Today we had the pleasure of chatting with Eric Smith and we talk all about his recent release, Don’t Read the Comments. From the inspiration behind the novel and the process of developing the magical universe of Reclaim the Sun, to the deleted scenes that you might never expect, everything unravels in today’s interview!
Your newest contemporary, Don’t Read the Comments, published on January 28th 2020! Can you tell us about it and why everyone should include this book in their reading list?
It’s true! So in Don’t Read the Comments, readers meet two teens who love video games something fierce. One wants to write them, the other streams them, and both find themselves wrestling with very real world issues surrounding family and support. And then the two of them meet in a massively popular online game called Reclaim the Sun, a friendship blossoms (and maybe more?), as threats and cyber harassment get very intense and move into the real space. Include it in your reading list if you like multi-POV novels and books that toss a little sci-fi into the mix… though the sci-fi is just the inside of a video game.
What ultimately inspired you to write this story? Does it have anything to do with your interest in video games, perhaps?
It does! I’m a big video gamer, and might be a little bit spoiled, as I play across all consoles. I grew up on games like Chrono Trigger and FInal Fantasy III, which taught me at a really young age that games can hit you with really powerful storytelling and well, can make you cry. The emotional hook behind gaming and the large online communities that have spiraled from it really drove me to write this, combined with friends who have been on the receiving end of a lot of that online harassment.
As a well-known literary agent, did that help you at all in order to develop your very own story?
Oh, I wish. I think I’m good at helping authors develop their stories, because when you send a book to an agent, that person has distance from your work. I don’t really have that distance from my work. That’s why I have an agent too!
Though Reclaim the Sun is a work of fiction, we seriously wish it existed in real life! How was your development and writing process for this VR universe?
Hah! Me too! I had a pretty epic bundle of notes while fiddling with how I wanted the game to appear, pulling from some of my favorite titles, like No Man’s Sky, Eve Online, World of Warcraft, and more. I even bought an Oculus Go, to fuss around in my own VR worlds and get a handle on using a headset. The big challenge in the gaming world though, was working with my editor to make sure it felt grounded. The original draft has a pretty wild version of the VR landscape, and thankfully I had an editor who nudged me to make it feel like it could happen now or at least a few minutes in the future, as opposed to a game that was entirely sci-fi in feeling.
Can you share any parts or scenes that you decided to leave out at the very last second and why?
Oh! I feel like maybe I answered this in the last question! Hah! But the game was significantly more detailed than originally written. It would have made it a sci-fi novel instead of a contemporary story with a slightly more advanced video game than we have. There were a few more scenes with Rebekah at the school that didn’t quite make it, as well as with Divya’s mother at the library in a very early draft, but the pacing felt a bit off. If you end up seeing a library scene in a future novel of mine, you’ll know where it came from.
Were there any struggles that you faced when you were developing the relationship between Divya and Aaron? How are these two similar, but also different at the same time?
I think the biggest struggle here was balancing Aaron’s well meaning, bumbling attempts to be an ally while navigating his growing feelings and relationship with Divya. He wants to be supportive, but of course he doesn’t want to take advantage. And there was Divya’s approach, wanting to connect with someone while dealing with the fear of who might be behind the screen. It was tough, and I hope Rebekah and Ryan, their best friends, helped them through it.
What would you say was the biggest challenge when you were writing this story? And how did you overcome it?
One was definitely navigating those relationship dynamics, that’s for sure. The other was trying to talk about a world I love so much, that being video games, while being critical of it at the same time. There’s a lot of joy in gaming, but there’s also plenty of horrible things going on. It was really a matter of just pushing through, and reminding myself that you can love a thing passionately, while at the same time acknowledging what’s wrong with it.
If this story were to be adapted, are there any actors and actresses that you think will be able to bring these characters to life?
Oh whew, what a dream that would be! I feel like I’m slightly ill equipped to bring up teen actors though! I really love Sarayu Blue (please see her in P.S. I Still Love You, the second To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before movie!), and could easily see her playing Divya’s mom. Cast the audiobook narrators somewhere, please! Richa Shukla Moorjani and Sunil Malhotra were brilliant.
We’ve been incredibly excited for this book, as it’s in our list for most anticipated 2020 releases. For you, what’s your most anticipated titles for next year?
Thank you! My most anticipated books this year… whew, a few came out already, like Adam Silvera’s Infinity Son and Lamar Giles’ Not So Plain and Simple. I’m still anxiously awaiting Star Daughter by Shveta Thakar and This Is My Brain in Love by I. W. Gregorio.
Lastly, what’s next for you?
I have a really fun anthology coming out next year, co-edited with my dear friend Lauren Gibaldi (if you haven’t read Autofocus, it’s one of my absolute favorite YA contemporary novels). It’s called Battle of the Bands, and is a collection of short stories set at a single high school’s battle of the bands night. It’s super fun, and I’m really excited about it. And as for Aaron and Divya… well, maybe you’ll see them pop up somewhere in something else. Hint hint. Nudge nudge.
