Plot Twist: Authors AMA
JP Brammer, Zakiya Dalila Harris, Larissa Pham, and more interview yours truly.
When I started this newsletter at the end of July, my goal was to reach 1,000 subscribers within the first year of writing it. A few weeks ago—to my pleasant surprise—I blew past that goal. And I didn’t even need to resort to witchcraft or blackmail! It just happened???? I’m still trying to wrap my head around that, but, while I do, I would like to thank each and every person who has welcomed this queer loudmouth into their inbox once a week.
To celebrate, my friend, Kyle, had the brilliant idea of having authors I’ve interviewed or whose books I’ve covered interview me. Below are eight of those authors who’ve kindly obliged. And please don’t forget to help me thank them by buying their books!
Edgar Gomez: Is there something you didn’t write about in Born to Be Public that, in retrospect, you wish you had?
Yes, and then no. I felt this way in the months leading up to its publication, and maybe even for a few months after that. Someone I was very close to in college reached out to me after my book came out and was like, “Hey, I just got your book and skimmed through it to see if you’d written about me, but I couldn’t find anything. Did you mention me at all? :(,” which, I believe, is the first time this has happened to a memoirist, ever. At first, I was like, COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. Then I felt bad. The truth is: I did write about her, about us. But my editors and I had decided to cut those chunks, among many others. We cut around 30,000 words in the end because we deemed those words more extraneous than purposeful with regard to the narrative. I had to explain to her that it wasn’t personal, and that, at the end of the day, I had to do what was best for the art.
I stopped wishing I could make changes to my book when I came across this exchange between writers Jean Chen Ho and Erik Gleibermann on Twitter:
This helped me make peace with every word in my book. It also helped me make peace with the fact that someday in the future, maybe four or five or however many books from now, I may cringe at the mention of my first book. It’s like Facebook reminding you of something wildly embarrassing that you posted back in 2009. I feel like, as authors, we’re like plants, and we repot ourselves with each book we write, so that we can grow and flourish and sprout new leaves. If we’re not changing, then we’re not growing. In a way, I think it’s even good to one day look back at your first book and wince; it means you’ve gotten better. But I will always love my first book, and the writer I was at the time, because that dumb bitch gave me the roots I needed to grow into the dumber bitch I am today. <3
Emily Austin: Which character from PBS’s hit show Arthur do you identify with most with and why?
Listen, I could take a “Which character from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia are you?” quiz, and I would still get D.W. from Arthur. All roads, for me, lead to D.W. Read. I’ve always been snarky, unable to hide my emotions, and just plain extra AF. I also grew up with an older brother, so I was always trying to tag along and present myself as someone mature for their age. I related to that a lot growing up. Also, I, too, became drunk with power when I got my first library card.
Christopher Gonzalez: What is your quintessential sandwich order?
This is why I asked you to contribute a question, because I knew you would ask the right one. Thank you for allowing me to shine a spotlight on the simple, yet classic, chicken sandwich. Chicken (crispy, duh), lettuce, tomato, bacon, possibly cheese (depends on how much I want to feel like dying later), and a generous helping of honey mustard between two sesame seed buns is my usual go-to. Because of my precarious digestive system, I will, more times than not, order some version of this from one of the bomb-ass vegan establishments near me, one of which is a vegan soul food spot that I can only describe as biblical—every bite is heavenly.
Jen Winston: I trust your taste in books with my life, so I have to ask: Which book would you bring with you to…
…a desert island?
…a dive bar?
…a family reunion?
…the Oscars?
…AWP?
…a first date?
First of all, I am honored. Thank you. And my answers are as follows:
A desert island: Naamah by Sarah Blake
A dive bar: Just Kids by Patti Smith
A family reunion: Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
The Oscars: A Star Is Bored by Byron Lane
AWP: Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde (which is what I’m currently reading and bringing with me to AWP this year!)
A first date: How to Date Men When You Hate Men by Blythe Roberson
Rax King: What’s your ideal night out these days?
I was about to type, “getting stoned and watching Selling Sunset,” until I noticed one key word: out. If I do subject myself to the nightmare of leaving my house (kidding! Kind of), I usually opt for a one-on-one with a dear friend, and it will usually be at a hole-in-the-wall spot, because some things never change. If it’s dark, save for some tea light candles, and it looks like The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” will come on any minute, you will, sooner or later, find me there.
Larissa Pham: What’s the story of a favorite tattoo of yours that you haven’t told before?
I got a tattoo of a seahorse on my forearm the last time I was in LA, which was at the end of 2019. I was in town meeting with agents, managers, and producers for a pilot that I wrote. I was really proud of that pilot—it won two awards and was named a finalist in a handful of competitions—so I decided to get a tattoo as a reminder of how far my words have gotten me. Literally! They brought me to Hollywood! I chose a seahorse because, in the script, there’s a joke about someone getting a seahorse tattoo, so not only does it look cool, it’s also a nod to the opportunities I can create for myself.
Zakiya Dalila Harris: Is there any particular work of art—in any medium—that you return to more than others?
I wish I had some sort of answer like Caravaggio’s Bacchus or Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, but I don’t. All this tired ho wants to do is grab some Smartfood white cheddar popcorn and start my umpteenth rewatch of Charmed.
JP Brammer: Gun to your head, someone asks: What is your deal? How do you respond?
I’m just a girl, trying to put her records on.
Credits
Art by: James Jeffers
Editorial assistant: Jesse Adele
You can follow my other unhinged missives by following me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. My debut memoir, Born to Be Public, is out now.