Meet Award-winning Author Rachele Alpine

 By Gloria G. Adams

 

Rachele, what made you decide to become an author? Please tell us a little bit about your journey to publication.

 I’ve been a writer since before I could talk…well, kind of!  I had a severe speech impediment, and most people couldn’t understand me.  My mom bought me a diary and told me to write down all the things I wanted to say but couldn’t.  Once I started there, I couldn’t stop and have been telling stories my whole life.  While I took writing classes in college and graduate school, it wasn’t until I was about to turn thirty that I made it a goal to finish a book and put myself out there.  It was the push I needed, and I finished my first book, Canary, right before my birthday. It ended up being my debut novel.

 

I’ve read that you’ve said working as a teacher with teens gives insight into what they care about. Can you tell us more specifically about how those insights inspired ideas for one or more of your books?

 I’ve always loved reading contemporary novels and writing them; it’s what I gravitate toward.  Because I’m surrounded by children all day (and night with my two boys!), it’s the world I know.  I see their struggles, triumphs, things they wonder about, things that worry or scare them, and the things they love.  My mind is always asking “what if” questions and as I live my life around kids who are discovering the world and figuring out who they are, I can’t help but explore the topics that they are, too.  

 

What was the catalyst for your Invincible Girls Club series?

I wanted to write a book about a group of girls who set out to prove that you can never be too young to change the world.  I have so many young readers, and it has always been important to me to write positive and uplifting books like the type of books I loved when I was a kid.  This series was so much fun because not only did it show the difference anyone can make (young or old!), but it also highlighted real-life invincible girls with biographies at the end of the book, and provided ideas for ways that the reader could do amazing things too.   

Tell us what it was like writing with other authors on Best. Night. Ever.  Would you do it again?

It was a magical experience!  

There were six other writers, and to this day, I’ve only met one of them in person!  It’s kind of wild to think that we could pull off writing a book online, but we did and had a blast during the process!

We wrote on a Google Doc and used a three-week cycle. One week you were creating a new chapter, the next week you were providing feedback for someone else, and the third week you were revising your chapter based on feedback from others.  I would literally go to sleep and wake up the next day to new chapters!  I always said it was like Christmas morning and the new words were the gifts! 

I would totally collaborate with others again; sign me up!

 

Do you have a favorite character that you’ve created? Or do you have one in your mind that you haven’t written yet?

I’ve always loved Gabby in the book You Throw Like a Girl.  

The book was based on an experience I had, but unlike me, Gabby did all the things I wished I had been brave and strong enough to do. 

I just love her spunk and love for her family.

 

Can you share a funny or unusual experience as an author?

One of the coolest moments was selling rights for Best. Night. Ever. to Netflix.  They had wanted to do a thirteen-episode series, and it was so cool to see it start to come together.  While it ended up not happening (COVID and other circumstances stalled production), it is still cool to say that my book was optioned by Netflix.  I also found out not long ago that The Invincible Girls Club: Art with Heart sold foreign rights to the Czech Republic.  It’s the only book that I’ve sold foreign rights to, and I can’t wait to see what the new cover will look like, and the book translated!

What are your goals as an author? What else do you still want to accomplish in this field?

 My biggest dream goal as an author is to have one of my books get picked up by Scholastic for their book fairs.  I can’t even begin to describe how much I used to geek out when it was book fair week or a flyer came home.  I LOVED Scholastic Book Fairs and middle school Rachele (and adult Rachele) might self-combust from happiness if one of my books ever ended up in one!

 

Words of advice for MG and YA writers?

Write the books you want to read and don’t worry about anything else.  I write for the younger version of me and try to stay true to the stories I always wanted and couldn’t find.  When I do that, I don’t worry about what others might think, want, or the current trends. 

 

Short and Sweet:

Pantser or Plotter?

I started as a panster, but since I sell on proposal now (have two kids and teach so time management is a must), I am more of a plotter.

Guilty Food Pleasure?

French fries (I could live on them!)

Favorite Hobby?

Knitting (I’m always knitting…when I’m reading, walking, watching TV, hiking…if my hands are free, there are knitting needles in them!)

Dog or Cat person?

Team Dog always and forever!

Who would you like to have dinner with (living or dead)?

Can it be a dinner party?  If so, I’d invite Judy Blume, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jason Reynolds, Curtis Sittenfeld, Beverly Cleary, and John Green.  An eclectic crowd but would love to talk books and writing with them!

 Do you do your best work in the Morning, Afternoon, or Evening?

I used to be a night owl (late, late night owl), but since I had kids, I have found my best writing is done in the early morning.  I need a strong cup of coffee and a quiet house to get those words down before the rest of the world wakes up. 

 

Rachele's book, Operation Pucker Up, was re-released this year with a new cover.

Watch the book trailer for Rachele's novel, Canary: https://youtu.be/j8ZmVorheK4

Learn more about Rachele and her books on her website: https://www.rachelealpineauthor.com/