If you had to do it
all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I don’t think I would
change anything in my latest book if I had to do it all over again. I would try
to do something else about my book though, to write it as a screenplay too.
This is something I didn’t try yet, let alone mastered it. So I will leave that
to professionals.
Did you learn
anything during the writing of your recent book?
I learned a lot
during the writing of Cruel Summer. I studied skateboarding tricks (even
though I didn’t learn how to do them with my board); I observed the
skateboarding subculture, their way of life. Every book requires research, so
there is always something new to learn during the writing process. Including
the psychology of your characters and how they respond to challenges and behave
under pressure.
If your book was
made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
Gosh, I am not too
familiar with teenage popular actors. If he was a bit younger, that would be
Timothée Chalamet. I can easily see him as Michael, having in mind his posture
and the ability to transform himself into the character he is playing. He would
be awesome as Michael. And his boyish looks help him look younger. So, yeah,
let it be Timothée!
Anything specific
you want to tell your readers?
Yeah, I want to tell
my readers to please give Cruel Summer a chance. You can judge it by its
cover but don’t judge it by the blurb only haha. Seriously, it is such a
multi-layered story it is impossible to write all that is going on in a short
blurb. It’s like an open field full of various flowers and everyone can find
the flowers they love. Younger readers, older readers, lovers of sports, drama,
poetry. Conspiracy, dystopia, family issues, abuse, music. Blooming teen love.
New York at the end of the millennium. It’s a mix that functions well,
according to my reviewers. And I agree with them.
When you read the
book, please leave an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads. Even a sentence or
two will do. Just be honest about it and say what you think. It means a lot to
the characters you have spent a few precious moments of your time with. It
means life or death to Michael, Alien, Victor, Rebecca, and their friends. They
live thanks to your reviews and as long as you remember them.
How did you come up
with name of this book?
I love summer; I love
sun and light and my best memories from my inline skating and skateboarding
days happened during summer. Summer was the season in which I wanted my story
to happen, but the season that would be cruel to my protagonists. In terms of
climate change, but also in their personal life and things that were happening
in their society. Being a huge fan of the song “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama,
which I hum a lot during summer, was the last incentive in the right direction
for my book title.
What is your
favorite part of this book and why?
My favorite parts of
the book are the parts when Michael talks to his mother at her grave. While
talking to his dead mother, Michael reveals how he feels, what he dreams about,
his plans, fears. Those are very emotional moments, and I am a sucker for
emotional stories. I also like the parts with Michael and Alien, the intimacy,
warmth and strength of their friendship. The parts with Victor and his nana are
too personal and I look at them differently. I also love the innocent beauty
and spontaneousness which happens between Rebecca and Red Sunshine. It’s hard
for me to speak in the singular when the answer demands to be in plural. Cruel
Summer has a few layers and depending on the mood and the type of the
reader, everyone will find something different, something they like best about
this book.
If you could spend
time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do
during that day?
If I could spend time
with a character from my book, it would be Michael. I would spend it with
Michael. Because I owe him so much. And I feel so protective of him. I really
love this character. Do you need to ask me what we would do during that day
hehe? We would skateboard up and down Manhattan! I mean, he would skateboard,
trying to teach me some tricks. We would hang around his favorite places and
hopefully meet Alien, because I would like to spend time with that sci-fi fan
and freak too. He is super cool and the three of us would have a whale of a
time together!
Are your characters
based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
Details of some of my
characters are based on real people. But the characters as people are the
product of my crazy imagination.
Do your characters
seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story?
Both! We played tug of
war all the time! But the ending was mine, and that counts, right? Wink wink.
Convince us why you
feel your book is a must read.
One thing I will
always be honest about is that I suck at marketing. Maybe this is not something
my potential new readers or fans want to hear, but l want to be honest. What I
could tell you with all my honesty is that my book was a must write. It boiled
in me with love, passion, and emotion until it burst out of me. I love this
story too much to keep it in me and my diminishing memory. It is the story I
had to give life to and share with others. Because it deserves to be told and
retold. If you feel at least some of the passion and the power of emotion I
poured into it, you will know what I am talking about. If it clicks with you on
one tiny personal level, you will know why this story is also personal to me.
Some things are just meant to happen. That’s why you are reading about Cruel
Summer now.
Have you written
any other books that are not published?
All of my books are
published either in Croatian or in English as their translations. However, I am
not planning on translating all of my books into English. Some things and
demons I prefer to leave in the past.
If your book had a
candle, what scent would it be?
If my book had a
candle, it would be my readers’ favorite scent. Because I would love it to resonate
with them on such a deep, intimate and emotional level.
What did you
edit out of this book?
My first Croatian editor edited out the parts of the book
which she thought were too long or irrelevant to the story. She wanted the book
to be more compact and fluent. Despite this editing out, it is still a long
read. I didn’t edit out anything from my English translation but have corrected
a couple of things regarding the years of some events my editor and I haven’t
noticed in the original version.
Is there an writer which brain you would love to pick for
advice? Who would that be and why?
There are quite a few
of them! But let’s say my first choice would be Mr. King! His brain seems to be
out of this world, which is a perfect match to how I feel most of the time.
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