Iva-Marie Palmer, author of the teen alien-invasion comedy The End of The World As We Know It, followed an unlikely path to becoming a published Young Adult author. Finding her start in writing as a newspaper reporter, she was influenced by John Hughes, Judy Blume and a host of others to try out her own stories. She shares her experiences with us below.

YOUNG ADULT: When did you decide to start writing?
Iva-Marie Palmer: I wasn’t the kid who immediately knew and said, “I’m going to be a writer!” I went through a string of careers I thought I’d have — ballerina even though I’m really uncoordinated; fashion designer even though I can’t draw; archeologist but I only wanted to find T. Rexes — and as outlandish as they were, nothing seemed more out-of-reach than writing. I loved to read, but I had such reverence for books and their authors that I didn’t think it was something I could just do. Even as a just-for-fun thing, telling stories intimidated me, because I figured it had to be a path for special people. I always feared that I wasn’t interesting enough to have something to say.
So, growing up, I did write, but I wrote fake newspapers and, later, in school, worked for the school paper. I had this practical streak where I figured I could write articles and that kind of thing, but that fiction would be left for the vaunted few. Later, I took a few fiction writing courses in college, and actually got nice feedback from classmates, and yet still, I didn’t take up fiction writing as a regular thing. I thought that my stories being good was just a fluke. So I graduated, got a job writing for a newspaper, and it wasn’t until I wrote a feature article on a screenwriter’s group that I decided to try that. Then I did National Novel Writing Month a few years in a row, and it struck me that writing books really satisfied me, even if I just did it for myself. The fact that I’m now published throws me a bit. It’s a little unreal to know I wrote a book that’s out in the world.

YA:   Tell us a little bit about your latest work.
I-MP: The End of The World As We Know It is the story of four teenagers with nothing in common who get trapped in the basement at one of the biggest parties of the year. They survive an alien attack, and together decide they have to figure out what’s going on and try to save their town. I love stories that throw together people who want nothing to do with one another. That’s trauma enough for some people, so added with alien invasion, everything gets much more amped up.
I deal with my own crises with humor, so the book has a lot of funny moments. It’s probably not for hardcore sci-fi types who want to learn extensively about alien weaponry or anything like that, but it is for anyone who likes a rollicking adventure story with funny and heartfelt moments thrown in. My characters live through the most memorable three-day weekend ever, and while no teen in their right mind is probably wishing for an alien attack over Labor Day weekend, every teen probably does want to have a wild, crazy, up-all-night type of adventure.

YA:  What are some of the qualities in your latest work that set it/you apart from what’s currently out there on the market?
I-MP: I think the fact that the novel doesn’t fit neatly into any one particular category makes it unique. I hope it’s funny, but I also hope the action scenes are exciting, the romances are swoon-worthy, and that the four main characters and the ways they grow are relatable. Of all of those qualities, though, I think humor is hardest to come by in current YA fiction. With so many dystopias and paranormal themes, so much of what’s hot right now can get pretty dark or pretty heavy. And that’s not a bad thing at all, but for me, even if the world is ending, I need some laughs amid the wreckage.

YA:  What attracts you to the Young Adult genre specifically? I-MP: I think, for one, I am drawn to it because I was on the outside of a lot of stuff throughout my teen years. I participated in all kinds of clubs and sports, and enjoyed them, but I never felt like I quite fit anywhere, not totally.  Being a little on the outskirts allowed me to develop two qualities that I think help in young adult writing: a gift for observing others, and also a more neurotic habit of critiquing my own behavior, like, “Was that a dumb thing to say?” or “Should I have said this?” — replaying certain interactions in my head. I think YA writers are still in touch with their awkward, anxiety-ridden teenage selves, and remember what it’s like to wonder where you fit. (Looking back, though, I’m not sure even the people who seemed to “fit” did. Being a teenager is hard!!) Also, what I like about the YA universe is that those years are the time in your life when — if you’ve grown up in the same place or the same type of place your whole life, and have been surrounded by the same family and friends —  you start to think, “Is this all there is?” I don’t mean that in a bad way, but those years are when you start to set yourself apart from your environment, and when you start to figure out who you are as separate from the places and people you know. So there’s just so much to work with in the young adult sphere.

YA:  Who would you count among your strongest influences, and why?

I-MP: I’m going to forget someone. I find influence everywhere, and not just in books. As I mentioned earlier, I so admire writers, and when I’m in the middle of a book I love, I am sometimes just marveling at how the author did it. (And wondering how I can ever compete or compare. Yup, I’m neurotic.) So, here is the short list:
John Hughes is a huge one. His high school movies were amazing because they captured what it actually felt like to be a teenager but still seemed like they were happening on a different, funnier plane of human existence. I mean, I never went to a party like Jake Ryan’s, or knew anyone like Ferris Bueller, but who wouldn’t want to?
Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is another big one, because I love his dialogue and his group dynamics. No character is unimportant to him.
I devoured Judy Blume’s books as a preteen and teen. She just gets it on every level.
I love Neil Gaiman, particularly American Gods and Good Omens, because he does such a good job of finding the magical in the real world, and if I am going to read anything magical, I like it to have earthly ties. Also, he’s just a beautiful writer and some of his sentences are like spun gold (but chocolate flavored).
J.K. Rowling because, at its core, Harry Potter is about growing up. I actually don’t tend to read fantasy or magical stuff, so it’s clear what a great job she does with her characters, because I just pour my heart into reading her work and connect with every single person. The stories and magic are great, too, but I could read about her characters reading the phone book, that’s how much I love them. 

YA: If you could cast the Dream Film Adaptation of your work, who would you cast?
I-MP: Well, the dream cast might involve a time machine, because I would have loved to see a slightly younger Ryan Gosling in the Leo role. I’m kidding. Sort of. I think a lot of the biggest actors right now are a little too old to play my characters, so I’d probably work with some TV stars I like.
I think Lucy Hale, from Pretty Little Liars, would make a great Teena McAuley. Lucy is so sweet seeming, and I think it would be fun to see her play a mean girl. For Evan Brighton, I’d love to cast an unknown, just some dreamy high school baseball player who would skyrocket to instant fame. For Sarabeth, I think it would be great to see either Ashley Rickards from Awkward or Aimee Teegarden from Friday Night Lights in the role. I think either of them could pull off Sarabeth’s gawky glam. And Ethan Peck would make a great Leo. He’s got the legacy of being Gregory Peck’s grandson (and I love Gregory Peck), and he also has that wonderful baritone. Plus, I just looked him up, and he plays the cello, just like Leo!

YA: Do you have pursuits outside of young adult fiction?
I-MP: Well, I have a day job, a husband, and a toddler, so keeping those areas of my life in array (that has to be the opposite of disarray, right?) is important. In the writing realm, I want to write what calls to me, and right now, because my characters often wind up being teenagers, I write what fits into YA. However, I have ideas for things that would probably cross over more into a more general fiction category. As for other pursuits, I’m curious about everything, and I love learning new things. There’s a song from some commercial with the lyric, “I want to be everything at once.” That might be my personal credo. I love exploring and traveling, I love reading just about anything, I love cooking, I love creating in general. Give me almost any course catalog in the world and I can find at least one class I want to take. One of the great things about writing fiction is that I can at least sate some of my curiosity in the name of research, so even though I’ll never be able to pack everything into my day that I’d like to, at least my characters can do some of it for me!