July 21, 2020

The Storyteller: An Interview with Erin Hahn

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View this email in your browser (|ARCHIVE|) Hi and welcome to Issue #5 of The Storyteller!

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I’d like to wish Erin Hahn, today’s guest, a very happy pub day for her second book, More Than Maybe!

Last spring, I received a bunch of upcoming releases from Wednesday Books. The cover of You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn caught my eye even before I picked it up and read the blurb. It had this “feel” of summer and, as I read the description of this YA contemporary about two country musicians, a vibe that just matched. When I did read it, a few months on, it was exactly what I needed – a layered, complicated but ultimately feel-good story with music as a bonus. You can read my review of it here (https://www.instagram.com/p/BzQsAOiAOE3/) .

I was thrilled when I received an ARC for More Than Maybe (mini-review here (https://www.instagram.com/p/B94eegHgg7t) ), in March, and even more excited when Erin agreed to do a little interview with me for my newsletter. The pandemic pushed ahead the book’s original May release date, but I’m happy to share our chat with you today.

Erin teaches elementary school, lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and love making playlists–so much so that she decided to write books to match them!

Before we jump into the interview, here’s the blurb for More Than Maybe (and there will also be a publisher-approved excerpt at the very end of the newsletter!) -

“Growing up under his punk rocker dad’s spotlight, eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. His real love isn’t in front of a crowd, it’s on the page. Hiding his gift and secretly hoarding songs in his bedroom at night, he prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing and meddling, far-too-jealousy-inspiringly-happy-with-his-long-term-boyfriend twin brother, Cullen. But that’s not Luke’s only secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell.

Vada’s got a five year plan: secure a job at the Loud Lizard to learn from local legend (and her mom’s boyfriend) Phil Josephs (check), take over Phil’s music blog (double check), get accepted into Berkeley’s prestigious music journalism program (check, check, check), manage Ann Arbor’s summer concert series and secure a Rolling Stone internship. Luke Greenly is most definitely NOT on the list. So what if his self-deprecating charm and out of this world music knowledge makes her dizzy? Or his brother just released a bootleg recording of Luke singing about some mystery girl on their podcast and she really, really wishes it was her?

In More Than Maybe, Erin Hahn’s swooniest book yet, Luke and Vada must decide how deep their feelings run and what it would mean to give love a try.”

AN: A bit of a cliche first question maybe, but I’d love to hear about your (ongoing) writing journey. Where and how it began, how you got to where you are now, where you think/want to go next?

EH: I’ve always been a storyteller, but I didn’t start seriously writing novels until about five or six years ago. It took me three years, five books and something like 300 rejections before I found my agent with my debut You’d Be Mine in 2017 (pub’d in 2019). The following year, I wrote and sold More Than Maybe and last summer I sold two more YA romances to my publisher Wednesday Books to be released in 2021 and 2022. I love writing YA romances, since that’s basically what I lived. I met my husband my first day of college when I was 17 and he was 19. But I love reading adult romance, too, so this summer, I’m trying my hand at writing my first adult romance. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll be able to do both. Love stories for everyone!

AN: What draws you to writing for and about teens? Are there particular themes you gravitate to in your work? Where do you find the stories you want to tell?

EH: Like I said, I love YA romance since that’s what I experienced, myself. Aside from that, however, I love and admire teens today. They’re so bold and adventurous and smart. They’re making real changes and standing up for themselves and I feel so fortunate to have the chance to write and reflect their stories. I write for the teen I was, too: an uber-responsible music nerd who grew up too fast. It’s best to write what you know, if you want to be authentic.

AN: There is an almost unexpected (but, for me, welcome) rawness and darkness that’s under the surface of your contemporary YA romances. How do you balance the demands of the genre while writing the stories you want to write without making it sound formulaic?

EH: Thank you for welcoming it! For a while, I wasn’t sure I’d ever find a home for my edgier kids, but I couldn’t give them up. Life is messy and traumatic, but wholly survivable, and all along, I’ve wanted to make sure my stories reflected that. Regardless of the romance. It’s also why I do dual POV. I want every character to have the chance to face and beat down their demons on their way to finding a healthy love of their own.

AN: How do you choose what to write about? I would love for you to talk us through your thinking process even before a concrete idea is born and how you develop it into a full-fledged novel. What does the process look like?

