Today we are very excited to share an interview with author A.M. Woody!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: A.M. Woody
Amanda Woody is a metro-Detroit-based queer author. They graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in English and a certificate in creative writing. When not writing and reading happily ever afters, they can be found drinking caramel apple cocktails, playing Hades, or rewatching childhood shows with their siblings. You can follow them on Twitter at @AmandaWoody_.
About the Book: Most Valuable Player
The cocky star QB and the team’s sarcastic water boy. What could go wrong? A sports romance with humor and heart from the author of They Hate Each Other
Cameron Morelli is hot sh*t. Worse, he knows it. With a godlike physique and a position as his varsity football team’s star quarterback, there’s nobody he can’t charm. So one might imagine his mortification when he’s rejected by Mason Gray, the team’s snarky water boy. To make matters worse, this disgrace is followed by Cam’s coach benching him until he can get his grades up. Luckily, a reliable tutor steps forward to help Cam reclaim his dignity—the boy who just humiliated him.
For Mason, tutoring an airheaded jock is nothing but a distraction from a past he can’t escape. What he doesn’t expect is to find something worthwhile in their conversations—something softening in the ice between them. Nor does Cam expect that Mason’s calm smile hides a harrowing story. As they slowly nudge through each other’s steel gates, the dangerous realities beyond high school threaten their deepening bond.
But really, it’s about football.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve always wanted to write a book about an arrogant himbo who falls for someone who can put him in his place. And I’ve always wanted to write a book about a traumatized character who learns that he’s worthy of kind love. So I decided to smash them together, and voila. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER was born – a strange amalgamation of humor and anguish.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
I really love the scene after Cameron reads Mason’s journal entries and they kiss in the rain, when Mason finally allows himself to be cared for and Cameron tries to be a safe space for him. Mason struggles so deeply with his sense of self-worth in this book, and this is a breakthrough moment for him that was really satisfying to write.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
Write for yourself before you write for anyone else. You’ll never satisfy everyone, so it’s important that you focus on writing what you want to read, and writing what makes you happy. Be self-indulgent, even if it’s unrealistic! Write the same tropes over and over in different flavors if they’re your favorite! Don’t pander to anyone but yourself.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
It’s so sassy and captures their personalities so well! Cameron being flirty and promptly rejected is a running theme through the book that the cover captures so well.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you want your reader to remember from this book?
You don’t have to earn a kind and gentle love. And if there’s anyone in your life who makes you feel like you do, they probably aren’t worth your time.
YABC: What are your favorite themes or tropes?
Big fan of all the popular ones, as long as they’re queer. 😊 Hurt/comfort, tall/small, opposites attract, thermal equilibrium (one is always hot and the other is always cold but when they hold each other, they finally feel comfortable), and need I mention enemies-to-lovers since it’s in the majority of my books? Haha.
YABC: Do you have a playlist you listened to while writing?
Big fan of video game soundtracks to set the mood, like Skyrim, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and The Last of Us. Otherwise I really love the Purrple Cat channel on YouTube, which plays cozy lo-fi!Anything that doesn’t have lyrics, really.
YABC: What kind of animal would your main character be and why?
Cameron is pretending to be a husky but he’s a golden retriever at heart. Which makes him the perfect pairing for Mason, the black cat.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Big fan of spending several pages of characters endlessly sassing each other. Which is probably why my most commonly written trope is enemies/rivals to lovers.
YABC: How do you cope with criticism from editors or the public?
I pretend I don’t care and then cry about it later, probably. (Look, let’s be honest. It really sucks when something so close to your heart gets panned. I’m working on reminding myself that the people who feel seen and touched by my writing are far more impactful to me!)
Title: Most Valuable Player
Author: A.M. Woody
Release Date: October 21, 2025
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780593695425
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Age Range: 14 +
~ Giveaway Details ~
Three (3) winners will receive a copy of Most Valuable Player (A.M. Woody) ~US Only!
That cover is so fun! I’m looking forward to this one.