Interview With Amy Noelle Parks, author of The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss

Today I'm happy to present an interview with Amy Noelle Parks, author of The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss, which releases this fall!

Here's the interview!

The bold font are the questions I asked, the regular font are her answers, and the bold italic font are my comments about her answers.

Would you please describe your book, The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss, in seven words?

BFFs fall in love online and IRL

(Are the acronyms cheating?)

What are some of your favorite YA Romantic Comedies?

I loved The Last Best Story by Maggie Lehrman (who happens to be my editor!). It exactly captures the zany feel of old-time screwball romantic comedies. I also really enjoyed Don't Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno. The setting in this one is amazing, and it gives me that warm, cozy feeling I'm looking for in a rom-com. And then, my favorite YA romantic comedy of all time has to be Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. It's laugh-out-loud funny, but the two main characters are so sweet together, and dual POVs get me every time.

I haven't read any of these, but I've heard good things about all of them! :)

Random Question! What’s your favorite movie?

One no one's ever heard of -- Kicking and Screaming by Noah Baumbach. It's about that weird, liminal space right after you graduate from college (which is when I saw it for the first time.) Twenty-five years later, my husband and I still quote it to each other constantly.

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

This is maybe not so much advice, but encouragement. I'll be 49 when I debut. I know lots of people manage it, but I couldn't have written this book while I was getting my PhD or starting on the tenure track or caring for young kids, but I'm at a point in my life where time is opening up and all kinds of new things are possible. However old you are, you have lots of time.

This is fantastic advice! :)

What are some books you’re looking forward to reading in 2020? And if you’ve already read some ‘20 books, would you like to mention them?

Unsurprisingly, I love a romantic comedy about smart kids so I can't wait for Amanda Sellet's By the Book: A Novel of Pros and Cons (such a great title!). Tweet Cute by Emma Lord seems adorable, and Sandhya Menon's new one, Of Curses and Kisses, looks amazing.

I'm really looking forward to reading By the Book, and Of Curses and Kisses! And I've read and LOVED Tweet Cute! :)

Thank you to Amy Noelle Parks for participating in this event, and for letting me interview her! :)

Author bio: Amy Noelle Parks is an associate professor at Michigan State University. When she’s not using One Direction lyrics as writing prompts, she’s helping future teachers recover from the trauma inflicted on them by years of school mathematics.  She lives in Michigan with her husband and two daughters. 

Here are a few links:

Her Twitter