Natalia Albrite Interview

Does this book have a special meaning to you? i.e. where you found the idea, its symbolism, its meaning, who you dedicated it to, what made you want to write it?

This book has been quite the journey for me (as I’m sure many authors have experienced). I started when I really wanted and needed a creative outlet that was fun more than anything else. I knew I wanted to see it through to the end when I began but I had no idea how meaningful the whole process would become for me. At some point, I realized I was writing this book for my 22-year-old self and hint, hint, the dedication is to myself when I was 22. I wanted to capture that realization somewhere even if I was the only one who got the reference. It’s the book I would have enjoyed reading then and a fantasy I would have enjoyed escaping into even with the obstacles Olivia has to face in That Guy and That Girl.

Where do you get your storylines from?

This first story in That Guy and That Girl is truly based in my own fun fantasy land. I’ve noticed that I don’t fantasize of magical lands. My fantasies tend to be very reality based and just a stretch of what’s actually possible. The subsequent stories I plan to write are based on the characters I met and became enthralled with from That Guy and That Girl.

Was this book easier or more difficult to write than others?  Why?

This is my first full length novel so here’s to hoping it’s the hardest! I went through four rounds of revision with the developmental editor that I hired. Sometimes it was hard to accept that I needed to do that much work to resolve the story problems but in the end I’m so grateful I hung in there. I’m very proud of my book and gave up the need to be perfect along the way.

Do you only write one genre?

At this point, I can only picture myself writing contemporary romance novels but I’m certainly open to expanding my horizons. On a separate note, I also write screenplays. I’ve completed the scripts for six feature length movies. I still hope to see something produced someday. I’ve even considered developing my book and future books into screenplays.

Give us a picture of where you write, where you compose these words…is it Starbucks, a den, a garden…we want to know your inner sanctum?

Okay, it’s not glamorous at all but I wrote That Guy and That Girl at a beat up old wooden table in my kids’ playroom. Just to get more clear: the table has endured many messy art projects from my two children and is hopelessly scarred and the playroom is really the dining room that has never been used as a dining room. I just connected how that combination has such a store of love!

And finally, of course…was there any specific event or circumstance that made you want to be a writer?

Oh, good question to ponder. For me, after the birth of my second child, I started staying home with my children. Once I experienced the freedom of an alternative schedule I knew I never wanted to return to work that required me to be anywhere on anyone else’s schedule. This forced me (in the best way) to get honest about all my secret hopes and dreams and writing quickly bubbled to the surface. I’d been doing it my whole life without acknowledging it or how important it was to me. Lucky me, this is what I do now!