Lance Rubin's Blog

Episode 3! I talk with the stupendous I.W. Gregorio, author of NONE OF THE ABOVE, about:

*the origin of Ilene’s pen name (0:52)
*a day in the life of a surgeon/YA author (1:50)
*what kept her motivated while writing None of the Above (2:50)
*thoughts on her next project (3:57)
*the importance for Ilene of having a day job (4:30)
*the tradition of physician/writers: (5:51)
*her decision to go into medicine (6:24)
*the inspiration for None of the Above (7:59)
*whether or not the patient who inspired None of the Above has read it (11:27)
*the response of the intersex community (11:57)
*Ilene’s involvement with We Need Diverse Books (12:54)
*thoughts on Asian-American representation in books (13:22)
*why the protagonist of None of the Above is white (16:14)
*a fun fact about Ilene (17:26)
*some YA book recommendations (18:08)
*I rant briefly about the doling out of stars (19:36)

My brother Dustin started a great new podcast called EVERYONE BUT ME, exploring that 21st-century sensation of being on social media and feeling like everyone’s got it figured out but you. 

I was honored to be his first guest, speaking openly about my creative journey and struggles. And squirrel penis. Checkitout!

Episode 2 of Really Deep Conversations with YA Authors, in which I interview the delightful Becky Albertalli, author of SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA.

Things we discuss include the following (FYI on YouTube, these appear in the description and you can click on them to go to the topic of your choice):

*what Becky was like as a teenager (1:14)
*Becky’s journey from being a clinical psychologist to being a novelist (4:24)
*second book struggles (Becky’s currently on the 7th draft of hers) (8:19)
*the fear that your publishing contract is going to be canceled (10:35)
*the voices in your head while you write (11:47)
*the negative comment Becky hears most about her book (12:37)
*thoughts on being a straight woman writing a book about a gay male teen (17:08)
*the origin story of the Shoreo (18:56)

Here’s a trailer for Episode 2 of REALLY DEEP CONVERSATIONS WITH YA AUTHORS, which features the awesome Becky Albertalli and will drop this Thursday.

I shared lots of love for many books last year on social
media, and I want to start this year by mentioning all those wonderful reads on
here for easy, all-in-one-place consumption. There will be a number of posts,
five books at a time, in no particular order, over the next couple months. Here’s we go!

My Heart and Other
Black Holes, by Jasmine Warga

This was the first 2015 debut book I read (that wasn’t my
own), and I was only ten pages in when I thought, “Hot damn, the 2015 debut bar
is set high.” For a book that deals with such a dark subject matter—depressed protagonist
Aysel wants to commit suicide and is looking online for a partner to make sure
she sticks to her plan—this book has a surprising sense of humor. Don’t get me
wrong, it’s really sad and really painful, but like life, there are still laughs
woven in there amongst all the darkness. It makes the book even more human and,
as a result, even more moving.

The Distance Between
Lost and Found, by Kathryn Holmes

When I finished reading this one, I was astounded to learn
that author Kathryn Holmes had never lived through an experience like this.
It’s a lost-in-the-wilderness survival story and it plays out in this way that
feels so true-to-life, with every tiny detail, every injury, every missed meal
accounted for incredibly well. It has a wonderful emotional arc for main
character Hallelujah, too, who struggles to gain her confidence back after a
dude in her church youth group—who happens to be the preacher’s son—has spread
awful lies about her. There are definitely some religious themes, which I
thought might be off-putting, but they’re handled in thoughtful, interesting
ways that add to the richness of the story. I guess what I’m saying is: maybe
skip The Revenant and read this book
instead. 

