Author Chat with Julia Day, Plus Giveaway!

YABC:  Who is your favorite character in the book?

JULIA DAY: Eden is my favorite. She has big goals, and she’s very focused on reaching them. But that means she’s had to build a prickly shell around herself to survive. Nobody expects her to ever amount to anything, but Eden knows she’ll prove them wrong. She’s had to rely completely on herself for whatever she needs, and it’s hardened her. I love that she finally trusts a few people to chip away at her shell, so that she no longer has to be so alone.

YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?

JD: The novel, definitely. While I was writing the story, I had a different working title. My editor suggested The Possibility of Something, and I counter‐offered by changing Something to Somewhere. Our first major collaboration on this book was its title.

YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?

JD: The title. The cover designer didn’t use a font; she sketched the text. It’s completely hand‐drawn! The whole cover concept is great, but the title is what makes it so amazing.

YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2016?

JD: It’s already out. The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh. Since I prefer reading all of the books in a series straight through, I waited until TRATD came out to read The Wrath and the Dawn. I started reading both books over a weekend and almost took a vacation day on the following Monday to finish.

YABC:  What’s up next for you?

JD: I’m working on a book that will release in 2017. The story is set during a summer theater camp for teens. The main characters are both on the backstage crew, where he’s the stage manager and she’s his reluctant assistant. I’m still researching the (untitled) book. A local high school let me observe their summer theater program. And since I have a subplot about a college “wooden bat” league, I’ve been attending baseball games and talking with players and umpires. I’m enjoying the research too much. I’ll stop. Soon.

YABC:  Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?

JD: There is a subplot about Eden babysitting for a little boy with autism. She accompanies him and his mom to a meeting with his teachers and school support team, where Eden fiercely states an opinion about how her young friend is being treated.

That scene was painful to write because something similar happened to my family. Twice. Both of my daughters have “invisible” disabilities. I had to go to school meetings where the teachers—the “experts” on educating children—would tell me that the only thing wrong with my girls was that they were lazy. It’s really hard for parents to fight that kind of statement—to be confident enough to know when the “experts” are wrong. With the help of a sympathetic principal and a wonderful health care team, we were able to get our girls diagnosed and to receive the accommodations they needed. But the look on my daughter’s face when her teacher called her a slacker? That’ll haunt me forever.

The scene at the school meeting made me cry. Still does.

YABC: Which part of the writing process do you enjoy more: Drafting or revising?

JD: Revisions! In my day job, I’m a software quality engineer, searching software systems for bugs. I love that I can use those analysis skills in the writing process. I rush through writing the first draft, so that I can move on to the real fun. It’s not until I’m analyzing and revising the plot that my characters begin to shine.

YABC:  What would you say is your superpower?

JD: “Line Luck.” I arrive at restaurants and get seated just moments before the crowd shows up. And this superpower doesn’t limit itself to the US. It follows me to other countries.

YABC:  Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?

JD: Donorschoose.org . It’s an organization that allows schoolteachers to seek crowd‐funding for classroom projects. Their website has figured out who I am, because it’s always sending me the most heartbreaking projects to consider. Teachers will ask for a set of chapter books or marble notebooks or an ink cartridge for their printer, and I’m just toast. 

Meet The Possibility of Somewhere!

Ash Gupta is having an amazing senior year, hanging out with his tight circle of friends and cranking out the kind of grades that his wealthy, immigrant Asian-Indian parents expect. A model student in every way, Ash is on track to earn every school honor there is… except one. It looks as if valedictorian will go to the anti-social, foul-mouthed girl who has been a thorn in his side throughout high school, and that’s just not a part of Ash’s–or his parents’–plan.

Eden Moore’s biggest goal is to escape the poverty that haunts her family. When she’s not babysitting a special needs boy, managing the high school website, or attending classes, she’s studying her ass off. Her perfect GPA should be enough to win her the class valedictorian title, and with it, an endorsement for the full-ride Peyton Scholarship. Eden’s sure this is her chance to get out of her dead-end town and her trailer-park life for good, until she discovers that the arrogant, rich Ash also wants the title and the scholarship that will come along with it —for the prestige.

To both of their surprise, when Eden and Ash are forced to work together on a school project, sparks fly. As they spend more time together, antagonism changes to romance. They start a secret relationship, even though they’re on opposite sides of nearly every social hierarchy their friends and families can imagine–race, class, social status.

Meet Julia Day!

Julia Day lives in North Carolina, halfway between the beaches and the mountains. She has two twenty-something daughters and one geeky old husband. When she’s not writing software or stories, Julia enjoys traveling with her family, watching dance reality shows on TV, and dreaming about which restaurant ought to get her business that night. The Possibility of Somewhere is her debut YA contemporary romance.

The Possibility of Somewhere

By: Julia Day

Release Date: September 6, 2016 

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS* 

Two winners will receive a copy of The Possibility of Somewhere (US only).

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