Aaaaand I'm back with another author interview! Today I have here for interrogation: Beth Fantaskey, author of Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side and the upcoming Jekel Loves Hyde. Read, and enjoy!

Let’s start with the basics. Tell us something about your upcoming book, Jekel Loves Hyde.


It's about two young people who learn that they share a mysterious, and possibly deadly, connection to the old Robert Louis Stevenson novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As they work to unravel the mystery, they fall in love - and become more dangerous to one another. It's a romance with lots of twists and turns and cliffhangers.


How did you come up with the plot?


I honestly have no idea! Isn't that bizarre? I've tried to look back and recall exactly where it came from, but it's like a mystery, itself!


What’re your favourite book/s?


As you can probably tell if you've read my first book, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side - and just by looking at the title of my second book - I am a big fan of classic literature. Melville and Bronte, whom I referenced in Jessica's Guide, are two favorite authors, along with Dickens, Austen and Dumas. Anything by those writers, from the Pickwick Papers to The Three Musketeers, will rank among my favorites.


Tell us something about yourself. Anything from your favourite colour to the wackiest quirks works.
My favorite color is peach - in between pink and orange, and I have trouble working without the radio on.


What would your autobiography be titled if you wrote one? "Confessions of a Happy Neurotic!"


What do you do when you’re not writing? As in, hobbies?


I like to relax by going to the gym (where I also have lots of friends to hang out with when not actually exercising... It's very social!) This summer, a bunch of us trained for a triathlon, which we just finished on Saturday. Whew. I also like to hang out at the pool with my kids, watch terrible reality TV, and listen to music.

Rapid Fire round! Which fictional character do you find yourself most similar to?
Probably Fannie Price... I am super shy!


Any sekrit talents (By sekrit, I mean super-sekrit. Like rolling your tongue or burping for an hour straight or something like that.)?

I am an awesome parallel park-er. I can get my car into the tiniest spots!


What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done? I took a bath in chocolate for a newspaper story I wrote. The paper sent me to a spa in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where they literally dip you in chocolate milk. Actually not as fun as it might sound...


You’re locked in an elevator. Who would you want in there with you to keep you company and why?


My husband, definitely. After almost fifteen years of marriage, we still have stuff to say!


Try fitting Bart Simpson into the plotline of Jekel Loves Hyde--he has to play a vital role. How would you squeeze him in?


He'd fit right into my novel, wreaking havoc in the chem lab. Maybe he'd mess with the lab supplies and blow something up!


If you could, which YA author would you like to collaborate with for a joint project?


I only know three other authors personally - Cassandra Clare, Elizabeth Scott, and Lisa McMann - and I would work with any of them in a heartbeat. They're not just amazingly talented - they're super cool people.


Three words to describe yourself and three words to describe your book. Quiet, funny, happy... Intense, funny, passionate

Labels: Author Interview, Beth Fantaskey, Jekel Loves Hyde, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Tête-à-Tête