Book Name: The Luckiest
Author Name: Mila McWarren
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Pages or Words: 256 pages
Categories: Contemporary, Gay fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult, Romance
Publisher: Interlude Press
Categories: Contemporary, Gay fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult, Romance
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: C.B. Messer
Blurb: When New York-based memoirist Aaron Wilkinson gathers with his high school friends to marry off two of their own, he is forced to spend a week with Nik, the boy who broke his heart.
As they settle into the Texas beach house where the nuptials will be performed, Nik quickly makes his intentions clear: he wants Aaron back. "He's coming hard, baby," a friend warns, setting the tone for a week of transition where Aaron and Nik must decide if they are playing for keeps.
Excerpt:
Somehow, this deliberate throwback to a memory that was never anything but happy seems different than what Aaron has just done. He sits on the sofa, flanked by Alex and Jasmine, hating them both a little for participating in it even while he smiles. Nik dances—how can you not, with this song—but he still watches Aaron, gives him a little head-tilt during the chorus, and it's charming and devastating and infuriating.
Jasmine leans to murmur, "Oh, I see how it is."
"Oh, shut up."
"You might not be desperate, but I'm not sure about him. He's coming hard, baby."
About the
author: Mila McWarren
grew up in Texas, but has happily made her home on the East Coast for the last
decade. In her day job she works as a social scientist and has spent the last
10 years developing her fiction writing online. She lives with her husband and
their two kids. When she isn't using working, writing, or hanging out with her
family, she likes knitting and watching television, because they go together
like peanut butter and chocolate, two of her other great loves.
Q&A
1. Where is the funniest, or maybe strangest place you have been when all of a sudden “ding” you get a fantastic idea that has you racing to get it written down?
It always happens in the shower. Always. Every time. In order to remember what I thought of I talk to myself. My husband has stopped sticking his head into the bathroom to ask what I'm saying and now he just any weird sounds from the shower. If I ever fall and actually need help I'm going to be screwed.
2. Do you have a funny or embarrassing story to tell that has happened to you as an author?
Not yet – I haven't been an author for real yet! Ask me in a year; I'll take notes so I don't forget!
3. What was the inspiration for THE LUCKIEST?
I wanted to write something intimate and comfortable, and I was reminded of The Big Chill, which is a movie I must have seen 15 times before I was 20 years old; it made an impression. There's no death or midlife angst here, though – just a young group of friends and a wedding.
4. How long have you been knitting? What are some things that you have made?
I taught myself how to knit sometime in the middle 00s, so probably just about 10 years? I have made a lot of baby blankets during that time – this is probably the greatest peril of learning to knit when you're in your 30s, because there are so many babies everywhere!
5. Since you like to watch TV while knitting, tell us your favorite shows to watch.
Oh, man, that is a LIST. I like TV and pop culture podcasts, too, so I keep a working list of stuff to watch on my phone. It's never going to stop growing. The last short series I finished was "Catastrophe", a short British series about what happens when a one-night stand turns into a pregnancy; it's a pretty nicely done rom-com that's streaming on Amazon Prime, so that's nice and easy. The other thing I've been watching this week is "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", which I was too young for when it originally aired, and since Hulu has the first three seasons I figured it was a good time to catch up on that. It's held up better than I thought it might!
At this point I'm beginning to despair of actually getting to the third season of "Orange is the New Black", but I'm pretty sure I'll get to it in August, just about the time everybody else has stopped talking about it. Speaking of Netflix, I got halfway through "Sense8" before I got distracted and forgot about it.
I love television – I love the time it can take with characters and stories – but trying to stay on top of it these days feels impossible. I just don't have time for everything. My life is full and happy enough that the only time I ever experience a real moment of FOMO is related to television. I'm not sure if that's sad or pretty damn solid.
6. How do you juggle working, being a mom, wife, and writer?
You know, we're all busy, aren't we? Life is full and I'm pretty sure that nobody over the age of about 30 is just one thing. J But yeah, it's a lot sometimes. I am surrounded by great people, though. My partner is a true partner – we've been married for more than 20 years and the distribution of household work seems to change constantly. For the last several years he's been carrying more than his share of child taxiing and house cleaning, because I've been busy trying to get a few other things done. The kids are great, too – they have their own things that they love, and seem to understand now that sometimes mom's head is a bit in the clouds with work or writing. My boss doesn't know about the book at all, but she does understand family obligations, and in general I've managed to land at a place in my life where I am surrounded by thoughtful, supportive people who understand that we're all just trying to hustle to get good work done. It makes an enormous difference.
