Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Rebecca Danzenbaker!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Rebecca Danzenbaker
Rebecca Danzenbaker believes in trusting your gut and chasing your dreams. That probably explains her massive career jumps—from teaching elementary school music, to managing a team of twenty-five at Congressional Quarterly, to running an award-winning photography business, to writing young adult novels. When she’s not editing words or photos, she’s either reading, hiking, sending memes to friends, volunteering, planning incredibly detailed travel itineraries, being a goofball on social media, or cheering on her husband and two children as they chase their own dreams. Soulmatch is her debut novel, the culmination of five years of blood, sweat, and tears. She did it!
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About the Book: Soulmatch
In a world where past lives determine your future, a sharp-witted girl confronts a major twist of destiny, embroiling her in a high-stakes game of danger, corruption, and heartbreak in this young adult speculative romance perfect for fans of Scythe and Matched.
Two hundred years after World War III, the world is at peace, all thanks to the soul-identification system. Every eighteen-year-old must report to the government to learn about their past lives, a terrifying process known as kirling. Good souls leave the institute with their inheritance, a career path, and if they’re lucky, a soulmate. Bad souls leave in handcuffs.
It’s a nerve-wracking ordeal for Sivon, who, given her uncanny ability to win every chess match, already suspects her soul isn’t normal. Turns out, she was right to worry. Sivon’s results stun not only her, but the entire world, making her the object of public scrutiny and anonymous threats.
Saddled with an infuriating and off-limits bodyguard, Sivon is thrust into a high-stakes game where souls are pawns and rules don’t exist. As deaths mount, Sivon must decipher friend from foe while protecting her heart against impossible odds. One wrong move could destroy the future lives of everyone Sivon loves, and she can’t let that happen, even if they’ll never love her back.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write Soulmatch?
In 2010, I passed a cemetery while driving and randomly wondered if my former self was buried there. How would our lives differ? Did we share any of the same talents or skills? What would they tell me about themself if they could? Perhaps someday we’ll develop the technology to identify souls, connecting us to our past lives. Seemed like a fun concept for a YA novel!
At the time, I had two toddlers and was working in the corporate world while building my photography business. Already suffering from lack of sleep, I wasn’t about to add writing to the mix. Instead, I jotted down notes here and there, brainstorming the ways soul identification would reshape relationships, politics, laws, self-worth, and more. I told myself I’d write the novel when I had the time. Shuttering my photography business during COVID gave me just that.
YABC: Who is your favorite character in Soulmatch?
I’m gonna cheat a little here and say Vivi and Corah, my main character’s twin best friends. They’re modeled after my lifelong friends, Whitney (Light) Rutz and Carri Light. Unlike their fictional counterparts, neither Whitney nor Carri are intelligence agents, but they share their personalities and offer the same unwavering support. Vivi and Corah were the easiest characters to write because I simply had to imagine what my friends would do in the same situations.
YABC: Which character gave you the most trouble when writing Soulmatch?
I have two here as well, but to avoid spoilers, I’ll stick with Janus. I’d originally planned Soulmatch as a duology with Janus not appearing until the sequel. When my agent signed me, she suggested I merge my planned sequel with the existing story. Her idea made sense, so over the next few months, I stripped away characters and scenes, compressing two books into one and introducing Janus three-quarters of the way into the novel.
I should’ve known better. Through subsequent revisions, Janus moved to the middle, then a quarter of the way in. He now appears in the second chapter. When you read Soulmatch, please appreciate the numerous plot changes required to accommodate the early arrival of Janus!
YABC: What research did you do to write Soulmatch?
I wanted the soul identification process to feel like the natural evolution of existing technology. Google led me to the work of Semyon Kirlian, a twentieth-century scientist who invented the methodology and equipment for photographing auras. His work was later debunked, but in Soulmatch, I rewrote history, crediting him not for documenting auras, but souls.
Despite the many references to chess, I didn’t learn how to play until I began writing Soulmatch. I’ve still only ever played a few actual matches with friends.
I studied the various beliefs about the afterlife for the few passages where religion comes up.
For the “treasure hunt” part of Soulmatch, I watched James Cameron’s documentary, Deepsea Challenge, and modeled my submersible after his.
The research that truly gave me chills was when I went looking for an island near the Mariana Trench, pinpointed Guam, started exploring the island for places to reference, and came across Puntan Dos Amantes (Two Lovers Point). The name and lore fit so perfectly with Soulmatch that I went back and added references to it throughout. The chapter that takes place in that spot was the most thrilling to write and changed very little from first draft to final edit!
YABC: What scene in Soulmatch are you most proud of, and why?
While the Puntan Dos Amantes chapter was the most fun to write, the one I’m most proud of is the climax. I completely rewrote the ending during developmental edits, and it took a couple of days just to plot it out. After making a list of what reveals needed to happen, I arranged them into a logical order, so that once my main character started making connections, they fell like dominoes. I cannot stress how much brain power went into weaving together so many loose threads for the new finale. I’m obsessed with it.
YABC: If you were able to meet them, would you be friends with your main character?
I love Sivon, but I think I’d be too intimidated by her genius to be her friend. I realize that being of my own creation, her intelligence should mirror my own, but she’s undefeated in chess while I just learned to play a few years ago. And she’s way cooler than me. If we met, I’d probably just ask for her autograph and slink away.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from Soulmatch?
Your losses don’t define you, neither can anyone else.
YABC: What can readers expect to find in your book?
Sci-fi that reads like fantasy. A strong and savvy heroine. Girls supporting girls. Heartbreak and hope. Witty dialogue. High-stakes action. Angst for days. Political intrigue. Over two-dozen plot twists. And swoon-worthy romance to boot! I included my favorite tropes: hate to love, slow burn, forbidden love, love triangle, soulmates, and forced proximity.
Soulmatch is a standalone novel that ends with a happily ever after.
YABC: What new release books are you looking most forward to in 2025?
I’m so excited to be a part of the YA dystopian revival! Can’t wait to read Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, Coldwire by Chloe Gong, and The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold.
More 2025 releases I can’t wait to get my hands on: Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane (murder mystery at an amusement park), Boys with Sharp Teeth by Jenni Howell (vampires at a private school), Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours (clairvoyant teen investigates friend’s disappearance), Pride or Die by CL Montblanc (dark comedy murder mystery). I have so many more! Someone clear my calendar!
Title: Soulmatch
Author: Rebecca Danzenbaker
ISBN-13: 9781665963701
ISBN-10: 1665963700
On-sale date: July 29, 2025
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Ages: 12 and up
Grades: 7 and up
*Giveaway Details*
Three (3) winner will receive a copy of Soulmatch (Rebecca Danzenbaker)! ~ US ONLY (No P.O. Boxes)!
