Congratulations to Alice G who won the giveaway we ran last week for the 'A'wesome Pretty Little Liars prize pack. It was filled with goodies from hit television show Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family. Personally I am addicted to the show, my teenage daughter and I tune in every Tuesday night and watch it together. I was a fan of the series when it first came out, and then I saw a facebook post from one of my childhood friends..it read something along the lines of 'Please tune in to this weeks episode of PLL, I co-wrote it'. WHOA - I actually know someone who writes for this awesome show? How cool is that? I know my cool factor instantly went up a notch with my daughter!
Jonell Lennon is a writer on ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars. She's also worked on NBC's Lipstick Jungle and Fox's Standoff. Jonell earned an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA's School of Film, Television and Theater and a B.A. from the University of Virginia. She was born and raised in Port Jefferson, New York. Jonell was kind enough to send us a pile of swag for the giveaway and do an interview with me for our readers.
MK: How long have you been writing on the show?
Jonell: I wrote my first script in season one. There are currently seven writers on staff and we've all been on the show since the beginning which I think is a very unusual and special experience.
MK: Have you read the book series by Sara Shepard?
Jonell: I've read a lot of them.
MK: How close are the books to the storyline of the show?
Jonell: We use the books as inspiration for story-lines but we don't feel tied down to them.
MK: You grew up in small town Port Jefferson, how does that compare to life in Rosewood?
Jonell: In many ways the towns are similar: the population/size, distance from a major city, as well as the economic and ethnic makeup. Sure what goes on in Rosewood can be a bit dramatic at times (someone's incessantly stalking the PLLs and dead bodies keep piling up), but I think the heart of the show is the friendships the girls have with each other and that was very much the center of my high school experience.
MK: Did you ever do anything as crazy as the liars when you were in high school?
Jonell: Oh, yes. For sure. But I probably shouldn't reveal any more than that. :)
MK: Which of the liars do you relate to best?
Jonell: I relate to all of them in different ways, which is why it's so much fun to write for all of them. I think at one time or another, at different phases of my life, I've identified as the athlete, the artist, the academic-minded and the social one.
MK: How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a writer?
Jonell: Around the time I was a senior in college I knew, but I wasn't sure what type of writer I wanted to be or if I'd ever make a living at it. I thought maybe I'd work at a fashion magazine in NYC, but I quickly learned that my skill set was better suited to creative writing. Even then it took years to realize that television was where I fit best, as opposed to writing for film or theater.
MK: Who's your favorite cast member to work with?
Jonell: All the girls are extremely talented, professional and hardworking. And the crew is fantastic.
MK: Can you give us a hint about next season?
Jonell: The discovery that Alison was alive in season four was huge. It changed the course of the show. In season five, Alison will be back in the PLLs world. The big question is: has she changed? Is she the same old, manipulative person? Or have her years away matured her and made her a better human being?
MK: How does it make you feel that PLL is one of the most watched TV shows and the most tweeted about show ever?
Jonell: It's amazing and still blows me away. Our showrunner, Marlene King, was a huge advocate of social media right from the start and encouraged the writers to get twitter accounts (@jonell_lennon) so we could interact with the fans. And we do. Often it's with someone across the globe. It's incredible how widespread our audience is and how dedicated and passionate our fans are. I feel lucky to be part of something that brings so many people joy.
Not a fan of the show yet? You can catch up on seasons 1-3 of the series on Netflix. Episodes are also available for purchase through Amazon Instant Video, & Itunes, OR you might just be able to win seasons 1-3 on DVD leading up to the summer premier. Until then, we'll be trying to figure out the answers that left the season finale left us wondering about..Who is Mrs. D trying to protect? Who is A? What did Melissa whisper to Mr. Hastings? Will Ezra die? We can't wait to find out these answers when the show comes back on June 10!
