If you’re not a fan of Sophie yet, I don’t know what you’re doing with your life. Personally I’m in love with her novel from last year – Only Mostly Devastated – it easily made my list of YA books with supportive parents. (You can also check out my review here.)
And so obviously I can’t wait for y’all to be able to read her upcoming novel – Perfect on Paper. It’s getting published on March 9th, and yes, I absolutely did make Charlotte include it on her rec list of m/f romances with bi mcs. Don’t forget Sophie actually has another book coming out this year, too, co-written with Cale Dietrich – If This Gets Out.
So without further ado, read on to see how openly Sophie talks about her fanfic past & how much it taught her, about zombies, and more. And don’t forget to follow her on Twitter!
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first get into writing?
I’ve been telling stories since I was absolutely tiny, although I used to draw them out scene by scene when I was too young to write. I started writing fanfiction at eleven, and loved the experience, and also gained a decent following! From there, writing became a part of me, and I wrote original fiction online from thirteen or so onwards, until I stepped back to attempt to get published at twenty-one.
What are your favourite genres to read and write, and are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?
I love reading almost anything with a strong romance plot, and ditto for writing! I actually wrote mostly spec-fic online, only really moving into contemporary when I decided to pursue publication. I’d read or write just about anything except for high, epic fantasy. If all the character’s names are invented by the author, it’s usually a good sign for me that it’s a little too far down the fantasy road for my taste. There’s not many things I wouldn’t do. I’ve brutally murdered a love interest at the end of the book before, and I’ll do it again if given too much free reign. Nothing is sacred.
How do you get inspiration for your books and what’s your writing process? At what point do you let other people read your drafts and who are they?
My books usually arrive on my doorstep unannounced, invite themselves in, and follow me around the house until I crack and write down their outlines. I always start with a thorough outline, then I write the first chapter or two, then I tend to go rogue and write out of order, whichever scenes interest me the most that day. I usually send critique partners my first draft, but I write super clean, so I’m comfortable with them seeing it (probably leftover from my “write a chapter, upload the chapter for public consumption immediately” fanfic days). As for the who, they’re usually other authors I’m close with. Some, like Cale Dietrich, have been there since 2014, swapping drafts with me for early feedback the whole time!
Which three authors would you say influenced your writing the most?
Stephen King, Jodi Picoult, the fanfiction community (when I was developing my own writing voice, the fanfiction community is where I was most readily able to access queer stories—the other authors mentioned were already on my family bookshelf! I know the fanfiction community isn’t one author, but I stand by it).
And for something that is also very important to us & what we put a lot of emphasis on when blogging. What does ownvoices LGBT representation mean to you?
I have a complicated relationship with the ownvoices label for LGBT representation. To me, it should mean supporting and boosting authors openly writing from their own experiences, and celebrating the stories they have to tell. As with any relatively new idea, however, the group application of it has left something to be desired. When used as a strict criteria to be met, rather than a useful descriptive tool for readers to know when a book is written from personal experience, it has the potential to cause a large amount of damage, and I, personally, have felt the resulting pressure to share things before I was ready, both by the reading community and within publishing as a professional industry. I would like to see most of the emphasis placed on celebrating those authors who are openly out, which is where I think there is the greatest potential for good. I think Reads Rainbow does a wonderful job of this.
What’s one piece of advice you would like to give your younger self?
Don’t overwork yourself so much. I know you’ve had it drilled into you to have several, VERY solid backup plans if writing doesn’t work out, but the average human isn’t supposed to do 80 hour work-weeks.
Summarise your most recent/next book in up to 5 words and a meme.
Agony Aunt is a Disaster Bi
If (when!) your books were to be made into movies, who would you like to direct them?
I’m not a movie buff so know VERY little about directors, but I’d love someone from the community!
If you could have dinner with one member of the LGBT community, dead or alive, who would it be?
Neil Patrick Harris, because he seems like the sort of person I’d be best friends with, and I can always use more best friends.
Can Kristen Stewart come too? For, like, dessert, if I can’t have both the whole time? I’d really like Kristen Stewart to come too. Thanks!!
Which of your characters would you most want to fight a zombie apocalypse with?
Matt from Only Mostly Devastated, because he’s captain of the basketball team and therefore a great runner. Finn, from Perfect on Paper, because he’d be the most entertaining. Ainsley, from Perfect on Paper, because she can make clothes for all of us while we wait out the zombies (How long does that usually take? I’ve never actually watched a zombie movie. Do zombies have a lifespan?)
Is there a famous franchise or simply a movie/TV show you’d like to be able to write for?
I would love to do one of those gritty Disney novel retellings / backstories!!! Let me give Prince Eric a traumatic, angsty upbringing, please.
Do you have any secret non canon ships in your books you wish people would write fics for?
Jon and Angel from IF THIS GETS OUT is the first time I’ve strongly felt like this!!
Rec us some great LGBT books you’ve read recently!
The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros, It Goes Like This by Miel Moreland.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sophie Gonzales writes young adult queer contemporary fiction with memorable characters, biting wit and endless heart.
She is the author of THE LAW OF INERTIA and ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED. PERFECT ON PAPER and OFF THE RECORD (co-written with Cale Dietrich) are forthcoming in Winter and Fall 2021 from Wednesday Books / Macmillan.
When she isn’t writing, Sophie can be found ice skating, performing in musical theatre, and practicing the piano. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia where she works as a psychologist.
She is represented by Molly Ker Hawn of The Bent Agency.
Follow on Goodreads | Buy Only Mostly Devastated | Pre-order Perfect on Paper | Pre-order If This Gets Out
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