Interview with Rachel Lynn Solomon

 

Hello, lovelies! As you know I’ve read and reviewed the wonder that is You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone (my review), I absolutely adored it and rated it five stars. Fantastic Flying Book Club made this interview possible and I thank them for that! Rachel Lynn Solomon agreed to answer all my questions and I’m sure her answers will make you want to read this book even more.

If you forgot (even though I’m sure it’s hard with me screaming about this all the time), this book was released on January 2nd and you can order it now!

My Interview with Rachel Lynn Solomon

 

1. What are some of your favourite authors? Did any of them inspire you in your writing career? 

Thank you for having me, Marta! Some of my favorite YA authors are Courtney Summers, Corey Ann Haydu, Jenn Bennett, Miranda Kenneally, Nina LaCour, and Amy Reed. Their books absolutely inspire me; they write with a fearlessness I deeply admire. To me, writing YA is all about taking risks, being bold, putting something out in the world that hasn’t existed in quite this way before.

 

2. Family bonds tend to overshadow romantic relationships in your book, what was the reason behind this? 

There are a lot of absent parents or bad parents in YA, and I wanted to write about a family with two loving, present parents who are trying their best but sometimes mess up. I actually wrote a whole backstory for the parents in order to get to know them better. I also wanted to play with the idea of one twin relating more to her father, and the other to her mother, and the strange jealousy that can inspire. The family is imperfect, but they are trying.

 

3. What inspired you to write such complex female characters that aren’t necessary likeable? 

I’m often inspired by things that make me mad, and I hate how society often puts girls in boxes. They’re expected to be nice above anything else. I read so many reviews of books with interesting, complex protagonists that being with, “I didn’t like the main character.” Why do we need to like the main character in order to relate to her? I don’t want to read a book with a protagonist who makes zero mistakes. Mistakes are the best things to read about! I’d so much rather write a relatable, complicated character than a “likable” character. I want to give the girls in my books the space to mess up and be messy.

 

4. How important do you think it is to have diverse books?  

I’ve always gravitated toward diverse books, but it wasn’t until I started reading early reviews of YOU’LL MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE that I truly realized the power of an #ownvoices book in particular. Jewish readers have been so thrilled to read about practicing Jewish characters in a book that isn’t about the Holocaust, and that was a huge part of why I wrote observant Jewish characters. Growing up, I assumed Holocaust narratives were the only stories we had to tell. Someone telling me, “I finally saw myself in your book,” is beyond incredible. I’ve been moved to tears a few times—seeing your book impact someone else is truly surreal.

Diverse books aren’t just important but entirely necessary. Everyone should be able to have not just one but entire shelves full of books with characters like them.

 

5. Is there anyone from your characters that you especially relate to? 

I relate to each twin in different ways! I was similar to Tovah in high school, logical and overachieving and single-minded, but on the inside, I was a bit of Adina…though I never let those thoughts come to the surface. I’ve joked that Tovah is who I was in high school, and Adina is all the thoughts I had but never acted on.

 

6. What is your most favourite thing about being a writer? 

Finding the perfect last line for a book, one that wraps everything up and maybe even parallels the first line, satisfies the reader yet still leaves them thinking about the book. The last line in my book that comes out in 2019 is my favorite one I’ve ever written!

 

7. Can you tell us anything about your future projects?

I’m working on revisions for another contemporary YA, which will be out from Simon Pulse in 2019! It’s about the aftermath of a kidney transplant between best friends, complicated by the fact that the donor is in love with the recipient. It’s dual POV, like YOU’LL MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE, and deals with friendship codependency, identity, and music.

You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone

by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: January 2, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Synopsis:

A moving, lyrical debut novel about twins who navigate first love, their Jewish identity, and opposite results from a genetic test that determines their fate—whether they inherited their mother’s Huntington’s disease.

Eighteen-year-old twins Adina and Tovah have little in common besides their ambitious nature. Viola prodigy Adina yearns to become a soloist—and to convince her music teacher he wants her the way she wants him. Overachiever Tovah awaits her acceptance to Johns Hopkins, the first step on her path toward med school and a career as a surgeon.

But one thing could wreck their carefully planned futures: a genetic test for Huntington’s, a rare degenerative disease that slowly steals control of the body and mind. It’s turned their Israeli mother into a near stranger and fractured the sisters’ own bond in ways they’ll never admit. While Tovah finds comfort in their Jewish religion, Adina rebels against its rules.

When the results come in, one twin tests negative for Huntington’s. The other tests positive.

These opposite outcomes push them farther apart as they wrestle with guilt, betrayal, and the unexpected thrill of first love. How can they repair their relationship, and is it even worth saving?

From debut author Rachel Lynn Solomon comes a luminous, heartbreaking tale of life, death, and the fragile bond between sisters.

 

                                                   

Rachel Lynn Solomon is a Pacific Northwest native who loves rainy days, tap dancing, red lipstick, and new wave music. Her debut contemporary YA novel, You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, will be out from Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse in spring 2018, with a second book, A Year of Bad Ideas, to follow in 2019.

Rachel has written for newspapers, produced a radio show that aired in the middle of the night, and worked for NPR, and she currently works in education. Rachel lives in Seattle with her boyfriend and tiny dog. She’s represented by Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency.

 

 

here

Giveaway (U.S. Only)

• Prize : 1 signed Hardcopy of YOU’LL MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE by Rachel Lynn Solomon (US Only)
• Starts: January 2nd
• Ends: January 17th
• US Only
• Enter here

Have you ordered this book yet? Don’t you love when authors challenge awful tropes in your favourite genre?