CHRISTMAS ADVENT SPECTACULAR #8:When We Were by Alexandra Diaz - INTERVIEW + GIVEAWAY

When We Were by Alexandra Diaz

GENRE: YA Contemporary

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No one messes with Whitney Blaire or her friends, which is why she can’t help but let it slip that someone spotted Tara’s boyfriend making out with one of the guy cheerleaders. 

Even after spending hours training for her marathon, down-to-earth Tara can’t outrun the rumors about the boyfriend she thought was perfect.

Pinkie, the rock and “Big Sister” of their inseparable group, just wants things to stay exactly the way they are…

…but that’s not possible when new-girl Riley arrives in school and changes everything.

Suddenly Tara starts to feel things she’s never felt before—for anyone—while Whitney Blaire tries to convince her that this new girl is Trouble. Meanwhile, Pinkie’s world begins to crumble as she begins to suspect that the friends she depends on are not the girls she thought she knew. Can friendship survive when all the rules are broken?

INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDRA DIAZ

1) How long have you been writing for and was it always something you wanted to do?

I'd like to say I've been writing all my life or at the very least have always enjoyed coming up with "what if" scenarios. I was around ten when I started my first "book"--hand written in a purple page notebook. I never finished it because I didn't know what was going to happen next but I did write the ending and paperclipped it to the end of the notebook. Note to self: find the purple notebook and see if there was anything I can use...

2) Do the ideas for your books develop over time or are they just a random spark in your head?

I do tend to get random sparks and will immediately jot down notes about characters, scenes, and dialogue. If I'm really into it (or I have a deadline) then I'll continue seeing it through until it's done. But there are other ideas that take years of percolating, gathering little tidbits of what I'd like to do or character personalities, writing mini scenes, fantasizing about I'd like to happen, and even rewriting opening chapters before I finally decide to actually focus my attention on writing it already.

3) The cover for When We Were is beautiful. Do you think covers are important or should you never judge a book by its cover?

I do think covers are very important and I (sadly) always judge a book by it's cover. If a book is highly recommended and sounds like something I would like, then the cover doesn't matter. But if I'm at the library or bookstore, I'll browse through the collection and if the cover doesn't grab me, I won't even bother reading the jacket cover. I've been known to get a book just because the cover appealed to me without knowing anything else about the book. I'm the same with movies.

4) How do you get the names for your books and are some characters based on people you know?

Character names usually pop into my head without me having to think about it much. Sometimes it'll be a random name I heard recently--a friend's friend or a character in a TV show. Sometimes I want a name that means something and I'll comb my baby book. I try not to name a character after someone I know because  I don't want them to think I'm writing about them (and therefore say something about the character that would insult the real person). I might take personality traits from different people I know and mash them up with other traits to create a character. It's a bit how I like to cook--throw it in a pot and hope for the best.

5) Finally, what is on your book Christmas list for this year?

Ooh... "Never Been Texted" by Linda Joy Singleton, "Elvis and the Underdogs: Secrets, Secret Service, and Room Service" by Jenny Lee, "One" by Sarah Crossan, and "This is Where it Ends" by Marieke Nijkamp.

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