Author Interview: Keris Stainton

Today I'm pleased to have the very sweet, very wonderful Keris Stainton for interview! Her debut novel, Della Says: OMG! was published 6th May. I asked her several questions and this is what she has to say!

1. What inspired Della Says: OMG! ?

My sister had a party when I was a teenager and the next day I found that my diary was missing. It did eventually turn up - shoved under my mattress - but while it was missing, I was terrified someone was going to use it to humiliate me. I started thinking about how much worse that would be now, with Facebook and mobile phones.

2. Who would most likely steal your diary?

Well these days I pretty much put all my most personal thoughts/secrets on the internet anyway so no one would need to! When I was a teenager I was much more embarrassed about pretty much everything I was thinking and feeling, now I'm much more open and honest. I find that the more honest and open I get, the easier life becomes.

3. If there was one person in the world whose diary you could steal and read, whose would it be?

Oh my goodness. Great question. My brain seems to be stuck on Oprah. Not sure why since I'm not sure how interesting her diary would be - "Worked. Worked more." - but maybe it would give me an insight into how she stays so completely awesome and inspirational.

4. My favourite character is Della's dad - which character is your favourite?

Oh good, I love Della's dad too! I think Della's probably my favourite character though. I feel very protective of her.

5. What were the biggest challenges in writing your debut novel?

Dealing with self-doubt, I think. It started when I sent three chapters over to my editor. They were nothing like the first three chapters now - one was from Della's point of view, another from Jamie's and then Maddy's chapter was diary-style. I then worried that my editor absolutely hated them, but didn't know how to tell me. My brain would come up with things like, "She's probably looking into how difficult it would be to cancel your contract..." Excruciating. Then she said that she loved them, but liked Della the best and asked if I could write the whole book from Della's point of view and the worry started again. And now I've got to do it all again with another book! *cries* (I do know how lucky I am though, honestly.)

6. Who do you admire most as a writer?

Meg Cabot, Meg Cabot, Meg Cabot. I love her books and she's a huge inspiration to me. I love how prolific she is and that she's able to write for different ages and in different genres. So you can imagine how excited I was when she agreed to read Della and gave me a cover quote? I happy-danced all over the house!

7. What in your opinion is the most fulfilling aspect of being a writer?

For me, it's just so wonderful to be able to work from home and fit what I do around my children. I love the fact that my sons get to see me doing something that I love and that makes me happy - that was always really important to me. I also really love reading back something I've written and not remembering writing it - I sometimes think "Ooh! That's actually quite good!" - but that's peculiar rather than fulfilling... I'm going to have to cop-out and say it's ALL fulfilling. It's the best job in the world and I still can't believe I'm doing it!

8. Are you currently working on another novel? A sequel to Della Says: OMG! perhaps?

I am working on another novel (you can read about it here: http://novelista-michele.blogspot.com/2010/05/guest-blog-keris-stainton.html), but it's not a sequel. I am definitely thinking about a sequel to Della. Or maybe even two - I'd quite like to write Maddy's book and also Jamie's, but not sure when that will be (or if they'll be published!)

Thank you Keris! :) I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to Keris' next books. You can visit Keris at her website, http://dellasays.wordpress.com/ to find out more about our lovely author!

This interview is part of Keris' blog tour. You can view the list of blog stops (as opposed to bus stops - love it) HERE. Don't forget to head over to The View from My Garret tomorrow for more interview questions!

Book Review: Della Says: OMG! (Keris Stainton)

Della’s over the moon when she kisses her long-standing crush at a party – but then she discovers her diary has disappeared...

When scans of embarrassing pages are sent to her mobile and appear on Facebook, Della’s distraught – how can she enjoy her first proper romance when someone, somewhere, knows all her deepest, darkest secrets?

Della Says: OMG! is a completely hilarious and loveable novel. I was wholly charmed by its characters and by Keris' penchant for concocting a set of ridiculously hilarious circumstances for said characters.

This novel is without doubt exemplary in terms of its depiction of teenage life. I vastly enjoyed Keris Stainton's accurately portrayed teens, especially the protagonist, Della. I found the train of Della's thoughts as realistic as it could possibly be, and personally, I thought at many points her thoughts and actions would reflect mine exactly, had I been put under the same spotlight. It was so easy to relate to Della's fears and insecurities, her naivety, and her particular tendency to exaggerate and assume the worse.

I love Keris' portrayal of Della's relationship with the people around her. Her tenous relationship with her sister is natural, as is her embarrassment about her ultra-cool albeit slightly strange parents (dare I say!). Her bond with her best friend is unquestionable - I simply adore how Della and Maddy are completely at ease with each other and free to interrogation one another on various subjects. Not to mention that Della's unrequited crush turned requited love with Dan Bailey is honestly cute. The progression of their relationship is well-depicted and Dan's easy, laid-back personality complements with Della's slightly reserved attitude. I especially loved the way Dan brought her out of her shell with his outlook on issues that matter to her.

Which of course leads me on to delight about the characters. Della aside, my favourite character would be her dad - cool, laid-back and a totally fun secondary character, I wish he had more scenes!

I must say however, that the plot was not as mysterious as I had expected. My initial impression was that the book would focus mainly on Della's predicament about her lost diary, but it isn't exactly the case. I would have wanted the tension and mystery to have been built up more and further developed. Having said that, when the plot does focus on the mystery of Della's lost diary, it becomes pretty mortifying - Della's darkest secrets are so embarrassing to be made public, I cringed for her. It actually kept me glued to read more of her horrified reactions.

In retrospect, I believe that the British setting was a very strong factor in making me relate to the book so well. Since most of books I read are based across the Atlantic, Della Says felt closer to home. Honestly, its relativity soared when I saw Primark on the page! Of course, British or not you would surely enjoy this delightful treat!

Della Says: OMG! is a thoroughly enjoyable read which appealed to my inner teen. Really liked it!

Four Stars.


I will be having author Keris Stainton for an interview on 18th May, so by all means do check it out!


*A huge thank you to Keris for my copy:)