A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing the ARC of Life After by Genalea Barker. I loved this story so much, and now that we are getting close to its publication date (7th of February!) I would love to share the interview I did with Genalea. Thanks again, Genalea, for the interview and the review copy!
Don’t forget to pre-order your copy!
Author Interview
About the author
Genalea (pronounced Jenna-Lee) Barker is a writer of Young Adult and New Adult, contemporary romance stories, and women’s fiction. She is based in Southern Idaho, USA. You can start discovering her work via Life After or any of her published short works.
My favourite…
- Animal: Horse
- Book: I don’t even have a favorite genre, let alone a favorite book. But I’d say my top “comfort” book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.
- Writer: I adore so many! But the FIRST favorite writer I ever had was Laurie Halse Anderson. She opened so many doors for me as a reader & writer.
- Season: If we get snow: Winter. If not, Spring.
What was your favourite book as a kid?
Little Kid/Picture book: Corduroy by Don Freeman. Older Kid/Chapter Book: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Who is your literary hero?
I’m going to cheat and name more than one: the Brontë Sisters.
Has a book ever made you cry? If so, which one?
SO MANY books have made me cry. Too many to name. Sometimes I cry reading picture books to my children. If it’s well-written and heartfelt, I’m almost guaranteed to get weepy.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I always knew to some extent. I started writing short stories when I was in 1st or 2nd grade. They weren’t good, but they were mine. Somewhere around age 14 was when I realized the type of stories I wanted to write: sad, yet hopeful. Stories that gave people all the feelings.
About Life After
When did you know this was a story you wanted to tell?
The desire to write this story came from my own experiences with loss and grief. The very beginnings of a concept first came to me as a teenager, when the hurt was still raw. I made a few notes but the story didn’t go anywhere. I tried again in my early 20s and was slightly more successful. But it wasn’t until I did a massive revision roughly 18 months ago and entrusted it to an alpha reader that I believed I could tell this story effectively.
What did you like best about writing this novel?
It was so precious to me to finish a project teenage me started. I’ve come so far as a writer and a person, and it was beautiful to see these fragments little baby Genalea created evolve into a complete, compelling, heartfelt novel.
This story addresses quite some heavy topics, did that affect the writing process in any way?
I’m not sure that it truly did. I tend to write about heavier, even darker topics. When I began revisions on Life After, it was on the heels of shelving another project, Lovehurts. Of the two, Life After is quite a bit “lighter.” Honestly the harder adjustment was when it came time to writing those happy, sweeter moments for August, especially where romance came into play. It felt almost foreign to me at first. You definitely have to be in the right headspace to give a story like this the attention it deserves, though. Grief is such a tender topic to write about. Readers put a lot of faith in you when they pick up your book, and I endeavored to earn that trust. I had to take care of my own mental health in order to do justice for this book and these characters.
Who is your favourite character and why?
Oof. That’s hard. I think August wins by a slim margin. Her love of dancing and music is something I took from my own life. I gave her pieces of me, so I connected to her on a deeper level than the rest of the characters. Additionally, I wrote her to be a little more like I wish I’d been at her age. She’s tougher than I ever was. Slower to trust. Has to really learn how to let herself feel vulnerable and connected to others. But she blossoms beautifully and really comes into herself. I was always too trusting, too loud, too emotional, too quick to let everyone know exactly how I was feeling. I had to learn to be more like August as I came into adulthood. I truly just admire August. Is that odd to say about a character I wrote?
Warren comes in second, though. He’s an amazing friend. The kind we all wish we had in high school. The kind of friend we still need no matter how old we get, even if we don’t realize it. He’s brave, honest, loyal, and humble. I adore him.
About the future
Can you already tell us something about your next upcoming work, Lovehurts?
I’m so excited to share Lovehurts with the world! This YA Contemporary follows Lena, an insecure eighteen-year-old who struggles deeply with her mental and physical health. It’s the book I wish I’d had as a young woman, when all the bogus BMI charts and horrid diet culture taught me to hate my healthy body. It’s a dark journey, but I believe in this book so much and I know it’s an important story to tell. This book earned me over 100 query rejections, but eventually I found the right home for it with Vine Leaves Press. It will release July 2024.
I also have a sweet, slow-burn, new adult romance coming in December 2023. Think somewhere along the lines of Jane Eyre reimagined for the modern world. It packs an emotional punch, features a loveable yet tragic heroine, and is by far the “lightest” of my three books. So, if you love a cozy Christmas read, get ready for A Song I Used to Know.
What are your dreams as a writer?
Realistic, obtainable dream? I want people to feel all the things when they read my books. I want them to tell their friends in person and on social media about it, and encourage others to read it. I want readers to pass my book along to a friend once they’ve finished it, because they just can’t handle this book not reaching more readers.
Aiming for the stars dream? I want writing to be an income for my family. A legitimate, we can pay the mortgage with this! income. Earning a spot on the New York Times Bestsellers list wouldn’t hurt.
Quick Round
- Tropical island or Antarctica? Tropical Island
- Night or day? Day
- Ice cream or pizza? Pizza
- Coffee or chocolate? Chocolate
- Culture or nature? Nature