GUEST AUTHOR

IN THOSE GLORY DAYS OF ELVIS will be here in the fall!!!

This month we have a guest author on board whom I have interviewed for your reading pleasure.

KRYSTEN LINDSAY HAGER and I shared a table at the Ohioana 2017 and 2018 Book Festivals and have become great friends. I recently read her book, DATING THE IT GUY,

and today we’ll be talking with her about it.
Krysten writes about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, frenemies, crushes, fame, first loves, and values. She is the author of True Colors, Best Friends…Forever? Next Door to a Star, Landry in Like, Competing with the Star, Dating the It Guy, and Can Dreams Come True. True Colors, won the Readers Favorite award for best preteen book and the Dayton Book Expo Bestseller Award for children/teens. Competing with the Star is a Readers’ Favorite Book Award Finalist. Dating the It Guy was nominated for a RONE award. Krysten’s work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Beavercreek Current, the Bellbrook Times, Springfield News-Sun, Grand Blanc View, Dayton Daily News and on Living Dayton.
What influenced you to become a writer?
I always loved reading and making up stories when I was a kid. I used to watch TV with my parents and then act out how I thought the cliffhangers should be resolved with my Barbie dolls. Making up storylines has always been something I love to do.
What is the most difficult thing about writing a book?
I think getting all the elements in the right order. I tend to free write so sometimes I write my scenes out of order.
What was the most difficult aspect of writing Dating the It Guy?
The most difficult aspect was probably writing the things in the book that were personal like Emme’s relationship with her grandpa and how it was hard for her to see him going through all that.
Are your characters based on real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?

I tend to create character composites where the characters are made up from a bit of inspiration from all over. It’s too difficult to write about a real person though because people are so complex. It’s so much easier to make up characters and create their backstories.

Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book, the characters, title, process, etc, you’d like to share?

I had originally been inspired by the idea of dating someone like JFK Jr. when writing it and as I was getting ready to submit the book, a documentary called, I Am JFK Jr. came out. I watched it and realized my character Brendon had a lot in common with him with the both of them feeling the pressures of the family name.

How long did it take you to get published?

Quite a few years. I think you have to take the time to learn the industry and build up your resume.

What book(s) have you read that you wish you had written?

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and My Mother Was Never a Kid by Francine Pascal.

What is your favorite childhood book?
My Mother Was Never a Kid by Francine Pascal.
What is your favorite book of all time?
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Goodbye, Glamour Girl by Erika Tamar
What actors would you like in the main roles if Dating the It Guy were made into a movie?
Bailee Madison could play Emme and the guy from the Teen Beach movies and General Hospital, John DeLuca, could play Brendon.
What is your favorite quote?
“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald
How can readers find you and your books?
Website: http://www.krystenlindsay.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B00L2JC9P2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1?redirectedFromKindleDbs=true
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/”Krysten%20Lindsay%20Hager”?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall
Indie Bound: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=Krysten+Lindsay+Hager+