Behind the Scenes of Behind the Scenes

No, it's not a glitch. This blog post's title is a little awkward because this edition of Behind the Scenes features Dahlia Adler and her manuscript, BEHIND THE SCENES. Does it make a little more sense now?

Dahlia is an Assistant Editor of Mathematics by day, a Copy Editor by night, a YA writer, and blogger at The Daily Dahlia and YA Misfits at every spare moment in between. She is represented by Lana Popovic of Zachary Shuster Harmsworth and her debut novel, BEHIND THE SCENES, releases from Spencer Hill Contemporary on June 24, 2014. You can find her on Twitter at @MissDahlELama.

Inspiration for Behind the Scenes:

Hollywood, 90210/Matt Lanter, “Factory Girl” by The Pretty Reckless, Paris/the Eiffel Tower, Florence/the statue of David, Ally, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and Malibu

About Behind the Scenes:

“BEHIND THE SCENES is the story of Ally, a high school senior who finds herself in need of a job and ends up working as an assistant for her best friend, a rising TV star. While working on set, Alley falls for her best friend’s co-star, Liam, but just as she finds out her feelings are reciprocated, the show’s publicist forces her best friend and new boyfriend into a very public relationship for the cameras.

In my totally unbiased opinion, it’s a really fun Hollywood romance, but it’s also about the limits of friendship, the importance of having faith in the people you love, and opening your mind to accept alternate paths and realities. So while it definitely has its elements of wish fulfillment, I think – and hope! – everyone will find something to relate to!

There’s also a part of the story that’s based on my life, but it never seems to be the part people think it is!”

A piece of Dahlia’s writing process:

“The most necessary part of my writing process is probably having Gushers at my side – I like to call them ‘Writer Vitamins.’

As for the actual putting-words-down-on-paper part, I’d say my most useful external tool is the Evernote app. I commute over two hours a day, which is a lot of computer-less time, but Evernote allows me to jot down a quick quote or thought or even a scene. It’s been really instrumental for making the most of my time each day.

I also love creating playlists for manuscripts – when I find the right songs for a WIP, just hearing them can trigger my urge to work on that book, which is really helpful for getting into the zone during the limited time I have to write.”