K ody was born and raised in rural western Kentucky, where she attended high school and began writing her first long pieces of fiction. Kody wrote THE DUFF during her senior year at McLean County High School.
Kody is now nineteen and attending Ithaca College in New York where she's majoring in writing and finishing her second novel to be published by Poppy in Fall 2011.
She loves books, converse tennis shoes, New York City, and popular TV teen dramas. When she isn't writing, she's spending time with her friends and, most likely, doing piles and piles of homework she has neglected.
1. The DUFF is such an amazing story, but when you first started writing it did you ever imagine it going this far?
Never. I really wrote this book for fun more than anything, and once I finished, I had readers tell me to query agents. I expected rejections all around because, let’s face it, I was so young and the chances were so slim. But I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t try, at least.
And now, a year and a half later, here I am. I can only say that I’ve been so, so blessed to have this all happen to a story that I really, truly loved writing.
2. Now that you are getting feedback from readers, what has surprised you the most about their thoughts on the book?
I’m continually amazed by how differently each reader views the same book. I’ve had some readers call THE DUFF “light hearted” while others have called it “heavy” and “emotional.” Some readers have said it’s one of the funniest they’ve read, while others tell me that the book made them cry. Each reader seems to leave with a different take, I’m an always fascinated to see who views the book in which way.
3. I also went to school in Kentucky. Can you explain what it's like to go from a small town in Kentucky to attending college in New York?
Well, honestly, I go to school in Ithaca, New York. Which is, in fact, a small town not that much different from the area where I lived in Kentucky. That made it very easy to adapt.
However, I do spend a lot of time in New York City, and I’ve found that I like it there a lot. It’s a huge change from back roads and corn fields, but I love the transportation and the lights and the buzz. I can go from one extreme to another when traveling between NYC and Kentucky, and it’s getting easier every time. But at first, there was total culture shock.
4. You are now working on your second novel. How do you juggle that with going to college and promoting The DUFF?
I won’t lie – it’s hard. I get behind a lot. I forget to do things. I don’t get as much sleep as I should and sometimes I miss out on fun things with my friends.
But, at the end of the day, I do my best and I’m happy, because even when it’s hard, it’s a blessing, and I know I’m so lucky to be in this position. I just remind myself of that every time I feel overwhelmed.
Thank you so much Kody for stopping by. USE GOOGLE to check out my review of THE DUFF
The DUFF by Kody Keplinger Publisher: Little Brown- Poppy (September 7th, 2010) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 288 pages Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her"Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
For more information on Kody Keplinger or The DUFF: Kody Keplinger / Blog / Twitter / Goodreads
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