1--What is the title of your latest release?
FREE RADICALS
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Afghan-American Mafi’s sophomore year gets a whole lot more complicated when she accidentally exposes family secrets, putting her family back in Afghanistan in danger.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I’ve lived in Southern California on and off for nearly seven years and thought it’d be the perfect setting for this YA novel. While SoCal is generally an open-minded and diverse place to live, there are pockets—cities—that have some work to do.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Good question, and it’s a difficult one, because she—in a lot of ways—resembles me. Mafi has some growing up to do, but her heart’s in the right place. I can’t say I’d ever like to go back to my teen years.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Witty, crafty, secretive
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Before this book, I was writing a ton of fantasy that never really had much heart or purpose. For this novel, learned to be brave and write from the heart.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
If I write a few chapters during one session, the next day I’ll go back to edit them and then write on. Once I’m done with first draft, I’ll edit the book a few more times as a whole before submitting it to my editor.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Like Mafi, I love peanut butter and Oreos. I’m also a huge baked good fan. In Zurich, there’s this bakery called Steiner that has the best “apfeltasche”/ apple bags—sort of like apple turnovers—that I’ve had in my entire life. My mouth’s watering, now. They’ve ruined American baked goods for me.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I had a desk. Never used the desk. Sold the desk. Now, I write in bed, on the couch, or at my favorite coffee shop. I hate clutter. I’m pretty sure my living room contains one lamp, one couch, and one coffee table. I like to keep my spaces as clean and minimalist as possible. My head feels better that way.
10--Who is an author you admire?
I really admire Krystal Marquis, author of The Davenports. Not only did she write a stunning NYT instant bestseller, she also happens to be just the kindest and most supportive human. When I was in grad school, the general climate was to bash your peers and talk badly about them and their work behind their back. Krystal often preaches that we should lift others up, something I’m in complete agreement with. We need more “literary citizens” in the world like her.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
All of Roald Dahl’s books. The Witches and BFG were my favorite books as a kid. They inspired me to start writing.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I’d gotten an “U up?” sort of text from my agent Mollie—but in the best businessy way, the “we’ve gotten an offer from Putnam, let’s discuss!” sort of way—right as I was going to bed. I was in Switzerland visiting family. Suffice it to say, I couldn’t sleep after that.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
YA fiction with some romance sprinkled in.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Love Actually
15--What is your favorite season?
Winter holidays!
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My husband and I love to travel. I love to see new places and meet new people. If it’s my birthday, we’re probably out of town. I’m probably on the hunt for the best espresso and baked goods in the area.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I absolutely adored the new Hulu show Extraordinary by Irish screenwriter Emma Moran. It’s hilarious, fresh, and smart.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
South Asian. I’m a vegetarian, but I still love Afghan Kofta. Rice, yogurt, and vegetarian meatballs with lots of cumin and tomatoes.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I go to the beach and run stairs, then reward myself with a croissant and coffee. There are stairs in Laguna Beach near me that lead to 1,000 Steps Beach. I love running those. Working out grounds me. After being in the fitness industry for over twelve years, I love a good workout challenge. I love proving to myself, time and time again, that I can do anything I set my mind to.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
Ooooh. I have a secret, I have a secret - waves hands - I can’t announce just yet, but readers should be on the lookout for an announcement in a few months’ time. I’m always writing, writing, writing, so I hope to keep delivering for readers!
Sixteen-year-old Mafi Shahin is well-aware that life is not always fair. If it was fair, her parents might allow her to hang out with a member of the male species, other than her cat Mr. Meowgi. If it was fair, her crush and basketball hottie Jalen Thomas might see her as more than just her brother's kid sister. And if it was fair, her baba’s brother and wife would be able to leave Afghanistan and come to America.
Life might not be fair—but she can make it a bit more even. Working as the Ghost of Santa Margarita High, Mafi serves dollops of justice on her classmates’ behalf as the school’s secret avenger. They leave a note declaring the crime and Mafi ensures the offender receives an anonymous karmic-sized dose of payback. Keeping her identity as the Ghost a secret sometimes means Mafi has to lie. But as those lies begin to snowball both at school and at home, even compromising their family’s secret past and putting their relatives back in Afghanistan at risk, Mafi is forced to decide how she wants to live her life—trying to make the world more fair from the shadows or loudly and publicly standing up for what’s right.
Fiction Family Life | Young Adult Romance [Nancy Paulsen Books, On Sale: March 21, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593407714 / eISBN: 9780593407721]
The daughter of Afghan and Australian immigrants, Lila Riesen was raised in the United States. Her undergraduate studies in English were completed at Indiana University and the Australian National University. In 2017, Lila graduated with a master’s degree in English literature and linguistics from the University of Zurich in Switzerland. Free Radicals is her first novel, inspired by her cashew-coveting baba and all the Afghans fighting for peace, in the US and abroad.
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