Interview with Tiffany Schmidt for The Boy Next Story

The Boy Next Story (Bookish Boyfriends #2)

by Tiffany Schmidt

Publisher: Amulet Paperbacks

Release Date: May 21st 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Synopsis:

The second book in a series where your favorite literary characters come to life, inspired by the timeless classic, Little Women!

There’s no one better than the boy next door. At least not according to Aurora Campbell, fourteen, who has been in love with Tobias May since their very first sandbox kiss. The problem is, he’s in love with her older sister, Merrilee. And Merri is already dating one of his best friends.

Rory is learning all about pining as her class reads The Great Gatsby, a book she doesn’t find “great” at all. Also not great—her GPA, something she needs to fix, quickly, if she’d like to apply for the chance to spend a week studying art with her hero in New York City over winter break. But when Ms. Gregoire assigns her to read Little Women for extra credit, Rory discovers more than she expected—both about herself and Toby. Maybe she wasn’t in love with the boy next door. . . but the boy next story.

Love is complicated, and it’s all about to get even trickier for Rory at Reginald R. Hero Prep . . . where with the help of one quirky English teacher, students’ fantasies come true, often with surprising consequences.

Can you briefly describe what’s happening in THE BOY NEXT STORY and their main characters? 

Rory loves the boy next door, Toby. 

Toby pining for Rory’s sister Merri. 

Merri’s dating Toby’s best friend, Fielding. 

Literary hijinks ensue when their (maybe magical!) teacher assigns Rory to read Little Women and her life starts to resemble the plot of the book. It’s a story of sisters and outgrowing old crushes, knocking ideals off pedestals, and falling in love while figuring out who you are and how to use your voice. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why? 

Oh geez. I love them all. Is that answer allowed? I will say that Huck Baker is a character who exploded onto the page and stole scenes in a way I hadn’t originally envisioned or anticipated. He quickly became one of my favorites to write and he’ll be getting his own love story in BOOKISH BOYFRIENDS 4: GET A CLUE. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere? 

I’m going to say something very controversial right here – I’m #TeamAmyMarch. It’s a younger sister’s prerogative and I’ve always been so frustrated by the Little Women Amy haters. This book might just be my attempt to get them to change their mind (and I’ve definitely done a fist pump for every early reader who’s contacted me to say they have). 

Even while drafting the first book in the BOOKISH BOYFRIENDS series, I knew that Rory needed her own story. As a younger sister myself, I know what it feels like to be overshadowed by a high-achieving and charismatic older sibling (Thanks, Heather!). Add in Rory’s lifelong secret crush on the boy who’s smitten with her sister, and you’ve got all the elements of an angsty rom-com. 

Oh, and I can’t forget Ms. Gregoire, the girls’ (maybe magical) English teacher whose assignments bleed over into the characters’ lives. Poor Rory has to read The Great Gatsby and Little Women. Drawing from and playing with aspects of these classic novels was one of my favorite parts of writing The Boy Next Story. And, yes, there is a twist on the book-burning scene. (Go, #TeamAmy!) 

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be? 

Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s “Someone to Stay” 

I have a whole playlist for this book, but this is the song that hits its emotional core. I still can’t listen to it without tearing up over the lyrics: “Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?” 

What drink/snacks do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date? 

A cup of tea, a bottle of kombucha, a package of liquorice, and key lime pie. . . Hmm, probably not all at the same time.

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish THE BOY NEXT STORY? 

Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty 

Stephanie Perkins Isla and the Happily Ever After 

Jessica Spotswood’s The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls 

Stephanie Kate Strohm’s Love a la Mode 

What’s next for you? 

Bookish Boyfriends 3 & 4! Talk Nerdy to Me (Eliza + Curtis!) and Get a Clue (Huck + Winston) are both in various stages of drafting and editing. I cannot wait for these romances to get in readers’ hands!

Tiffany Schmidt is the author of Send Me a Sign, Bright Before Sunrise, and Hold Me Like a Breath (Once Upon a Crime Family book 1). 

She’s found her happily ever after in Pennsylvania with her saintly husband, impish twin boys, and a pair of mischievous puggles.

You can find out more about her and her books at: TiffanySchmidt.com, TiffanySchmidtWrites.Tumblr.com or by following her on Twitter @TiffanySchmidt.

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Top 12 Books: 2013 & 2014

This is a list of the ten books I enjoyed the most this 2013. It's not about the release date, but about when I read them. There are some books that were published long ago and others that are going to be released next year (2014)

This section is dedicated to the books coming next year. 2014 has a lot of promising titles waiting to be published and as a Book Addict I can't wait to read them all. We could call this list my most expected books from 2014 and some of them, the ones I haven't had the chance to read yet, my 2014 waiting list.

There are some books like Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout and Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout that don't have a cover yet, but that we would love to include in this list.

Book Addicts, you know how much I love the hot Fictional Boys that makes us fall in love while reading their stories, right? And we couldn't forget about them! So here's my list of hot Fictional Boys of 2013 from books I've read this year.

Daemon Black from the Lux Series won my heart from the very first page of Lux.

Although the second book in the series was my favorite, I would love Daemon in every single book. And that means that I love him in Origin. 

So if you haven't met him yet... what are you waiting for?

Sometimes, in a book like White Hot Kiss, the reader may be torn between the two boys that are in the life of the main character. 

Zayne is the sweet, good boy here. The responsible one. He's been in love with the main character since forever, but they cannot be together due to Layla's nature. So sad, heart-breaking and bound to win's the reader's heart.

But, then you met demon Roth. He's what you could say a hot, bad boy and he won my heart the very first time he smiled at Layla and "saved" her. I simply love him.

