Sarvenaz Tash, author of THE GEEK’S GUIDE TO UNREQUITED LOVE, on stealing whatever moments you can to write

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re excited to have Sarvenaz Tash stop by to give us the scoop on her latest novel THE GEEK’S GUIDE TO UNREQUITED LOVE.

Sarvenaz, what was your inspiration for writing THE GEEK’S GUIDE TO UNREQUITED LOVE?

A few days after I found out my previous book, THREE DAY SUMMER, had sold, I was ruminating on what I could work on next. That book takes place over the course of a few days at the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969. And while casually discussing Comic Con with my husband, I was hit with an a-ha moment. Comic Con takes place over a few days too. And before I knew it, Graham’s voice was in my ear, telling me he’s in love with his best friend and that he wants to tell her at the biggest event of their social calendar: NYCC. Of course I knew right away that nothing was going to go according to his plan.

What scene was really hard for you to write and why, and is that the one of which you are most proud? Or is there another scene you particularly love?

There’s a speed-dating scene that I absolutely had the most fun writing. It makes me laugh to this day. As for the hardest scene: it was actually the final scene/chapter. I originally had a totally different ending for the book and I wrote my first draft that way. And then one of my very trusted beta readers pointed out to me that it was the wrong ending. So I wrote a different ending, and I spent a lot of time debating which one to go with. It was the first time I’d ever struggled so much with an ending (usually, I’m pretty good at beginnings and endings and get stuck somewhere in the middle). But, finally, I realized she was absolutely right and ending #2 won out.

What book or books would most resonate with readers who love your book–or visa versa?

There are a lot of amazing-sounding fandom books coming out this year, which I haven’t had a chance to read yet (All the Feels, Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here, Gena/Finn). Of ones I have read, I would say Ready Player One was such an intricately plotted, brilliant action/adventure book with so many pop culture references. And as far as fantastic contemporary YA romances go, I have to go with The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes. That book is vastly underrated, in my opinion. You go in for a fluffy romance, and get sucker-punched by these complex, multi-dimensional characters that—I promise—won’t leave your head and heart ever.

How long did you work on THE GEEK’S GUIDE TO UNREQUITED LOVE?

I wrote the first draft over the course of about six months. I was pregnant (and very ill) for most of it, so I only had about 20 minutes in the mornings to work on it before the nausea made it impossible to focus. It was an interesting experience, and hard, but I was extremely proud of what I accomplished by the end. Even though I’ve always had a full-time job and written in my spare time, this taught me even more about stealing whatever moments you can to write—a lesson that’s proving extra valuable now that I have a baby.

What do you hope readers will take away from THE GEEK’S GUIDE TO UNREQUITED LOVE?

I hope it makes them laugh and I hope that the love story—whether it’s love of another person or love of a piece of art—resonates with them in some way.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love
by Sarvenaz Tash
Hardcover
Simon & Schuster Books for You
Released 6/14/2016

John Hughes meets Comic Con in this hilarious, unabashedly romantic, coming-of-age novel about a teenager who is trying to get his best friend to fall in love with him from the author of Three Day Summer.

Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy…
Archie and Veronica…
Althena and Noth…
…Graham and Roxy?

Graham met his best friend, Roxana, when he moved into her neighborhood eight years ago, and she asked him which Hogwarts house he’d be sorted into. Graham has been in love with her ever since.

But now they’re sixteen, still neighbors, still best friends. And Graham and Roxy share more than ever—moving on from their Harry Potter obsession to a serious love of comic books.

When Graham learns that the creator of their favorite comic, The Chronicles of Althena, is making a rare appearance at this year’s New York Comic Con, he knows he must score tickets. And the event inspires Graham to come up with the perfect plan to tell Roxy how he really feels about her. He’s got three days to woo his best friend at the coolest, kookiest con full of superheroes and supervillains. But no one at a comic book convention is who they appear to be…even Roxy. And Graham is starting to realize fictional love stories are way less complicated than real-life ones.

Purchase The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love at Amazon
Purchase The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love at IndieBound
View The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarvenaz Tash was born in Tehran, Iran and grew up on Long Island, NY. She received her BFA in Film and Television from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. This means she got to spend most of college running around and making movies (it was a lot of fun). She has dabbled in all sorts of writing including screenwriting, copywriting, and professional tweeting. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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Have you had a chance to read THE GEEK’S GUIDE TO UNREQUITED LOVE yet? Have you ever been torn between two endings for your novel? Do you steal whatever moments you can to write? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy reading,

Jocelyn, Shelly, Martina, Anisaa, Sam, Erin, Susan, Michelle, Laura, and Kristin

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her debut was BATTLE OF THE BUTTS, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts. Her latest book is BATTLE OF THE BRAINS, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she’s not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her adorable dog. Find out more at www.jocelynrish.com.

Post @ Jocelyn Rish and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Jun 18, 2016

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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