My Interview with Jennifer Niven

At Yallwest earlier this month, I had the honor of interviewing the beautiful Jennifer Niven! We all know and love her as the author of All The Bright Places, a novel described as a “heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.” It’s a book that has touched so many lives – and made most of us cry – but it’s not the only novel she has. She has EIGHT other published works from a fiction series to a non-fiction telling of an Alaskan voyage. Soon, she’ll have 10 total published novels when her new novel Holding Up the Universe comes out October 4th! On top of that, she’s writing the screenplay for the film adaptation for All The Bright Places.

So, count me blessed that I got the opportunity to interview her! Most of the interview turned into a conversation, with us talking about ghost stories, prisons, Gilmore Girls, stopping her from spoiling Supernatural (I’m behind) or me just getting side tracked and asking questions that weren’t on my list (like what she does with her copies of ATBP signed by her readers – they’re in her office, one for every country).

But I did ask some helpful questions 🙂 Well, let’s just jump right in, shall we?

I started the interview with some “fun warm-up” questions (they were more for me than her, if I’m being honest, talk about nerves!)

Dream date with Sam Winchester:
 I think it would be really fun to go on a demon hunt with him and Dean so long as I knew everything would be okay – but I would feel safe with them. And then he and I could break away after we’ve conquered whatever we needed to take care of. I think it would be great go to dinner, it wouldn’t have to be fancy we could go to in n out as long as we’re together

Castiel or Crowley:
 I love them both for different reasons. Probably Cas, though, because he’s Cas – but I love Crowley, too. I feel like they’re having more and more fun with Crowley’s character.

Favorite place to write:
 My office – I have a really nice big office at home and I love it. It’s very sunny and bright, I’ve got my cats – my literary cats – my cardboard life-size Sam Winchester, so what more do I need?

All time favorite movie:
 I love movies, love love love them – probably The Magnificent Seven. I also love City Lights. There’s a lot of old, black and white movies I love, but The Magnificent Seven makes me happy.

Favorite Abba song:
 You’ve done your research! Probably “Dancing Queen”. I mean, it’s typical but it makes me happy every time I hear it.

Now, I moved on to questions about her novels, social media, and her newest book.

What genre did you love writing most?
 I’ve enjoyed all of them for different reasons. I really do enjoy non-fiction. I love doing research and I love taking a real story that is just unbelievable and then putting it together in a way that reads really compellingly but I love the young adult world. It’s just the readers are the best readers of all and everyone involved in it, the other authors, the publishers, the librarians, the booksellers, everyone, but especially the readers are just the most enthusiastic people and its such a wonderful thing to be a part of and I just loved the whole process of writing the book and everything that’s happened since then – it’s probably my favorite genre.

What attracted you to the subject of Karluk?
 I was looking for film ideas because I just got out of film school and I was looking for things as a script and I was watching things on tv and recording things. I came across this documentary called “Deadly Arctic Expedition” and I was so intrigued by it. I forgot about it then I realized I recorded it and watched it months later. It was about this deadly arctic expedition from 1913 and I was just so mesmerized by it, I thought that’s a movie I want to watch but my mother said why don’t I write a book first. I hadn’t really thought of writing a book but I sat down and thought about it at that point and thought “I’d really love to read this book”. So, that’s how I came to it.

Most of your novels seem to tell a story of a real person (from the Karluk to the inspiration behind ATBP). What is the inspiration behind your new novel, Holding Up the Universe?
 The new one, Holding Up The Universe, which comes out October 4th, its personal but it’s not. It’s personal in a whole combination of ways. All The Bright Places was inspired by this boy I loved and our relationship but this one comes from so many different places in my life. It comes from me at 12 or 13 [years old] struggling with weight issues and bullying, it comes for me after losing my dad and then losing my mother, it comes from the loss of losing both my parents, it comes from all the fear and anxiety from your own health and also just shutting down from that kind of loss. Also, one of the characters has face blindness, and I have two family members with that. I was so fascinated by their experience and not being able to recognize the ones they love – that I always wanted to know more about it. So I did so much research into it

What are you hoping Holding Up the Universe will do for people who read it?
  I kind of wrote it like I wrote All The Bright Places. I didn’t write it to raise awareness but I always hoped it would. I wrote it out of my heart and just because I felt like I wanted to tell the story and my books are always books I want to read so I try to write them as truthfully as possible. Secondarily, it would be great to also raise awareness  to not only face blindness but how we see other people and how we judge other people without knowing them.

You’re very active on social media, one of the most active authors I’ve seen with their readers, specifically. Why is it important to you to be active with your readers through social media (more than just sharing snippets of your life, but also retweeting fan photos and replying)?
 I think it’s so important. It’s a priority to me and that’s because the readers are the most import component to all that I do. There would be no reason to write a book except for my own pleasure if the readers weren’t there. I’m writing it for them so I never understand not doing more because I want readers to really know how important they are to me. I think of my readers as a family and I hope to think my interaction with them is good for them and it makes them feel closer to me as well. That’s important to me, especially when I’m writing such a personal story and I hear from them such personal ways the story has impacted them. It means even more to me that they take the time to post lovely reviews and create fan art and I want them to know they’re all appreciated.

So, here’s the deal. My audio recorder cut out at this point. I’m missing about 10 minutes of interview (yup, I’m real professional). It was only one important question, though (the other one was why she liked prisons – so fun fact, she has just simply had an obsession with old prisons since she was a kid).

My last question was What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger writer self, or to the young aspiring authors? (Right? Kind of a good one I wanted to share with you, so, of course, that’s when I had technical difficulties).
 Paraphrasing: Because her mother was a writer, she always had a ton of writing advice given to her. So she has plenty to share, but her main one was, don’t ever doubt yourself. Write for you, write what you want to read, and don’t doubt yourself.

Also, I asked if there was any information on the ATBP movie she could share. All she told me was that they’re talking to Finch’s. Sorry, I was really hoping she’d spill the beans 😉

Expected publication: October 4th, 2016

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. 

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. . . . Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.

I hope you enjoyed the interview and feel like you got to know her a little better, outside of her novels 🙂