AN INTERVIEW WITH SHELLEY ADINA

Award-winning author Shelley Adina is our featured author today. The first book in her debut young adult series releases this month.

Welcome, Shelley, and thank you for stopping by.

Thanks so much for inviting me!

I’ve read that you have an addiction to designer handbags. Name some of your favorite designers.

I knew this would be fun! Let’s put it this way: there are some designers whose bags I just love to look at. And there are some whose bags a person who doesn’t live in Hollywood can actually afford and use. Most of the time these are two different things :) In the first camp, I love looking at Roberto Cavalli or Bottega Veneta clutches, or at anything by Mary Frances just for the sheer entertainment. But to actually use, I’d pick a nice, simple Kate Spade tote, like my protagonist in It’s All About Us, or a new find, the Magy bag by Helena di Natalio. And then, I collect vintage evening bags. My current favorite is a 1940’s beaded clutch from France with a tiny strap on the back meant to hold one’s gloves.

Just curious, but how many handbags would you say you own?

Not as many as you’d think. They’re an investment, and I tend to use mine for a couple of years each. Maybe half a dozen? And then I have a hatbox full of vintage evening bags. My little treasure trove! I’m a historical costumer, so when I go to period events, half the fun is picking the bag to go with the gown.

Your bio says at one time you’ve lived in another country. Which country was that?

I'm Canadian, but I'm living in California now.

What similarities and differences, if any, did you observe in the lives of high school girls while there?

In Canada, we don’t have things like varsity sports or homecoming or proms. Instead, you just have your school sports teams, and you go to the “grad dance” when you graduate. But no matter which country you’re in, I think the concerns, passions, and interests of teenagers are similar. Crushes, clothes, cliques … kids can identify with these.

Shelley, what inspired you to become a young adult author?

In a word? Eavesdropping. One day I overheard some women talking about their daughters’ reading material, which involved a line of books I won’t name but that focus on glitz and glamour. I could tell by their voices how distressed they were about it, yet on the other side of the coin, their girls were reading. We all want kids to be reading, don’t we? So it was a dilemma for these parents. A light went on in my head and I thought, “What if there was a series of books where, given similar choices and circumstances, the characters made different decisions based on their faith (or lack of it)?” And so the All About Us series was born.

How different is writing YA than adult novels?

Some things—characterization, building motivation, structuring a growth curve that forms a plot—are the same. But in YA the audience loves drama. And teens experience things very deeply and personally, even though the circumstances might seem prosaic to the outside observer. So building in that drama and deeply personal reaction to people and events is the fun part :)

Tell us about the first book in your new series, It’s All About Us.

The twist in this book is that my heroine, Lissa Mansfield, is used to being on the A-list. She’s tall, blonde, beautiful, and has a sky-high limit on her Platinum Visa because her dad’s a movie director. But when she transfers to Spencer Academy, she finds that the stakes are much higher and being popular is not as easy as it used to be. She figures that if she can land Callum McCloud, the hottest boy in school, she’ll be “in” with the popular crowd he runs with. Getting him isn’t the problem, though—keeping him is. She considers being a “technical virgin” to hang onto him while trying to stay true to the promise she made to God about her purity.

In each book in the series, the protagonist learns to find within herself a biblical power. It’s never mentioned or spelled out, but it’s always there as part of the underlying theme. In It’s All About Us, Lissa discovers the power of discernment—especially when it comes to boys. In The Fruit of My Lipstick, releasing in August, her roommate Gillian Chang learns the power of honesty—with herself. And in next year’s Be Strong and Curvaceous, their friend Carly Aragon finds out that there’s such a thing as being too nice and going with the flow—that sometimes you need the power of courage.

The stories are intriguing and the subjects your characters deal with are so relevant to today’s teenaged girls. What kind of feedback have you gotten from this age group on their struggles with these issues and how they overcome them?

So far in the blogosphere the feedback has been very positive. I’ll be very interested in hearing more from teens on the character blog at www.allaboutusbooks.net. There, my characters will be blogging weekly about school, fun, fashion, and the issues that mean most to them.

The part I enjoy most about writing these books—besides the drama—is showing the Christian life without actually spelling it out. Whether the characters do the wrong thing and make mistakes, or listen to their hearts and work through their challenges and problems with God’s help, it all makes for a fun read. And that’s my ultimate goal!

You have five more books in the series to be released. Will there be more?

I’m so focused on working through this series that I haven’t actually thought about what comes next. So far there are only plans for six books. At press time I’m deep in the middle of book four, Who Made You a Princess? where my heroine finds there’s more to think about than shoes (glass or otherwise) when a real live prince offers her his hand.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know about It’s All About Us or the All About Us series?

I’ve come to learn that there are powers in the Bible that God still wants us to learn and use today. If girls can discover these powers within themselves, then I’ll rejoice along with them! In fact, I even had little compact mirrors made up saying “What’s your power?” so girls can be reminded every time they pull them out to apply their lip gloss. I’ll send one along for the book giveaway, shall I? These books are meant to be fun—and I hope readers have as much fun reading them as I did writing them!

Lastly, Shelley, you have Pride & Prejudice listed on your Web site as one of your favorite movies. Which version do you like best?

Deb, you and I both know there’s only one version. The A&E one with Colin Firth. ’Nuff said.

If you’d like to learn more about Shelley and her books, visit the series Web site at http://www.allaboutusbooks.net, or her related site at http://www.shelleyadina.com.

To win a free autographed copy of It’s All About Us, use the form in the Contact section of this site and type the word “drawing” in the comments box.

Again, thank you for joining us today, Shelley and allowing us a glimpse into the world of your books. I wish you all the best with this wonderful new series.

Thanks, Deb, for the opportunity to stop by and talk. It’s been fun!

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