We chat with author Olivia Abtahi about Twin Flames, which follows estranged twins Leila and Bianca’s when on their eighteenth birthday, Leila suddenly gains a djinn’s superpowers, and the twins realise that their town can only survive the djinns’ secret plans if they learn to work together as sisters.
Hi, Olivia! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I grew up in Northern Virginia to an Iranian dad and Argentinian mom. I was obsessed with the movie Amelie as a kid and went to NYU film to hopefully make my own movies. I graduated right at the 2008 recession and unfortunately pivoted to advertising, blergh! In 2015 I wrote my first book, TWIN FLAMES, and have since published more. It’s been a wild ride full of bad jobs until I found this one: author.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My parents are incredible oral storytellers. They had a whirlwind romance where my mother was my father’s asylum officer at the Madrid UNHCR branch while he was fleeing Iran and she was desperate to get out of Argentina. They have a way of spinning yarns and I knew I wanted to tell stories in some capacity because of them. But, I didn’t really I think I could be an actual writer, a true author, until a decade ago. I never took a creative writing class or focused on writing. I had to believe in myself and really give myself a pep talk before even opening the Word doc for this book, which was my first.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Invisible Dog. It was a chapter book and I was THRILLED when I finished it in a day by myself. The dog was a dalmatian. Sorry, that’s all I remember!
- The one that made you want to become an author: Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Boys. It was the first book I read that took place in Virginia and the first novel where I could almost see how she wrote it– getting glimpses of the bones that made up the story and reverse engineering from there. I didn’t know who she was so I went to her Instagram account and saw a picture of her desk in her office. “I want that office,” I thought to myself. “I want the life that gives me a room of my own like that.”
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore. I think about this book so much I don’t know if I can ever re-read it. It gave me so much misery and so much hope. There were so many disturbing scenes and so many hilarious ones. I don’t understand how this book isn’t more discussed.
Your latest novel, Twin Flames, is out August 27th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Snarky, Spooky, Delicious, Cozy, Gay
What can readers expect?
Readers can look forward to a creepy small town mystery via the coming of age tropes we know and love. When estranged twins Bianca and Leila see their neighbor’s barn burn down, Leila rushes into the inferno only to come away with supernatural powers. Djinn and supernatural beings begin to plague their small town, and the two have to reckon with a blood debt they never knew about all while learning to trust each other.
Where did the inspiration for Twin Flames come from?
It came from deep, deep loneliness. I had just moved to Denver in 2014 and knew absolutely no one besides my partner. I wrote a story with twins because it felt like this built-in best friend. It was almost like I was fantasizing about the relationships I hoped to make in this city through my work.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really enjoyed writing Steve Rosenberg, Bianca’s love interest. He has big Theatre Kid energy and it was fun to dig deeper into why he loves to perform and how he behaves when he isn’t in the spotlight.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing Twin Flames?
So many. First of all, this was my NaNoWriMo book, or National Novel Writing Month book. I wrote this first draft in 30 days, and it was god-awful. I cleaned it up, queried It, got rejected over 30 times from different agents (even my current agent!) and hit every road bump possible. There was a competition for unagented authors via Lee and Low’s imprint, Tu Books, called the New Visions Award. I submitted the book to them, printed out the book at my local library, and put it in a shoebox under my bed. “We’re done now,” I had told myself.
Six months later I got the call that I had won and that my book would be published.
What’s next for you?
In the time it took me to polish this book, I was lucky enough to publish two other YA novels with Penguin Random House, Perfectly Parvin and Azar on Fire. After Twin Flames, my debut picture book, THE INTERPRETER, will be released through Penguin in January.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
This was the year of series books for me. I have an infant at home and turning to sequels during long nights has been a great balm. This year I started and finished the Temeraire series, the Thursday Murder Club, and The Chronicles of Prydain. They were all fantastic and just what I needed. I can’t wat to read The Pairing by Casey McQuiston and I’m very excited about Adib Khorram’s adult debut, I’ll Have What He’s Having.
