Vivi Greene speaks with Hypable about exploring the inner life of a pop star and making difficult choices in her novel Sing.
About ‘Sing’
After getting her heart shattered for the thousandth time, multiplatinum pop icon Lily Ross is escaping her high-profile, crazy life and heading to an island in middle-of-nowhere Maine with her best friends. She has three months to focus on herself, her music, her new album — anything but guys. This summer is going to be different.
That is . . . until Lily meets sweet and charming Noel Bradley, who is so different from anyone she’s ever dated. Suddenly Lily’s “summer of me” takes an unexpected turn, and she finds herself falling deeper and harder than ever before. But even though Lily loves Noel, she loves her music and her fans, too. And come August when it’s time to leave Maine and go back out on tour, she will be forced to choose between them.
Interview with Vivi Greene
What was your initial inspiration for Sing?
I’ve always had a possibly-unhealthy level of sympathy for celebrities. Sure, there are perks, but so much of that lifestyle — the grueling schedule, constant attention, body/image-obsessing — sounds absolutely dreadful to me. I wanted to explore the idea that somebody who became super-famous, super young, might start to have some second thoughts… and do whatever she could to take a break, without appearing spoiled or ungrateful.
Did you learn anything about celebrity culture while writing the book?
So much! Mostly about fashion. I did a lot of research into the evolution of certain celebrities’ style and the enormous amount of thought that goes into every outfit, accessory and haircut.
How did you approach writing Lily, as both a normal girl and someone with such unique pressures?
I tried my best to always think of her as a normal girl, in an extraordinary circumstance. It helped that I got to write her in the context of being with her oldest, closest friends — the idea was that these were the girls who would keep her real, no matter what was going on in her life.
What was the most challenging part of writing Sing?
Definitely the fame/celebrity stuff. Clearly, I don’t have a staff of twenty or 24/7 security. I worked hard to make the details of Lily’s world feel believable, but not over the top.
Which is harder to write — the first line, or the last line?
The first and last lines are both easy — it’s every line in between that’s hard!
Have you ever had to make a choice like Lily’s, between two things that made you happy?
I used to live in NYC and moving away was a very hard decision to make, although I knew it was the right one.
Do you need anything in order to write, like music or coffee?
Quiet, snacks and comfy clothes!
Would you rather be a book or a computer?
I’d rather be a book; it would be inconvenient to run out of battery life all of the time!
Sing by Vivi Greene will be available on May 31 from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local independent bookstore.
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