#YAlit #yacontemporary #romancereader #readersofinsta #YAreadersofinstagram
Today, I got to chat with Krysten Lindsay Hager. Hi. Tell us about yourself.
I write novels about friendships, crushes, hope, love, dealing with self-doubt, & appreciating what makes you unique. My books have always been about helping readers feel less alone in what they’re dealing with & giving hope, comfort, & a happily ever after.
What’s your background?
I write mostly YA contemporary novels, but I also have a middle school series called the Landry’s True Colors Series.
What do you do for fun?
I read, watch way too much TV, and journal a lot.
Who or what inspires you the most?
Those human interest stories you see/read in the news. I started off as a journalist and those were my favorite stories to cover. They inspire ideas for books, too.
Are there any deep themes or messages in the book the readers should be aware of?
There’s always a theme about self-esteem and self-acceptance in my work. I want readers to appreciate what makes them unique.
What gave you the idea for this book?
For Can Dreams Come True, I wanted to take a teen and give her everything she thinks she wants: the dream career in acting/modeling and dating the singer/songwriter of the music that she relates to more than anything. And then I have her deal with the realities of what it’d really be like.
Who designed the cover?
Cora Graphics
Do you have other books?
For YA books: I have the Star Series, the Cecily Taylor Series, and I will be re-releasing Dating the It Guy very soon. I also have a series set in middle school called the Landry’s True Colors Series
Do you write in other genres?
Yes, the Landry’s True Colors Series is set in middle school, so upper middle grade, while all the rest are YA and the characters are in high school.
Tell us about one other book or series and why it’s important to you.
The Landry’s True Colors Series deals with self-esteem, friends and frenemies, and growing up in middle school and it also has the lead character dealing with anxiety. I get a lot of messages about that one from parents, guardians, grandparents, and aunts saying these books sparked off conversation with the preteens/teens in their life who came to them with issues about friends, bullies, anxiety, and other things. It opens up a dialogue and that’s why I did the reading guide for the books to help start more of the conversations and to also have the readers journal on what they’re going through. Growing up is not easy.
Where can we find more of your works?
https://www.krystenlindsay.com/reading-guide.html
What other writers/people do you consider inspirational? If they’re authors, what about their work captures your interest?
I read biographies of both Paula Danziger and Lois Lowry and they made me feel this was what I was meant to do.
What got you into writing?
I was always creating storylines for my dolls as a kid and I really never grew out of it. I went from that to writing those stories down.
What is your writing process?
I usually come up with a character and some idea that I jot down and it goes from there. I always make a playlist for every book I right as well. Music inspires me a lot.
Random questions
What’s one thing very few people know about you?
I have weird interests in things like National Security issues, international news, & sports & music from other countries. So basically, I get super excited when random topics come up & talk people’s ears off.
If you could have dinner with anybody (alive or dead) who would it be and why?
Paula Danziger and I would just listen to her talk about writing. My biggest regret was missing a writing conference she did shortly before she passed.
How do you think your personal chances of survival are in an apocalypse? (zombie or other)
Not great as the idea of trying to survive it just sounds exhausting. Zombies have freaked me out since we watched “Return of the Living Dead” at a sleepover. That movie did 2 things: inspired a scene in True Colors & instilled a deep fear of the zombies in me.
Do you have a website?
https://www.krystenlindsay.com/
Where can we find you on social media?
https://www.instagram.com/krystenlindsay/
https://www.facebook.com/KrystenLindsayHagerAuthor
If you could only leave 1 lasting impression on the world, what would it be?
To get readers to appreciate what makes them different instead of hiding it.
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