Welcome back to my Author Spotlight series where I interview writers about their recently published novels! Summertime is a busy season for everyone and the book publishing industry is no acception so prepare yourself for many more interviews including some you may have seen on BookTok *wink*.
Perfect for fans of “Five Feet Apart,”Alyson Derrick’s tender debut,“Forget Me Not,” is a “punch to the gut in the best way” about the strength of love and the power of choosing each other, against odds and obstacles, again and again.
“Forget Me Not” follows Stevie and Nora who had a secret, epic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. They had a plan to leave their small, ultra-conservative town and families behind after graduation and move to California, where they could finally stop hiding that love.
But then Stevie has a terrible fall. And when she comes to, she can remember nothing of the last two years—not California, not coming to terms with her sexuality, not even Nora. Suddenly, Stevie finds herself in a life she doesn’t quite understand, one where she’s estranged from her parents, drifting away from her friends, lying about the hours she works and headed towards a future that isn’t at all what her fifteen-year-old self would have envisioned. And Nora finds herself…forgotten. Can the two beat the odds a second time and find their way back together when “together” itself is just a lost memory?
Alyson Derrick was born and raised in Greenville, Pennsylvania, a town where burn barrels take the place of recycling bins. After making her great escape to Pittsburgh, where she earned her bachelor’s in English writing, Alyson started her own food truck, but soon realized she prefers telling stories over slinging cheesesteaks. She is the coauthor of New York Times bestseller “She Gets the Girl.” Alyson currently resides in Pennsylvania with her wife and their dog, Hank.
When writing a novel about someone who has forgotten their significant other, how did your own fear of this manifest in your writing? What were some of the hardest parts to write emotionally?
That’s interesting! I’ve never actually thought about that before, so I guess it didn’t influence it too much. I actually think everything outside of the romance is where things felt very personal to me. The one part that made me cry a lot as I was writing is when Stevie is sitting in the backseat of her mom’s car, knowing that it’s potentially their last night together as a family. And then again, the very last scene of the book was really emotional for me to write. I must have a soft spot for parents!
Your novel tackles the gritty hardships found in relationships that oftentimes movies and books skip ahead to get to the happily ever after moment. How do you hope “Forget Me Not” helps or enlightens your readers when it comes to what love truly means in the media industry?
I hope it shows readers that to love someone won’t always be easy. Things won’t always be perfect. But if they’re the right person for you, you’ll feel it in your bones and you’ll never stop fighting for them.
How was the writing process for “Forget Me Not” different from “She Gets the Girl” which you co-authored?
The writing process was actually pretty similar to my process for SGTG. I still started with a detailed outline and then moved into writing each chapter chronologically, and my wife, Rachael, still read it and gave me notes! I will say that in the writing of FMN, I maybe had more creative freedom, which was both a blessing and a curse. It was nice to always be able to take the story and characters exactly where I wanted, but on the other end, it was all on me to come up with it all!
If you could describe “Forget Me Not” as a cheesesteak, what would it have in it and why?
Maybe half classic (steak, peppers, onions and provolone), and half vegan for Nora (impossible meat, peppers, onions and vegan cheese).
You play a lot with perspectives to help the reader understand first-hand the confusion Stevie has with her memory loss after her fall. How do you think perspectives add to a story as a writer, and how does that contrast to when you’re not in your writer brain?
I think perspectives are so important to a story! Just being able to have different characters with different perspectives interact adds so much nuance and depth to the book. I think the same is true for my life. I don’t think I would want to constantly be around people who view the world through the same lens as me. It would make it a little tough to grow.
What is something about “Forget Me Not” that you wish to tell readers that makes it stand apart from the other queer love stories?
It has a Korean-American main character! When I started writing, I didn’t realize how big of a role race would play in my books. Growing up, I always felt a little uncomfortable identifying myself as Asian-American, because of the area I was raised in (a small, rural, very white town). I never felt Asian enough to be able to write Asian characters. But my wife convinced me that my experience with my race is an important story to tell through my books, and she was so right. It’s been so awesome receiving messages from other queer, Asian-Americans who have had very similar experiences to me. I’m glad I can give them the representation that I needed when I was a teenager!
Thank you so much Alyson for taking the time to answer my questions and writing this book! I think you really captured the relationship between Nora and Stevie so honest by writing about the good and bad moments. I’d also like to thank Tara Shanahan from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for giving me this great opportunity and sending me an advanced reader copy of “Forget Me Not.” Looking forward to interview more authors and read more books you send my way!