An Interview with Simone Elkeles

1. Why did you change the makers of the Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction book trailers?

They’re two totally different trailers. I hired an independent film director to do my rap video book trailers because the budgets were smaller and it was filmed on green screen versus filmed on location with an entire crew. The director for my rap videos helped write the raps, he filmed the rap, he hired people he knew as actors, and edited the trailer. It was kind of a one-man-show. It was perfect for what we were doing, but it wasn’t filmed like a movie with an entire 20 person behind-the-scenes crew. They were parody rap videos filmed on green screen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr0OtYYpyek&feature=related

For Rules of Attraction, I wanted the book trailer to look like a real movie trailer. I had an entire film company, Spotlight Films, do the project with me. It was filmed with a Director of Photography, an entire cast who’d auditioned for parts (besides Alexander F. Rodriguez, who I hand-picked to be Alex Fuentes), a director who works on major motion pictures, producers who’ve worked on major motion pictures, a sound engineer, production assistants, and a really big behind-the-scenes crew. We even hired extras. It was filmed on location in Los Angeles , and I gave myself a bigger budget because it was a bigger project. I was on set the entire day, and was shocked at how much detail and how many “takes” it takes to make one scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhEx0kaUlrU

2. Do you like the fact that your most recent covers all have the same theme with the dark backgrounds?

I learned something when I had my first book published: covers matter. If you have a cover teens don’t like, it will hurt sales. I want a cover that reflects what you’re going to read inside the book. I like my recent covers – they’re dark, sexy, and edgy. It’s great because my books are edgy and sexy. Teens seem to love my dark covers better, so I’m really happy with them!

3. What is your favorite thing about writing?

Writing THE END! Finishing a book is an amazing feeling. But even better is the fan mail I receive. My fans are so passionate about my books; they inspire me to write more. So I’d say my favorite thing is meeting my fans and reading their fan mail. I could never get tired of it.

4. Why did you decide to make a companion novel to Perfect Chemistry?

Ever since I wrote Perfect Chemistry, I thought it would be amazing to write about all three Fuentes brothers. When I sold Perfect Chemistry, though, I wasn’t sure I’d get to write a trilogy or even a sequel/companion novel. When my editor Emily Easton at Walker said that fans definitely wanted another Perfect Chemistry novel and weren’t ready to let my characters go, I was so excited. I didn’t want to have Brittany and Alex be the main characters because their story was already written – I wanted to let Carlos and Luis have their own stories. I’m so happy to announce that it will be a trilogy, so all three brothers can have their own story!

5. Is there anything you would like to add?

Hmm, let me see. I get a lot of fan mail asking if my books are going to be made into full-length movies. I hope one day they will. It would be amazing to see my entire story come alive on the big screen. In the meantime, I’m happy writing books and working on the next adventure. I have the best job ever!

Thanks for coming to Zoe's Book Reviews, Simone!