Interview with: Adena Halpern

Adena Halpern is the author of four amazing novels; Target Underwear and a Vera Wang Gown, The Ten Best Days Of My Life, 29 and her latest Pinch Me. Adena has a Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts in dramatic writing and a Masters of Fine Arts in screenwriting. Adena was born in Philadephia and now resides in Los Angeles with her husband. Two of her novels 29 and Ten Best Days Of My Life have been acquired by Fox and are set to be made into films. I previously reviewed Pinch Me here . I just had the pleasure of interviewing Adena Halpern and here is what she had to say:

Thankyou so much for joining us at Chick Litaholic today. I loved your latest novel Pinch Me. What was your inspiration for the novel?

My inspiration was my husband, plain and simple. Sometimes I honestly wonder how I got so lucky. One day I was in a market I used to frequent when I was single. I suddenly wondered what would I do if I walked outside and everything was different? What if I went through some time warp and my old car was in the parking lot, I still lived in my single apartment and my husband never existed? The idea really freaked me out and I wondered what I would do. I knew I would do anything to get my husband back.

Your novels feature magical and fairytale elements. Why do you choose to incorporate them in your work?
To imagine alternate words or crazy scenarios is much more fun for me to write about than it is to write about real life. I could write a straight story about a woman losing her husband to another woman, but what fun is that?

Are you similar in any way to the lead character Lily?
I think I am much more grounded than Lily. All her life she has been the straight man to Dolly and Selma's craziness. I think I am more like her cousin rose who accepts this long lost cousin coming into her life. She believes her story because of something her grandfather told her. I think I would too.

I love the characters of Dolly and Selma, especially their sense of humor. Are they based on anyone you know, or completly fictional?
The characters of Dolly and Selma are partly based on my parents. My parents were always the kind of people who took problems in their stride. If there were dark days, they didn't look at it as part of life. When a dilema would strike they always took it with a laugh and a shrug, dealt with the problem and moved on. It's the greatest thing I learned from them.

If you ended up in a similar situatuon to Lily, do you think you would have acted in a similar way?
This was something I constantly had to think about while writing PINCH ME. If I woke up one morning and my husband wasn't my husband and my current life wasn't my life, what would I do? I would do everything in my power to get it back to the way it was.

Where would be your dream destination to travel to?
My dream destination would be to travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa the mid 70's. My grandparents were alive and healthy. My dad, who passed away last year, was strong, healthy and handsome. My mother would be hosting one of her glamourous dinners for us. I would introduce my husband to my grandparents. My grandmother would gush over him to the point of embarrassment. Maybe my father would show his son-in-law the perfect golf swing. There would be no talk of what is to become of them, only great stories around the table, laughter and of course lots and lots of good food.

If Pinch Me were to be made into a film, who would be your dream actress to be cast as Lily?
There are so many amazing actresses today, Emma Stone, Sandra Bullock, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher, Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard. Any of these women would have my blessing.

I heard that both 29 and The Ten Best Days Of My Life are to be made into films. Do have anymore news on this, that you can tell us about?

I just know that both scripts are currently being written. Both production companies have been so kind with updates and I can't wait to see the finished products.

What do you love most about chick lit?
The thing I love most about chick lit is that it never fails to put me in a good mood. Whenever I go to a different country, I buy up all the chick lit I can find. I've spent hours in bookstores in England, Australia, New Zealand, Italy and Scotland. I love the romance, I love reading about women my age around the world. I love how we all have the same issues. It's truly a passion of mine.

Are you working on a new novel at the moment, and if so can you tell us anything about it?
I am working on a new novel now, but I never talk about it for fear I'll jinx it in some way.

Thankyou so much for taking the time to join us at Chick Litaholic today. We wish you lots of luck with the movies and your latest novel.

If you would like to learn more about Adena Halpern you can visit her website here .

You can also buy her novels below: