Interview with Alex Smith

Danielle Rose caught up with talented teen author Alex Smith, whose debut YA romance Calling For Angels is out now on The Red Telephone.

What would you say to someone who wants to write a novel?

Go for it!

I loved the characters of Em and Catlin in Calling For Angels.  Did you base the characters on people you know?

No, but certain traits from people I know may have crept in.

In the novel, you write from two different points of view.  Was this a conscious decision and why did you choose to do this?

I felt it was the best way to write the novel.

The novel has a great ending.  Did you always know how the novel was going to end, or did the plot develop as you wrote it?

Whenever I write a story, I always have alternate endings in mind, so usually the story will naturally flow into one of them.

Em loves books.  Is this a reflection on yourself and is this why you started writing at such a young age?

I do love books, but writing is something I’ve always done.

Which books have most influenced you?  Or if you had to choose, which author would you like to be your mentor?

At the time [when I was writing Calling For Angels], Cathy Cassidy’s books influenced me.

If you had a reading group, which books would they be reading and why?

P.G Wodehouse and John Wyndham.  Wodehouse because his books are some of the funniest I’ve read and Wyndham because I feel his books are much more than just science fiction.

Which book are you reading now?

At the moment I’m reading ‘August’ by Bernard Beckett, which I’m reviewing for the Guardian Children’s’ Books Website.