Interview With Author Brieanna Wilkoff
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! I'm a believer in kindness, an '80s rock lover, and a musical theatre nerd. Words are my passion—reading, writing, editing. (Oxford comma all the way!) Becoming a published author was a dream of mine since childhood, so I am beyond grateful that my debut young adult novel (my only book—so far!) was published in 2022.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I'll Be There for You—a contemporary young adult novel about '80s rock, theatre, and kindness. Kindness is important to me and my family, and our various kindness efforts inspired the book, which is ultimately a story about the healing power of kindness.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don't know that they're all that unusual, but I do have a few tricks I use when I'm developing characters: first I make a list of the things they want (50 things for my main character, 25 for secondary characters, and 10 for important tertiary characters)—sometimes these are deep wants and other times they're as simple as their favorite type of candy. Then I create external and internals GMCs—goals, motivations, and conflicts—for the main characters who change over the course of the story. And finally, I "cast" my characters with Shutterstock photos.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Since I write YA, that's definitely the genre I enjoy reading the most. John Green and Becky Albertalli are at the top of the list—Becky in particular does such a great job with voice, so she inspires me in that regard.
What are you working on now?
My next novel (also contemporary YA) is about a high school English class that’s reading Romeo and Juliet. They’re given an assignment to write a letter to “Juliet” asking for love advice, but the letters are anonymously posted online for everyone to see. As people try to figure out who wrote which letter—and who’s crushing, who’s gay, who’s in love, and who cheated—“Juliet” starts responding….
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I'm not sure I've found any one magical thing, but I think it's important to keep putting yourself out there. I try to engage wherever I can—through social media, interviews, book festivals, connecting with other authors, etc. There are lots of opportunities for getting your work out there, so I just try to keep plugging away, and to enjoy myself in the process!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Embrace revision. It’s hard to get words on paper, especially if you’re writing a book and need to string together tens of thousands of words. If you accept that the first draft isn’t going to be great, it helps take the pressure off. You can always change, add, or cut words later. That’s a necessary part of the process—revision is what turns a good idea into a great book.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I'll plug the craft book Save the Cat! Writes a Novel here. This is the best craft book I've ever read and it fundamentally changed how I structure my stories.
What are you reading now?
I'm always reading multiple books—a nonfiction book, a middle grade that I read to my daughter, a novel, and sometimes more than one of the above. Currently, I'm reading: 1) What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker by Damon Young; 2) Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli; 3) Alice Austen Lived Here by Alex Gino; and 4) One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More books. 🙂 I've got ideas for my next two novels, and I recently started writing the first draft of one of the ideas. Beyond that, I'm excited to keep connecting with readers of I'll Be There for You and building relationships in the book community.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Ooh, that's such a hard question. I would base my decision on how the books make me feel and which books I would enjoy reading over and over again, so my choices are:
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. The Help
3. Eleanor and Park
4. The Happiness Advantage
Author Websites and Profiles
Brieanna Wilkoff Amazon Profile
Brieanna Wilkoff’s Social Media Links
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