7. You grew up in Texas, but now live on the East Coast. What are your likes and dislikes about living in each area?
I could do without the heat, without the mosquitoes, without the conservative social attitudes and the very heavy presence of religion in Texas. All of that is part of why I don't live there anymore, even if it will always be home in some way.
I love where I live now, but the population density still gets to me sometimes – it's a long drive to hit the middle of nowhere, and sometimes I miss that. I still don't understand why the sky seems smaller here, but it really does, and I miss that feeling of wide open spaces that is so much easier to come by back in Texas. And, look, there are great restaurants in these cities, but I really do miss Texas food – barbecue and Tex-Mex are some of my very favorite things.
Everything is about compromise.
8. What are the next three books on your TBR list?
I had to pull up the kindle app to see what was waiting for me; my memory is shot these days. Too much stuff going on!
So I want to read Neal Stephenson's latest; I'm pretty excited about that because every single one of his books is special to me for some reason or another.
Jess Row's "Your Face In Mine" was a book that had crossed my radar before but that had been swept aside because I got busy and never made it back. Published last year, it's the story of a Jewish White man who has "racial reassignment surgery". I remembered it existed a few weeks ago because of events in the news, and I went ahead and moved it into the app. I haven't read any reviews; don't tell me anything! I have no idea if or how it's going to piss me off.
Finally, Margaret Atwood's "MaddAddam" has been on my "to read" list since the day it was published. I love her so much, and I love what she does, but the first two books in that series are just such total horror shitshows that I haven't been able to find the courage or the stamina to drive back into the world. Now they're making a television series so I have to get my act together. Can you tell how excited I am about the prospect? (I love her, I do, but damn does that series hit a bunch of my personal buttons.)
9. We know that you love peanut butter and chocolate. Tell us three more things that you like to indulge in.
Gooey stinky cheese! My favorite is Taleggio, because even though the smell is pretty strong the flavor is very mild and buttery, which means I can eat a lot and I can eat it with other things. In truth, though, my favorite way to eat Taleggio is well-ripened and smeared thick on a crusty bread.
Massages! These are indulgences not just because they can get pricey, but because they require me to lie down and do nothing productive for at least an hour at a time, so you can probably imagine exactly how often they happen. I will be traveling the week the book launches so I am already looking for a hole in my schedule so I can get to a spa – I can't wait.
There are so many more, some even more banal and some as easily predictable as chocolate and peanut butter (Hershey's Take Five bar, have mercy), but here is one that sort of tells you where I am right now in life: sometimes, without regard to what I have to do the next day, I will stay up until 2 or 3 am reading or marathoning a TV show. It feels naughty, decadent, like I'm living on the bare edge.
It's a sliding scale.
10. Can you tell us about a future coming work in progress?
Nope! I'm not trying to be cagey; I just am not working on anything right now. I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be a bad idea – keep writing! – but I know myself well enough to know that if I don't let things go fallow for a while, I won't get anything good out. I will never be a prolific writer because I'm trying to do too many things at once and also I am just slow, but I like myself too much to make myself miserable. I'm getting comfortable with it still. J
This was fun – thanks for having me!
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It always happens in the shower. Always. Every time. In order to remember what I thought of I talk to myself. My husband has stopped sticking his head into the bathroom to ask what I'm saying and now he just any weird sounds from the shower. If I ever fall and actually need help I'm going to be screwed.
2. Do you have a funny or embarrassing story to tell that has happened to you as an author?
Not yet – I haven't been an author for real yet! Ask me in a year; I'll take notes so I don't forget!
3. What was the inspiration for THE LUCKIEST?
I wanted to write something intimate and comfortable, and I was reminded of The Big Chill, which is a movie I must have seen 15 times before I was 20 years old; it made an impression. There's no death or midlife angst here, though – just a young group of friends and a wedding.
4. How long have you been knitting? What are some things that you have made?
I taught myself how to knit sometime in the middle 00s, so probably just about 10 years? I have made a lot of baby blankets during that time – this is probably the greatest peril of learning to knit when you're in your 30s, because there are so many babies everywhere!
5. Since you like to watch TV while knitting, tell us your favorite shows to watch.
Oh, man, that is a LIST. I like TV and pop culture podcasts, too, so I keep a working list of stuff to watch on my phone. It's never going to stop growing. The last short series I finished was "Catastrophe", a short British series about what happens when a one-night stand turns into a pregnancy; it's a pretty nicely done rom-com that's streaming on Amazon Prime, so that's nice and easy. The other thing I've been watching this week is "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", which I was too young for when it originally aired, and since Hulu has the first three seasons I figured it was a good time to catch up on that. It's held up better than I thought it might!
