Meet Rachel Lynn Solomon.

Onto the interview!

So you write about unlikable girls, bad decisions, and complex relationships. Love it! What made you decide to create that trio of motivation when writing?
Those are the kinds of books I’m drawn to! I never need to “like” a female protagonist to be invested in her story; I simply need to relate to her and understand her motivations. Courtney Summers, Amy Reed, and Corey Ann Haydu write some of my favorite protagonists. They’re never 100 percent likable, but they’re always interesting, always compelling.
Bad decisions—I don’t want to read a book about characters who make the right decisions every time (not at all realistic, especially in YA), so I probably wouldn’t want to write one, either ;).
Most of my book ideas begin with a complex relationship. For You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, I knew from the beginning I wanted the sisters to receive opposite results from a genetic test. That premise crackles with tension and conflict, and if the sisters are already not quite on speaking terms at the beginning, it complicates the relationship even more.

Congrats on your debut novel, You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, releasing soon! What was the hardest scene to write between the twins?
Without giving too much away, the book’s climax contains an explosive fight between the sisters, and the hardest scene to write was actually a scene that follows this one. Denouements are the most difficult part of writing for me because I never want to wrap everything up too neatly. This scene I’m thinking of, though, has the sisters finally stripping away their preconceived notions of how the other is feeling and beginning to understand where the other is actually coming from, and feeling heartbroken about the test results all over again.
What was your most surreal experience to date on your publishing journey?
While at the airport heading to a writers’ workshop, I struck up a conversation with a guy in the security line. He had a dog with him, and I am very much a dog person, but I am not a casual-conversation-with-strangers person. Apparently, he was, and as we talked, the conversation led to my book, which he actually pulled up on Amazon and preordered while we were still in line!
Can you share any juicy details for your upcoming 2019 publication called A Year of Bad Ideas? If not, did someone in particular, or something, inspiring your next novel?
I can share a little! I’m working with my editor on revisions right now, so some things—including that title!—are subject to change. It’s about the aftermath of a kidney transplant between best friends, complicated by the fact that the donor is in love with the recipient. It’s dual POV, like You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, and deals with friendship codependency, identity, and music.
Is there anything else you’d like to share or say?
Thank you for having me! You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone is a deeply personal book, and I can’t wait until it’s out in the world.

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Visit Rachel on her media sites above and grab your copy of You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone out today!