We chat with author Christen Randall about According To Plan, which is a cosy queer romance about self-discovery, finding your person, and carving out a space for yourself in unexpected places—perfect for fans of Heartstopper, Felix Ever After, and Julie Murphy.
Hi, Christen! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m Christen! I’m a queer, fat, neurodivergent nerd who writes books about characters who are also all of those things, too. I live in Covington, Kentucky with my partner and two cats. I’m always kind of terrible at those “a fun fact about me” things, but a fun fact about me is I had a chance to go to Disney World in fifth grade, but it was the same week as the Science Olympiad at school…so I chose to stay with a friend and compete in the Olympiad while the rest of my family went to Disney World. I won the Natural Sciences section thanks largely to my knowledge of bird identification. I think that says a lot about who I am as a person, honestly.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve always loved making up stories. When other little kids were playing with toys, I was playing in my imagination. But my love of writing came a little later. I’m dyslexic, so learning to read and write was particularly challenging for me. But as soon as I figured out I could use writing to tell stories, it was over. I turned every assignment I could into an excuse to be as creative on the page as possible, making the prettiest sentences possible out of my spelling words or writing stories about adventuring cats for vocabulary assignments. I don’t think I’ve stopped since.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (The first series I read on my own! The final book made me sob.)
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (I knew I could make other readers sob, too!)
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Donut Summer by Anita Kelly (Everything about this novel is perfect to me.)
Your latest novel, According To Plan, is out February 12th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Neurodivergent cuties making rebellious zines.
What can readers expect?
According to Plan is equal parts nerdy zine kid vibes, cozy warm sweater vibes, and tender sweet romance vibes. We’ll be following Mal Flowers, a fat, nonbinary teen with ADHD, who is trying their absolute best to stick to The Plan, this rigid to-do list for surviving high school and following their sister to college. Unfortunately for them, a vital step—being the editor of their school’s literary magazine—disappears when the mag gets canceled due to budget cuts, threatening to throw Mal’s life into chaos. Then—speaking of chaos—they meet up with Emerson Pike, a cute bi girl who also has ADHD but is Mal’s opposite in about every other imaginable way. She’s loud. She’s always wearing bright colors. She’s never made a plan in her life. But she proposes one to Mal: what if they took the magazine rogue as a DIY zine, which they would both be editors of, and publish out of the back room of a local coffee shop? Initially, Mal’s like, hard pass. No thanks. But with their Plan in shambles and no other options to get it back on track, they hesitantly agree. And it’s…a lot more fun than they thought. And so is spending time with the group of kids who join them. And then there’s spending time with Emerson, who is funny and charming and really, really pretty…
If you’re feeling like you need a cozy warm hug in book shape right now, According to Plan is the book for you!
Where did the inspiration for According To Plan come from?
There were a lot of different seeds for this story, honestly, but I think the most important one came from my best friend, Alyssa. This sounds so corny, but Alyssa is also AuDHD and fat, just like me, and our friendship, the way we show up for each other and love each other through the highs and lows of life, just really inspires me! Like, there’s just something really cool about neurodivergent friendship, and finding neurodiverse community. I think that’s where the story really rooted: in the joy of neurodiverse love.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I love writing an ensemble cast, and the MixxedMedia Zine Lab staffers were full of fun surprises. I enjoyed writing Mal and Emerson and Maddie, obviously, but I was more aware of their narratives and character arcs when I sat down to write. The zine staffers were less concrete, and so watching them bloom on the page in real time was a lot of fun! One of them has a fun twist, a pair of them have a romantic arc, and one has an unexpected redemption arc, none of which I knew about until they were happening on the page. I really enjoy when my writing surprises me like that!
And no spoilers, but there’s a cameo from a The No-Girlfriend Rule character that was also particularly fun to write. It was just fun to check in with her and see what she’s up to!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
According to Plan comes from a really vulnerable place, and at times that got really scary. I’ve always been neurodivergent, but like Mal I also didn’t grow up with the best access to care or with a solid support system. So while I was getting Mal’s neurodivergent experience onto the page, there was sometimes a mean little voice in my head telling me like, no one will care, Christen. This isn’t important, Christen. Actually Mal’s a loser and you’re a loser, too, Christen. You know, just casual internalized ableism things. But to help me unpack that and keep writing, I grounded myself in my friendships with other neurodivergent people. My partner and my best friends are all also neurodivergent, and I just find so much love and joy with them. I would never say any of the things my brain was telling me to any of them, so why say it to myself? Loving them helped me stay rooted in the love of this story–and of myself!
This is your second published novel! Were there any key lessons learned from The No-Girlfriend Rule that helped with working on According To Plan?
To write from my heart. One of the coolest experiences of my debut novel was learning that there are readers who feel seen and loved by the stories I tell. As an author trying to make this gig a career, there can be a lot of pressure (real or imagined or both) to write what Publishing™ wants, to fit trending genres or tropes. But for me, the real good stuff comes when I am writing earnestly with two feet planted firmly in my truth. Any time I felt anxious about Mal’s story, I remembered that there will be readers who need them. It really helped carry me forward and keep me in the joy of the book.
What’s next for you?
I keep writing! I’m working on a few YA projects right now and am even noodling a romance that’s in the emerging New Adult space. I don’t want to give too much away, but I can promise you they’re all really nerdy and fun and very Christen-y.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
So many! DeAndra Davis (recent Morris winner, to brag!) has a new one out this year called The Lovers, the Liars, and Me that I’m incredibly excited for. Jen St. Jude’s next one, Where You’ll Find Us, is out this year, and I can’t wait to add that to my shelves. Julian Winters’ just released a new one called Last First Kiss that I’m about to read. And like, so many more! 2026 has a stellar line-up of queer books, and I can’t wait to read as many as I can!
You can find Christen on Instagram, Substack, and her website.
