Interview with L.E. Delano, BLUE

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

BLUE is a stand-alone book. The story follows Blue Mancini, whose older brother was involved in a car accident that killed the father of her classmate, Maya Rodriguez. Now Maya has returned to school determined to make Blue's life a living hell in the aftermath. Maya has more going on in the background than just this one awful thing that ties them together, and as secrets are revealed—not just from Maya but also from Blue’s new boyfriend, Devon—Blue begins to break out of her own bubble of personal misery and realize that everyone has a story, and we’re all struggling with things that we don’t always choose to advertise. Like ogres and onions, the book has a lot of layers, all of which weave together to carry these characters to a very different place from where they began.

 

Do you have a favorite character?

That’s a tough pick! I love Blue’s journey, and Devon has got to be one of my all-time favorite book boyfriends (delivering the most hilarious first kiss in the history of YA—seriously), but Maya has a quiet strength under all that cutting sarcasm, and she really dug into my brain when I wrote her.

 

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?

Oh, absolutely. In my debut YA novel, TRAVELER, the character of Danny (the main character’s older brother, and a person with autism) was originally only going to show up in a couple of scenes. He added so much to the story, I ended up giving him a unique ability where his sister is concerned that gave an extra dimension to the plot. After the book came out, I got so many messages and remarks in reviews about how much they all loved Danny. I’m an autism mom, so I pretty much wrote my son into those pages. It was really wonderful.

 

Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you have manuscripts that you will self-publish? Are you doing both?

I am currently in a contract negotiation with a publisher on another YA project and hope to have an announcement soon! In the meantime, I’ve been Indie Publishing in another genre (Romance) for years, so I’ll most likely continue to do a bit of both.

 

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I rarely listen to music when I write. I have a degree in Theatre so I can’t help but sing along and lose my train of thought while I’m writing! I do like to listen to music while I’m brainstorming, though. It’s good for when I’ve got a wisp of a story idea floating around and I need a little inspiration to solidify it.

 

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

It’s a bit of both. Early on it may just be a sentence or a paragraph that morphs into a collection of scenes before I finally roll up my sleeves and say “That’s great—but how do we get from here to there? What events need to happen to bring us to the next plot point authentically, logically, and dramatically?”

 

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

It’s crazy-making but necessary. Marketing is so, so, so important, and social media with all its interactive platforms can seriously eat your life. I’m a single mom, I work a full-time job, I have a disability, and one of my kids is special needs. I write in two different genres, and have social media platforms under two different names. If I can find time to write, anyone can find the time to write (if they want it bad enough). Some days it may only be ten minutes of writing, but I write every day.

 

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

I love to read, of course, and I can bake really well. I also love exploring odd, out-of-the-way places on road trips. When I binge TV, it’s usually history or travel shows.

 

Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?

I was raised with dogs but am now a certified cat lady. In past incarnations, I’ve:

·      Been hired to jump out of cakes at military birthday parties

·      Been the subject of a television makeover show

·      Been called a “Keyboard Warrior Bitch” after a blog post I wrote supporting Trans Rights was picked up by Upworthy and went viral. I had that nickname put on a tee shirt.

 

What’s next for you?

The story I’m currently in negotiations with is a YA thriller with a Sci-Fi twist about a girl with night terrors that are far more real than she knows. My next WIP is a witchy Cinderella retelling that begins with a murdered fairy godmother. I’m making it my NaNoWriMo project this year, and it’s full of adventure and humor and an ending that will hopefully knock you backwards. Wish me luck!

Blue
L.E. DeLano
Publication date: October 26th 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

When Blue Mancini’s mother picked her name, it ended up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A year ago, Blue’s brother, Jack, was involved in a car accident that killed the father of her classmate, Maya Rodriguez. Luckily for Jack, he got out of a manslaughter charge and into a plea bargain thanks to the top-notch lawyer hired by Blue’s wealthy parents.

The fallout is now affecting Blue as Maya returns to school determined to carve out a pound of flesh from the only member of the Mancini family she can reach. On top of that, Blue has a demanding mother, a father who’s never around, a drama-addicted best friend, and a secretive new guy who’s determined to make Blue his own personal cheer-up project. It’s a perfect storm of misery.

When Maya’s social media taunts and in-person digs finally push Blue to retaliate, they find themselves in afterschool detention and forced into a project meant to foster cooperation and civility. As the layers of their tangled drama unravel, Blue learns more about Maya’s life—and her own sense of privilege—when secrets are revealed that cast a new perspective on everything in Blue’s world.

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Author Bio:

L.E. DeLano comes equipped with a “useless” Theatre degree that has opened doors for her in numerous ways. Though mostly raised in New Mexico, she now lives in Pennsylvania with two adventurous kids and two ridiculous cats. When she’s not writing (which is almost never), she’s binge-watching Netflix and planning road trips.

Her debut novel, TRAVELER was selected as a Keystone To Reading Secondary Book Award finalist for school year 2018-19 by the Keystone State Reading Association (KSRA) and also voted one of The 20 Most Beautiful Books in the World for 2017 by MTV UK.

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