We chat with author Lynette Noni about Wandering Wild, which is a swoony YA romance perfect for readers wanting a high stakes lost-in-the-wilderness adventure brimming with tension-filled romance.
Hi, Lynette! Welcome back! It’s been about three years since we last spoke!
Three years?! Wow, time flies! Thanks so much for having me back — and with another new book to celebrate this time!
Your latest novel, Wandering Wild, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
I can do it in three: romantic wilderness misadventure.
What can readers expect?
The easiest way to describe Wandering Wild is to say it’s a swoony YA survival story full of diverse characters, beloved tropes, and relatable themes, perfect for readers wanting a high-stakes lost-in-the-wilderness adventure brimming with tension-filled romance.
Where did the inspiration for Wandering Wild come from?
A few different things merged together to spark the idea, but one of those was that I was having trouble writing a new fantasy book because of what I now know was acute burnout, and so I decided to see if a “palate cleanser” book (so to speak) would help rekindle my love of writing. At first, I never intended anyone else to read it, since it was more of a writing exercise to help heal my brain, and I wasn’t even sure if I would finish it, but I mentioned the rough concept to my editor one day and she very enthusiastically told me that I had to finish it because she was desperate to read it. So with that in the back of my mind, I stopped dabbling and started actively seeing if it had the potential to become a full, complete story. Turns out, Charlie and Zander made it easy for me, since they came to me so clearly, as did their (mis)adventure. It ended up being a real joy to follow them on their fictional journey — and it was also exactly what the doctor ordered, since I was able to dive back into writing the troublesome fantasy book straight afterwards!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really loved any time Charlie’s best friend, Ember, was on page, and the same for Zander’s two best friends, Summer and Maddox. As for scenes, there’s a moment that happens on a waterfall that I really enjoyed writing, since there are a lot of emotions happening at that point (and, until then, secrets). To avoid spoilers, that’s all I’ll say here!
Do you have a favourite scene that readers should keep an eye out for?
I mentioned a waterfall above, so all my favourite parts of the book happen from that moment on. There are some really fun action and adventure scenes in the following chapters — or, well, fun for me to write, but not so much fun for the characters to go through!
What was the shift like going from YA fantasy to contemporary romance?
I found it to be quite a natural shift, with the only major difference being that I didn’t have to create an entirely new world and/or magic system. That actually made it trickier in some ways, though, because it’s a lot harder to keep people alive in the real world when you don’t have access to dragons who can swoop in and save them from falling off cliffs, or magical plants (or powers) that can heal injuries, etc. Writing in the real world is difficult, let me tell you! As it is, I took a lot of liberties in Wandering Wild — many of which I mention in an Author’s Note at the end of the book. (I also did somehow manage to include dragons, but you’ll have to read the book to see how I did that!)
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
As mentioned above, it was mostly the challenges of writing in the real world, and the limitations that come with that. The characters in Wandering Wild have to navigate some very dangerous situations using only their wits and skills to stay alive. In a fantasy world, there are a lot more options available — there, I create the rules, and can bend/break them if I so choose. In the real world, it’s much more difficult to justify the suspension of disbelief that’s required at times in such survival-focused book.
What’s next for you?
I have a new YA fantasy series that I’ll be announcing very soon. I’m so excited to start talking about it!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I’ve been on overlapping deadlines for most of the year, which means I haven’t had a lot of time for reading (so sad!), but I’ll be interviewing Lauren Roberts during her upcoming Australian tour so I’m just about to start her Powerless trilogy in preparation for that. Afterwards, the next books I’m looking forward to reading are Emily Henry’s Great Big Beautiful Life, the first book in Tahereh Mafi’s new Shatter Me spin-off series (Watch Me), and Rachel Gillig’s The Knight and the Moth.
