Leah Johnson, author of You Should See Me in a Crown 

Goodreads: Describe your new book for us in a few sentences.

Leah Johnson: You Should See Me in a Crown is about a girl named Liz Lighty, whose number one goal is to get out of her small (and small-minded) Midwestern hometown and go to her dream school. But her plans are derailed when she doesn't land the financial aid she was expecting, and has to run for prom queen to secure the scholarship attached to winning queen. As if that wasn't tough enough, along the way, Liz also starts to fall for the competition—a new girl named Mack. 

You Should See Me in a Crown is a self-love anthem for queer black girls everywhere.

GR: Why did you want to tell this particular story?
 
LJ: My goal, always, is for black girls to come to my books and walk away knowing that they are loved. That they deserve beautiful things—that they are their own most beautiful thing.

Liz begins this story constantly attempting to make herself smaller and more palatable to better fit in—something I understood intimately—so I figured: What better way to remind girls that they're worthy of every bit of pomp and circumstance than to make gawky, anxious, magnificent Liz Lighty a literal queen? 
 
GR: What was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?
 
LJ: The most challenging part of writing this book wasn't in the writing at all (though that was also one of the toughest things I've ever done). When I began working on Crown, I wasn’t out—not even to myself. So in writing Liz's journey to self-ownership and shedding the shame that she's been taught about her queerness, I was doing that work right alongside her.

I had to learn to take up space, to love all the parts of myself that I was afraid to so much as name. Being given the space to publish this book has been the single greatest step in living the type of life I never thought I'd be able to have.
 
GR: What do you consider to be a classic, must-read queer young adult book, and who are the new voices in the genre that you're excited about?
 
LJ: Oh my goodness, this question is impossible! There are so many iconic, canonical texts in queer YA that I don't let my students leave my creative writing class without reading. But I'd have to say that above all Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz is a master class in what this genre can be. I will never stop singing that book's praises.

And as far as new voices are concerned, my debut class is full of incredible, brilliant queer writers that I'm learning from everyday. Adiba Jaigirdar and Kelly Quindlen in particular wrote two of my favorite and most anticipated queer YA novels so far this year. 
 
GR: What are the queer YA novels that you recommend to your friends?
 
LJ: My favorite question of all time! Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth, Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, and Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram to name just a few. 
 
GR: What is your favorite romantic trope, and why? (Or, alternatively, describe your dream real-life meet-cute.)
 
LJ: Give me fake-dating-but-oops-I-actually-love-you or give me death!
 

Shaun David Hutchinson, author of The State of Us

Goodreads: Describe your new book for us in a few sentences.

Shaun David Hutchinson: Dre is the son of the Democratic candidate for President of the United States. Dean is the son of the Republican candidate. They're thrown together during a lockdown at the first presidential debate, where they discover they have more in common than either of them realized. As a friendship (and more) begins to develop, a shady third-party candidate tries to use their burgeoning relationship to his advantage.

GR: Why did you want to tell this particular story?

SDH: I've always loved politics, and the 2016 election left me feeling raw and a bit hollowed out. I had to confront a lot of friends and family who voted for Trump, and many of those confrontations cost me the friendships. So I wanted to write a story that looks at the necessity of challenging each other's beliefs but in a way that allows both parties to grow.

And, truthfully, I also really wanted to write a sweet romance. Many of my books are a bit heavier, and writing Dean and Dre's story lightened my soul a little.

GR: What was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?

SDH: The most challenging part of writing The State of Us was portraying the ideological divide between Dean and Dre, and between Dean's and Dre's parents, without validating the aspects that I find abhorrent. Take a topic like gay conversion therapy. I will never, ever entertain the idea that conversion therapy is valid. Period. Therefore, I had to find a way to acknowledge that points of view I disagree with exist and that there are arguments that support those points of view without giving credence to them.

At the end of the day, I didn't want to spend the book making judgments about specific topics. What I wanted to do was create an atmosphere where readers will feel comfortable interrogating their own beliefs and the beliefs of their friends and family. Because change happens when we take the time to question ourselves and when we take the time to educate others. 

GR: What do you consider to be a classic, must-read queer young adult book, and who are the new voices in the genre that you're excited about?

SDH: I think How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters encapsulates everything that is wonderful about queer YA. I wish I'd had Julian's books to read when I was a teen, and I'm glad that current and future teens do.

As for new voices, there are so many! K. Ancrum isn't exactly new, but she deserves so much more attention than she's getting. The Weight of the Stars is a magnificently beautiful book about barreling through life without a safety net. I'm also dying to read Jake in the Box by Ryan Douglass. I heard him read a chapter from it last year and I was hooked. Adam Sass' Surrender Your Sons is brutal and beautiful. Then there's Aiden Thomas, who wrote Cemetery Boys. I'm halfway through it now and it's magical. There are, honestly, more amazing books coming out than I can keep up with. It's an embarrassment of riches.  

GR: What are the queer YA novels that you recommend to your friends? 

SDH: I'm a sucker for science fiction, so Willful Machines by Tim Floreen is always on my list to recommend. Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram, What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz, Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore. And, though it's technically not YA, The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune blew me away this year. It's got a YA sensibility, I feel, and I've been putting it into the hands of everyone I talk to.

GR: What is your favorite romantic trope, and why? (Or, alternatively, describe your dream real-life meet-cute.)

SDH: My favorite romantic trope is definitely enemies to lovers. I love being on the sidelines shouting, "You're perfect for each other! Stop bickering and you'll see how much you have in common!" It feels so relatable to me. And that moment when it clicks—when they look at each other and realize they don't actually hate each other, that they actually feel the opposite—it's literary heroin for me.
 

Lucas Rocha, author of Where We Go from Here

Goodreads: Describe your new book for us in a few sentences.

Lucas Rocha: Where We Go from Here is a story about love, friendship, and stigma regarding HIV-positive people. It is set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and follows the lives of three main characters: Ian, Victor, and Henrique. Ian just received the news that he is now HIV-positive, and his world understandably turns upside down. At the clinic where he gets tested, he meets Victor, who's there for the same reason after Henrique, a guy that he may like more than he is willing to admit, discloses his own positive status. Victor tests negative, but chats with Ian, offering to connect Ian and Henrique for mutual support. Then, we follow the lives of these three Brazilian guys, their families, friends, hopes, and dreams.

GR: Why did you want to tell this particular story?
 
LR: I had the initial spark to write Where We Go from Here after I read a medical article that asked for opinions on HIV and HIV-positive people in the 21st century. In the interviews, I saw a lot of misconceptions and prejudice against HIV-positive people, things that I'd thought were behind us, but which are still very much alive.

So, the first thing I did when I decided to write about this subject was to search for YA novels that portrayed discussions about HIV in a way that could be hopeful for the future, but I did not find many of them to feel like there were enough stories like this in the world.

I wanted to tell a story about people who live with HIV or have relationships with HIV-positive people in a way that was not stigmatized. I wanted to tell stories about people—complex people with hopes, dreams, and desires—and write about the virus not as a monster that turns your life into misery, but as a chronic condition that can be treated. I wanted to show people the possibility of the life after a positive diagnosis as a fulfilling one, full of beauty and color.
 
GR: What was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?
 
LR: The research was my main concern. When dealing with a subject such as HIV that can be sensitive to a lot of people, I had to be extra careful to deliver the proper information and to not spread misconceptions, improper terminology, and/or false truths. I went to treatment centers and talked a lot with infectologists and patients to understand the different points of view they had of the virus and of how it can affect one's life.

I also had to do a lot of rewriting: After my agent read the book, after my sensitivity and beta readers read it, alongside my Brazilian editor, and then with my translator and my U.S. editor. It was a collective work that I am very proud of.
 
GR: What do you consider to be a classic, must-read queer young adult book, and who are the new voices in the genre that you're excited about?
 
LR: I was a late reader of queer novels, so my understanding of classics might be lightly biased.

But there were two queer YA books that resonated with me from the very first page: Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. These two books changed my perspective in regard to seeing myself in narratives, because all I had read before were novels with straight characters. They showed me that it was possible to be a protagonist and not only a supporting character. Because of these novels, I was able to understand that my narrative as a person is also valid, and that my voice must be heard.
 
As of right now, I have a whole list of favorites! It makes me utterly happy to have a list of queer authors to suggest, and not just two. My favorites include Vitor Martins—another translated Brazilian debut, whose book, Here the Whole Time, is going to be released on November 10, 2020—and anything by Abdi Nazemian, Shaun David Hutchinson, Adam Silvera, Alice Oseman, and Leah Johnson.
 
GR: What are the queer YA novels that you recommend to your friends?
 
LR: Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins: a sweet queer novel about a fat boy who must share his bedroom with his lifelong crush for 15 days. It is also a Brazilian novel and one of my favorites because it tackles themes like fatphobia, body image, and overall insecurities of growing up being fat and gay with a lot of humor and heartwarming moments.
 
