I love Aussie YA. I love reading books from authors that live in the same country as me, that know things that people out of Australia might be so confused about. I love how sometimes they can incorporate this into their book and it is fabulous. 

So in saying that, I have decided to start a new feature on Angel Reads spotlighting Australian YA Authors. Each Friday for the next couple of months, I am going to interview an OZYA Author. I thought it would be a fun way to share my love for Australian Young Adult authors with not only fellow Aussies, but everyone around the world. I want more Australian YA books to be read, because they are amazing. 

 First week I interview Sarah Ayoub, then Fleur Ferris, followed by Will Kostakis, then Shivaun Plozza, and Gabrielle Tozer, And last week Jay Kristoff. This week we have Kylie Fornasier the young adult author of Masquerade (Penguin Teen, 2014) and The Things I Didn’t Say (Penguin Random House,2016). 

 

Hi Kylie, welcome to Angel Reads. First can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hey guys! Important things first: I love Pretty Little Liars and The 100, though I’m not up to the episode that has a lot of people angry at the show; I am currently obsessed with Peck’s cheddar flavoured rice biscuits, like I go through a pack every few days; and I’m not quite sure if I’m using punctuation currently here, that’s why I have an editor! I live in the Hawkesbury which is west-ish of Sydney. It’s definitely not the “country”, like some people think, though I do have four chickens.

Other things you should probably know about me is that I write books for children and young adults. In 2014, my young adult novel, Masquerade was published by Penguin Books Australia. It’s Gossip Girl meets Downton Abbey set in 18^th century Venice. And my newest YA book, The Things I Didn’t Say, is being published by Penguin Random House this May. It’s the love story of the girl who doesn’t speak and the boy everyone talks about.

What has your writing journey been like? When did you start? Why?

It’s been a bit like the Rainbow Road level in Mario Kart. If you’re not familiar with Mario Kart, it’s this level:

It’s been amazing and exhilarating and like nothing I could’ve imagined. Most of all, an absolute roller coaster! I started writing in my teens and got published in my early twenties. I didn’t study writing and my day job (teaching) doesn’t have a lot to do with books. But writing is what I’ve wanted to do since my teens. When you think about getting published, you think that the hardest part is going to be writing the book or getting the publishing contract but for me, they were the easier parts. Navigating the world of being a published writer, the incredible highs and the lows have been the more difficult part for me. But it’s the whole experience of the writing journey that’s shaped who I am and the books I write.

What was the process of getting your first book published?

The first book I had contracted for publication was actually a children’s picture book (The Prince who Shrank). My story came to the attention of an editor who attended one of my writers’ group meetings and from there I was offered a publishing contract. Joining a writers’ group was the best thing I could’ve done. You meet people with the same interests and develop friendships, you get feedback on your work, you learn to give feedback and improve your editing skills, you develop networks and opportunities. If you are an aspiring writer and not already part of one, join a writers’ group!

Was it different when getting your subsequent books published?

My next book that was contracted was a children’s chapter book (The Ugg Boot War), which was found in the slush pile. Following that, my first young adult novel, Masquerade, came to the attention of an editor from Penguin Books at the Sutherland Shire Writers’ Festival during a paid publishing consultation. From that I got a full manuscript request and from that a publishing deal. My newest young adult novel that is released in May, The Things I Didn’t Say, was probably the most straight forward book to get published. I sent the first draft to my editor and publisher who I’d worked on with Masquerade and waited to hear if they liked it and wanted to publish it – they did. The writing, editing and publishing process was much different with this book, though. Because it had been contracted from a terrible, shocking first draft there was a lot of work to do on it in an incredibly shorter timeframe.

You are an OZYA author, what are some of your favourite Aussie YA books?

Oh gosh, I can only pick some?! Ok, my recent favs are Yellow by Megan Jacobson, Frankie by Shivaun Plozza and The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis. They will always and forever be my #YASquad2016. I also will never stop raving about The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta and anything by Amie Kaufman. Oh, and Spark and Stray by honorary OZYA author, Rachael Craw. 

I have read both of her books and you can read my reviews of Masquerade and The Things I Didn’t Say and I lets just say I love them. You can find Kylie at @KylieFornasier on twitter, kyliefornasier.com and add her books on your goodreads. 

 
The Thing’s I Didn’t Say by Kylie Fornasier

Pages: 320
Publish date: May 2nd 2016
Publisher: Penguin Teen Australia
ISBN: 9780143573630
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks