Here is our first author interview here on PLYAB and it’s with the lovely Luisa Plaja who is the author of Split By A Kiss, Extreme Kissing and, the sorta-sequel to Split By A Kiss, Swapped By A Kiss. Here are Luisa’s answers and believe me, it’s a fab read!

1. What made you decide to bring back Jo, Rachel, David and Albie in Swapped By A Kiss, did you always plan to bring them back?

I always knew I had a lot more to say about Rachel, but I didn’t know whether anyone else would want to hear it! She’s a character who stayed with me - I find myself worrying about her sometimes, even now! I’m so glad I had the chance to tell her story in Swapped by a Kiss.

2. Split By A Kiss, your debut novel, is quite unique, where did the idea come from to split Jo essentially in half?

Well, there are other novels that have a similar premise, though most of them rely on fate, as in the movie Sliding Doors, and their “splits” aren’t caused by deliberate decisions. Oh, but The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver, which came out while Split by a Kiss was in production, actually has a main character who is split by a kiss! Lionel Shriver and I must have written our books at the same time, which is strange to think about. As far as I know, though, Split by a Kiss is the first book to use this premise in a teen chicklit novel.

Anyway, to answer your question about where the idea came from: I’m not really sure! I didn’t set out to split Jo when I started writing the book. When I reached the snogging-in-a-cupboard scene, I couldn’t decide whether or not Jo’s new experiences had changed her reactions, and I decided to follow both possibilities in parallel stories.

3. The moral message of Split By A Kiss seems to be “Be your own person”, why did you decide to incorporate such a message into your book? Do you feel it’s important for your readers - who I suppose are mainly in their teens and are putting up with the trials of peer pressure - to know of such a message?

What a brilliant question! Well really, in Split by a Kiss, I wanted to look at the meaning of the phrase ‘just be yourself’. People say it all the time and it can be slightly confusing and meaningless, especially if you’re in a state of transition in your life and you’re not too sure exactly who “yourself” is. I think both sides of Jo struggle with this, ending up in situations that crush their self-esteem, though it’s almost something they have to go through before they find their path.

I definitely don’t set out to send moral messages, though of course I’ll be really happy if readers take positive messages from the book. I often think we need all the self-confidence boosts we can get, whatever age we are!

4. Your second novel, Extreme Kissing, also sounds incredibly interesting can you tell us all about it?

I’d love to! Extreme Kissing is a story about friendship, secrets and the meaning of ‘going too far’. Bethany (Bets) and Carlota (Lots) are best friends, but they have problems they haven’t admitted to each other. To take their mind off their troubles, they decide to go ‘extreme travelling’, where their every move is decided at random from the pages of a teenage magazine. It’s a road trip book, really, filled with fun adventures and life-changing incidents, and all set in the course of one day. When I wrote it, I really wanted to look at the nature of risk-taking, something many people see as a teenage trait. I also wanted to look at self-perception, and what it means to define yourself as ’safe’ or ‘reckless’ - is anyone ever really just one or the other? I don’t want to make it sound too serious, though! Like my other books, Extreme Kissing is a romantic comedy at heart.

5. You’re the editor of teen site Chicklish (http://chicklish.co.uk), how did the site come around?

It was founded by a group of writers including me and Keris Stainton (author of Della Says: OMG!) as a place to discuss the teen novels we loved. At the time we started the site, the kinds of books I love most (the ones known as ‘teen chicklit’) were rarely reviewed anywhere, and you often had to dig hard to find out about them. Luckily, this has changed in the past four years, at least online, which makes me very happy! I’m now the main editor of Chicklish, with brilliant assistance by Alexandra Fouracres and a wonderful team of reviewers, many of whom are teenagers. Between us, we now review YA books in most genres.

6. Was it starting Chicklish that made you decide to write your own young adult novel or is it something you’ve always wanted to do?

I’d already sold Split by a Kiss at the time we started Chicklish, but only just. Writing novels for teenagers is something I’ve always wanted to do, but I used to think it was an impossible dream.

7. How long did it take to get your publishing deal and how did you come to be published by Corgi Childrens books?

My road to publication was short and smooth, and I know I was amazingly lucky! When I finished writing the book, the first agent I queried, who was my ‘first choice’ agent, requested my manuscript and signed me within a few weeks. After she started submitting it, it sold quickly to Random House. The whole process was a wonderful whirlwind. After that, it was almost two years until publication, though! And I think the book itself had been brewing inside me for years.

8. Apart from all of the teen books you read for Chicklish, what other authors or books do you enjoy?

Are you suggesting that there’s life beyond teen books? *stunned silence* Sorry, only joking (ish). I love books by Margaret Atwood, Jane Rogers, Elizabeth McCracken, Elizabeth Berg and Barbara Gowdy - there, that wasn’t so hard! - and also books by my “grown-up chicklit” online writer friends Claire Allan and Clodagh Murphy.

9. Finally, can you tell us what you’re currently working on?

I’m working on another book for Corgi, featuring more kissing, more angst and possibly a little bit of magic.

Our thanks go to Luisa for answering our questions!

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