Fans of books about bisexual disasters should, if they haven’t already, put Marisa Kanter’s book on their priority list. After all, what’s more disastrous than trying to make an ex jealous by faking a romance with someone else? But if you hadn’t already, fear not! That’s why we’re here, with an interview from the author perfectly designed to whet your appetite.
Quickly though, before we start, remember you can also keep up with Marisa on instagram! And, of course, you can still preorder Finally Fitz in time for next week!
Have you always known you wanted to be a writer? How old were you when you wrote your first story?
Pretty much! For as long as I could hold a pencil in my hand, I’ve been a writer—way before I considered that it was something that I could do, as, like, a career. I have so many old notebooks from elementary school that are filled with meandering short stories and lyrics from my songwriter era. In first grade, we had designated computer time where I would sit at a clunky desktop and write. My first story was about an inch worm befriending a caterpillar who, unbeknownst to them, was going to turn into a butterfly. I still have it because—like Fitz—I tend to hold onto childhood ephemera. I wrote my first book-sized novel when I was thirteen and haven’t stopped since.
What pieces of media would you say were formative for you? Do you see any of their features in your own writing?
Lizzie McGuire was, without a doubt, my first hyper-fixation. I could quote my favorite episodes, I had all the merchandise, I was obsessed. Pretty much the entire Disney Channel catalog from 2002 – 2008 was formative, and it’s so wild to watch back as an adult and see elements that didn’t age well, or aspects that felt super queer coded that always resonated with me way before I could articulate why. See: Cadet Kelly in its entirety and the “I Don’t Dance” sequence in High School Musical 2.
Another majorly formative moment in my life was the first time I saw RENT. I remember discovering the film adaptation of the musical in seventh grade and it bowled me over. Looking back, I’m pretty sure that it’s the first piece of media I consumed with explicitly queer representation, which, while not perfect, is representation that my teen-self clung onto. (Again having no idea why!!) Also, RENT is likely what drew me to New York, the city where I still feel the most at home, the city that I had such a blast revisiting in Finally Fitz.
When you close your eyes and imagine an apple, what do you see? An actual apple, a sketch of one, a blackness? Do you think that impacts your writing process?
Oh my God, the first time I had read about this it sent me down such a neuroscience nerd rabbit hole . . . because I see nothing. How much easier would setting and descriptive writing be if I were just able to close my eyes and see what I’m trying to describe? Alas, I cannot. It impacts my writing process in the sense that I can only set my books in places where I’ve lived and know extremely well. For me, no amount of research or Google Mapping can replicate the lived experience that is being immersed in a setting. And even when I do know a setting well, I still find myself Googling photos of buildings and specific places to aid in describing them.
If you wanted to learn about craft, which three authors would you suggest reading?
It’s so hard to limit this answer to three, but I’ll shout out three queer authors I’ve definitely learned from. Nina LaCour, who writes just the most stunning prose. Every word in a Nina LaCour book is chosen with such care. Becky Albertalli is a master of YA voice. And Courtney Summers gave me permission to lean into the messiness that’s being a teenage girl and existing the world as one.
When you’re building your world, what do you focus on? How do you try to make it come to life?
Part of this answer goes back to the apple question, that I tend to write about places where I’ve lived (or, in the case of my first two books, towns inspired by my hometown) because I love to write the quirky hyper-specific sensory details that are only possible to know about a place I’ve experienced. But also, I truly believe a book comes alive through well-developed secondary characters, so I spend a lot of time crafting my cast of characters that fill out the world. No matter how minor the character, I spend some time imagining them as the protagonist. Ask myself what would their story be? I strive to create fully realized characters that don’t exist just to further the plot of the main characters, and it’s honestly my favorite aspect of world-building.
What projects are you currently working on? Can you share any details yet?
I’m currently drafting a book that I am so incredibly in love with. It’s a bit of a departure for me, and I cannot wait until I’m able to share more!
Three pictures that capture the aesthetic of your book?
Three songs you would put in your book’s soundtrack?
For me, a project isn’t real (i.e. I can’t start drafting) until I have two things: the characters’ names and a playlist. I write while listening to music, so creating a soundtrack that fits the vibe of the story I’m telling is always part of my process. The first three songs on my Finally Fitz playlist are Motion Sickness by Phoebe Bridgers, jealousy, jealousy by Olivia Rodrigo, and 3am by Halsey.
What would be your dream project?
Lizzie McGuire IP, but from Kate’s POV. And she’s gay. Obviously.
Which of your characters would you most want to fight a zombie apocalypse with?
Honestly, I’m not sure how long any of my characters would make it in a zombie apocalypse but I would go down fighting with Fitz any day.
You’re stuck on a desert island and you’re allowed only three (LGBT) books. What are you taking?
Again, this is so difficult! If I had to choose three: Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli, Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert, and Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert.
You can collaborate on anything with anyone in the LGBT community: who would it be and why?
Phoebe Bridgers. She is just so effortlessly cool and someone whose music I found at the precise moment I needed it. It doesn’t even matter what the project is—collaborating on a concept album, adapting one of her albums into short stories—I’d be down for whatever.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marisa Kanter (she/her/hers) is a young adult author, amateur baker, and reality television enthusiast. She is the author of What I Like About You, As If on Cue, and Finally Fitz. Born and raised in the suburbs of Boston, her obsession with books led her to New York City, where she worked in the publishing industry to help books find their perfect readers. She currently lives in Los Angeles, writing love stories by day and crocheting her wardrobe by night. Follow her at MarisaKanter.com.
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