EH: I have lots of really good ideas, but very few that turn into full-fledged books. Sometimes I think that’s because they aren’t meant for me but for someone else, and other times I think it might just be a “later on” book. I had an idea for a very specific scene that I wrote maybe ten years ago for a random adult romance I never finished. I loved it, but it wasn’t quite right. The story fizzled and I moved on. Then, a few months ago, I was drafting my third to-be published YA Never Saw You Coming, and that scene just came to life. It wasn’t the scene. It was the character. That scene was just waiting for its proper protagonist. I had goosebumps the entire time I rewrote it. I love when that happens.

All my main characters and all my books have very specific soundtracks, but sometimes I’ll have a song and a scene in mind and I’ll put it in a book before realizing later, it’s someone else’s story. I guess what I’m getting at is that I am 100% a character-driven author. They come first. They dictate their story arcs and what ideas fit and don’t fit. Sometimes my editor or agent will love a certain idea or story pitch and then I’ll get to know my character and realize I have to start all over again because its not a good fit. I meet my female protagonist, first. Spend time with her. Write her soundtrack. Learn her goals. Then I meet my male protagonist and repeat the process. And then I weave their stories together in such a way that they’ll hopefully want to make out by the end.

AN: Have you found that any of your process has changed between You’d Be Mine and More Than Maybe?

EH: Not really. I’m a bit more organized these days, since there are more people involved in every step. I’m held accountable by deadlines and my editor. That requires me to have a plan in place, but to be honest, my early stages are still pretty messy and I still send quite a few “Sorry, forget that last thing, I’m doing this one now…” emails. The characters, man. They run the show!

AN: Music is a key feature of your books (you write very lyrically and organically about music and the feel and sound of music, which I love, by the way) and I wanted to discuss that with you. Do you listen to music while you write, how does it tie into you as a writer and your process? What is it about music and writing about music that pulls you in?

EH: Thank you! I listen to music as I daydream, plot, draft and revise. At every stage. I’ve studied lyrics my entire life. I’ve got notebooks of lyrics and even more stamped in my brain. I also study poetry (which is honestly just music without the instruments), taking note of the lyrical flow and measures. My favorite challenge is to convey as much emotion as possible in as few unique words as possible. I want my readers to be RIGHT THERE with my characters and know exactly what they are feeling. Like, when Vada is dancing, or Luke is composing…my readers might not dance or write music, but it’s my hope that they can relate through my words and feel like they’re in the moment. The best lyricists can convey that. They only have a verse or a bridge to get their point across and yet how many times have you heard a song and gone, “Man, they just get me.” That’s what I hope to emulate.

AN: How do your experiences as an elementary school teacher affect/inform your perspective as a writer?

EH: In More Than Maybe, it inspired the Active Shooter Drill scene. I’d just undergone some very heartbreaking and intense teacher training the days before writing and then had to pass that training down to my (very) young and vulnerable students. It’s so upsetting but also a reality children and teens in the US are dealing with on a regular basis. I think about all the issues my students go through: food insecurity, family trauma, foster homes, active shooter drills and racial inequalities and I’m really forced to imagine how these things will affect them as they grow into young adulthood. Then I channel that reality into my writing.

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I’ve decided to include a fun mini Q&A session to end my author chats with. If you have any questions you’d like me to add to this section, I’d love to hear from you!

1. What’s the last book that you read that you’d recommend and why? Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin Van Whyte was probably the sweetest romance I’ve ever read, let alone queer romance. Just heartfelt and perfect.

2. What’s the last TV show or movie you watched that you’d recommend and why? The Repair Shop on Netflix. It’s basically The Great British Bake Off, but for restoring furniture and so comforting.

3. What’s the last song you listened to that you’d recommend and why? “Julianna Calm Down” by the Dixie Chicks. Gosh, I can’t wait for this album to drop!

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Thank you, Erin, for that insight into your work, writing process, and creative life! I appreciate you taking the time out to answer my questions and look forward to chatting with you again.

All her relevant social media and buying links are at the very bottom just after the excerpt. I hope you’ll check them out.

EXCERPT (More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn, Copyright 2020 by the author and reprinted by permission of Wednesday Books)

I slip my phone back in my pocket, and the door opens again, causing my heart to flip-flop in my chest. Luke Greenly walks in, looking wet and harried and straight from my nerdiest daydreams, carrying his longboard under his arm and a cardboard coffee cup in his hand. Luke and Cullen aren’t identical twins. Cullen is tall and wiry with dark hair. Luke’s broad shouldered and fair with longish pale blond hair, currently plastered to his forehead despite the hoodie under his black leather jacket. He’s also got light gray-blue eyes behind bold black frames, contrasting his twin’s un-spectacled dark brown ones. Yet somehow, when they’re together, they look the same. They move in a similar way. And, yeah, their accents are yummy.

