When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
I can't remember a time when I WASN'T writing. Growing up, writing was my absolute favorite thing to do- like reading and daydreaming (my runner-up favorite activities), it allowed me to escape into my imagination, to create whole worlds and characters. My parents will tell you that I was always curled up with a spiral-bound notebook, scribbling what I called “novels” (but were really just long stories). As I got older, and started to get positive feedback from my teachers and professors, and to study writing as an art form, I began to take the craft more seriously, and realize it could be a career. It was wonderful to realize that daydreaming could be a profession!
How did you get your start as a YA author?
When I was twenty-five, I was working as a book editor at a publishing house- where I still work today!- and writing for myself on the side, though I never gave much thought to writing YA fiction. One day, I was editing a YA manuscript, and I ended up rewriting the first chapter in the way I wanted it to sound. When I showed it to my boss, he looked at me over the top of his glasses and said, "First of all, you can't rewrite huge chunks of a manuscript, and second of all, you really have an ear for writing teen fiction." I was surprised, but also excited. I had loved YA fiction as a teen- Judy Blume, Christopher Pike, Francine Pascal- so it made sense that I'd enjoy writing it as an adult. Soon after that, I was given the opportunity to write my first novel, South Beach. I had such a great time working on that book that I knew I wanted to keep going from there!
Can you tell us a bit about each of the books you have written?
SOUTH BEACH, FRENCH KISS, and HOLLYWOOD HILLS make up my trilogy about Alexa and Holly, two on-again-off-again best friends who take trips to glamorous places (such as South Beach, Paris, and Hollywood) and get into all sorts of mishaps, romantic adventures, and various dramas along the way.
BREAKING UP: A FASHION HIGH GRAPHIC NOVEL is, yes, a graphic novel (with art by the amazing Christine Norrie) about the splintering of friendships during a tumultuous junior year.
A NOVEL IDEA is a romantic comedy about a boy, a girl, and an after-school book club.
THE YEAR MY SISTER GOT LUCKY is about two big-city sisters who study ballet, and the way their relationship changes when they have to move to a small town.
My newest novel, SEA CHANGE, is a love story set on a small island, with a magical twist.
And I have short stories in two collections: MISTLETOE and 21 PROMS. All my books are available in a bookstore or library near you! To see the covers of all my books, go to: http://aimeefriedmanbooks.com/aimeesbooks.php
Which character in your books is most like you? Least like you?
Norah in A NOVEL IDEA is a lot like I was in high school- a voracious reader with lots of great friends who tended to get tongue-tied around boys. If only I'd had the foresight back then to start a book club of my very own! Katie in THE YEAR MY SISTER GOT LUCKY is probably the most like me, though- I, too, have a very close and complex relationship with my older sister, with whom I studied ballet.
The character least like me might be Miranda in SEA CHANGE- she's very rational and logical, whereas I tend to be a little bit dramatic and emotional!
What is your favorite part about being a writer? Least favorite?
There are many things I love about writing, but I'd say that my favorite part is what happens AFTER a book is written: that is to say, hearing back from my readers. There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that the story you have labored over alone has spoken to another person in some way--inspired them, excited them, entertained them. Luckily, in this era of websites and Facebook, it's easier than ever for authors to hear from readers, and vice-versa. So, readers: please feel free to email me! (aimee@aimeefriedmanbooks.com).
My least favorite part has got to be writer's block. A lot of people say writer's block doesn't exist, but I wholeheartedly disagree. That heavy, unsatisfying feeling you get when you know what you want to say but can't get the words and sentences to obey you--that's torture. Staring for hours at the teasing blank screen, rewriting a paragraph a million different ways... that is the hard, sticky part of writing. Of course, once you get through it, the wonderful sense of relief can't be beat.
Where do you like to write?
I have serious trouble writing in my own apartment--my bed is too inviting, the fridge is too full, the TV too tempting! So I usually write in a nice little coffee shop right near my apartment. It has squishy seats, free WiFi, delicious iced lattes, and, perhaps most importantly, tons of other people with their laptops, working away. Being around other people who are working gets me motivated, too.
What are some of your favorite books?
This is perhaps the hardest question to ask a writer! But here goes: Jane Eyre, Gossip Girl, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Bel Canto, Portnoy's Complaint, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Everything is Illuminated, Maus, Fun Home, Blankets, Song of the Sparrow, The Princess Diaries, and many, many more...
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Read! Read what you love, read what excites and interests you, whether it's graphic novels, fantasy, "chick-lit," classics, etc. The more you read, the more inspired you will feel to tell your own stories--trust me. And the same goes for your own writing: write down whatever excites and interests you, not necessarily what you feel you "should" be writing. I always say, your own writing should make your heart beat a little bit faster.
To see Aimee answer similar questions- and many others- check out this video interview!