We chat with debut author Eva Des Lauriers about I Wish You Would, which is a love story in which explosive secrets threaten to tear everyone apart, including best friends (or maybe more?), Natalia and Ethan.
Hi, Eva! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m a former social worker turned YA author who became a diehard romantic after falling for and marrying my best friend. I grew up in Southern California, but now we live in the Bay Area with our two kiddos. I’ve been writing my whole life, but didn’t start taking it seriously until about ten years ago. When I’m not writing, I love to wander through the redwoods or stare at the sea while listening to moody music (aka Taylor Swift).
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I grew up in a family who loved books, movies, and music. Consuming story was as essential to my daily life as food, and I was hungrier for it. The first book that I clutched to my chest when I finished it was Just as Long as We’re Together by Judy Blume. I identified so fiercly with the complex friendships, the crushes, and the family issues of that book. I had never before read about a young girl who was allowed to be complicated—jealous, angry, petty—and still lovable.
The first full story I remember writing was at the age of ten and it was called Promises, Secrets and Tears which is honestly so on brand for me to this day.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
- The one that made you want to become an author: Persuasion by Jane Austen (the! Angst!)
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson
Your debut novel, I Wish You Would, is out May 21st! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Swoony, big feelings summer romance.
What can readers expect?
I Wish You Would is a Taylor Swift coded friends-to-lovers romance told in alternating dual POV over the course of twenty-four hours. It’s about two best friends, Ethan and Natalia, who haven’t spoken all summer since things escalated between them after prom. But they’re forced to reunite at Senior Sunrise, an overnight event at the beach that kicks off senior year, where they and the rest of the class participate in the tradition of writing letters to themselves answering the question what they would do this year if they were braver. When the letters get out, Natalia and Ethan work together to find them before the explosive secrets tear everyone apart, especially them.
It includes:
- Summer beach vibes.
- High-octane emotion
- Confessional letters that get lost.
- Longing, pining, angst.
- Best friends will-they-won’t-they.
- Explorations of identity and purpose.
- Mental health representation.
- Mixed-race representation.
- Dramatic confessions.
- Taylor Swift Easter eggs.
Where did the inspiration for I Wish You Would come from?
My stories always start with characters, and Ethan and Natalia came to me clear as day as best friends struggling with newfound feelings. Because I also really wanted this story to revolve around secrets—not just the ones we keep from each other, but the ones we keep from ourselves—I needed a setting and a bit of a pressure cooker element to get these two to actually face what it was that was going on between them. When the concept of Senior Sunrise came to me, it became the perfect event for these two best friends to be honest with themselves in the form of the tradition of writing confessional letters.
The story unfolded organically from there that these letters full of confessions and secrets would get out and wreak havoc among friends and enemies alike. Likely influenced by my love of teen drama from all the shows and movies I watched in the nineties and early aughts!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Friends-to-lovers is a beloved trope to me because as the foundation of the relationship shifts, there is so much angst and longing and pining to explore. I really had fun digging into those moments between Ethan and Natalia and torturing them a little bit in the process.
I also really love writing an ensemble cast, so while I Wish You Would is at its heart an emotional love story between two best friends, the side characters have so much to contribute. I had to get to know them on a deep level to understand what they were hiding and why. Writing letters in different voices was a really exciting challenge. It was such a fun surprise to learn that every character had just as much to lose and just as much on the line as the two main characters, and that their secrets were as integral to the plot as Natalia’s & Ethan’s.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Long and arduous, like so many! Despite the obvious brilliance of that first story I wrote when I was ten, it took me a long time to find the confidence to pursue writing as a career. But the longer I stayed in the social work field, the louder my stories got. Eventually, I couldn’t help but listen to them.
It was terrifying making such a big career change, but thankfully it’s also been extremely rewarding. It’s been ten years of learning by doing—writing book after book, honing my craft and voice. Managing heartbreak and setbacks and almosts. I Wish You Would was the third novel I went on submission with, and the fourth I’d written. Despite all the rejections, they made me a better, more determined writer. I’m so grateful my publishing journey is starting with I Wish You Would because it has everything I love in a story and exactly how I wanted to greet the world.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently in the middle of writing my next YA romance, very much in the same vein as I Wish You Would as far as angst and longing and big feelings. It’s a second-chance romance about Clara and Reid, who reunite during Legacy Weekend, an annual event that invites high school alumni back to their small mountain town. Feelings reignite but past hurts threaten to keep them apart. I can’t wait to share more about it in the future!
Lastly, are there any book releases that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
Absolutely! Top of mind are When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson, Thirsty by Jas Hammonds, Not About a Boy by Myah Hollis, Midnights With You by Clare Osongco, and Past, Present, Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon.
