Ask the Author: Alexa Donne
Answered Questions (9)
Alexa Donne
Oh yes! My next one is called Murder, She Texted and is a small town secrets book with some bookish meta, with dead Homecoming Queens, copycat murders, and a love triangle. I have an idea for another YA thriller after that that my editor loves the sound of, and plan to move into adult thrillers too! Thank you so much for asking!
Alexa Donne
My first two YA novels, Brightly Burning and The Stars We Steal, are aimed at 12+ (though warning for the younger range, re: depiction of 17+ individuals consuming alcohol)--they are definitely written with teens 13-17 in mind in particular, though adults can of course enjoy them.
The Ivies is upper YA, so aimed at 16+. Warning for a lot of adult language (ie: cursing). Murder, She Texted will also be upper YA/16+.
The Ivies is upper YA, so aimed at 16+. Warning for a lot of adult language (ie: cursing). Murder, She Texted will also be upper YA/16+.
Alexa Donne
I've worked informally in college admissions consulting since 2014, primarily helping students with their admissions essays. When I get into something, I go deep, and college admissions (and specifically access to higher education for the less privileged) is a passion area for me. For a good chunk of the last decade, I spent a lot of time on places like College Confidential and /r/ApplyingToCollege while working with students every admissions cycle on their strategy, essays, and apps. I inhaled a TON of knowledge that lived in my brain for years, and it seemed bonkers to be so immersed in this specifically teen thing as a YA writer and not write about it. And we've all read/seen YA books that just... don't get college admissions right. I knew I wanted to write a book set in this world, but it wasn't until I had the wacky idea of "what if someone murdered for the Ivy League" that The Ivies came together.
Alexa Donne
The Ivies is ideal for fans of soapy thrillers, especially YA boarding school thrillers or "toxic girl group" stories. If you don't mind an "unlikeable" heroine or three. Or if you're curious about hyper elite college admissions and don't mind a dash of murder! I think it's an ideal beach read or "plane read" (once we're back on planes)--a quick, fun read!
Alexa Donne
Yes, I do! I co-host Novel Tea Show with Kat O'Keeffe and Lainey Kress. New episodes coming soon :)
Alexa Donne
Brightly Burning is available as an audiobook via Audible!
Alexa Donne
Yes! Audible will release it on the same day as it comes out in hardcover, so February 4, 2020!
Alexa Donne
Music plays a huge role in writing for me, especially movie scores. I pick scores from movies with similar tones that I'm going for, and when I put them on, pretty quickly the words start to flow! I use The Hours by Philip Glass for sad/dramatic/contemplative scenes, Atonement by Dario Marianelli for crisp narrative/action scenes, A Beautiful Mind by James Horner for romance/whimsy/intrigue, etc. etc.!
Alexa Donne
I came up for the idea of BRIGHTLY BURNING (aka: "Jane Eyre in space!") in the shower, of all places. I was wondering why there weren't many YA retellings of Jane Eyre, one of my all-time favorite books, and I thought "how would I translate the Gothic elements of the novel in a modern YA retelling?" And suddenly I was like OMG YOU SET IT IN SPACE!!! :D
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more