Suzy Green used to be one of the coolest nonconformist “almost-Goth” party girls in Australia. That was before her older sister Rosie died and her family moved to a new town. Not even her best friend would recognize her now. Gone are the Doc Martens and the attitude. All she wants is to be like Rosie—perfect. The new Suzy Green makes straight As, hangs with the in-crowd at her new school, and dates the hottest guy around. And since all her new friends belong to a virginity club, she joins, too. So what if she’s not technically qualified? Nobody in town knows . . . until Ryan, Suzy’s ex, turns up.
As the past and present collide, Suzy struggles to find her own place in a world without her sister.
And now the interview:
What inspired you to write this book?
I’d been writing chick lit, and noticed a lot of authors I knew were moving toward young adult. I kept suggesting to my crit partners that they tried it. In the end I tried it myself and wished I’d done it sooner. It’s a perfect fit for my voice.
Describe your creative process.
I am a plotter. Once I have the idea for a book (starting with plot not characters) I write a sentence, then expand it to a paragraph, then a page, then 4 pages. This gives me my outline. Then usually I will do a scene spreadsheet, so I know exactly how it’s progressing. I always revise and edit as I go through. So by the time I’ve got to ‘The End’ there isn’t a lot left to do, other than some final edits and read through.
Do you have any writing habits or rituals?
We own a motel, which means I get interrupted all day (and night)! So I tend to open my manuscript first thing in the morning and then dip in and out of it as and when! At the moment I’m trying to curb my diet coke intake, so I drink loads of ginger beer.
How much, if anything, do you have in common with your heroine?
There are parts of me in Suzy. At least, old Suzy. I used to get into trouble at school for being disruptive and messing about.
Which were you more like as a teen, the almost-goth version of Suzy or the perfect girl version? Or maybe something else entirely?
I definitely wasn’t perfect as a teen. I wasn’t too wild either. Somewhere in between, I guess. I was very social and would enjoy going out clubbing with my friends.
Chocolate: dark or milk?
In recent years I’ve had a dairy intolerance, which means my preference has changed. I used to be milk, but now I look for dark chocolate with no dairy.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a middle grade series.
For more info, visit Sara's web site. Or order from Amazon.
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