I loved the subtle interplay of their Jewish identities. So, depicting LGBTQ identity wasn’t my initial inspiration to write, but after things finally clicked in my late twenties, it has definitely been something that keeps me going.ĮS: Of the three characters in the love triangle - Lara, Jasmine, and Chase - the two girls are Reform, though one is Ashkenazi and one is Syrian. Whew, the digging I did then both raised and answered a whole lot of questions for me, shall we say. I liked boys! I also had a weird affinity for collecting magazines with certain female models and actresses on them - but why would I ever dig into that? Then I wrote a book, my second YA novel, and I realized the main character was a lesbian - it was going to be an LGBTQ novel. I wasn’t raised with negativity toward anything LGBTQ, but while I knew what the B stood for, it wasn’t something I even considered applying to myself. I started with an examination of teen years, and I’ve just always lingered there.ĭA: It didn’t fit into my upbringing, really. I realized writing was the way to keep the world I had while getting to live in one I never would experience otherwise. They showed what seemed like such a cool life to live that was just never gonna happen for me. I’m the youngest kid by a whole bunch of years, so I used to read all my siblings’ hand-me-down books well before they were age-appropriate, like Sweet Valley High. While I didn’t necessarily feel resentment at its restrictions, I’ve always been hyperaware of what they mean I won’t be experiencing. Emily Stone: Tell me a little bit about your Jewish upbringing and how that led you to writing YA.ĭahlia Adler: I grew up Modern Orthodox, which is still how I identify.

Follow Your Arrow by Jessica Verdi