So sorry, but my decision was made long ago... I'm forever Team Roth. Sorry, Zayne.

Cam Hamilton is simply hot, sweet, patient and... perfect! I have to thank Jennifer L. Armentrout for creating such swoony, hot and perfect fictional boys. I want them all. It's simple. What do I want this Christmas? Check my Fictional Boy list and you're going to nail it. Specially, Ms. Armentrout's boys.

Back to Cam. I couldn't get him out of my head after reading Wait For You and then we get his side of the story in Trust In Me. Simply. Amazing. If you haven't met him, please do it.

I couldn't miss the mafia family that won my heart thanks to Rachel Van Dyken. Nixon Abandonatto might be my kind of guy: bad boy, bossy and pierced. Yeah, I know. I cannot have any problems, right? Well, actually I do. We also met in the first book of the Eagle Elite series Chase, Nixon's cousin, that also happens to be in love with the main character, Tracey. While Nixon is labeled in your head as a jackass, Nixon is what you could call the good one. Taking to account that all of them are in a mafia family. So good boy in mafia terms. You finish the first book with the heart divided: you don't really know if you are Team Nixon or Team Chase. But then in Elect, while most girls fell definitely in love with Nixon for his dangerous sacrifice for the love of his life, I couldn't help it but fell in love with Chase. He was there all the time for Tracey, took care of her and his love is a little bit less aggressive than Nixon's. I don't know. What I mean is I am Team Chase. So yeah... I'm a little brokenhearted.

Have you ever liked the really bad guy of any story? I don't mean the bad guy who turns out to have a heart and becomes the good guy. I mean the bad guy. The scary one that kidnaps the girl from the good guy. That's what I mean. I always said: Hell to the no. But the Kresley Cole wrote Endless Knight and now I said Hell to the no, with a little exception: Aric.

In the very beginning of the Arcana Chronicles I was definitely and without a doubt Team Jack, but then... Oh, boy, then I really met Aric in Endless Knight. Or in The Arcana Chronicles also known as Death. Yep, that one card with the deadly touch. 

I discovered a lot of unraveling truths some of them broke my heart and some of them made it beat faster, and after finishing the second book in the series I was torn between the two boys. I'll have to read the third one (hope that this will be soon. Please *insert cry here*) to decide.

Speaking of bad guys... Another novel written by Jennifer L. Armentrout with a bad, hot guy that I fell in love with: Hunter. I couldn't believe I fell for an Arum and I was OMG I refuse to like him (since I first read the Lux series), but damn it was way too hard. And I couldn't resist him. Sorry, Luxen. I fell so torn now between the two alien races... 

And Hunter definitely bring a clear definition to dangerous hot mess. 

Well, ladies... Isaiah is my favorite boy from Pushing The Limits. Their story is what I like to call an epic and unforgettable one, and just quoting Logan makes me want to read Rachel and Isaiah's story again and again:

"A debt, a villain, speed and bad odds. This is something I definitely want to be part of."

I loved Ryan. He's sweet and troubled. I really liked him. And Noah? Sweet Fictional Boys! Of Course I wouldn't miss them. But Isaiah's story was my favorite, and that's why I chose him first. Although I cannot promise that next year he would be my first pick after reading West's story. Sorry, but so many boys so choose. Can I have them all?

Rush Finlay from Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines is without a doubt my favorite boy from the Rosemary Beach series. I was lucky to read the three books in a row. Without waiting a single day. Lucky me, because the ending of the first book in the Too Far series? I almost have a heart attack. A real one! And the second book would be my favorite one. And then the third made impossible to forget about Rush Finlay.

Ryan Hunter from Play With Me was the boy that made me want to read more romantic stories. I re-read his story and fell all over again for him. And his side of the story in Ryan Hunter? *sigh* Definitely the perfect teenage boy with a mature side and an aching for a girl he can't have... until now. Yep, his story is one of my favorites and I also labeled an epic one.

Henry and James from The Goddess Test Series by Aimée Carter also won my heart and a place in my Fictional Boys list. Aimée Carter created a tortured character who seeks love and mixed it up with a mythological story that blew my mind. You are bound to love this character and definitely start to see Hades, god of the Underworld, a little bit different (in a good way!).

But there's also James. The one that begs Kate to not do the test. The handsome boy who seems to have a thing for her and that also "played" with Henry's last wife: Persephone. 

I hate to feel torn like this, but I couldn't help it... So I chose them both! *wink*.

Chase and Chad Gamble from Tempting The Best Man and Tempting The Player by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I told you! I don't know how she does it, but I love her male characters. Well... adore and want them all would be more accurate. 

Chase was a little bit frustrating at some point. I wanted to smack him and told him to kiss the girl once and for all and stop breaking my heart, 'cause after Rush Finlay's heart attack I couldn't afford another one.

Chad, on the other hand, brought a smile to my lips every single time. He also was a little bit frustrating. I think that's a Gamble quality only. But he was not as frustrating as his little brother. So I can say that I love him a tiny little bit more. Bit no big difference. I still want them all *wink*.

Harrison Yates from A Little Too Hot by Lisa Desrochers, brought hot, frustrating and intense to another level. How can they create so much sexual tension? Come on! I couldn't even take it!

So apart from being the knight in shining armor, trying to keep Sam safe, he's inhumanly hot, eye candy, sweet and what I like to call a perfect boyfriend material. 

He and Lisa also created another level of frustration for me, but I can forgive them, 'cause they made this story my favorite one from the A Little Too Far series.

Sometimes we choose a book by its cover. I know. I do it, sometimes. So I couldn't miss the Top 12 book covers that I loved this year and made me want to read the book.