Question Time with Natália Gomes

Today is an exciting post that I have been waiting a long time to post! It is a wonderful little interview with the author of We Are Not Okay. That is Natália Gomes! I was a huge fan of her recent book, We Are Not Okay and you can find my review of it here! I won’t ramble too much so here is my question time with Natália Gomes!

L: Lois

N: Natália Gomes

L: Hi Natália, can you tell us a little bit about your new book We Are Not Okay?

N: ‘We Are Not Okay’ tackles issues that were occurring when I went to high school that young adults are still facing now – bullying, sexual exploitation, teen pregnancy, discrimination, and self harm. But now we live in a digital world where comments can be put online for all to see. A digital platform presents more opportunities to bully and exploit, and because of it we’re seeing a rise in cyber bullying and teen suicides. ‘We Are Not Okay’ sends the message that it’s okay to not feel okay. Accepting that we need help doesn’t make us weak, it makes us strong. As a teacher and a writer, I would love to see more YA books on the courageous #MeToo movement which brings awareness to these issues.

L: What feminist YA books would you recommend giving a read?

N: In terms of other feminist YA books – The Hate U Give, Speak, the Hunger Games and Legend series depict strong female characters who have to overcome challenges to succeed.

L: What other books would you recommend to fans of We Are Not Okay?

N: For fans of We Are Not Okay, I recommend Thirteen Reasons Why, Speak, and Hyacinth Girls.

L: What are you reading currently?

N: I’m currently reading ‘Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither’ by Sara Baume. I read often and varied, trying to read across genres to expand my own learning and writing.

L: Finally, are you working on anything currently?

N: I am currently working on my fourth YA book with HQ/HarperCollins, and very excited about it!

L: Thank you so much for answering all my questions!

I had a lot of fun doing this interview! Thank you so much to Natália for being wonderful! Also, thanks to the wonderful Nina Douglas for setting this up!

You can find Natália Gomes on Twitter here and on her website here.