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L. Divine is probably the first author I obsessed over as a YA blogger and posts about her books are among the few that get responses from teen readers on my blog. Her Drama High series began in 2006 and provided teens with a fresh literary perspective by presenting a primarily Black cast of characters in a contemporary setting faced with everyday concerns like friend issues, love concerns, parent’s expectations and school with just a few big life, gritty issues. Oh, the drama!

My students liked the books as much as I did and couldn’t wait for the next one to appear. I was so excited to actually be able to meet Ms. Divine earlier this year!! I was so impressed by her energy, her genuine concern for young people and her accessibility. While I’d like readers to know that side of her, my interview today looks more at what’s happening with the Drama High series and how she maintains her authentic voice.

 Hello! And welcome to CrazyQuiltEdi! Let’s start with a chance to get to know you!

As a child, what did you do for fun?

I loved to play with my cousins and neighbors, read, listen to music, jump double-dutch, roller skate and hoola-hoop. I also loved being in the kitchen with my grandmother, mom and stepmother, which are also some of my favorite childhood memories, not to mention playing with dolls, doing hair and other “normal” kid stuff.

What’s your favorite place?

By far I love being at home. My children and I can hibernate all weekend long. It’s also one of my favorite places to work once I reach the edit phase of a manuscript.

What book(s) are you currently reading?

I am re-reading my favorite writer, Octavia Butler’s Lilith’s Brood series, as well as Iyanla Vanzant’s Peace from Broken Pieces. I am also a big fan of anything written by RM Johnson, Joseph Campbell, Hill Harper, Nathan McCall, Tananarive Due, Alice Walker and many other gifted writers listed at the back of my latest novel, Drama High, volume 15, Street Soldiers.

Series have become so popular in today’s book market! What are the challenges in keeping them going?

The most challenging obstacle I’m currently encountering is keeping the books published. Just because I (and my readers) have faith in the series doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy to publish and market. I started out as a self-published author and now, eight years later, I am again self-publishing. I love Drama High and am happy to be here because of it, but it’s an uphill battle, especially being a black author writing about black teens in mainstream cultural situations.

I noticed that one of the topics you speak about is overcoming obstacles in multicultural thinking. What are some of the obstacles you see in this regard as an African-American writer, and how do you overcome them?

As I stated before, it is an obstacle. I think all stories from all cultures are valid and have something to sh

All moving, unpacking and getting settled in is hereby interrupted for the Summer Blog Blast hosted by Colleen at Chasing Ray. All posts for the Tour are being linked back to Chasing Ray so be sure to check there everyday to start you summer with interviews with some of your favorite YA authors!

My first interview this week is with Randa Abdel-Fattah. Randa is the author of Does my head look big in this? Where the streets and a name and Ten things I hate about me.  Randa lives and works in Australia. Let me introduce you to this amazing woman!

What’s your favorite place?

I’m a Gemini and therefore I’m fickle and ‘my favourite’ questions are always so hard to answer. But I’ll have a go and say that in my Top 5 favourite places is a wonderful tree house in my mother’s home in Cairo, Egypt. It has views of a fruit market, several foreign embassies, beautiful tree-lined streets and the minaret of a mosque two streets away. Gorgeous!

What book(s) are you currently reading?

I’m re-reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, one of the most brilliant novels I’ve ever read.

As a child, what did you do for fun?

Obsessively played with Barbies, tormented my little sister, converted cardboard boxes into mansions for my Barbie collection, read anything I could get my hands on, watched Disney classics, rollerbladed, basketball.

Your writing has gained international success! In what countries are your books selling best? From which country(ies) are teens most likely to contact you?

First and foremost, the USA. Next would be the UK.

I am so impressed by your unflinching sense of self. Where did you get that?

My sense of self isn’t always unflinching. There are days when I feel confused about my life goals and choices. But the one constant is my identity as a Muslim woman. It centres me and grounds me- spiritually and emotionally. It’s only now that I’m a parent that I’m starting to really appreciate the way my parents raised me to be proud of my heritage and identity; to be aware of my responsibilities and rights; and to embrace all the opportunities that come my way with hard work and passion. Their own lives as migrants and, in the case of my Palestinian father, as an exile, undoubtedly drove them to instil a strong sense of identity in my sister and I.

I hate to admit that you were born the same year I graduated from college! A generation younger than me, a different ethnicity and thousands of miles away, I would like to think that you would have experienced less racism, had better opportunities and read more books with characters that look like you. From your writings, that doesn’t seem to be the case. What about the next generation of Muslim girls in Australia? Do they have more opportunities? More books with characters like them?

There is an exciting generational shift among Australian Muslims who are not just reacting to the negative discourse that surrounds Muslims in an increasingly Islamophobic world, but who are also creating, and defining themselves on their own terms, through the arts, comedy, writing, theatre, film, music, politics. It’s exciting to see this happening and to be a part of it.

I read your memoir “Living in a Material World”. While reading about how Muslim women are viewed for wearing the hijab, I couldn’t help but think of my Black sisters here in America, -here in 2012 no less!- who fa