Author Interview: Josephine Angelini, Author of Starcrossed

Hi guys!!! Today, as...I guess a belated Easter special, I have an interview with the author of Starcrossed, Josephine Angelini! Jos

ie was kind enough to take some time and answer the following questions for us! She has some incredible answers that you guys might want to-no cross that out, should check out! (I also have a review of Starcrossed! Check it out as well: Starcrossed Review)

Thank you Josie!

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1. Give us (the readers of Bookish Delights) five words that describe your

book, Starcrossed, meaningfully.

Action-packed, romantic and mythological, lovestory.

2. What was your inspiration for Starcrossed? How about the personality of
each of the characters and the characters themselves?

I happened to see a copy of Romeo and Juliet next to The Iliad on my bookshelf and wondered what it would be like if I put those two ideas together and set it in a modern-day high school.

The characters I developed over time. I start with bits and pieces of people I know and then write extensive character bios with complete arcs for each until I feel they are distinct. There’s no short cut for developing character. It takes a lot of work and thought, but it’s one of my favorite parts of the writing process.

3. How did you come across the island of Nantucket?

I’m from Massachusetts, and I wanted to set my first book in a place that was familiar to me. I needed to isolate Helen, hide her away, for reasons in the plot. Apart from that, Nantucket is just such a beautiful place. I have very fond memories of it and I love to picture it in my head as I write.

4. Where does all the magic happen? For example, do you have any special
spots that you can just plop down and write?

Kitchen table. No doubt about it. If I want to get work done I grab a cat, pour a cup of coffee and sit down at the kitchen table. The coffee is there to kick-start my brain, and the cat is there to give me someone to talk to when I’m trying to figure out dialogue.

5. In the book, Starcrossed, some of the characters have special 'powers'.
If you could have special abilities like them, what would you have?

Flying! I dream about being able to fly all the time, and when I do I don’t want to wake up.

6. What was the best compliment and toughest criticism given to your work?

The best compliment came from my husband, along with the greatest criticism, actually. He was the first person to read Starcrossed after I finished it, and before he was done, he looked at me—really angry—and criticized a part of the plot. I don’t want to say which part because I don’t want to give away a spoiler, but it has to do with Helen’s father.

I told him to keep reading, and promised that that part of the plot would resolve itself, and if it didn’t I would go back and make it more clear. But still, he stood up from the table and wouldn’t keep reading, saying that he needed a break.

I was devastated. Then I realized that actually he was giving me a huge compliment. He was so invested in the story and the characters that any part of it that didn’t ring true to him made him angry.

My tough guy husband got all worked up over a YA novel for girls. I don’t think there is a better compliment than that.

7. Do you have any advice to aspiring writers?

Don’t get discouraged in the middle of a rewrite. Rewriting is hard, but it’s so important. My writing skills in general—not just my stories—get better every time I rewrite. Notes are hard to take, but they are the fastest way to grow as a writer.

8. Finally...The question everybody hates......What was the most
embarrassing act that ever happened to you?

There are far too many to narrow it down to one. I’m clumsy and I tend to open my mouth and say whatever is on my mind without thinking it through too carefully. I make of fool of myself nearly every day, but hey, at least I’m not boring.

Once again, thank you so much for answering these questions for us!

About the Author

Josephine Angelini is a Massachusetts native and the youngest

of eight siblings. A real-live farmer's daughter, Josie graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Starcrossed is her first novel.

Websites where you can find her:

Josie on Twitter

Josie on Facebook

Josie's Official Website

Check out Josephine's book, Starcrossed, the first in a trilogy!

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school s

he's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Put Starcrossed on your TBR pile!!!

Goodreads: Starcrossed

Come on! I know I can't wait! Even though I have an ARC, I'm still going to buy a finished copy as well! Use this widget to countdown until the very last second!!!

Preorder the Book:

Amazon

Borders

Barnes and Nobles

The Book Depository

Starcrossed Release Dates

April 4, 2011 in Spain
May 17, 2011 in Germany
May 31, 2011 in the US
June 3, 2011 in the UK
September 7, 2011 in Italy

-Roshini

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