I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Friday I’m in Love Blog Tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours!
About the Book
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Publishing date: January 10th, 2023
Rep: Black, Queer, Bisexual, Pansexual
Content Warning: racism, homophobia, the n word is used when the class reads a “classic” book – MC reflects on it.
Synopsis:
It’s too late for a Sweet Sixteen but what if Mahalia had a Coming Out Party? A love letter to romantic comedies, sweet sixteen blowouts, black joy and queer pride.
Mahalia Harris wants.
She wants a big Sweet Sixteen like her best friend Naomi.
She wants the super cute new girl Siobhan to like her back.
She wants a break from worrying–about money, snide remarks from white classmates, pitying looks from church ladies . . . all of it.
Then inspiration strikes: It’s too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if she had a Coming Out Party? A singing, dancing, rainbow-cake-eating celebration of queerness on her own terms.
The idea lights a fire in her, and soon Mahalia is scrimping and saving, taking on extra hours at her afterschool job, trying on dresses, and awkwardly flirting with Siobhan, all in preparation for the Coming Out of her dreams. But it’s not long before she’s buried in a mountain of bills, unfinished schoolwork, and enough drama to make her English Lit teacher blush. With all the responsibility on her shoulders, will Mahalia’s party be over before it’s even begun?
A novel about finding yourself, falling in love, and celebrating what makes you you.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound
Interview
What’s your favorite way to reward yourself for publishing a book?
I really like to hang out with friends! Last time I went out and got pizza, and I’m hoping to do something similar this time. Writing is so solitary that it can be nice to spend time with people when the book actually comes out.
Having published multiple books now, how has your writing process evolved? Is it easier now that you know what to expect from the publishing process or is it more intense?
I’ve learned so much that I think it’s really hard to list all of them here. I think I think more about plot these days, which I find annoying since I don’t care about plot that much, but I think my earlier drives definitely have better structures. That being said, I think having more experience makes publishing more difficult because it’s harder to get voices out of your head while working on drafts or even thinking of ideas.
I’m always thinking about what I think will sell, what I can market, what people will pay attention to. It’s pretty silly because you can’t control those things, but it I don’t think it’s super easy to turn off once you’re actually in the industry. Once writing becomes your job, it can be hard to write mindlessly the way you did before.
What is your favorite part of writing YA contemporary? Would you branch out of that genre?
I just think it’s so fun! I like that a lot of contemporary books show similarities to my life and that I can see myself in them. I also don’t mind silly things or hijinks in contemporary, but I find it really difficult to buy into fantasy a lot of the time. I think I would write in different age categories, but I’ve tried to write fantasy and I just don’t have the brain for it.
What books do you recommend for those who enjoy your books?
I would say Leah Johnson’s books and Ciara Smyth’s books!
What are you reading and/or working on now?
I’m in the early stages of a YA that’s really close to my heart, so I don’t want to share too much about it now, and I’m hoping to write a middle grade!
Author Bio
Camryn Garrett was born and raised in New York. In 2019, she was named one of Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 and a Glamour College Woman of the Year. Her first novel, Full Disclosure, received rave reviews from outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, the Today Show, and The Guardian, which called a “warm, funny and thoughtfully sex-positive, an impressive debut from a writer still in her teens.” Her second novel, Off the Record, will be released May 18, 2021. Camryn is also interested in film and is a student at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
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Follow the Tour
January 9th
Kait Plus Books – Interview
Never Hollowed By The Stare – Promotional Post
January 10th
Stuck in Fiction – Promotional Post
The Litt Librarian – Review
January 11th
Confessions of a YA Reader – Promotional Post
January 12th
Roopkathaa – Review & Mood Board
January 13th
Phannie the ginger bookworm – Review & Playlist
January 14th
The Book Dutchesses – Promotional Post
Midsummer Night’s Read – Review
January 15th
The Clever Reader – Interview
PopTheButterfly Reads – Review
Instagram Tour
January 9th
neverknotreading – Promotional Post
libraryofretellingsandstars – Review
January 10th
writingrosereads – Promotional Post
thelittlibrarian – Content Creator’s Choice
January 11th
ninebookishlives – Promotional Post
bujos_n_books – Top 5 Reasons to Read Friday I’m in Love & Favorite Quotes
January 12th
luna_reads_ – Promotional Post
January 13th
tbrandbeyond – Promotional Post
sogladtoreadyou – Review
January 14th
booking.with.janelle – Review & Playlist
thesebooksaremyfriends – Review
January 15th
stitchsaddiction – Review
popthebutterfly – Content Creator’s Choice
The Clever Reader 