Author Interview: Simone Elkeles

Stopping in today is the fantastic woman behind the Perfect Chemistry series, Simone Elkeles, to answer a few questions about not only these books, but Leaving Paradise as well.


Which of the three Fuentes brothers have you enjoyed writing the most?

That's a really tough question! The Fuentes brothers are like my children and I could never pick between them! Although, I will say that Alex stressed me out less than Carlos or Luis. I wrote Perfect Chemistry before I was published, so I wasn't under a deadline and didn't feel as much stress or pressure.

If Carlos and Alex were to be put into a gladiator style competition against each other, which one would come out on top?

Definitely Alex; big brothers always win. Although, it would definitely be an impressive fight!

If you could pair Alex, Brittany, Caleb and Maggie with any characters from any books, who would you pick for them?

Hmmmm. . .For Alex, I would pick Brittany, and for Caleb, I would pick Maggie. I know I'm not being fair to the question, but I wrote them for each other and it would hurt me to see the with anyone else!

Which would you pick: the guy who's done his time in jail or the gangbanger?

Neither. Even though I have a soft spot for bad boys, it's primarily in literature. Besides, all of my bad boys are redeemable and turn out to be VERY good guys in the end.

What is the most private thing you're willing to share here?

Even though some of my characters have done drugs and drink alcohol, I’ve never gotten drunk and I’ve never done drugs…I’ve never even smoked a cigarette. I’ve done a lot of drug research online because I know nothing about it, and my husband says, “The police track what you Google, you know.” I laugh because if the police come to my house to check me out, the closest thing to “drugs” that they’ll find is a sealed bottle of Nyquil cold medicine.

What kind of cake or confection would you describe yourself as?

Red velvet cheescake from the cheesecake factory! I'm edgy enough to be different and interesting (the red velvet part), but classic enough to appeal to all ages!


Thank you, Simone, for that great interview? And awesome readers, if you haven't checked out Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction and Leaving Paradise, make sure you do it quickly!