Continue below to read my review of the book and interview with Aiden Thomas! Be sure to follow this link - [TOUR SCHEDULE] to check out the rest of the stops on 'CEMETERY BOYS' blog tour brought to you by XPRESSO BOOK TOURS, SWOON READS/MACMILLAN PUBLISHING, and AIDEN THOMAS! And don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom of the interview for a chance to win your very own copy!
Cemetery Boys
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☆★☆ Interview with Aiden Thomas ☆★☆
If you could spend time a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?
That’s such a hard question! I love Yadriel and Maritza, but I think I’d have to go with Julian. He’s just so chaotic and ridiculous, I think we’d get along really well! One of the best parts about Julian — though Yadriel may disagree — is how impulsive he is. I don’t think he’d come up with a game plan, I’m pretty sure we’d just randomly decide in the moment but there would definitely be a lot of shenanigans involved! How did writing this story impact you personally? I thought there was no way I could ever sell a book with a trans main character, let alone one that was Latinx or gay, on top of it. I honestly didn’t think they would want a story with a main character who was gay, trans, and Latinx. Maybe one, but not all three. Since it was my option book, it was more a conversation with my editor rather than a proper querying process of an agent. The whole pitch was definitely just me nervously asking permission to write this character and this story. I was so convinced it would be too queer, or too Latinx, or too trans. That, itself is so wild — that I thought my marginalizations were so un-marketable that it would be impossible to successfully pitch. The funny part was that my incredible editor at Macmillan, Holly West, was absolutely thrilled and immediately said that was the book she wanted out of all my ideas. My team has been absolutely champions for me and Yadriel from the very beginning and I am so thankful and lucky! What was the hardest scene to write? I think the final chapter was definitely the most difficult to write. I wanted to end the book with a really powerful speech from Yadriel’s dad. I put a lot of pressure on myself because that scene was so important to not only Yadriel, but to trans readers who picked up the book. I actually pulled inspiration from traditional speeches made during quinces but gave it a twist fitting the story and the brujx. Tell me about one of your favorite reader reactions you’ve gotten from this book. I genuinely love interacting with readers on Twitter! I always crack up when people tag me in memes or funny posts and say stuff like, “This is Yadriel and Julian!” It’s also incredible to see folks really connecting with Yadriel and his story, and I especially get overwhelmed with warm fuzzy feelings when people make fanart! Never in a million years would I have thought I’d actually publish a book like this. It’s totally wild and so rewarding. What do you hope people take with them from their reading experience with your book? I really hope readers will find connection and feel seen when they read “Cemetery Boys”. I wanted to create a story for readers to connect with Yadriel on universal truths that are basic to the human experience, things like struggling to fit in, feeling accepted for who you are, and being loved. A lot of queer teens experience their first sense of belonging or affirmation with queer characters in books — like Yadriel. Even if they can’t talk to them personally, seeing people with their identities, seeing themselves reflected in books, or internet stars telling them they’re valid gives them a sense of community and comfort. I really hope Yadriel can be that for some folks. What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel? That’s a tough question but I’m going to go with HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE by Diane Wynn Jones! I feel like everyone has seen the Studio Ghibli adaptation, but not a lot of folks have actually read the original book. Howl is so dramatic and I love Sophie’s wit! It’s my favorite book to reread when I need a pick-me-up. Thank you to @Kathreadsya on Instagram for submitting these great questions as well: If you had the power to summon a ghost like Yadriel, would you do it? And if so, who would you summon? ABSOLUTELY! I love ghosts and actually spent a lot of time as a teenager hanging out in Mountain View Cemetery, but I’ve never had a paranormal encounter! It’s really disappointing. And it’d be especially handy during quarantine! Do you write listening to music? If so, what music inspired or accompanied this current book? Yes, I definitely do Make playlists for all my books and characters that I listen to while writing. For “Cemetery Boys”, songs by Troye Sivan and Khalid inspired my writing for Yadriel, while Julian’s playlist has a lot of reggaeton. GIVEAWAY!
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