Interview with Penelope Bloom, author of Knocked Up by the Master

What can you tell us about your new release, Knocked Up by the Master?

Knocked Up by the Master was written with fans of Knocked Up by the Dom in mind. It starts fast, doesn’t let off the gas, and will keep you wanting to turn the page and find out what happens next. There’s a ton of steam, and of course, a great romance that was so special to write and watch unfold.

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

I think The Martian definitely makes the list. I’ve always been a sucker for books that are set up in a journal style, and The Martian took that style to its fullest, in my humble opinion. And as a nerd for story structure, I think it’s an incredibly good example of a book that hits all the major moments and points in the story structure at exactly the right times.

Who are your literary heroes working today? Why do you admire them?

I don’t know if I’d go as far as to say “literary” because I’ve always felt like the term literature/literary implies a certain kind of stuffiness. I much prefer just judging a book by one thing and one thing only: how much I enjoyed the experience of reading it. That being said, I’ve always enjoyed Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy–particularly the Mistborn series. I really love nerding out on his complicated magic systems and political intrigue. I admire that he has such a talent for making the mechanics of how magic works in his story universes a central and interesting part of every book, because I know that can’t be easy to do.

What’s rocking your world this month?

Deadlines! I am trying to get out two books this month, which means my normal few days of recovery between writing books is gone, and I have no wiggle room when it comes to hitting my word count every single day. It’s stressful, but it’ll be worth it when I’ve got the three Knocked Up books out as quickly as I wanted.

If you had to pick one place to vacation for the rest of your life, where would you choose?

Grindelwald Switzerland. In the winter, it looks like something out of a fairy tale. Little cottages speckling a steep hillside with a tiny country road crisscrossing between every house. You can see smoke rising up from the chimneys and warm yellow light in all the windows. You can just look at the scene and imagine the kind of life you would live in a place like that. I live in Florida and have lived here for pretty much my whole life, and the worst part is I absolutely *hate* hot weather. So imagining a life where I could actually go outside most of the year without feeling like I just stepped into an oven sounds like Heaven.

What’s in your Netflix queue?

I’m actually not a huge show watcher right now because my daughters are 1 and 2. I try not to just have the TV on when they are awake, and when they are asleep I’d rather be reading or writing. But I eventually want to watch Stranger Things because I’ve heard really good stuff about it and it sounds like my kind of show.

What scene in Knocked Up by the Master was your favorite to write?

Without spoiling anything, it was a scene near the end of the book. It’s kind of strange as the author, because I set out with a pretty decent idea of who my characters are and why they do the things they do. One of the harder things about writing is not turning every character into a fictionalized version of yourself who does and says what *you* would do in every scenario. Usually, the easiest way for me to avoid this is to try to imagine them as real people. I try to think of their past and some defining moments in their lives, so when they are faced with a difficult decision, I can reflect back with them on their past and use that to inform their decision. ANYWAY, to get back to the question. My favorite moment in this book was the feeling of discovering Leo’s (the hero) past. I had an idea of where he came from, but it felt right to explore that with him and Lysa. Writing those moments was really special for me, because it was almost like I was starting to understand why Leo was the way he was for the first time, too.

Penelope Bloom is the author of the new book Knocked Up by the Master. 

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