How I Came Up With The Idea by E. Van Lowe

I have been asked how I came up with the idea for Boyfriend From Hell.  Like most creative people, ideas for me usually drift in when I least expect them—in the shower, driving, as I’m falling asleep. Yet, with Boyfriend From Hell I was actually searching for an idea.

Once I completed Never Slow Dance With A Zombie, I had a good feeling about writing paranormal YA.  I had started another novel, but it wasn’t paranormal, so I abandoned the idea.  I felt my follow up to Zombie needed to be in the same genre.

I started searching IMDB for movie titles, looking at PW for all the new books coming along.  I wanted to be in a popular arena, but still put my own spin on it.  One evening I was researching the devil.  I don’t remember how I arrived at the devil.  My research sent me to YouTube where I saw a very funny animated short called Lucy Daughter of The Devil.  I think it may have become a short-lived series.  Anyway, that was my aha moment—Satan with a twist of humor.  At first I was going to write about sisters, but looking at my life I thought a mother/daughter friendship would be interesting, as I had a very close friendship with my son—a friendship that once he reached a certain age dissolved.  Once I had those key elements—Mother/daughter and Satan, I was ready to write.

A hundred pages or so in, a big shot YA lit agent told me “don’t write mother/daughter.  Kids won’t want to read it.” She may be right, but stubborn me felt she was wrong, so I went ahead and finished it.   Needless to say, she does not represent me  ;-)

So far the reviews have been very good.  Only time will tell if the book finds an audience.  I hope it does, but even if it doesn’t, I am quite happy with the book.  Why don’t you judge it for yourself.  The first four chapters of Boyfriend From Hell are available for free right now on my website. 

Readers can go to Excerpt http://evanlowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Boyfriend-From-Hell-FREEBIE.pdf   I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  Peace.

By the way, my son and I are great friends again.  I knew 
he’d be back  J

E. Van Lowe is an author, television writer, screen-writer, playwright and producer who has worked on such TV shows as "The Cosby Show," "Even Stevens," and "Homeboys In Outer Space." He has been nominated for both an Emmy and an Academy Award.

His first YA Paranormal novel, "Never Slow Dance With A Zombie," was a selection of The Scholastic Book Club, and a nominee for an American Library Association Award. His Best Selling novels, “Boyfriend From Hell” and “Earth Angel,” are the first two books in the Falling Angels Saga. “The Zombie Always Knocks Twice” is the first book in his Hollyweird series.

E lives in Beverly Hills California with his spouse, a werewolf, several zombies and a fairy godmother who grants him wishes from time-to-time.

www.evanlowe.com     http://vanlowe.blogspot.com/

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