Author Q&A: Debut m/m writer Roan Parrish on her “scrappy professor/intense carpenter” love story

You guys. If you’re an m/m romance fan, I have a treat for you today: ROAN PARRISH IS HERRRRRRRRRRE. If you don’t know who she is already, I shall stop yelling and tell you: She is the debut author of the hotly anticipated In the Middle of Somewhere, she is UTTERLY FABULOUS, and she’s a damn fine interview. As you’ll see.

First, feast your eyes on the cover and blurb for In The Middle of Somewhere, which is out next month and already getting early raves. Then read on for Roan’s wise and witty insights on her narrator, Daniel—including which book is on his nightstand and how he’d react to one of those horrifying restaurant birthday serenades. I’m honored to have the divine Ms. P here for her very first interview; I know there’ll be many, many more in her near future!

 

About In the Middle of Somewhere

DANIEL MULLIGAN is tough, snarky, and tattooed, hiding his self-consciousness behind sarcasm. Daniel has never fit in—not at home with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates look down on him. Now, Daniel’s relieved to have a job at a small college in Northern Michigan, but, a city boy through and through, when Daniel arrives in Holiday, Michigan, it’s clear that this small town is one more place he just won’t fit in.

REX VALE clings to routine to keep loneliness at bay: honing his large, muscular body until it can handle anything, perfecting his recipes, and making custom furniture. Rex has lived in Holiday for years, but his shyness and imposing size have kept him from connecting with people. Though he loves the quiet and solitude of his little cabin in the woods, Rex can’t help but want someone to share it with.

When Daniel arrives in Holiday, they are smitten with each other, but though the sex is intense and explosive, Rex fears that Daniel will be one more in a long line of people to leave him, and Daniel has learned that letting anyone in could be a fatal weakness. Just as they begin to break down the walls that have been keeping them apart, Daniel is called home to Philadelphia where a secret is revealed that changes the way he understands everything.

Can a scrappy professor, an intense carpenter, and a stray dog make a go of it in their cabin in the woods? Sometimes, you have to go to the middle of nowhere to end up exactly where you want to be.

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Scrappy professor + intense carpenter = HELLS YEAH.

And now, some Very Important Questions (adjusts monocle):

JL: What personal quality does your narrator value the most in others? What quality does he hate the most?

RP: Hmm. Though I don’t know that Daniel would put it quite this way, he values generosity very highly. It’s one of the things that he responds to right away in Rex. Rex may be quiet, and god knows he has his own things to worry about, but from the second they meet, Rex is nothing but generous toward Daniel—believing the best of him even when he puts his foot in it, paying close attention so he can offer Daniel what Daniel actually needs, and being patient with Daniel even though he can be a little dense about relationships . . .

People have made judgments and assumptions about Daniel his whole life so he gets his back up at the slightest hint that someone is judgmental. And, really, he hates generalizations, so if you tell him that you’re sure everything will be fine he will probably point out to you that you cannot possibly be sure of any such thing. [Seems like a logical approach to the world. I like this young man already.—J.C.] 

JL: What book is probably on his nightstand right now?

RP: Well, Daniel’s favorite book of all time is A Secret History by Donna Tartt. In it, a guy who feels like he doesn’t fit in with his family moves across the country to go to a posh college in Vermont, where he also feels like he doesn’t fit in. (Yes, Daniel agrees that when described that way it does seem a bit on the nose.) Unfortunately, due to a rather, ah, heated encounter early in In the Middle of Somewhere, Daniel’s copy gets a wee bit mussed . . .

JL: If it was his birthday and all the waiters came out and stuck a funny hat on his head and sang a loud birthday song, how would he react?

RP: You know who would arrange for something like this to happen? Daniel’s best friend, Ginger. Purely for her own amusement. I think it might go something like this. [Um, can I just say I LOVE YOU for answering a question with a pseudo-deleted-scene?—J.C.]

Ginger’s telling a story about a customer at the shop who wanted a tattoo of his childhood teddy bear but I’ve stopped listening because some poor sucker is about to be humiliated in front of the whole restaurant. And, as there are only, like, six restaurants in all of Holiday (not counting the diner, which is more like . . . a town hall) that means someone’s about to be humiliated in front of about ten percent of the whole town. Look, what do you want from me—I teach English, not math.

They’re coming from the kitchen, three of them. One holding a plate of tiramisu with the kind of long, thin candles stuck in it that restaurants use on cakes like that makes it any classier to treat the normal adult occasion of having survived another year like a childish spectacle. They cross behind our table and Rex is looking at me with a strange expression. At first I don’t notice because, as often happens when I look at him, all I can think about is how stupid lucky I got that a guy like Rex wants anything to do with me. And thinking about Rex doing anything with me makes me think of this morning when I woke to Rex’s mouth sliding down my throat, his hands warm against my back as he—

Ginger’s snort drags my mind away from what Rex did to me this morning and toward . . .

No. No. The look on Ginger’s face is one I’ve only ever seen once before: when a woman came into her tattoo shop and said that she was looking to get two sleeves and Ginger could do whatever she wanted. It was a look like Christmas and Chanukah and her birthday and winning the lottery all rolled into one. It was predatory. Gleeful with the high of the impending kill.

And they’re stopping at our table. Next to . . . me. Ginger’s eyes have gone big and when I glance at Rex to make sure that this isn’t really happening he’s regarding me with some combination of pity, fondness, and desire that makes me think—just for a fraction of a second—that maybe this will be fine.

Then the youngest of the waiters whips a party hat out from behind his back and plops it on my head. Rex murmurs “Oh no” under his breath and Ginger mutters “Hells yes,” and I close my eyes and try to remember that Ginger is my best friend in the whole world. That I love her and she is like family—closer than, actually, given most of my family—and that human life has value, in order to avoid launching myself over the pressed white tablecloth that separates us and seeing how she fares in a knock-down, drag-out that isn’t against some wuss in a bar who tells her to smile.

