Jessica Knoll wrote "Helpless," available Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Jessica Knoll
LOS ANGELES, July 7 (UPI) -- Jessica Knoll said elements of her new book, Helpless, available Tuesday, were inspired by pressure she felt after her first book, Luckiest Girl Alive. In Helpless, screenwriter Faye laments that all of her interviews ask her to represent broad women's issues.
Knoll also adapted Luckiest Girl Alive into the screenplay for the Netflix film starring Mila Kunis and Finn Wittrock. That book dealt with a sexual assault and a school shooting.
In a recent phone interview with UPI, Knoll said she was careful to address those issues "with a lot of care and a lot of thought." Still, stepping into those worlds was fraught.
"It was tough when the film came out and I felt like I had to be very careful in how I spoke about it," Knoll said. "I'm not saying it's a bad standard to be held to but it's a lot of pressure. So I was looking for a place to put those feelings. The character of Faye gave me that opportunity."
