We chat with author A.J. Symon about Golden Boy, which sees the beloved family golden retriever become human, leading to a girl’s relationships with her family and herself transform in ways she never thought possible.
Hi, A.J.! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I consider myself a Southern storyteller at heart. The South is full of colorful characters and great stories, and football, friendship, and dogs are a part of daily life. I’m a University of Georgia alum who went off to Hollywood to be a screenwriter, but now I’m back home and writing novels in a beautiful small town. Whether I’m writing a book or a screenplay, I’m always chasing the same thing—a story that stays with people and that people talk about at family dinner.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve loved stories all my life, but I didn’t ever think of writing one until my last year in college when I took a class in playwriting and absolutely loved it. It was so fun creating my own characters and coming up with stories. There was only one drawback. My plays stunk. But my teacher Ms. Kathryn encouraged me to keep at it. She said everyone’s first attempt usually stinks. But the good news is that being bad at something is the first step toward getting good at it. So I’m grateful to her for seeing whatever it was she thought she saw in me way back then.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
- The one that made you want to become an author: Could never narrow it down to just one. But the entire canons of two master storytellers: Stephen King and Steven Spielberg.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
Your debut novel, Golden Boy, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Dog becomes human. Laughter. Tears.
What can readers expect?
My hope is that it lifts readers up. They’ll laugh a lot and may even shed a tear or two. It’s perfect if you just want to be entertained, feel good, and smile. But the book has a lot of layers, so even though I wrote it for young readers, anyone of any age can relate. You can read it just for the funny story, but it also deals with family relationships, friendship, honesty, bullying, grief… A kid who picks the book up today can enjoy it one way, then a few years down the road can discover completely new things in it. And even more when they’re an adult. It’s definitely something that will get the whole family talking.
Where did the inspiration for Golden Boy come from?
I’ve been playing around with this concept for many, many years. I got the idea when I was playing with my dog at the time. His name was Spiffy. I thought I was playing fetch, but Spiffy decided that he wanted to play keep away. I threw the ball, and he brought it back, dropped it at my feet. When I bent down to grab it, he snatched it up and took off across the yard. So I spent a good hour chasing Spiffy, zig-zagging all around the yard, trying to get that darned ball back. I was pooped, but he stood there with the ball in his mouth, drooling, big ol’ smile on his face, ready for more, and I thought to myself, “If that dog was human, he’d be the best running back in the world.” And that was when the light bulb went off: A dog becomes a human football star.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
One of my favorite scenes is when Hudson, the golden retriever, first becomes human and figures out how to open a door, now that he has an opposable thumb. In fact, his whole first day as a human was pretty fun to write. Especially when he stumbles upon the high school football game and, like Spiffy, refuses to give anyone back the ball.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I’m not sure if it was a writing challenge, but there was an emotional challenge. I started writing this story because I lost my service dog Chip very suddenly, and writing was the only way I had to channel all of those emotions. It was almost like automatic writing. It just poured out. All of the grief and the sadness, but more than that, all of the joy and the lessons and the ten years of unconditional love that Chip gave me. All of that went into the book. And I started feeling better. I think his spirit lives on in this story. So I hope that this book lifts the reader up the way that Chip lifted me up all those years.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
First, I want to thank Simon & Schuster for believing in the book. I’m so honored. But mine is a real unicorn story. I didn’t have to go through all of the typical stress of finding an agent and writing an inquiry letter and getting multiple rejections from agents and publishers. I kind of went through the Hollywood version of that when I lived on the West Coast, so I had a connection from my years slaving away as a screenwriter. I basically sent my manuscript directly to Simon & Schuster, and within a few months, it was accepted. Personally, I think Chip was up there pulling strings.
What’s next for you?
This is the first in a series so I’m excited about sharing the other stories with readers. I’m currently working on both a prequel and a sequel. Not sure which will be done first. But there is definitely much more to come.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
This year, I’ve been re-reading Stephen King’s Talisman series because the final book in the trilogy is coming out soon, and I need to refresh my memory.
I’ve also got Ethan Joella’s The Top of the World on my TBR list along with Angelica Chang’s Fast Track. She’s also a Simon & Schuster debut author. We all have to support each other.
