The time it was about You Know Me Well

I’ve been a fan of Nina LaCour’s for a long time.  I’ve seen her a handful of times, but most recently at YallWest and that’s where this story begins.

Once upon a time or last week, I got an email from a publicist from Griffin Teen inviting me to be a part of the blog tour for You Know Me Well by Nina and David Levithan.  He told me that he had been following me on Twitter for a while, but was excited to finally reach out in an official capacity.  He went on to tell me that he had known I was a fan of Nina’s, had seen my YallWest post, and my excitement for the upcoming book {which was amazing}.

And since it’s probably rude to respond in shouty caps/flails/gifs to professional people you haven’t met and want to continue a relationship with, I calmly accepted the invite, all while screaming on the inside.

I was able to get a coveted interview with Nina and David, but before we get to their answers, let’s check out the book!

Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really?

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other — and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

Told in alternating points of view by Nina LaCour, the award-winning author of Hold Still and The Disenchantments, and David Levithan, the best-selling author of Every Day and co-author of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (with Rachel Cohn) and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with John Green), You Know Me Well is a deeply honest story about navigating the joys and heartaches of first love, one truth at a time.

Sounds good, right?

1. Why do you love Katie and Mark and why should we root for them?

NINA: Mark is laid-back and heartbroken and funny and just so good. As soon as I read David’s first chapter I knew that Mark would be a friend Katie could trust, so I had her dive into their friendship headfirst–not a typical thing for her to do. Katie is anxious and alienated and in the throes of serious self-doubt. But she is also someone to be trusted, and that’s the heart of their connection. They want what’s best for each other, even as they’re often misguided when it comes to what’s best for themselves.

DAVID: I think that both Katie and Mark are in really, REALLY difficult positions with the people they love — Mark’s in love with his best friend, who’s willing to fool around with him but not willing to call it a relationship. And Katie’s in love with someone she’s never met in person, but feels wherever she is.  Both of those things are very hard to deal with — and they need each other’s help in order to make it through.

2. Without spoilers, what was your favorite scene to write?

NINA: I loved writing Kate and Mark’s late-night walk through the hills of San Francisco. They are both at low points but for vastly different reasons. I love the way darkness and stillness can help people be their most honest and vulnerable, and a little of that is at work in that scene.

DAVID: I kinda liked writing all of it. But I certainly had fun with the opener. With any collaboration, the opening two chapters set the tone for the whole book — it’s basically the two of us telling each other who the characters are.  It was really fun to introduce Mark to Nina (and readers) with my first chapter, and it was equally fun to get to know Katie when Nina’s first chapter came my way.

3. What book do you wish you could read again for the first time?

NINA: Jandy Nelson’s beautiful and brilliant I’ll Give You the Sun. That book is so full of hope and humanity that it absolutely shimmers. I felt like it was going to come alive in my hands as I read it.

DAVID: Maggie Stiefvater’s The Scorpio Races has been on my mind lately — I was its editor, and I envy people who get to read it for the first time as a finished book.  It’s just such a special beast of a story.

4. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

NINA: I would want something expansive and also intimate. Both The Known World by Edward P. Jones and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez come to mind. Both contain horror and transcendence, deeply human characters, and staggeringly beautiful prose.

DAVID: Silly rabbit, that’s not really a thing!  It is in my nature to go for the biggest loophole to a question like this, so the Encyclopedia Brittanica it is!

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Nina LaCour grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her first job was at fourteen in an independent bookstore, and she has since worked in two others. She has tutored and taught in various places, from a juvenile hall to a private college.

She now teaches English at an independent high school.

 

David Levithan (born 1972) is an American children’s book editor and award-winning author. He published his first YA book, Boy Meets Boy, in 2003.

Levithan is also the founding editor of PUSH, a Young Adult imprint of Scholastic Press.

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Huge thanks to Griffin Teen for inviting me to participate and making my week.  And squishy hugs to Nina and David for taking the time.

Make sure you’re checking out Nina’s website, following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page and adding all of her books to your Goodreads TBR shelf.  Same goes for David’s website, Twitter, Facebook and books.

You Know Me Well comes out on June 7th. Pre-order it at IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Haven’t had a chance to get your greedy hands on a copy of You Know Me Well?  Griffin Teen is so nicely offering up a copy!  Contest is US only and additional rules are here.

**Good Luck!!**

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