(I would never, ever admit it, but I play their podcast recordings before bed. Luke’s voice is extra soothing. Deep, lyrical, and crisp.)

The owner of those golden vocals approaches, and I duck, prodding at my nearly empty cup in an effort to hide my flaming cheeks. The Loud Lizard is my territory, and I am cool and calm and not at all flustered by Luke Greenly. We’ve spoken exactly nine times since Christmas and I’m, regrettably, still nervous around him. Also, I’m still counting. So, that’s . . . annoying.

“Hey-hey, Vada.” Luke clears his throat.

“Thought we wouldn’t see you tonight. Didn’t you have plans?” Cullen asks.

“I did, yeah. But Kazi didn’t show.” Thank God Kazi is reliably unreliable. No need to mention my Marcus drama to the Greenly twins.

“Shocking,” Cullen says drolly.

“Yeah, so I’m here. For a little longer anyway.”

“Well,” says Cullen, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. The music dies down as the band wraps up their set. Unless it’s a special occasion, our live music usually ends early on Sundays, which is convenient for the Greenlys. The sound booth isn’t exactly soundproof in this place. “D’you need a ride home?”

I shake my head and lean into him. “Nah, I brought my mom’s car since I planned to meet my dad. Wanted a quick getaway.” That part’s true anyway.

Luke’s full lips twist in a half grin, and he removes his frames to give them a swipe on the dry edge of his hoodie.

I pull out the keys Phil left me and lead Luke and Cullen down a dark hallway, away from the noise of glasses clinking and instruments being loaded up. I unlock the sound booth and flick on a light.

“All yours, boys.”

Cullen leans down and smacks a kiss on my cheek. “Thanks, doll.”

I don’t know the Greenly twins super well, but Cullen is definitely the outgoing one. He’s also very, very gay. He’s been with his boyfriend, Zack, for so long they won homecoming kings this past fall by a landslide. Maybe that’s why I can talk to him so easily. Or maybe that’s just Cullen. His superpower is making people comfortable.

But it’s rare for me to see Luke without headphones or even hear his voice in person. I give him my best smile, but he only nods shyly as they pass. I inwardly sigh, all lust and longing and whatever else alliterative pining I can come up with. You know it’s bad when I’m the social one. I wait for them to get hunkered down at the mics before I close the door with a soft click behind me.

Back on the floor, I fill another cup with cherries and settle in to people watch. We have the modern equivalent to a jukebox in the corner that can be fed off debit cards, and someone’s clearly coming off a bad break because a second loop of Demi Lovato’s “Sorry Not Sorry” has started. I skim the club for the culprit. My money’s on the black-haired beauty with Cover Girl’s Matte #5 stained on her one, two, three straws. “Get it, girl,” I mumble under my breath. Demi is a perfectly respectable breakup diva. See also: Sam Smith and Ray LaMontagne.

The door flings open with a gust of icy air, and Kazi appears in his pale, full-on dread-headed glory. I glance at my watch. Ohhhhh, he’s late. Or, later. Phil’s not gonna be happy.

I pass the keys to Kazi with a bored scowl. “You get to wake up Phil,” I say. He winces, and I don’t bother to hide my smile. “Also, he was expecting you half an hour ago, so.”

Grabbing my jacket from behind the bar and feeling for my keys, I wave goodbye to Ben and head out into the night. My breath huffs out in front of me. I unlock my door with a beep and immediately lock it behind me, turning on the heater and heated seats full blast and letting the ringing in my ears from an afternoon spent in a noisy club dissipate.

But I don’t like the silence. What I want is to walk back into the bar and perch on a stool and listen to breakup songs and banter with Cullen and let Phil preach at me. I want to help Ben pour drinks, cast dirty looks at Kazi, and wait for the moment Luke leaves and see if I can’t earn one last shy smile from him. I want to stay here. I want to delay the moment when I have to face my hurt feelings—or worse, my mom’s hurt feelings, because even after all this time, Marcus is still breaking two hearts with one drunken accusation.

After a minute, I release a slow breath and reluctantly pull my seat belt across my lap, backing out of my space to drive home. My real home, and not just the place that feels like it.

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Buy this book (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250231642) Website (https://www.erinphahn.com/) Twitter (https://www.twitter.com/erinhahn_author) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/erinhahn_author) Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17130322.Erin_Hahn)

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