Debut Astraea Press author Krysten Lindsay Hager is in the spotlight today with her Young Adult novel TRUE COLORS.
1. TRUE COLORS
delves into the cutthroat world of modeling. Have you ever modeled or entered a
beauty competition?
I did some modeling and went on auditions and shoots, too. Unlike
my character, Landry, I actually liked doing runway work. I remember using a
good luck charm that I was convinced kept me from tripping on the runway. I
used to put a tiny laminated picture of my favorite singer, George Michael, in
my shoe for luck.
2. When you write
Middle Grade or Young Adult fiction, do you draw upon your own school days, or
do you look elsewhere for inspiration?
I remember those days vividly, but it’s more the emotions
and how I felt about a situation that I use in my work rather than the actual
situation itself. I have never been able to base a character on a real person
because people are always changing and it’s impossible to capture all the sides
of their personalities. It’s easier and more fun to make up my own characters
and situations. My character Landry and I do share the same tendency to
overthink everything though. I’m one of those people who can’t shut off their
brain at night long enough to sleep. Someone sent me a cartoon of someone
trying to sleep and it says, “Think ALL the thoughts!” That’s totally me at
night and I’ve been that way since I was a kid.
3. Which character
in TRUE COLORS was the easiest to write? Which was the most difficult?
Landry was probably the easiest to write as well as Ashanti
and Peyton. I would have loved to known girls like Ashanti and Peyton when I
was that age. The hardest to write was Thalia because she is much more
self-assured at that age than I ever was—I’m still not as self-assured. She isn’t the most popular of the girls
in school, but there’s a strength to her in that she doesn’t care what people
think. I wish I had felt that way at that age. Actually, I wish I felt that way
now, too.
4. If a fictional
world could magically become real, which novel would you like to step into, and
why?
That’s a tough one because there are a few. I guess I would
like to step into The Great Gatsby and
try to convince Jay that Daisy isn’t who he thinks she is…and that he should be
with me instead. I mean, really, Jay, save your money on those lavish parties
and buy me something! Or, ahem, just
teach him to be less materialistic…whichever.
5. Who were your
favorite authors when you were growing up?
I grew up when all the series books were big, so I read Ann
M. Martin’s Baby-sitter’s Club books,
The Sisters series by Jennifer Cole, Francine
Pascal’s Sweet Valley High books and
her Victoria series (met her once and
she let me look at the Sweet Valley “bible” she created for the series. I
choked up—not even joking). I was obsessed with Betsy Haynes’ The Great Mom Swap when I read it in the
fourth grade. And I reread Erika Tamar’s Good-bye,
Glamour Girl over and over. I was a big reader growing up and I was lucky I
had parents that fed my reading addiction.
True Colors by
Krysten Lindsay Hager
Tagline: A little
competition can really bring out people’s true colors.
Blurb: Landry
Albright enters a modeling competition with her two best friends, but runs into
jealousy when she advances to the next level without them. Enter the gorgeous
Devon, who also makes the first cut of the modeling contest. Devon seems like
the perfect new best friend, but can their friendship survive the competition?
Throw in a new boy, jealousy and loyalty issues, and insults from hair
stylists. How’s a girl to deal?
Excerpt:
The competition was for girls between the ages of thirteen
and seventeen, but it felt like Ericka, Tori, and I were the youngest ones
there. I only saw a couple of girls from school, and the lineup looked more
like something you’d see on a music video set. All the girls were gorgeous, and
they had these curvy womanly bodies. I looked like a skinny little kid next to
them. The first girl walked out, and I heard the judges say she “owned the
runway,” and, “walked like a gazelle.” I was starting to feel ill. I wasn’t
sure which way it was going to come, but I knew I had to find a bathroom —
fast. I started to get out of line when Ericka grabbed my wrist.
“It’s almost time,” she said. A tiny bit of spit flew out of
her mouth and hit my cheek.
I wasn’t sure why she was so intent on me going through with
it, but she had a death grip on my arm, so I didn’t have much of a choice. Her
number was called and she walked out to the stage. One of the other girls said
she walked like a kid with sand bucket stilts on her feet, but she came back with
a smirk on her face like she knew she’d get chosen.
“They said they had never seen such long legs,” she said.
Tori was next.
“She walks like a gorilla at feeding time,” said the girl
behind me. I went next, and I tried to focus on not tripping over my feet. My
mom’s pumps had a rubber sole on the bottom, which probably wasn’t the
brightest idea seeing as my shoes were making squeaking noises as I walked. I
was so nervous I couldn’t stop smiling as I walked. I looked like the plastic
clown who blows up balloons with its mouth at the Pizza Palace. When I got to
the end of the runway, I tried to cross my feet to turn like the other girls
had, but I over rotated and ended up doing a full spin which made my kilt fan
out and gave the mall walkers a view of my blue underpants. I tried to act like
it was intentional and did an extra turn. One of the judges put her hand up to
stop me, and I held my breath as she started to speak.
Buy Link: Amazon
Author bio:
Krysten Lindsay Hager is an author and book addict who has never met a bookstore
she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and also writes middle grade, YA,
humor essays, and adult fiction. Her debut novel, TRUE COLORS, will be out June
17th from Astraea Press. She is originally from Michigan and has lived in South
Dakota, Portugal, and currently resides in Southern Ohio where you can find her
reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her favorite shows.
Contact links:
