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Brian Katcher

Goodreads Author

Born

in St. Louis, The United States

Website

http://www.briankatcher.com

Genre

Young Adult

Member Since

June 2008

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Popular Answered Questions

Hello, Brian! Could you tell us a little bit about your new novel?

Brian Katcher Hello, and thanks for asking! My newest book, THE IMPROBABLE THEORY OF ANA AND ZAK will be available on May 19th, 2015 from Katherine Tegen Books.…moreHello, and thanks for asking! My newest book, THE IMPROBABLE THEORY OF ANA AND ZAK will be available on May 19th, 2015 from Katherine Tegen Books. Here's a blurb:

Zak 'Duke' Duquette wants nothing more out of life than to play video games, hang with his friends, and attend Washingcon, the largest comic book convention in Seattle. This is especially true this year, now that his widowed mother has remarried and his stepfather insists on living with them.

Unfortunately, Zak has blown off a major assignment for a class and is in danger of failing...and by failing, not graduating. The only way he can make up the credit is to 'volunteer' as an alternate at a quiz bowl tournament...the weekend of Washingcon.

Ana Watson, captain of the quiz bowl team, is not thrilled with having Zak on the team, considering him a slacker and a loser. But she has more important things on her mind: the team, her grades, and her younger brother, Clayton, who's also on the team. Sure, Ana would like to take some time off, maybe not study or bend the rules a bit...

Ana used to have an older sister, Nicole. Nicole bent the rules. Ana doesn't have a sister anymore.

At the Friday tournament, Zak gripes nonstop about the convention he is missing: the wild parties, the crazy costuming, the nonstop fun. Clayton is intrigued. So intrigued, in fact, that under the cover of the Seattle rain, he sneaks out of the hotel to see this event for himself.

Ana and Zak have to drag Clayton back to the hotel before the sponsor realizes he's gone. Zak knows the con like Han knows the Kessel Run. He can flush Clayton out, no problem (and maybe score points with Ana). Ana, on the other hand, knows her brother can be very devious when he wants to, and realizes what will happen if her parents find out he ran off.

Together, Ana and Zak descend into a world of Klingons, furries, bronies, cosplayers, filkers, Wookies, drunks, geeks, and party animals. They run afoul of a angry girl with a longbow, a seven-foot-tall viking, a pack of zombies, and several of Zak's ex girlfriends. As the night wears on, they start to realize the only ones they can depend on are each other. And maybe that's not such a bad thing.
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Almost Perfect is one of my all time favorite books. I was wondering, what inspired you to write the novel? Was there any hesitation to have it published?

Brian Katcher Thank you! Well, I wanted to write a boy-meets-girl story that hadn't been done a million times. I eventually hit upon the idea of a heterosexual guy…moreThank you! Well, I wanted to write a boy-meets-girl story that hadn't been done a million times. I eventually hit upon the idea of a heterosexual guy who falls for a girl who had to work to achieve her female identity. Could such a relationship work? I tried it as a short story, but my writers' group told me that I couldn't pull that plot off in 80 pages. Do it as a novel or don't do it. It took a lot of research, and the more I talked to real life Sages, the more I realized that this was a story that needed to be told.

As to publishing hesitation, not really. In fact, Almost Perfect was probably the easiest of all my books to have published. I was lucky to have an editor who was willing to take a chance on the topic.

Thanks for reading!(less)

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Combine Editions
Brian Katcher’s books

Average rating: 3.8 · 13,857 ratings · 1,810 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	Almost Perfect 3.85 avg rating — 8,173 ratings — published 2009 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak 3.71 avg rating — 4,421 ratings — published 2015 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Playing with Matches 3.80 avg rating — 916 ratings — published 2008 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Deacon Locke Went to Prom 3.72 avg rating — 209 ratings — published 2017 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Everyone Dies in the End 3.89 avg rating — 93 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Awake by Tracey Pennington, Robin Reardon (Goodreads Author) , Jordan Taylor (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 45 ratings — published 2011 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Brian wants to read Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Brian wants to read The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel by Moe Bonneau	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Brian rated a book really liked it Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 13, 2019 06:29PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Brian and 2 other people liked Forever Young Adult's review of Girls on the Verge: "Graded By: Stephanie Cover Story: Hubba Bubba BFF Charm: Big Sister Swoonworthy Scale: -1 Talky Talk: High-School Required Reading Bonus Factors: Friendship, Acting, Road Trips Anti-Bonus Factors: Pro-Lifers, Crisis Centers Relationship Status: Planned P..." Read more of this review »
Apr 12, 2019 09:02AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Girls on the Verge by Sharon Biggs Waller. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Girls on the Verge by Sharon Biggs Waller <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Brian rated a book liked it Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Brian and 4 other people liked Mandy's review of Let's Talk About Love: "2.5/5 I had a hard time connecting with the MC, and found the plot lacking. I do appreciate how tactfully this book deals with asexuality, however. It's important to have these sorts of books available to YAs (and adults!) who might be struggling w..." Read more of this review »
Apr 08, 2019 09:14PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Brian and 2 other people liked grieshaber.reads 's review of Let's Talk About Love: "Let’s Talk About Love is an issues book that’s an Issues Book. Like the many positive reviewers on Goodreads, I love the representation in this book: a strong woman of color who is bisexual and an aromantic asexual. And that cover! I absolutely lo..." Read more of this review »
Apr 08, 2019 09:14PM · see review
Brian rated a book really liked it Forever Nerdy: Living My Dorky Dreams and Staying Metal by Brian Posehn	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Brian rated a book really liked it Miles Left Yet by Holly Schindler (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Great adventure story about three senior citizens proving that life does not end at sixty. Engaging characters, an original plot, and lots of humor kept me turning pages until the end of the trip.
Mar 31, 2019 03:34PM · like · see review

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Quotes by Brian Katcher

“Everyone thinks they're the only one who's ever been hurt.”
― Brian Katcher, The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak

23 likes

“Everyone has that one line they swear they'll never cross, the one thing they say they'll never do. Not something serious like I'll never kill anyone or I'll never invade Russia in the winter. Usually, it's something less earth-shattering.
I'll never cheat on her.
I'll never work at a job I hate.
I'll never give up on my dreams.
We draw the line. Maybe we even believe it. That's why it's so hard when we break that promise we make to ourselves.
Sage Hendricks was my line.”
― Brian Katcher, Almost Perfect

19 likes

“Because that's the way the world works, isn't it? You can work hard and be miserable, or do nothing and be happy.”
― Brian Katcher, The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak

tags: life

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Polls

Which book should the YA LGBT Group read for our February 2013 Book of the Month?

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

by John Green and David Levithan

30 votes 43.5%

Scars

by Cheryl Rainfield - edgy 16+

14 votes 20.3%

Accepting Me

by Jo Ramsey

12 votes 17.4%

Almost Perfect

by Brian Katcher

7 votes 10.1%

Luna

by Julie Anne Peters

4 votes 5.8%

Out

by Laura Preble - role reversal

2 votes 2.9%

69 total votes

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Brian’s Quotes

“Yes; your house is dull enough to drive people to think.”
― Alexandre Dumas, Il Visconte di Bragelonne

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“dreamers--which the English call splash; Arabian poets gasgachau; and which we Frenchmen, who would be poets, can only translate by a paraphrase--the noise of water falling into water.”
― Alexandre Dumas, The Vicomte de Bragelonne

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“this is a very fair gathering--circumspect, calm, accustomed to disturbance, acquainted with blows! Peste! I have been lucky.”
― Alexandre Dumas, The Vicomte de Bragelonne

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“Mazarin, in his character of cardinal and prime minister, was almost an atheist, and quite a materialist.”
― Alexandre Dumas, The Vicomte de Bragelonne

1 likes

“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”
― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

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