Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Farah Heron (REMEMBER ME TOMORROW)!
Meet the Author: Farah Heron
After a childhood filled with Bollywood, Monty Python, and Jane Austen, Farah Heron constantly wove uplifting happily ever afters in her head while pursuing careers in human resources and psychology. She started writing her stories down a few years ago and is thrilled to see her daydreams become books. The author of Accidentally Engaged and The Chai Factor, Farah writes romantic comedies for adults and teens full of huge South Asian families, delectable food, and most importantly, brown people falling stupidly in love. Farah lives in Toronto with her husband and two teens, a rabbit named Strawberry, and two cats who rule the house. She has way too many hobbies, but her thumb is more brown than green. For more information visit www.farahheron.com.
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About the Book: REMEMBER ME TOMORROW
East House is the oldest and least desirable dorm on campus, but it has a draw for lonely university freshman Aleeza Kassam: Jay Hoque, the hot and broody student who vanished from East House five months ago without a trace. It’s irresistible to an aspiring investigative journalist like Aleeza.
But when she starts receiving texts from Jay, the mystery takes an unexpected turn. To put it mildly. His messages are coming not only from Aleeza’s own dorm room but from the past―only weeks before he disappeared. Sharing space, if not time, Aleeza and Jay are living the impossible, and they start working together to prevent his inevitable disappearance. Causing a temporal paradox that could blow up the universe is a risk they’re going to have to take.
Aleeza digs through Jay’s suspicious friends, enemies, and exes, determined to find out what happened to him. Or what will happen to him. But it’s becoming more than a mystery. Aleeza is catching feelings for her charming new roommate. Wherever, and whenever, he may be.
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~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
My daughter and I were brainstorming plot ideas one day and she mentioned a manga she read about characters communicating from different times, which reminded me of the movie The Lake House, which I always loved. So, I rewatched the movie, and figured out how to set it in a Toronto University.
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
I love Aleeza, because she reminds me so much of me. I was a big mystery reader when I was young, and, like Aleeza, I also felt like I was always the sidekick, or the background character in my friend’s lives. I also love Jack– he was supposed to be a minor character in the story, but I liked him so much that I started writing him a larger part in the plot.
YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?
The title came last for this book. I’m terrible at titles, and my editor and I were brainstorming for a while to come up with one. Remember Me Tomorrow was her suggestion, and I love the title.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
Probably the ‘fight’ scene, even though I admit, it’s not a great scene. I knew that writing my first crime novel meant I had to write an action-packed show-down with the villain, but all my early drafts were so laughable! As a romance writer who is good at banter and emotion, this scene was so out of my wheelhouse. My villain sounded almost comically dastardly, and the action seemed forced. It took several drafts, but I finally got it to be less cringey.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
My work habits have improved so much. I used to stay up and write until 3 am and then wake up at 11 am. Took me a long time to start treating this as a job with regular hours. It’s helped me so much with consistency and I’m sleeping so much better!
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
I absolutely love the colors on the book cover, and how the line down the middle makes it clear that Aleeza and Jay are in different times.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
My next YA just went to copy edits. It’s called Meet Me on Love Street, and it’s a YA rom-com about two teens who work together to put on a neighborhood love-themed festival to save their neighborhood from developers and gentrification. I love the book so much– it’s swoony, and relevant to modern societal issues. It will be out summer 2025!
YABC: Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?
All the scenes where Jay and Aleeza were getting closer were hard to write, because I found it tricky to escalate the emotional intimacy between them without them ever being physically together while they fell in love. I couldn’t use my normal tricks of nonverbal communication, so I needed their dialog, or their text messages do all the work. It took a lot of tweaking, and I had to rely on a flashback scene, but I am happy with how it turned out.
YABC: What advice do you have for new writers?
Be adaptable! I never would have thought I would write a time skip mystery romance, but I am so glad that I did!
Title: REMEMBER ME TOMORROW
Author: Farah Heron
Release Date: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Skyscape / Amazon Publishing
Genre: YA Mystery Romance
Age Range: 15+
