Fangirling Over Rainbow Rowell

A few weeks ago, I got my hands on a review copy of the new novel from Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl.

Released on September 10th, Fangirl tells the story of introvert and obsessive fangirl Cath Avery’s first year away at college.

Rowell deftly handles the ups and downs of that freshman year, the people you meet, and the new things that try desperately to pull you away from the old with varying levels of success. At Cath’s side is her twin sister Wren, her new and sometimes scary roommate, and a boy so outgoing she can hardly think straight around him. Whether you’re heading off to a college campus yourself this fall, or are long gone from the hallowed halls of education, Cath’s journey will touch something inside you.

As a rabid fangirl of many things in my own life, I had a lot of fun reading about Cath and her never-dying love of the Simon Snow fandom, a world that will remind you of Harry Potter and Twilight and all the teenage literary obsessions from the last decade. I wanted to dive into her fan fiction and give them a read.

Thanks to the wonders and joys of the internet, I had a chance to chat with Rowell this last week in advance of the book’s release. Here are a few of my questions and her answers.

I love that your novel addresses a whole host of issues we face as college freshman – family problems, love, academic problems. Can you talk a little bit about how you chose the challenges that Cath would face in her first year?

Why twins?

Were you inspired by any of your own friends and family for the characters you wrote about? Did you have a roommate so different you meshed or were some of these the visions of people you wish you’d met?

Were you a big fan of Harry Potter? I’m getting a distinctly Harry Potter fandom vibe from the Snow-verse.

What does fandom mean to you?

What fandoms have you been the most active in? Do you love fanfiction? Would it be weird to see fanfiction of your own story?

Do you think you will write another story about Cath or do you feel like her story is now finished?

Make sure you pick up Fangirl as soon as possible!

Featured image via RainbowRowell.com and drawn by GingerHaze (Possibly the coolest young lady comic artist on the interwebs)