Next Big Thing Blog Hop: in which I announce my new book and chew my thumbnails off

So months and months ago, I got tagged in the Next Big Thing blog hop by the awesome Sam Schooler, author of The Practical Guide to Trying Not to Die and the upcoming Proprietary Rights (thanks, Sam!). I was too deep in the Cave of Eternal Revision to fill out the Q&A back then, but now I think I see a thin crack of light in that boulder wall way up ahead, so it’s time.

BOOK NEWS DEAD AHEAD! *bites nails*

What’s the title of your book?

We Won’t Feel a Thing

What genre does your book fall under?

It’s a YA contemporary comedy-romance, with elements of magical realism.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Two teenagers fall in forbidden love and sign up for an experimental self-help program led by a mysterious scientist, who promises he can rid them of their romantic feelings in six easy steps. (Spoiler: IT’S NOT EASY.)

What inspired you to write this book?

I’m always drawn to characters with a “you and me against the world” dynamic, and stories that threaten them with separation. So I wanted to write about that: the feeling of being a weirdo, and having to say goodbye to the one person who can finish your sentences, and the fear that you’ll never meet someone else who’ll understand you like that.

My characters, Rachel and Riley, have lived in the same house since they were eight—Rachel’s grandfather was an old family friend, and they took her in when he died. The family’s pretty strange and isolated, so Rachel and Riley developed this super-intense bond to cope; it’s almost like they’re the Blue Lagoon kids in the middle of small-town Nebraska. They’re each other’s best and only friend. They’ve always seen themselves together forever, sharing a big room with twin beds like Bert and Ernie.

And then they each get an offer they can’t refuse.

Rachel gets into her dream college in New York, and Riley snags this one-of-a-kind art internship in California. And once there’s this threat of separation, they realize their feelings for each other have left Platonic Junction. Which is terrifying because a.) Riley’s parents expect them to act like siblings, even though they’ve never thought of themselves that way, and b.) if they give in to their feelings, they know they’ll never be able to leave each other and go after their separate dreams.

That’s why they sign up for the WAVES self-help program. And that brings me to this question:

Where did the idea for your book come from?

Years ago, a good friend of mine was talking through a problem. We had a mutual friend who was a scientist and hopelessly devoted to logic, and he said something like “you know, if you’d just learn to engineer your emotions, you’d be a much happier person.” She and I were like OMG WHAT NERVE, and then I went home and thought “that’s my next book.”

WAVES is not your typical self-help program—the scientist, David Kerning, has co-developed this super-advanced technology that gets rid of troublesome emotions by acting on each of your senses. Like, there’s an Olfactory Intervention step, a Visual Intervention step, etc. But the catch is that the program is still in the testing stages, so Rachel and Riley are guinea pigs, and ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN. And pretty much everything does. It’s not giving too much away to say that the whole thing backfires spectacularly. (And entertainingly. I hope.)
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

These characters have been with me since 2003! I was fiddling around with a few projects at once, and that was one of them. I finished editing the first version around 2007, but I ended up shelving it to work on a book about two sci-fi fanboys in love (which turned into How to Repair a Mechanical Heart). I decided to bring this one out of hiding and pretty it up, but that turned into a top-to-bottom rewrite—I ended up keeping maybe 8% of the original text. I had a blast taking it apart and figuring out what I should’ve done the first time around.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Within YA—I’d maybe compare it to Francesca Lia Block’s Weetzie Bat books (only probably less awesome), Joan Bauer’s comedy-romances like Thwonk! and Squashed, and the Lemony Snicket books—I know that’s more middle grade, but this one has kind of a similar feel in terms of the tone/humor.

Outside YA—it might appeal to people who enjoy contemporary fairy tales, Wes Anderson’s movies, and those Bryan Fuller shows like Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies. I talked about the book a little over at the Crunchings & Munchings YA blog a while back, and someone called it a “YA Eternal Sunshine,” which I love! (I remember I was like six months into writing the first draft of this when that movie came out, and I kind of got freaked for a second, but then I saw the movie and the stories are really different.)

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? (post pics)

I love this question, and I just made a Pinterest board that answers it!

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I had a great experience publishing my first novel, so it wasn’t even a question—I knew I’d be putting this one out myself, too. It’ll be out in March of 2014.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Rachel is obsessed with grammar and wants to be New York’s most feared and respected copy editor.

Riley is a mosaic artist and worries about everything, including zombies, flash mobs, and scurvy.

I wish they were real so I could hug them, and think I’ve been dragging my feet finishing this ‘cause I’m going to miss them so much.

Anyway. I can’t wait for March! I hope you’ll check the book out. In the meantime, you can:

Follow the inspiration board for We Won’t Feel a Thing on Pinterest

See style boards for Rachel and Riley

Stay tuned to the blog and follow me on Twitter for the latest news about the book, including the cover reveal, excerpt, and trailer!

And as for my own Next Big Thing tags, I’d like the following amazing ladies to give us the scoop on their WIPs, ‘cause I’m reading their current books right now and they’re great:

Julie Hutchings (author of RUNNING HOME)

Kristen Strassel (author of BECAUSE THE NIGHT)

Check them out—Julie and Kristen both blog as The Undead Duo over at Deadly Ever After.

(If you’d like to be tagged, too, just let me know!)