Harmony Book Reviews

I’m happy to say that I have even more questions with answers from the fantastic D. Anne Love. I know one interview usually does it but since she’s the Author of the Month and due to certain reasons, I was unable to ask questions about her latest novel, Defying the Diva, in the previous interview, I’m adding some more. So I hope you all enjoy!

What inspired you to write Defying the Diva?
I mentor a couple of teen writing groups. After Semiprecious was
published, and Picture Perfect was in production, I was looking for a
subject for a new book. A couple of my teen writers suggested writing
about school bullies, because as one of them said, “It’s a huge problem.” When my research revealed that as many as 6 million teens are involved in episodes of bullying each year, and that as many as 100,000 skip school every day to avoid being harassed, physically harmed, or worse, I knew I had to write about it.  Haley faces some serious verbal bullying from Camilla. Did you have  anything similar happen to you during High School? Because I was a southern girl living in the northeast during my last three years of high school, I  took a lot of taunting  and insults from the other kids about my accent, my clothes, and my home state.  It  didnt’ rise to the level of what Camilla did to Haley, but it made my life pretty miserable. As I was writing DIVA, I definitely remembered the feelings of hurt and isolation stemming from that situation.
 
Defying the Diva has a cast full of unique and realistic characters. (Harrison was my favorite.) Which character was the hardest to write?Which one was easiest?
Thanks. I love Harrison, too. As I was writing him, I so wished I’d had a boyfriend like him in high school. He is totally comfortable in his own skin. Wise beyond his years. I miss him. Evan was a hard character to write, because I had to show him as desirable and at the same time, careless with Haley’s emotions. Evan is the quintessential boy who’s
bad for you and at the same time, hard to resist.. It was a balancing act. Camilla was among the easiest to write, because I’d spent a long time thinking about her, reading up on the psychology of bullies in general, and figuring out her backstory before I began the actual writing. Frankie was loosely based on one of my best friends  from college, so she came to life easily, too. I loved writing the interplay between Frankie and Nora. The scene where they kidnap Haley for the trip to Beauty Emporium is one of my favorites.
 Which character is most like you?
Like Haley, I had a hard time in school for a while, and I was also a
budding journalist. I got involved in journalism my sophomore year in
high school. Writing for the paper and being named editor in chief my
senior year became my saving grace.

If Defying the Diva were to become a movie and you could choose the 
actors and actresses, who would you pick to act in the role of your 
characters?
Oh man, that’s a hard one I am so busy I hardly ever get to the movies
so I’m not that familiar with  the current roster of young actors.
Ellen Page was great in Juno. She could play Haley. I’d have to think about
who to cast as Camilla, Frankie, Nora, Evan, and Harrison. Who would
YOU cast?? Maybe your readers could weigh in. I’d love to know who they
think should be in the movie.

Readers: If you have any suggestions about who you think should be cast as the characters in Defying the Diva, be sure to leave a comment.

Thank you so much for doing this second interview!