None of the Above, by
I.W. Gregorio

It’s an amazing thing when you finish reading a highly
engaging piece of fiction and feel like you’ve genuinely learned something, too. This book expanded my mind and my empathy
without ever feeling preachy. Popular high school senior Kristin learns early
on in the novel that she’s intersex, meaning that, though she presents as a
female, she also has male organs. Soon the whole school finds out, and suffice
it to say, Kristin quickly becomes a lot less popular. The story is told in a
grounded, believable way, with characters you truly care about, so it never for
a moment feels didactic. That said, it does
force you to examine your own thoughts about gender, to wonder what you would do if you discovered this
about yourself or your partner, which is why I truly believe this book should
be required reading for every human being.

The Honest Truth,
by Dan Gemeinhart

This book is sort of a MG cousin to The Distance Between Lost and Found—it’s the story of a young,
terminally ill boy and his dog, making a trek up a mountain with the
potentially limited time the boy has left–and it’s just as beautifully done. I
cried a lot throughout this one and, even though I’m not a huge animal person,
when I got to the last page, I thought, “Man, maybe I should get a
dog,” which, trust me, says a lot about how terrific this book is. (It’s also worth
mentioning that Dan’s second book, Some Kind of Courage, comes out today!)

Everything,
Everything, by Nicola Yoon

You can actually feel the love bursting off the pages of
this book, which is a huge-hearted delight from cover to cover. It follows
Maddy—a girl whose compromised immune system means she’s never been able to
leave the house her whole life—and what happens when she starts crushing on
the new boy who’s moved in next door. The tone is unique, and Yoon nails
it—grounded yet playful, moving without ever being precious, and along with
the text, the book is filled with emails, graphs, and brilliant drawings by
David Yoon, who, yes, happens to be the author’s husband. (I’m telling you; the
love oozes.) As if all that’s not
enough, it’s unpredictable, too, always a step ahead of the reader. So, yeah,
if you like love and surprises and joy, this one’s worth a look.

If you’re experiencing tons of snow right now (like I am), you should curl up with a good book. Maybe one of these on this list I wrote for the Guardian!

I should add that, when I wrote this, I had yet to read Isabel Quintero’s Gabi, A Girl in Pieces. If I had, it would most certainly be on here.

This is one of the wackiest episodes of our (just 20-minutes-long!) podcast yet. Ray and I talk and improvise with talented improv musician Mark Erenstoft, and I talk about my sad 2016 stoop sale (pictured below). 

I’m so damn thriled that Broadway Bounty Hunter is going to be happening at Barrington Stage Company this summer. It’s a musical I co-wrote with Joe Iconis and Jason SweetTooth Williams that stars Annie Golden (Hair, Assassins, Norma on Orange is the New Black) as a veteran musical theater actress who becomes a bounty hunter. Come to Massachusetts sometime between August 12th and September 4th and see it!

I’m so damn thriled that Broadway Bounty Hunter is going to be happening at Barrington Stage Company this summer. It’s a musical I co-wrote with Joe Iconis and Jason SweetTooth Williams that stars Annie Golden (Hair, Assassins, Norma on Orange is the New Black) as a veteran musical theater actress who becomes a bounty hunter. Come to Massachusetts sometime between August 12th and September 4th and see it!

Very excited to present this first episode of my new webseries, Really Deep Conversations With YA Authors. My hope is for this series to capture the fun of being at an authors’ panel, but even more intimate and more casual. (And you don’t have to leave your house!)

I had a great time talking with the fantastic Isabel Quintero, author of Gabi, A Girl in Pieces. Topics discussed include:

*book festivals (:49)
*writing process (2:27)
*the creative evolution of Gabi, A Girl in Pieces (4:54)
*Isabel’s next potential YA project (9:53)
*where in the design of Gabi you can find Isabel’s ACTUAL handwriting (11:10)
*the need for diversity in children’s literature  (11:55)
[NOTE: In this conversation, we speak about diversity in terms of people of color, but of course this conversation applies to all minorities, including but not limited to LGBT and people with disabilities.]
*Isabel’s secret life dream (21:02)

Enjoy! And please, if you have any thoughts, criticisms, or questions, let me know! I’m still figuring this whole show out and am very open to input.