6 Questions for Veronica Roth
You might assume meeting Veronica Roth would be an intimidating experience. After all, Roth’s first novel, Divergent, came out when she was just 22 years old, and the movie adaptation was #1 at the box office on its opening weekend. The adaptation of the second book in the series, Insurgent, releases March 20. But Roth is a warm, sweet, tall woman (with perfect hair) who laughs easily and loves talking about Harry Potter. In other words, she’s someone you’d want to be friends with. Before her big event at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square, New York City, she answered a few of our burning questions.
You walk into a big, beautiful Barnes & Noble. Where do you go first?
The Young Adult section, and I also like to look at the notebooks. I don’t keep a journal, but I like to carry a notebook around in case I need to remember something.
What was your favorite book as a teen?
Harry Potter was definitely at the top of the list. I also loved The Bells series, by Garth Nix, and Dune, by Frank Herbert.
I love how you write about family dynamics in your books. Do you draw on the dynamics of your own family?
I don’t draw on them in a direct way, but I do think it’s interesting to write about the people you don’t choose to have in your life. As a teen, you move away from your family as you define yourself. Many of my characters are trying to find their way back.
What is it about your books that make them so appealing to so many people?
I don’t know! It must be Tris. I think she speaks to them in a meaningful way.
When and where do you write?
The more I tell myself I have a writing routine, the more excuses I give myself not to write. I’m committed to writing once a day, but it’s flexible.
What book have you read the most?
Harry Potter. I read the whole series every year.