin, or who want to hide from themselves. Above all, I love writing about issues of identity, labelling, self-perception and self-acceptance. (Oh, and also kissing!)

What is the first thing you do when you begin a new book?
I do a lot of background reading for a while, for example about the things my characters are passionate about. Then I just dive in and write!

If you could have a dinner with a book character, who would it be and why?
Ooh, interesting question! Hmm, I'd love to meet Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. There's a lot I'd like to ask her about life as a princess with principles, and how she combines that with being a writer.

Can you tell us what you were like as a teen? Does that influence your characters? How?
I was pretty angst-ridden, but in a giggly and fun-loving way. I was constantly frustrated by the difference between the way people saw me and the way I saw myself. There's probably a little of that - and a little of me - in all of my female main characters.

Describe yourself as a reader. What books or authors influenced and inspired you as a teen and as an adult?
I am a huge fan of teen fiction and always have been. All my favourite books are about friendships, relationships and growing up. I read everything I could get my hands on when I was a teenager - mostly teen fiction but also a lot of gory horror! I'm inspired by apparent simplicity in writing, which I know is never simple to achieve. I also love inventiveness with language - I'm inspired by word-play, humour and the breaking of writing 'rules'.

Can we expect fabulous books by you in the future?
I really hope so!
Thank you very much for interviewing me, Marjolein!
For more about Luisa and her books, you can visit her site here
Luisa is also the author Split by a Kiss and Extreme Kissing.
For my Dutch readers: Split by a Kiss is ook in het Nederlands verschenen, Katie's Keuze, verschenen bij uitgeverij Moon

5 comments:

  1. Great interview!

    Luisa sounds so sincere and passionate. I'll be looking out for her books :))

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  2. Great interview! Luisa's books sounds great! I'd like to read them :)

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  3. Thanks for the wonderful interview, you asked some great questions! I loved Split by a Kiss so I cannot wait for the sequel, yay - that's when I'll be interviewing Luisa too, can't wait! :D Anyway, thanks to both for doing this interview, I really enjoyed reading it! :)

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  4. Great info! tks for sharing...be sure to check out my new book also!

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