Welcome Angelina Singer!
Angelina Singer is a young adult / new adult author with a romantic comedy, “Just Like a Pill”, books 1-3 of a dystopian science fiction trilogy “The Upperworld Series”, and both books of The Rewind Duology available for purchase on Amazon now. In addition to her writing career, Singer graduated Magna Cum Laude from Stonehill College in 2019, where she studied English, Music, and of course, Creative Writing. Angelina is also a board member of the Association of Rhode Island Authors, managing their Young Adult initiative. She’s also a freelance editor and ghostwriter, often helping clients bring their literary visions to life.
In her spare time she enjoys crocheting (with a portfolio of work available for purchase on Instagram), as well as mentoring younger music students at a local music store, where she studied guitar for over a decade. She views her writing as a way to simultaneously escape from and embrace reality.
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Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
I always LOVE this question because it’s genuinely hilarious. Basically, I had a monster crush on this lead guitarist I knew from band camp for years. I finally got so fed up with him when I was 19 that I decided to write a story about how I felt. And of course, I casted him as the love interest. That’s when I realized my story could be published as a real book, and the rest is history.
Describe your desk / writing space.
I try to keep it neat; I really do! But my “office” space is more like the catch-all room for everything else. So, while my space is definitely workable, there’s always random stuff on the table ranging from sticky notes to tortilla chips and salsa bought for an upcoming party. You just never really know!
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?
I’ve been in a long dry spell for a while now. I have very clear ideas and a loose outline, but my content writing jobs have been sucking my creativity dry. My next mission is to find the right balance between all of it so I can keep doing what I love while also building a life for myself. The dream would be to blend those two things together, and I’ll do whatever I can to make that happen.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
It’s a straight-forward process! I usually just think about the story and try to find the connecting thread through it all. Or, like I did for my most recent concept The Rewind Duology, I just thought about what John Green might name a similar book. And that’s how I got Forgetting What I Couldn’t Remember / Forgiving What I Couldn’t Change!
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
I would say the hardest scene was the confrontational scenes between Lynn and her older alter ego, Vera, in the classroom with her old bullies (The Rewind Duology). Revisiting that difficult time in my life was something that hurt as much as it healed me. But I got to link up with KIND Campaign – a charity that prevents bullying in schools. It’s amazing to get to contribute to a cause that I care about so deeply with a portion of the proceeds from my creative work. I know that I’m in a better place emotionally now because of all I’ve been through, and now I’m using it to make a real-world difference.
As for my favorite scene, I’d say any romance scenes are always the most fun to write. I know they’re also my favorite to read, so tapping into that highly emotional sugary-sweet stuff is always a blast. I won’t share any spoilers about who Vera ends up with though – you’ll just have to read The Rewind Duology to find out.
What inspired your book/series?
My life, honestly! My most recent concept of The Rewind Duology involving a conversation with my younger self is heavily based on my experiences through the grade school years and beyond. I really appreciated the chance to expand this book set from a short 10-minute play I originally wrote in college to be the two-part experience that it is today.
What are you working on next?
Breakup Queen is the next project on my mind, and I do plan to try to get this one traditionally published. It’s something I think is extremely marketable, due to the sheer fact it’s a fake-dating rockstar romance. There are some unique twists to it, and there will be pieces of me in the main character (who is probably my angsty goth alter ego). But I know it’s going to be something that people will really enjoy interacting with conceptually.
What authors or books have influenced your writing?
Another great question! I would say John Green and Suzanne Collins are some of the strongest influences, but more recently I’ve also really enjoyed books by Colleen Hoover and Jenn Bennett. Granted, the latter two are more heavily romance, but there’s something so enjoyable about the gritty honesty of those kinds of coming-of-age novels. I’m 25 now, but I still think I’m in the middle of coming-of-age. In fact, I kind of wonder if that particularly unsteady feeling will ever really wear off. But that’s fine, because I’m not sure I’d want it to anyway. It keeps every day and every present moment so vivid and intensely interesting. Monotony is the kiss of death; gotta keep things fresh!
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?
I always like to daydream about somewhere tropical, but all I’ve ever known is here in Massachusetts. So in theory, maybe Hawaii or something. But in practice, that doesn’t really resonate with anything too meaningful to me. Plus, I can’t think of any fantasy worlds that I’d actually want to live in, because most of the ones I read have a dystopian twist to it. No thanks, LOL.
What is your favorite meal?
Probably pizza or burgers. Actually, no – it has to be Salisbury steak. Which is basically like, fancy hamburger with gravy, caramelized onions, and mashed potatoes. But my mom makes it sometimes and it’s basically my favorite thing ever, so I always ask for it on my birthday.
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer?
Definitely herbal tea – I’m already hyper enough even without too much added caffeine. I will do the occasional caramel or white chocolate mocha latte though if I need something decadent to sip while I haunt Starbucks for an afternoon. Alcohol has just never been my thing, so I’ll say neither for the latter question. Call me straight-edge, but I always like feeling in control and present in the moment.
Describe yourself in three words.
Motivated, spunky, confident.