The Hot Author Report's Blogalogues talks to Allen about her new novel out this month:

"I try to bring the full flavor of my Southern upbringing to my books. Every book I’ve written has a strong food element to it. There’s a sweet and tangy taste to North Carolina I try to capture as I write: Barbecue, fried green tomatoes, Goo-Goo Clusters, MoonPies, Hummingbird cake."

"My favorite character from The Girl Who Chased the Moon is my elderly giant, Grandpa Vance. I remember when I first introduced Vance in the book. He walked into a room and had to duck under the doorframe. That’s when I realized this was no ordinary man, and I began to research gigantism. Vance’s mannerisms became based on information I found on the world’s tallest man, Robert Pershing Wadlow ... Vance became a character very close to my heart."

"The research for The Girl Who Chased the Moon was my favorite part. From researching the names of the monthly full moons, to visiting barbecue restaurants all across North Carolina, to pouring over biographies of Robert Pershing Wadlow – the tallest man in history – for inspiration for my elderly giant in the book, it was all magical."