-
Candice Jalili Interview
Candice Jalili is an author and journalist whose work can be found in many major publications, The Cut, Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone and Elite Daily where she held the role of Senior Dating Writer for four years. She is also the author of Just Send the Text: An Expert’s Guide to Letting Go of the Stress and Anxiety of Modern Dating and the upcoming Finding Famous. She graciously took the time to have a phone interview with me to discuss her fiction debut, favorite authors and more.
Since this was a phone interview based on my hastily typed notes as she talked, these are not direct quotes. Enjoy!
1. To start off simple, when did you first begin writing?
I’ve been writing my whole life. I went to a Montessori school from preschool to 6th grade where we were encouraged to do what we were interested in. I did a lot of short stories, creative writing but I lost that in middle school.
I didn’t reconnect with it until college where I was a creative writing major and my friend encouraged me to apply for a Cosmopolitan internship. I got it and that also reignited my interest in writing. I got a few bylines and really enjoyed my work there. By my senior year I started doing a lot of freelance writing.
2. What were some of your inspirations?
There are a lot of YA books that I read when I was younger that served as an inspiration for me to fall in love with reading and writing like Lisi Harrison’s The Clique, The A-List by Zoey Dean, Cecily Von Zeigesar’s Gossip Girl, Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries, and anything Judy Blume. None of them are summer reading for school, but I think there’s a lot of value in books that are just fun. It encourages kids to read more. Those authors were and still are like gods to me, and they gave me such a passion for writing. This book is sort of my homage to all those that I loved back then.
As I got older there were some nonfiction and editorial writers that I’ve grown to love like Dolly Alderton’s Dear Dolly column; E. Jean Caroll, I loved her articles for Elle; Nancy Jo Sales wrote a profile of Paris and Nicky Hilton when they were younger that I came across later, and I just love her writing style for all her profiles.
(more…) -
May Books
Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Sophie and Nick have been best friends since they were toddlers, next door neighbors playing in the mud and blending the artistic talents as dancer and piano-player respectively to create “Terrible Twosome” performances. They know each other better than anyone, love each other and respect each other like no one else. And senior year, Sophie helps to save Nick’s life by giving her kidney, giving the chronically ill Nick a new sort of future. No more homeschool, no more dialysis. There’s a few limitations but basically, he’s free.
Sophie’s sure that this will change things forever. Not only will Nick be free but maybe he will finally feel the irrevocable connection she knows they have. She has loved him for nearly three years and she’s sure he will see how deeply she cares for him. After all, he would have done the same, Sophie is sure. He just wasn’t given the chance like she was to prove her love.
Buuuuut. . . with new freedom, Nick has new chances. He’s joining a band, he gets to go to regular school and doesn’t share any classes with Sophie. In fact, it starts to feel they are splitting apart and their friendship turns into a codependent pining that they need to settle before it irrevocably breaks them.
Solomon’s debut novel was deft in handling chronic illness and complicated relationships and this novel is no different as the reader can see how unhealthy and limiting the friendship is for both. Sophie has denied herself opportunities and socializing because she believes the only time that matters is the time spent with Nick, he makes her feel like her best self. She nearly becomes a martyr for her love because she always concedes to his wants because he’s sick, he’s good, he’s Nick and she loves him. Yet she resents it too, he always gets what he wants. All she wants is his love.
But does that mean he owes her? No, it doesn’t. That would be wrong. Which is why Nick is so hesitant to hear or accept Sophie’s love because he is so grateful that she gave him her kidney, but he doesn’t want to confude gratitude and lifelong friendship for love. He doesn’t want it to end badly and she regrets the decision (though considering the situation, we know there’s gonna be regret). Besides, he has right to experience life and not be chained to Sophie’s side now that he has a chance to explore his own interests outside of the home and not confined by his health. He gets to experience first love and not be known as the sick kid which is nice.
But he also has to confront that he has been pretty sheltered, even spoiled as a sick kid and that maybe he has taken more out of this friendship than he has given and maybe held Sophie as a guarentee in his life without reflection of her wants.
Just a really moving story about friendship, and love and the co-dependency of both that is rarely explored in YA.
(more…) -
Waterfire Saga: Sea Spell Review
The grand final book in the Waterfire Saga has the merls facing up to their biggest challenges yet-Overthrowing Vallerio and his accomplices and destroying Abbedon and Orfeo.
It’s a thrilling book with some surprise conclusions that I hadn’t seen coming and filled with action that kept me at the edge of my seat. But there are some missteps. Let’s start with what worked.
(more…) -
Waterfire Saga: Dark Tide Review
Donnelly gets right into the action with a heist! I love heists. Sera has grown in her confidence and badassery, formulating and succeeding in divesting the throne’s treasurey. Just in time too because they’ll need that gold to convince the goblin tribe to join their covert Blackfin army when they fight Sera’s traitorous uncle.
But while readers get a nice glimpse of Sera’s newfound leadership and confidence, the book’s focus is on her fellow merls-Becca, Ling and Astrid as they conquer their inner demons to find their talisems before Vallerio and his allies.
(more…) -
Waterfire Saga: Rogue Wave Review
Since the fall of Cerula and finding out she is part of a greater prophacy, Serfina is left to pick up the pieces of her life and figure out where her talisman is before Abbadon is released. Meanwhile, her best friend, Neela had returned to her kingdom of Mitali to warn her family of the upcoming dangers and gain allies. But her warnings aren’t heeded, in fact they thhink she’s crazy. Now both girls are alone, trying to find a way to save the world and be heard.
You know, when it comes to a quartet, it’s a difficult balance between moving the plot forward but not too fast as you have the grand finale to build to. Oftentimes, that makes the second book feel like filler, setting things up so a lot happens but it also feels like nothing happens.
(more…) -
Waterfire Saga: Deep Blue Review
In the darkest deep, there be monsters and despite centuries of protection and magical spells, the circumstances have converged to allow Abbadon break free, and the ancestors of the original Six Who Ruled to rise.
(more…)