Goldy Moldavsky was born in Lima, Peru, and grew up in Brooklyn, where she still lives. Her novels include the New York Times bestseller, KILL THE BOY BAND, NO GOOD DEED (Scholastic), and THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB (Henry Holt). Her books have appeared on numerous Best-Books lists and have been translated to other languages. Her love of 80s movies, 90s boy bands, and horror flicks hugely influences her work. She can be found on X and Instagram @goldywrites.

I had the opportunity to interview Goldy, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself? 

Hi! I’m Goldy Moldavsky and I write YA thriller, comedy, horror, satire, and now rom-coms. I love movies and TV and celeb gossip and I am very happy to be here.

What can you tell us about your latest book, Just Say Yes? What was the inspiration for this story?  

Just Say Yes is the story of Jimena Ramos, your typical All-American New York City teen who dreams of graduating high school and living a wild and mistake-riddled life. The only problem is, she’s just learned she’s in the country illegally after immigrating as a toddler. Now she has to figure out a way to become a citizen in order for her to live a normal life. Enter her marriage scheme, and her cute and nerdy next-door neighbor who has post-graduation dreams of his own and no intention of helping Jimena out.

My inspiration for Just Say Yes came from my own life growing up in Brooklyn as an undocumented teen. While I didn’t want to fix my problem by getting married at 18 I knew of other people in my situation who took that path. There was a story there I wanted to tell.

Just Say Yes is said to be inspired by your own childhood as a undocumented immigrant. If you feel comfortable discussing this, could you tell us what does it mean to you as an author writing this type of representation into your work?

It’s something I was afraid of writing and pushed off for a long time because of the stigma attached to being undocumented. People have very strong opinions on it and their minds are seldom easily changed. But by writing a main character struggling with the immigration system I hope I can show people who don’t know much about it what it’s really like. My aim was to show that Jimena is just like any other teen girl you might know. I would’ve loved a story like this when I was growing up.

As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling, specifically young adult and romance? 

I was a reluctant reader as a kid, and so television was my first love when it came to storytelling. TV shows span years and seasons and have character arcs that are constantly evolving and I always found that fascinating. That a main character could look so different from season 1 to season 3. And that was especially true of the teen-centered TV shows I was watching as a kid. Teens are constantly discovering themselves and evolving. It’s the age when we become who we’re going to be. So I focus on that in my writing. You start with a character and you put them through the ringer and see how they change in surprising ways.

Though this is technically my first romance, relationships are hugely important in my other works. My mission is always to find the heart of a story, and relationships are a good place to start.

How would you describe your writing process?

I take a long time to think about the story and characters, jotting down every good thought I have in a notebook. I like to outline, but only partly. I need to know what’s happening a few chapters down the line, at all times. But I seldom know what the ending looks like when I first sit down to write. To help me along I like to read a new book on the craft of writing for every new book I start. But there are two craft books that I always have on my desk. John Truby’s 22 Steps and Chuck Palahniuk’s Consider This.

Funnily enough, for Just Say Yes the ending was the first thing that came to me, last line and everything. It took me a while to figure out where to start the book.

As a writer, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general? 

Chuck Palahniuk for his twisted ideas. Maria Semple for her humor, Pheobe Waller-Bridge for her dialogue.

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging? 

My favorite part of writing is—no surprise here—also the easiest part of writing: The idea stage. When you get a really good idea, and work it through until it builds into something you are compelled to write down immediately—there’s nothing like it. Recently, as I was finishing up a revision, it occurred to me that I didn’t want to finish too quickly. That in this moment there was still an opportunity for me to come up with new scenes and find new ways to play with the characters. I love to languish in the idea.

As for frustrating, I’ve never been a big fan of drafting. The dreaded blank page. The process of taking that shiny idea and actually writing it and having it read very badly. Ha.

Many authors would say one of the most challenging parts of writing a book is finishing one. What strategies would you say helped you accomplish this?

When I first began writing I used to start with my favorite scenes. The moments in the middle of the story that I really wanted to get to first. But I never finished a book that way. It was only after I realized that I needed to start at the beginning and see the story all the way through (no matter how bad or boring the writing was) that I finally completed a book. I’ve never looked back.

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want others to know about you?

I’m always down to play a board game. I am very competitive and annoying when it comes to games. ?

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

Nobody has asked me to write a Buffy the Vampire Slayer book. Sign me up!

What advice might you have to give for other aspiring writers?

Don’t doubt yourself. Nobody is “better than” you at anything. You can do it, it’s just about completing it.

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT? 

I love everything that Lygia Day Penaflor writes. Love Heidi Shertok and Jean Meltzer!