Fresh New Voice of YA- Danielle Joseph Interview

News
1) Go check out Danielle Joseph's guest blog here on the Myspace blog!

2) Little Willow and I have posted another He Said, She Said on GuysLitWire for Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan! Read our discussion here and leave a comment!

1) How did you get the idea for Shrinking Violet?

I wanted to write about something that I loved—music—and the idea grew from there. The main character of a shy girl that really wants to be a DJ soon came to mind. I was eager to tell the story of a girl that even though she was shy, still wanted to be involved in something that she loved and was good at. I have always been interested in writing a story about someone that remains true to herself against all odds.

2) Are you similar to your character Teresa at all, or are you more similar to another character? How much of yourself do you put into your characters?

I do have some similarities to Tere, but she was not based on me. Rather I drew on some of my past experiences. We both share a love of music and radio. I was shy growing up but not nearly as shy as her. I also would not let anything stand in the way of my dreams but I did not face as many obstacles as her. I definitely believe in the saying, “write what you know” but at the same time I would never stop there.

3) Are you working on anything right now? Can you tell us anything about it?

My next novel, Indigo Blues is scheduled to be released from Flux in Fall 2010. It is told in two points of view, in which a songwriter's hit tune tells the world about his break-up with his girlfriend, but the two have no concept how much their lives are going to change. I will start edits on that soon. In the meantime, I am working on a novel called Graveyard Shift that involves love, spirits and humor.

4) What's your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor?

Either cinnamon or green apple—spicy and tart!

5) What are you reading right now, or are about to start?

On my nightstand are Bad to the Bone by Jeri Ready-Smith and the arc of Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert. They are both Simon & Schuster novels by fabulous authors that I can’t wait to dig into!

6) Are you new to the YA genre, or have you been a fan of it for a while?

I have always loved young adult novels and movies and TV shows centered around teens. That’s probably why I chose to write for this age group because I never truly left high school—lol!

7) Teresa is able to shed her shy exterior when she lands a spot as a DJ on a local radio station. Did you ever work at a radio station, or did you have to do some research to understand what goes on there? How did you conduct your research, if you had to do any?

I worked at my college radio station for five years as a world music DJ. I also interned at several top radio stations in Boston during those years. I used both of these experiences to help me write this novel. Then as I was writing, I visited a local radio station and interviewed the general manager to make sure all my facts were current. Since radio has a lot to do with technology, a few things had changed.