“Looks great, Professor Mulligan,” the waiter says, and I slowly look up to find Greg, a student in one of my classes, smiling at me blandly. I close my eyes and count to three, thinking there’s a chance that when I open them again . . . but no. Still there.

Then the singing starts. I try to stop it—try to nod in that way that means, Oh, yes, we all know where this one ends so why waste the time? But they keep singing. Rex looks like he’s going to sink into the booth and Ginger is bouncing along delightedly. I close my eyes again.

“Um, professor?” I open one eye just enough to see the candle flames flickering level with my nose where Greg is holding the tiramisu. I can smell the coffee. Or whatever the hell is in tiramisu. Rex would know.

“Daniel,” Rex says, and I guess I’ve been staring at it a while because the candle’s melted down and started to drip red wax on the surface of the tiramisu, like blood spattered in the snow. But, no—Rex is trying to teach me not to be so negative, so I correct myself: like, um . . . roses on . . . on . . . snow. Screw it: it looks like blood and that’s disgusting.

“Uh, you okay, babycakes?” Ginger asks, her tone suggesting she knows she might have gone a bit too far.

I glare at her, then I pinch the candle flames out between my thumb and finger. Rex bites his lip.

Greg clears his throat and practically tosses the tiramisu onto the table. “Happy birthday,” he says, and they all scram, leaving me muttering.

“What?” Rex asks.

“Someday,” I say to Ginger, “I’m going to build a time machine. And then I’m going to go back to last week and not invite you to visit.”

“But!” and “Your birthday!” Ginger spits out. I say nothing. “I—er . . .” She laughs but it’s her nervous laugh. She smiles at me, but her eyes are darting to the middle of the table and she reaches out a hand toward the tiramisu. “I’ll just—”

“Mine,” I snarl at her and pull the tiramisu toward me.

“Oh—but—I—and—” She pouts.

I take one look at the tiramisu with red wax splattered on it and feel like heaving, but I’ll be damned if I give her the satisfaction. Her mouth is open like she can’t believe I won’t share.

Then Rex slides out of the book and puts his hand on the back of my neck. He’s so tall he has to bend down to take my hand off the dish of tiramisu and pull me upright. Then he gathers me close and whispers, “I’m taking you home now. Leave the tiramisu.” And his eyes add several sentences that couldn’t be spoken aloud in public.

He’s beautiful in the dim restaurant light and I nod, stepping away from the booth.

“Okay,” Ginger calls after us, “I’ll just meet you guys later. Much later,” she adds under her breath as we walk toward the exit.

Rex grabs my shoulders the second we’re outside.

“You should’ve seen your face,” he says, but rather than coming out like a tease, it’s almost like he means it: like he wishes we could’ve shared that moment. He pushes my messy hair out of my face and traces my cheek with the back of his hand. “Happy birthday, baby,” he says low.

And then his lips brush mine, and the restaurant, the singing waiters, the silly hat, and my best friend eating tiramisu dotted with wax all fade into nothing, because Rex is kissing me. And when Rex is kissing me, nothing can possibly be wrong.

[If you’ve melted into a puddle and want to take a break here to re-solidify yourself, I’ll understand.—J.C.]

[Better? Okay, back to the interview.]

JL: Who is Daniel’s secret celebrity crush?

RP: Daniel’s secret celebrity crush is Michael Wincott, a crush developed as a teenager watching The Crow (and reflecting back on his amazing Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) mainly on the basis of his incredibly creepy-sexy voice and his ability to project a sense of scorn unmatched by anyone Daniel has ever met, except, possibly, his older brother, Colin.

JL: What are three adjectives that describe him as a teenager?

RP: How Daniel would describe himself as a teenager: moody, angry, lonely.

How others would have described him: awkward, mysterious, lonely.

JL: What’s his #1 ambition when the book starts?

RP: To prove everyone wrong. His father and brothers who think his decision to go to grad school instead of working with them in their auto shop makes him a pretentious snob. His high school teachers who thought he’d never amount to anything. His snobby grad school classmates who thought he wasn’t as smart as them because he went to community college. His ex, Richard, who thought he was a charity case. Daniel’s . . . well, Daniel’s contrary like that.

JL: Why are your guys drawn to each other, and how would you describe their bond–sweet but angsty? fiery but functional?

RP: Daniel is drawn to how calm Rex makes him feel. Rex likes to take care of the people he loves and Daniel isn’t used to anyone taking care of him. Ever. So part of what draws him to Rex is how good it feels to have someone invested in him. It causes problems, too, though, since Daniel’s not that great at accepting the help, not matter how cared for it makes him feel. Rex is smitten with Daniel from the beginning, drawn to how contradictory he seems: tough and snarky one minute but vulnerable and unsure the next. He responds strongly to how much Daniel needs him. Also, did I mention they have pretty explosive chemistry? . . .

They definitely go through some angst to make their relationship work, but I would describe their bond as being more like a team: once they’ve committed to each other they’re like this little unit that enjoys exploring each other and would do anything to protect each other. They’ve both wanted the kind of bond they found with each other for so long that they’re willing to do anything to keep it safe.

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Okay, BIG HUGE THANKS to Roan for stopping by and sharing such awesome, in-depth insights about Daniel and Rex (and giving us a bonus scene in the process!). I just got my copy of In the Middle of Somewhere and can’t wait to dive in; I’ll share my thoughts with you guys when I’m done. In the meantime, you can preorder the book from Dreamspinners here (it’s set for release on July 10), and stay tuned to the esteemed I Love YA Fiction blog for an exclusive excerpt, coming soon!