Interview with debut author Sandy DeLisle

Today I’m happy to welcome my critique partner and debut author, Sandy DeLisle, to my blog! I’ve known Sandy for a few years now through our online critique group and I’m excited to share her book with you. Pure Enough is a contemporary YA that touches on topics most teens struggle with at some point.

Pure Enough by Sandy DeLisle
Having sex for the first time is a big decision for anyone, but for sixteen-year old Katherine Brinkman, the decision is even more complicated. Under the close watch of her parents, Katherine has never had a boyfriend. But that changes when she moves to a Chicago suburb for her mom’s teaching sabbatical and meets a group of free-spirited friends, including the charming and incredibly hot Aidan Koutsoukos. When Aidan isn’t serenading Katherine with love songs or making her laugh with his charismatic wit, he’s tempting her with his wavy, black locks, riveting brown eyes and perfectly sculpted body. While Katherine is falling for Aidan, her hometown of Black Earth, Iowa, is planning its first purity ball; a ceremony where girls publicly pledge to remain virgins until marriage. Once she returns home, will she honor her family and friends and pledge her virginity with her father as a witness? Or, will she give in to her desires under the influence of her new friends? As Katherine wrestles with this life-altering decision, she must decide if she is…PURE ENOUGH…

Don’t you love that cover?

As usual, every guest on my blog gets their own intro music. So tell us, what’s your song pick?
How fun! I love getting to pick my own song! I think I am going to have to go with Shania Twain’s Man, I Feel Like a Woman.

What was the inspiration for PURE ENOUGH?
In 2007, I read a Glamour magazine article about purity balls, which are daddy-daughter dances where girls publicly pledge to remain virgins until marriage. Admittedly, I was a bit concerned about the girls, some as young as ten, who were making this pledge with their fathers as witnesses. I wondered what would happen to them as they matured and started having feelings for the opposite sex. Would they be conflicted about their sexuality as they started to mature? Could they still hold onto their faith in God if they strayed from their purity pledge? Most importantly, would they believe that giving their sexuality over to the safekeeping of a man (first their fathers and then their husbands) was the way the things were supposed to be?

Additionally, I must tip my hat to Judy Blume. She paved the way for honest books that deal with the topic of teen sexuality with her book Forever. In fact, readers of Pure Enough who have also read Forever may have fun trying to find my hidden references to Forever in Pure Enough.

What message do you hope that readers will take from your book?
My book is written for young women, but I hope the story is one that anyone can appreciate, though, given the topic of the book, I would only recommend it for readers who are fourteen and older.  Along those lines, I tried to be very sensitive and tactful in my portrayal of these very real and intense feelings that many teens experience as they are coming-of-age. My book is more tame than most of the prime time TV shows, movies and websites that teens are watching and visiting online. Additionally, the few very brief scenes involving sex are not gratuitous and they are in the context of the main character learning who she is and what she wants from her life. And, ideally, teens will read this book with a parent and it will open the communication lines on this important issue.

Do you have any advice for teens struggling with the same decision and pressure that Katherine does?
Most importantly, as I mentioned above, I recommend that teens talk with their parents about sex! Yes, it will be awkward at first, but your parents can hopefully help you to navigate the tricky waters of sex and relationships. And, as Katherine says, “you are probably not ready for sex if you have to sneak out of the house and have it.” Like I tell my oldest son who is fifteen, unless you are prepared to handle the consequences of sex, like STDs and unplanned pregnancy, it is best to wait.

Self-publishing (or indie-publishing) is getting a lot of buzz these days. What made you decide to take this step? How hard was the decision to self-publish?
For me, self-publishing was a great choice! I had tried the traditional route for a number of years; I had two different literary agents and some close calls at big publishing houses, but ultimately no contracts. Self-publishing put me in the driver’s seat and with the help of established writers (like you, Shana) and the magic of the Internet, my books will get get read by teens instead of languishing  on my hard drive!