Elba Luz is the author of the new young adult novel Build a Girlfriend.
Q: What inspired you to write Build a Girlfriend, and how did you create your character, Amelia?
A: The general idea for Build a Girlfriend, the plot of re-dating exes, came about when I saw that JLo got back together with Ben Affleck.
Getting back with your ex is typically known as blasphemy. I thought about what my friends would do if I said I was getting back with my ex (they would throttle me), and to me, it took some guts to go back to someone you essentially already failed with, unashamedly.
As for Amelia, whenever I write a story, I try to look at the plot and see what kind of character will be able to handle it and who will have the most trouble maneuvering through it.
Amelia is brave enough to go through the story, but her flaws give her trouble along the way. She is funny enough to make the book feel light, which makes the emotional beats in the story feel all the more powerful. She is one of my favorite characters that I’ve written.
Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: “Build a Girlfriend” is pretty on the nose for what the book is about. Amelia has been a “girlfriend” plenty of times, and because it hasn’t worked out, she views herself as somewhat flawed.
So, when she goes on this ex-retrospective, she’s essentially piecing together what parts of her worked during certain relationships and what didn’t, and then putting all the good parts together to become the “Perfect Girlfriend.”
I think most people unconsciously do it when dating; they want to put all the best parts of themselves forward and hide the not-so-pretty pieces. We’re always growing and discovering new parts of ourselves, building our character and who we are, but I don’t think there is really any final form. We’re always building toward something better, flawed, and good.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Amelia and Leon?
A: Amelia and Leon’s dynamic was really fun to write. If you were to place Amelia with anyone else in the book, you could say she is sunshine, but when reunited with Leon, she becomes the grump, and Leon sunshine.
When she decides to get revenge on him for breaking her heart, she starts to be falsely sweet to him and then, unwillingly, genuinely so.
Leon is typically always sunshine and charming, even without meaning to—which can frustrate Amelia into breaking her façade of trying to get him to fall for her and snapping at him, to which Leon usually maneuvers in a way that frustrates her even more.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the novel?
A: There are a lot of things I want readers to take away from the novel.
One of them, in particular, is for young people to feel okay when they don’t know what they want to do when they grow up. There is so much pressure on young adults to have it all figured out while they’re still in high school, and as a late bloomer myself, I want people to understand that it’s okay not to have it all figured out. Sometimes, it’s better to figure it out later when you know more about yourself and the world.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Right now I’m working on my next YA book, another rom-com filled with fun, hijinks, and messy, endearing characters!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I hope whoever reads Build a Girlfriend has a good time and a nice break from life. Also, if you’re reading this, you should send me pictures of your dogs. No context. Just send them; it’ll make me happy.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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