Author Interview: Brian Zepka

It’s exciting times on Reads Rainbow today! Not only are we now self-hosted (!!!), but we have an interview for you with Brian Zepka, whose book releases next year, and it’s already one we’re very excited about. I mean, just look at this premise.

So sit back, have a read through this interview, and don’t forget to follow Brian on twitter!

Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first get into writing?

I started writing in college as a creative outlet. I was majoring in biology at the time and it really wasn’t fulfilling the creative side of my brain. Growing up, I was always drawing, painting, and just being creative in general. When I was super young, my brothers and I would come up with these elaborate stories for our toy action figures and we would act them out around our house and neighborhood for days. I was obsessed with the tycoon computer games like Rollercoaster Tycoon, Zoo Tycoon, Sim City, and Mall Tycoon. I played the trumpet, practiced wood burning, and took studio art classes. But when I got to college that all grinded to a halt and my life as a biology major became multiple choice tests and rigid lab work. Don’t get me wrong, I love science and was happy with my major, but I needed more of a balance. I found writing to be something that I could easily switch back and forth to from my coursework. I finished my first young adult book right around the end of my senior year of undergrad. It was terrible and nothing happened with it and no one will ever read it, but I learned a lot from writing that book. Plus it was really fun.

What are your favourite genres to read and write, and are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?

For reading—I love a good memoir. I read memoirs from politicians, celebrities, comedians, doctors, activists, musicians . . . anyone really. I just love the inspiration that comes from those real-world stories. Some of my favorites are Wild by Cheryl Strayed, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, and Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. And then of course I am always reading YA. Contemporary fiction is probably my favorite genre within the YA category. Followed by Sci-Fi/Dystopian/Adventure that is rooted in the real world.

I write contemporary young adult with light sci-fi or speculative twists. I don’t know if I would ever write a high fantasy or sci-fi novel that takes place in an imaginary world. It seems like too much to keep track of for me!

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?

All my book ideas have come out of some sort of real-life experience I had—like a college course, job, event, or relationship. The first book I wrote in college was inspired by my genetics class. The concept for The Temperature of Me and You came to me from something that happened on my commute to work a few years ago. And the main character in the book I am writing now works a job that I had in college and the story revolves around that boy’s job. Usually these ideas just pop into my head and I frantically write them down in the Notes app on my phone before I forget. Then I create a loose outline that is mostly just bullet points of the beginning, middle, and end of the story. I start writing and organically connect everything.

I don’t let anyone read anything until I’m finished a completed draft! It’s always so nerve-wracking I hate sharing drafts, so I wait as long as possible before I have to. It’s probably my least favorite part of the writing process. I also don’t have a set group of people I share things with. I kind of just ask certain friends, family members, or colleagues if I think they would be a good fit for the story.

Which three authors would you say influenced your writing the most?

The first author I want to mention is Suzanne Collins. I had an interest in reading when I was a young kid, but in high school I really didn’t make time to read. The Hunger Games was the first book I picked up in a long time and I could not put it down. I was obsessed. A short anecdote about this—one of my best friends and I used to pretend we were Tributes in the Hunger Games. We would text and call each other about our weapons, supplies, hiding places, sightings of tributes, and other stuff we just made up. We would go on runs around my neighborhood and pretend we were chasing or running from someone. And we were dead serious. It was next level. The books really got me excited about reading again and they sparked my interest in young adult literature. I wouldn’t be a writer without the influence of the Hunger Games Series.

The second author is Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is just a beautiful book. There’s not much else to say about it.

And the third is Stephen Chbosky. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is probably my favorite book. I remember the exact moment when I finished reading it—I was alone on the beach and just started crying. I’m not a crier so it was a moment. And I think that’s my ultimate goal with my writing—to move people with my words.

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?

It’s honestly so inspiring! I’m so happy I get to be creating and writing stories at this exact moment in publishing when things are moving in such a positive direction. I never saw myself in books, TV, movies or other forms of media as a kid. There’s always work to be done, but I am still pinching myself that I am a gay man who wrote a book about a gay teenager that is being released by Disney—and I am doing an interview on a blog called Reads Rainbow! I’m in an online group with other young adult authors who are debuting in 2022 and there are 28(!) authors in the LGBTQ+ subgroup. I’m so excited for queer kids to lose themselves in these stories and see their life experiences reflected in all the new positive LGBT representation. The validation that LGBT rep provides is so special. There’s just something powerful about a kid seeing something like a gay superhero and being like, “yeah, I can save the world too.”

What’s one piece of advice you would like to give your younger self?

Don’t be ashamed of your interests! I feel like when I was younger, I didn’t fully explore different hobbies or activities because I was either embarrassed that I liked them, had no one to do them with, or thought I wasn’t good enough. Try with confidence.

Summarise your most recent/next book in up to 5 words and a meme.

First love, friendship, and fire.

If (when!) your books were to be made into movies, who would you like to direct them?

Greta Gerwig would be a dream. Lady Bird has such an authentic teen voice and vibe. And another would be Denis Villeneuve. I love the high concept visuals in his films Arrival, Sicario, and Blade Runner 2049. The Temperature of Me and You is a love story at its core, but it also has pieces of action and sci-fi throughout. Denis Villeneuve weaves together action and personal stories with emotional depth in a really unique way.

If you could have dinner with one member of the LGBT community, dead or alive, who would it be?

Hmmm. There are so many. But I think I really need to go to dinner with Lauren Jauregui from the girl group Fifth Harmony. I was a Harmonizer (name of the fan base if you’re unaware) and I need to know the complete true Hollywood story of that group before I die. Much to discuss.

Is there a famous franchise or simply a movie/TV show you’d like to be able to write for?

Euphoria on HBO! The characters are so nuanced. The queer representation is complex and not one-dimensional. It really is unlike anything else on TV right now.

Rec us some great LGBT books you’ve read recently!

I literally just finished Carry On by Rainbow Rowell and was pleasantly surprised! If you’re not familiar, it’s about a boy wizard going through his final year of magical school. I was putting it off because I thought Harry Potter would just be on my mind the whole time, but it sucked me in. I am excited to finish the series.

Mama’s Boy by Dustin Lance Black was fantastic. It’s a memoir about his time growing up as a gay Mormon in Texas and his relationship with his mother. I grew up in a Catholic community and saw a lot of similarities between our upbringings while I was reading. Dustin’s life was also full of so many diverse experiences that make this such an interesting read. You literally go through his memories of being poor in Texas, living in rural California, his mother’s polio diagnosis, the Oscars, the fight for gay marriage and so many others.

Last rec—Autoboyography by Christina Lauren. I read this a couple years ago but I feel like it doesn’t get the hype it deserves. It’s so good! A cute and necessary love story. One of my favorites.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brian Zepka is an author and public health advocate, born and raised outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He pursued degrees in biology and public health, and upon his graduation he moved to Virginia where he completed a training fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There, he started writing his debut young adult novel, The Temperature of Me and You. It will be released on January 25, 2022 from Disney-Hyperion.

Currently, Brian lives back in the Philadelphia area. He is writing his next young adult novel, while working as a public health evaluation consultant, addressing issues such as tobacco control, chronic disease prevention, and environmental health management.

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