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian: This is one of the most beautiful novels I've read in my life. It talks about the power of community for queer people and wonderfully portrays the mess that is being afraid of coming out. It's also a tribute to Madonna, to pop music in general, and, especially, to love. Most important, it's set in New York during the AIDs crisis, and it shows us how the young queer people dealt with this new and unknown world. It is just an incredible book.
 
GR: What is your favorite romantic trope, and why? (Or, alternatively, describe your dream real-life meet-cute.)
 
LR: I'm a big fan of the stuck together trope—more so if it's done alongside enemies to lovers—because it is both uncomfortable to watch the characters freak out while trying to find a way out of a difficult situation and the perfect scenario for them to work out their differences and start having real conversations. I love when the characters express their feelings in a truthful way to sort out their problems and realize that they have a lot more in common than they initially thought, and that they are meant to be together until the end of times—c'mon, let me dream a little bit!
 

Ciara Smyth, author of The Falling in Love Montage

Goodreads: Describe your new book for us in a few sentences.
 
Ciara Smyth: The Falling in Love Montage is about Saoirse, a girl who does not believe that relationships last. She doesn't see the point because someone is going to get hurt when it ends. Enter Ruby: She argues that if they know when the relationship will end at the beginning, then no one can get hurt. Swayed by Ruby's general hotness, Saoirse agrees to a time-limited relationship that includes only the fun stuff you see in the falling-in-love montages of Ruby's beloved rom-coms. 
 
Then as the author I rub my hands together and do an evil laugh because things are not going to go to plan for them. 
 
GR: Why did you want to tell this particular story?
 
CS: I have watched one million rom-coms and I love them deeply, but they are mostly very heterosexual; the lesbian-focused films I grew up with tended to be quite serious and often bleak. For a long time as well, stories have centered around coming out, and that has been and continues to be important, but I really wanted to read and watch what happens after that story.

It was important to me to show a young Irish lesbian who is comfortable with her sexuality and is dealing with other issues and getting into mischief like everyone else, because that's what I would have wished for myself. 
 
GR: What was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?
 
CS: I think every part is challenging when you're doing it. And then when you're on to the next phase you think longingly of the last one.

But I think getting that first edit letter was a challenge, even though I was lucky to have two wonderful editors who I felt very in sync with, but it can be quite overwhelming. I felt like I'd knitted a scarf and then I had to somehow go back and fix the problems without unraveling the whole thing. Except that scarf also represents your heart, soul, and career. It's an important scarf. I've just been through that phase on my second book and I can tell you that feeling doesn't go away. 
 
GR: What do you consider to be a classic, must-read queer young adult book, and who are the new voices in the genre that you're excited about?
 
CS: Even though it's only eight years old, I think The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a classic and one everyone should read. It's beautiful and heartbreaking and one of my all-time favorites.
 
This year there are so many queer YA debuts coming out that it is impossible to mention everyone I'm excited about, but for fantasy readers I would recommend Kat Dunn (Dangerous Remedy) and Helen Corcoran (Queen of Coin and Whispers), and for those looking for more rom-com fun, look out for Kelly Quindlen (Late to the Party) and Leah Johnson (You Should See Me in a Crown).
 
GR: What are the queer YA novels that you recommend to your friends?
 
CS: Amy Spalding's The Summer of Jordi Perez is one that I really love, and it inspired me when I was writing The Falling in Love Montage. I found it so uplifting and refreshing, and I wanted to write something that gave readers the same feelings. Another recent favorite of mine is Perfectly Preventable Deaths by Deirdre Sullivan, which is lyrical and witchy. Deirdre has a unique style and point of view in YA. 
 
GR: What is your favorite romantic trope, and why? (Or, alternatively, describe your dream real-life meet-cute.)
 
CS: Kristen Stewart will start a production company. She will read my book because she heard that it's funny and sweet and also name-checks her. She falls in love with it and absolutely must produce it! Of course she wants it to be authentic, so she makes sure it's filmed in Ireland and invites me to the set to watch filming and serve as a script consultant. I'm super excited and I can't wait to meet her, but then I realize she's butchered my book! I think she's a Hollywood hack. She thinks I'm a demanding artiste. We bicker constantly over the details.

Then one night over yet another rewrite, the lights go out. But we have to stay and work on the big scene being filmed tomorrow, so we light some candles and get to work. Somehow in the candlelight, haggling over what she considers gratuitous use of Irish slang, she realizes she loves me and I love her. And yes, this is not the first time I've thought about this.