I’m so excited to chat with Marisa Kanter about her hilarious and heart-warming new YA novel, As If On Cue. In a desperate attempt to save their high school’s art funding, life-long enemies Natalie and Reid are forced to put their prank war aside to co-direct the school musical. But it turns out that working together isn’t as bad as it seems…in fact, Natalie and Reid might just like each other. We chat with Marisa all about music, writing, and As If On Cue!
Hi Marisa, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and As If On Cue?
Hello! I am a young adult author, amateur podcaster, and reality television enthusiast. I grew up surrounded by books in the suburbs of Boston, and my love of words took me to New York City, where I attended college and worked in a variety of roles within the publishing industry. I’m a recent LA transplant, where I live with my fiancé. We’ve been dating since high school, and our meet-cute was the inspiration for As If on Cue! Not the rivals-to-lovers arc (we were just friends first!), but we did actually write and direct a school play together with a group of friends, and it was an experience that I always thought would be such a fun premise for a novel.
What sets As If On Cue apart from other young adult novels?
As If on Cue is absolutely a romcom and trope-y as heck, but I think that one thing that sets it apart is the origin of Natalie and Reid’s rivalry, and how it stems from a long history that involves their families. Natalie’s dad is a band director, so their rivalry is not merely academic, it’s musical. Natalie truly believes that when Reid picked up the clarinet, he stole her relationship with her dad, which adds a layer to jealousy to Natalie’s character that is so compelling to me (and often leads to questionable decision-making!). Their relationship was a spin on rivals-to-lovers, where I got to sprinkle in the complicated family dynamics that I love to write so much! We also get to see the creative process of building a musical from the initial spark of an idea to its execution. And, of course, Natalie and Reid are both Jewish, which is intentional and important to me because for the longest time, Jewish teens did not see themselves represented in romcoms. I’m so thrilled to be publishing at a time where that is starting to change—and that As If on Cue is now one of many Jewish romcom options for readers to choose from!
If you could choose three songs to describe Natalie and Reid’s relationship in As If On Cue, what would they be?
Ooh, this is such a fun question! I’ll keep it musical themed: “What is this Feeling?” from
Wicked, “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better” from Annie Get Your Gun, and “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)” from Hercules. I think these three songs capture their dynamic during the first half of the book perfectly.
What is the main message that you want readers to take away from As If On Cue?
As If on Cue is a celebration of the arts and an ode to the impact art can have during these formative periods of our lives. I hope readers, especially teen readers, take away that whatever their relationship to art is, it is valid. There are so many different and fulfilling ways that art (or any activity that brings you joy!) can be a part of your life. Just let your passions lead you forward. And if you stumble along the way? That’s just part of the process.
Do you relate more to the main character in your debut novel, What I Like About You (book blogger and cupcake decorator Halle), or the main character in As If On Cue (play writer and director Natalie)?
Both Halle and Natalie are deeply rooted in and inspired by my own experiences—I was a teen book blogger and writer/director of a school play! It’s hard to say who I relate to more, because there are pieces of me in both of them. I was Halle, a socially anxious rule following teen who made many of her most meaningful friendships online. But I was also Natalie, someone who for the longest time saw their passion as only a hobby because the reality of making it into a career felt like an impossible dream. Personality wise, the scale tips in Halle’s favor, as I would never have spoken to teachers with the bold confidence that Natalie is able to!
Why did you choose to use a retelling of Frozen for Natalie and Reid’s school musical?
It took a few drafts to nail down what exactly I wanted the musical within the book to be. Ultimately, I wanted it to feel perfectly teen, like a concept that my friends and I would have actually come up with in high school. As soon as I landed on Melted, everything clicked into place. Climate anxiety is real, and so many teens feel so much existential dread in relationship to the environment. It felt like a topic that Natalie and her friends would have naturally had a point of view on. Plus, it was just a ton of fun to play with parody from the point of view of these teens who believe they’ve mastered it!
Do you play any musical instruments (e.g., the clarinet or the piano like Reid)?
Not well, haha! I played the clarinet for three years in elementary and middle school, but much like Natalie it wasn’t quite my thing. Instead, I gravitated toward choir (shout out to my fellow altos!) and theater. Recently, I’ve picked up the piano as a pandemic hobby, and I am happy to report that I can now play a super solid beginner version of “A Whole New World.”
What challenges did you face while writing As If On Cue and how did you overcome them?
Writing a book is never easy, but even through the hard parts, everything about As If on Cue felt right in a way that I have never experienced before or since! I wrote As If on Cue in a pre-pandemic world, and it was easily the best drafting experience I have ever had. The entire revision process, however, took place over the course of last year, which became quite the creative struggle. For a while, it felt impossible to write a world that hasn’t been touched by this pandemic, where band concerts and musicals and even something as simple as spending time with friends were happening. A few drafts in, I was finally able to see revising as an escape allow myself to have fun in this world again. I am so thankful to my publishing team for giving me the time and space to make sure that I was delivering the best book I could possibly write.
What was the last book you read?
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan, which was an instant forever favorite!
What are some things that you do to cheer yourself up when you are feeling down?
Watch television and movies! I find so much joy in television, and some of my favorite comfort shows include Parks and Recreation, Julie and the Phantoms, Schitt’s Creek, Ted Lasso, Diary of a Future President and The Good Place. In terms of movies, I can watch 10 Things I Hate About You, Legally Blonde, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before on repeat until the end of time.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
In YA, the books I wish I could read again for the first time are: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert, Full Disclosure by Camyrn Garrett, The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan, Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey, Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert, and Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers.
In adult, the romance novels that brought me so much joy and comfort in dark times include: People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry, The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan, Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn, Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle, The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon, The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa, and One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London, to name a few!