At this point I'm beginning to despair of actually getting to the third season of "Orange is the New Black", but I'm pretty sure I'll get to it in August, just about the time everybody else has stopped talking about it. Speaking of Netflix, I got halfway through "Sense8" before I got distracted and forgot about it.
I love television – I love the time it can take with characters and stories – but trying to stay on top of it these days feels impossible. I just don't have time for everything. My life is full and happy enough that the only time I ever experience a real moment of FOMO is related to television. I'm not sure if that's sad or pretty damn solid.
6. How do you juggle working, being a mom, wife, and writer?
You know, we're all busy, aren't we? Life is full and I'm pretty sure that nobody over the age of about 30 is just one thing. J But yeah, it's a lot sometimes. I am surrounded by great people, though. My partner is a true partner – we've been married for more than 20 years and the distribution of household work seems to change constantly. For the last several years he's been carrying more than his share of child taxiing and house cleaning, because I've been busy trying to get a few other things done. The kids are great, too – they have their own things that they love, and seem to understand now that sometimes mom's head is a bit in the clouds with work or writing. My boss doesn't know about the book at all, but she does understand family obligations, and in general I've managed to land at a place in my life where I am surrounded by thoughtful, supportive people who understand that we're all just trying to hustle to get good work done. It makes an enormous difference.
7. You grew up in Texas, but now live on the East Coast. What are your likes and dislikes about living in each area?
I could do without the heat, without the mosquitoes, without the conservative social attitudes and the very heavy presence of religion in Texas. All of that is part of why I don't live there anymore, even if it will always be home in some way.
I love where I live now, but the population density still gets to me sometimes – it's a long drive to hit the middle of nowhere, and sometimes I miss that. I still don't understand why the sky seems smaller here, but it really does, and I miss that feeling of wide open spaces that is so much easier to come by back in Texas. And, look, there are great restaurants in these cities, but I really do miss Texas food – barbecue and Tex-Mex are some of my very favorite things.
Everything is about compromise.
8. What are the next three books on your TBR list?
I had to pull up the kindle app to see what was waiting for me; my memory is shot these days. Too much stuff going on!
So I want to read Neal Stephenson's latest; I'm pretty excited about that because every single one of his books is special to me for some reason or another.
Jess Row's "Your Face In Mine" was a book that had crossed my radar before but that had been swept aside because I got busy and never made it back. Published last year, it's the story of a Jewish White man who has "racial reassignment surgery". I remembered it existed a few weeks ago because of events in the news, and I went ahead and moved it into the app. I haven't read any reviews; don't tell me anything! I have no idea if or how it's going to piss me off.
Finally, Margaret Atwood's "MaddAddam" has been on my "to read" list since the day it was published. I love her so much, and I love what she does, but the first two books in that series are just such total horror shitshows that I haven't been able to find the courage or the stamina to drive back into the world. Now they're making a television series so I have to get my act together. Can you tell how excited I am about the prospect? (I love her, I do, but damn does that series hit a bunch of my personal buttons.)
9. We know that you love peanut butter and chocolate. Tell us three more things that you like to indulge in.
Gooey stinky cheese! My favorite is Taleggio, because even though the smell is pretty strong the flavor is very mild and buttery, which means I can eat a lot and I can eat it with other things. In truth, though, my favorite way to eat Taleggio is well-ripened and smeared thick on a crusty bread.
Massages! These are indulgences not just because they can get pricey, but because they require me to lie down and do nothing productive for at least an hour at a time, so you can probably imagine exactly how often they happen. I will be traveling the week the book launches so I am already looking for a hole in my schedule so I can get to a spa – I can't wait.
There are so many more, some even more banal and some as easily predictable as chocolate and peanut butter (Hershey's Take Five bar, have mercy), but here is one that sort of tells you where I am right now in life: sometimes, without regard to what I have to do the next day, I will stay up until 2 or 3 am reading or marathoning a TV show. It feels naughty, decadent, like I'm living on the bare edge.
It's a sliding scale.
10. Can you tell us about a future coming work in progress?
Nope! I'm not trying to be cagey; I just am not working on anything right now. I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be a bad idea – keep writing! – but I know myself well enough to know that if I don't let things go fallow for a while, I won't get anything good out. I will never be a prolific writer because I'm trying to do too many things at once and also I am just slow, but I like myself too much to make myself miserable. I'm getting comfortable with it still. J
This was fun – thanks for having me!
Tour Dates and Stops:
July 7 – July 20, 2015
July 7 – July 20, 2015
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One $25 Interlude Press gift card.
Five e-book copies of ‘The Luckiest’
Thanks for having me here today! This was fun!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the release!!!
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