Before I jump into the Q and A, I want to thank Laura and her team for giving me this opportunity! I loved Recommended For You, Laura’s upcoming novel coming out next month!
Kayla: In the beginning of the book, Shoshana and her moms are supposed to have latkepalooza. Do you have a tradition like this one? Also, applesauce or sour cream? The people need to know where you stand.
Laura: I made up the term Latkepalooza for the book, but my family has always celebrated Hanukkah! Even now that I’m a full-grown adult, we make latkes for at least one of the eight nights. I’m team applesauce, but I’m not going lie, I also like ketchup. Eep!
K: What inspired you to write this story?
L: One day my agent Jim McCarthy tweeted about wishing there were more YA books with characters who work part-time jobs. I always had a job as a teenager, and so did many of my friends. And workplace comedies are my favorite type of TV show, so I realized how much fun it would be to write a YA workplace romcom! I set it in a bookstore because I love books, in a mall bookstore so I could have a ton of action going on, and I thought it’d be really fun to write about Jewish characters working in the chaotic Christmas retail season!
K: What is a piece of advice you wish someone told you before you started writing?
L: I still have to tell myself today that it’s okay to write a bad first draft. It’s frustrating that the words don’t originally come out like you want them too, but all writers have to revise and revise. For the most part, we should really be called editors not writers.
K: What’s one thing you want your readers to come away with after reading this novel?
L: I want them to realize that being eager and enthusiastic and feeling lots of feelings is a great thing. It’s okay to be sensitive and to care deeply. It doesn’t make you naïve or silly or too young.
K: Shoshana works at a bookstore and we see her interact with some not so great customers. Did you ever work in a bookstore or retail? If so, what’s one thing you learned about dealing with customers?
L: I kind of worked in a bookstore. I worked in the textbook department of my college bookstore during back-to-school time. But I do have a lot of other retail and restaurant experience. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that the customer is not always right, but it’s often the path of least resistance to let them think that they are haha.
K: Do you have a favorite scene in this novel? If so, which one is it?
L: Ooh! Hmm, many cute scenes with Jake of course. But there’s a scene during a bookstore event that discusses accessibility issues, and I really love that scene because it’s so personal to me. I have chronic pain and am always worried about whether or not I’ll have a place to sit at events. I’m glad I was able to add some of that awareness into the book!
K: Shoshana’s favorite genre to read is fantasy, do you have a favorite genre?
L: As a teenager, my favorite genre was also fantasy. I still love fantasy, but I find myself reading contemporary more often as an adult. I also love a really well-written memoir or non-fiction book.
K: What’s been your go-to quarantine snack?
L: What hasn’t been my go-to quarantine snack haha? Currently I’m enjoying ranch-flavored veggie straws, gummy candy, mango, carrots, and chocolate-covered pretzels! And now I’m hungry…
K: Will we get a recipe for Jake’s almonds?
L: Ooh! Excellent question. I don’t have one currently, but I should try and come up with one!
I loved this novel more than anything and I feel so honored to be the first stop on the tour! Keep an eye out for my review coming soon to my blog!
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets You’ve Got Mail in this charming and hilarious rom-com following two teen booksellers whose rivalry is taken to the next level as they compete for the top bookseller bonus. Shoshanna Greenberg loves working at Once Upon, her favorite local bookstore. And with her moms fighting at home and her beloved car teetering on the brink of death, the store has become a welcome escape. When her boss announces a holiday bonus to the person who sells the most books, Shoshanna sees an opportunity to at least fix her car, if none of her other problems. The only person standing in her way? New hire Jake Kaplan. Jake is an affront to everything Shoshanna stands for. He doesn’t even read! But somehow his sales start to rival hers. Jake may be cute (really cute), and he may be an eligible Jewish single (hard to find south of Atlanta), but he’s also the enemy, and Shoshanna is ready to take him down. But as the competition intensifies, Jake and Shoshanna grow closer and realize they might be more on the same page than either expects…
Laura Silverman is an author and editor currently living in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her MFA in writing for children at the New School. Her books include Girl Out of Water, You Asked for Perfect, It’s a Whole Spiel, and Recommended for You. Girl Out of Water was a Junior Library Guild Selection. You can contact Laura on Twitter @LJSilverman1 or through her website LauraSilvermanWrites.com.
In case you are interested in keeping up with the rest of the tour, here is the schedule!