Friday, April 27, 2007

Daria Snadowsky

Daria Snadowsky's debut YA novel is Anatomy of a Boyfriend.

Girl Scene Magazine's interview with Snadowsky included the following:

What inspired you to write Anatomy of a Boyfriend?

Love. One of the things I've always resented is that all of the words associated with romantic love are so pejorative. When we like a boy, people call us "obsessed," or "infatuated," or "nuts," or "addicted." These are really negative words considering love is such a positive thing. So I wanted to write a story about an ordinary girl who experiences all these feelings for the first time, and she thinks she's acting crazily, when in reality she's just going through the most natural experience in the world. I'm not advocating waiting by the phone for a guy to call or daydreaming about guys during class--I'm just saying that these behaviors are totally normal and completely human, and even the brainiest, most rational girls are not above them. According to the emails I've received so far, readers are really identifying with Dominique's state of mind and feel a lot better about their own romantic experiences as a result.

Who has had the greatest impact on your writing career?

The author Judy Blume has always been my biggest inspiration, which is why I dedicated Anatomy of a Boyfriend to her. Judy Blume's style of writing about teenagers' emotions is sensitive, honest and non-judgmental, and that candor is something I tried very hard to instill in my book.

I actually mailed Judy Blume a mostly-edited version of the book nearly a year ago. I wasn't expecting her to read it since she's so busy, but she did! She emailed me that she enjoyed it so much she had trouble putting it down! Talk about a dream come true!
Read the entire interview.

--Marshal Zeringue