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Author Interview: Livia Blackburne
About Author Livia Blackburne
Livia Blackburne is the author of Clementine and Danny Save the World (and Each Other).
She wrote her first novel while researching the neuroscience of reading at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then, she’s switched to full time writing, which also involves getting into people’s heads but without the help of a three tesla MRI scanner.
She is also the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight Thief, Rosemarked, and Feather and Flame, as well as the picture book I Dream of Popo, which received three starred reviews and was on numerous best-of-year lists. She is Chinese American and lives in southern California with her husband and daughter.
Author’s Website | Instagram | Facebook
What books or authors have most impacted your own writing?
I grew up reading Tamera Pierce. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve reread the song as a lioness quartet. In general, I’m drawn to action and strong female heroines, and therefore my first novels were in the fantasy genre. Clementine is a departure genre wise, but there’s still a strong female character at the core.
What was the hardest scene you had to write, and why?
So I actually have a hard time writing the scenes right after two romantic interests get together. In this book, it would’ve been the scene after Clementine and Danny’s first kiss.
For some reason I find it much easier to write the scenes when they are longing for each other, rather than the ones where they are happily together.
What do you think are the most important elements of writing?
…I think that the most important thing is heart. In the end, you need a story that people connect with at a deep level.
Livia Blackburne
Well, plot and voice are important, but the more I write, the more I think that the most important thing is heart. In the end, you need a story that people connect with at a deep level.
Finally, what do you hope for readers to take away from your writing?
First of all, I hope they come away entertained. I still feel like that’s my main job as a novelist.
And I hope they’re able to learn some things about gentrification they didn’t know before, as well as gain some empathy for communities that are going through these types of changes.
About Her Book Clementine and Danny save the World (and Each Other)
You’ve Got Mail gets a YA twist in this rom-com that spotlights the power of activism and community organizing in the face of gentrification.
Clementine Chan believes in the power of the written word. Under the pseudonym Hibiscus, she runs a popular blog reviewing tea shops and discussing larger issues within her Chinatown community. She has a loyal, kind following, save for this one sour grape named BobaBoy888.
Danny Mok is allergic to change, and the gentrification seeping into Chinatown breaks his heart. He channels his frustration into his internet alter ego, BobaBoy888, bickering with local blogger Hibiscus over all things Chinatown and tea.
When a major corporation reveals plans that threaten to shut down the Mok’s beloved tea shop, Clementine and Danny find themselves working together in real life to save this community they both love. But as they fall hard for this cause—and each other—they have no clue that their online personas have been fighting for years.
When the truth comes to light, can Danny and Clementine still find their happily-ever-after?
Thank you, Livia Blackburne, for granting me the opportunity to interview you!
