AS: A new Libby Lazewnik series! Great news! Tell us a little about the characters of Starlight Sisters — and why readers are going to love them.

LL: There are four Starlight Sisters — not actual sisters, but friends — to start with, with a fifth to make her appearance later in the series. Each of the four girls has a particular talent, a particular kind of family situation, and a particular middah that she needs to work on. The girls are not perfect — I’ve tried to make them very real, very relatable. Each of the girls narrates “her” book, so we get to know them all really well — inside and out. By the time you’re done, they’ll be your best friends! This first volume begins with Ora’s story. Ora has a gorgeous voice, a wonderful family, excellent marks in school … and a problem that’s going to take her an entire book to solve!

AS: You chose an interesting setting: a Bais Yaakov-type school for super-talented girls. Is that something you always dreamed of?

LL: Although I did belong to my school’s dance group, performing as a dancer was not my dream. My own “superpower” was always writing …. But I was definitely fascinated by the idea of kids putting on professional-quality performances and what goes on behind the scenes. And I know that many, many girls long to be in productions and performances.

AS: What age group are you writing for?

The Starlight Sisters are in seventh grade, so these books are aimed at my usual young-adult crowd, age approximately 10-14.

AS:  The question everyone asks you: After writing so many books and articles, how do you keep finding such fresh and original plots?

LL: Life is constantly fresh and original. I just keep my eyes open … and daven!

AS: Without giving away any secrets — what can we expect in future books in the series?

As I said, we’re looking at a fifth Starlight Sister to join the group after a very dramatic sort of introduction to our old friends. Apart from that, there’ll be more performances, more “family and friends stuff,” more character growth — and a super-exciting trip to London, where they’ll be giving a command performance, to top it all off!

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