Author Interview: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

I'm thrilled to be featuring Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of numerous books for YA, adults and children. Today we will be discussing her current novel Crazy Beautiful, a modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Crazy Beautiful was released September 7th 2009.

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?
It's a bit of a cop-out, perhaps, but I read - I read a lot! - and I feel that every book I've ever read, good or bad, has informed my own writing.

What was your inspiration behind Crazy Beautiful?
I've always felt that Beauty & the Beast is one of the most compelling of the Disney-fied fairy tales. Certainly it's the one that's been best translated to stage and screen. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that it's the only one where the male lead is more than a glorified Ken doll, there simply to make the girl look good. So one day I decided to do my own contemporary version, where the boy has done something beastly, resulting in him having hooks for hands, while the girl is, well, beautiful.

How did you come up with the title?
In the way that high school kids can sometimes label other kids based on mere surface things, Lucius Wolfe with his hooks is immediately labeled crazy in his new school, while everyone considers Aurora Belle to be beautiful. Together they're crazy beautiful.

What did you enjoy most about writing Crazy Beautiful?

So many things, but probably the greatest was writing Lucius's voice in first person. I was amazed at how fun I found it to channel a teenage boy.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
That no matter what you think you've written, there are readers who will read something entirely different into your creation, usually something you never intended them to do. In the end, you can only write what you write, but you can't control how others perceive it.

What was the hardest part of writing your books any why?

I honestly can't think of one. I feel so fortunate to have the career I do - that I've been able to write books on a variety of subjects and for nearly every age group imaginable, and see those books published - that to complain feels wrong somehow.

You have written for Adults, YAs, and Kids, which is your favorite genre to write for and why?

I love it all. Each has its own challenges and rewards. I have to say, though, that I've really enjoyed writing for YAs. There's just so much you can do in the field today, in terms of style and theme - the possibilities seem endless! - and of course the audience is amazing.

What projects are you currently working on?

I'm working on Book 6 of The Sisters 8 series for young readers, that I'm cowriting with my novelist husband Greg Logsted (Something Happened; Alibi Junior High) and our nine-year-old daughter Jackie. Like the books I write for YAs those books are dear to my heart and the first four books in the nine-book series have already been published. I'm also looking forward to the publication of my next YA in spring 2010, The Education of Bet, set in the Victorian era, about a 16-year-old girl who impersonates a boy in order to get a proper education.

Thanks for having me!

Thanks Lauren!

For more information on Lauren and her books, please visit her website here.