We chat with author Blair Hanson about America’s Not-So-Sweetheart, which is a debut YA gay contemporary following a reality TV villain and featuring messy, complicated queer relationships and exploring the toxicity of social media.
Hi, Blair! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m Blair Hanson, and I write contemporary young adult fiction featuring messy queer characters. I work in STEM, which is good for me because it’s so different from writing. I use a much different part of my brain when I’m at my day job, so I usually (yes, usually) feel refreshed enough to work on my books when I get home. Outside of writing and work, my entire personality revolves around cats, colorful socks, and college sports, but I’ve been trying to get into baking lately as well.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
When I was really little, my mom used to read six or seven books to me every night, and I would always beg her to read me just one more story. From there, I remember always scribbling the beginnings of stories in tiny notebooks (then giving up on them in less than half a day). In seventh grade, I wrote my first full manuscript on a computer that had no internet (which might explain why I was able to bang out a first draft so quickly—maybe I should try this again). When I finished that first manuscript, I called a huge, dramatic family meeting at 11:30 p.m. in my parents’ room to announce I had written a book and was going to become rich and famous. I’ll let you guess how that worked out.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: I remember being really into the Warrior Cats series by Erin Hunter when I was in elementary school. Cats, betrayals, shifting alliances, drama—these are all of my favorite things.
- The one that made you want to become an author: This book is so different from what I write these days, but Carl Dueker’s Heart of a Champion was what convinced me to try my hand at writing. I read this book probably a dozen times in seventh grade, and I still get emotional thinking about the ending. The first book I ever wrote was a baseball story loosely inspired by Heart of a Champion, except it also featured murder, environmental activism, local government corruption, Scooby-Doo-style sleuthing, random beach scenes even though the setting was nowhere near a beach, and… hundreds of snakes? For some reason? That book really was such a trainwreck.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. I‘m pretty infamous for working through my lunch breaks, but when I was reading this book, I brought it to work with me and told people not to bother me during my break so I could finish it. This book is so funny, sweet, emotional, and charming, and I still think about it to this day.
Your debut novel, America’s Not-So-Sweetheart, is out June 17th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Chaotic, villains, “villains,” pining, queer
What can readers expect?
“Mess” would be the super short answer. Readers can also expect a deep dive into some of the negative aspects of reality TV. For better or worse (mostly worse), social media plays a huge role in Alec’s story, and the book highlights some of the challenges Alec faces as he searches for external validation.
I should also note that while this book does have loads of banter and some sweeter moments, it does not follow all of the arcs of a traditional rom-com or romance novel. Personally, I love a good rom-com—especially a queer one—but I think readers might be a bit disappointed if they go in expecting a rom-com with this book. It’s hard to say more without spoiling the plot, but I will say that I tried my best to portray a relationship that felt raw, realistic, and true to many teen relationships today.
Where did the inspiration for America’s Not-So-Sweetheart come from?
The reality TV element of the book came from my superfandom of reality shows such as Survivor and Big Brother. I love the strategy and interpersonal aspects of these games, and reading the online commentary during the seasons is fun, but there are certain segments of the fandom that can get super toxic. I’ve often seen players get vilified online simply for making strategic moves that place them in a better position to win, and I thought it would be interesting to write a book told through the lens of one of these “villains.” The showmance aspect came to me early in my planning process, and I knew I had to pursue it because it’s a storyline that could be explored in so many dramatic ways.
America’s Not-So-Sweetheart is a combination of pretty much everything I love as a reader: complicated relationships, explorations of self, reality TV, road trips, the dark side of social media, wildlife rehabilitation, etc. The fun part about being a writer is that it takes years to actually see the book get published, so I feel like such a different person than the one I was when I was drafting ANSS. I’m nothing like Alec, and this story is very much not based on my life, but it’s cool to view this book as a time capsule of a specific point in my life.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Alec and Joaquín were both such fun characters to write. With this book, I really tried to write characters that felt authentic and true to life, even if that meant highlighting some of their more unsavory personality traits. Alec and Joaquín make mistakes and have laundry lists of character flaws, but they also went through this terrible experience together by going on TV at such a young age. They’ve also been continually screwed over by the show’s production team and fanbase.
So are they actually unlikable people? Or are they just products of a system that’s inherently exploitative, exhausting, and corrupt? I’m eager to hear what readers think.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge I had was an unexpected one—isn’t that how it always goes? I completely underestimated how much I would struggle with writing a book that takes place during a road trip. I’ve joked with my family and friends that my book basically has four actual characters, and two of them only exist via texts and social media posts for much of the book. I was unprepared for how suffocating it would feel to have several consecutive chapters where Alec and Joaquín were essentially trapped with each other, with no other characters to interact with. I also struggled with writing a book with a compressed timeline, as I’m used to writing books that slowly unfold over the course of weeks or months. I was eventually able to somewhat overcome this by finding some creative ways to give the boys “space” from each other, but it was hard. I’m happy with how ANSS turned out, but trust me—I will not be writing another road trip-centric story any time soon!
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
This is Book #12 for me. As I mentioned earlier, I started writing (bad) novels when I was in middle school, and I spent over a decade trying to get an agent with no success. Looking back on them now, I am happy that those previous books will never see the light of day; I cannot emphasize enough how cringey and terrible these manuscripts were. They were a great learning experience for me, though, and I feel like a little piece of each of those books ended up in America’s Not-So-Sweetheart. I ultimately signed with my agent in 2023, sold my book in 2024, and now ANSS is coming out in 2025.
What’s next for you?
I actually just announced a few weeks ago that my next book is due for publication at some point in 2026! In this new book, a teen and his two best friends desperately try to obtain funds for their rural Arkansas town, which has been suffering from water quality issues for years. Much like America’s Not-So-Sweetheart, my next book will highlight queer teens doing morally questionable things for the greater good, but I’m exploring this concept much differently this time around.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
In the adult space, the last several books I’ve read have all offered a critique of influencer culture. Anna-Marie McLemore’s The Influencers, Liann Zhang’s Julie Chan Is Dead (I read this in one sitting!), and Jesse Q. Sutanto’s You Will Never Be Me are all recent releases that showcase the darker side of putting your entire life out on the internet.
On the YA side of things, I (perhaps unsurprisingly) read a lot of queer YA. I recently read Elias Cold’s The Duke Steals Hearts & Other Body Parts, and even though it’s a much different genre, I think in a somewhat weird way it could be a comp title to America’s Not-So-Sweetheart through its exploration of complicated and unhealthy relationships. I’m a fan of Julian Winters (The Summer of Everything was particularly amazing), and I’m looking forward to reading I Think They Love You, which is his adult debut. A.M. Woody’s Most Valuable Player, which is out in October and features queer romance, humor, and sports, feels like it was made just for me. I haven’t had a chance to read Zakiya N. Jamal’s If We Were a Movie yet, but it looks amazing, so I have to get on that. Additionally, I’m also really excited to read Adrienne Rivera’s My Fair Monster, which is coming out later this summer. I’ve read some of Adrienne’s other work and can confirm she has such a magnetic and charming voice.
