We chat with authors Olivia A. Cole and Ashley Woodfolk about Call Your Boyfriend, which is She Gets the Girl meets Bottoms in this fun and flirty young adult sapphic rom-com about two teens who want revenge on the flaky popular girl they’re both crushing on.
Hi, Olivia and Ashley! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Olivia: I’m the author of ten books and the mom of a 7-year-old kid who reads as much as I do. I’m happiest in a quiet room with lots of plants.
Ashley: I’ve been writing stories since I learned to write. I have two of the funniest, cutest kids on Earth who are also the only reasons I don’t write more. Noisy music, deep conversations, and long hugs are a few of my favorite things. Also food. I love to eat.
Your latest novel, Call Your Boyfriend, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Olivia: “These girls are f-ing cute.”
Ashley: Co-conspirators to friends to lovers (Gotta credit Kristina Forest for this perfection)
What can readers expect?
Olivia: Fun and feelings. Our favorite bit of feedback we keep getting is “Wow, this is actually hilarious.” We’ve got the rom, but we really do have the com.
Ashley: Tropes on tropes on tropes. We’ve got promposals, kissing in the rain, kissing for practice, forced proximity….and there’s a band.
Where did the inspiration for Call Your Boyfriend come from?
Olivia: When it comes to our individual books, Ashley and I both tend to be heavy. We wanted to have some fun and feel light for awhile, and had been discussing a queer rom-com. We each saw the movie Bottoms, and Call Your Boyfriend clicked into place. The 90’s was primetime for excellent romcoms – a long lost era, I fear – and we leaned into those vibes heavily.
Ashley: I’ve been wanted to write something with Olivia ever since we bonded during the pancdemic and I read her backlist (and almost every book she’s written since). We wanted to write something that felt like the movies we loved as teens, but with less… blatant homophobia and racism. We definitely did that.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Olivia: Aside from obvious fun moments between Beau and Charm, I really enjoyed exploring the dynamic between Beau and her sister. Both of them are funny and love each other deeply, and each are carrying a significant amount of baggage. Watching them learn to put some of it down was really rewarding.
Ashley: On a surface level, I loved all the promposals. It was just fun to come up with elaborate ones that I wouldn’t have had the guts to pull off / would have totally embarrassed me if they’d happened to me. When it comes to the deeper stuff, thinking about how and why Beau and Charm are so perfect for eachother and weaving that throughout the text was something that came up in every draft and it was fun to deepen their connection over and over again.
Can you tell us a bit about your process when it came to working on the book together?
Olivia: Lots of texts that started with “Hey wouldn’t it be funny if….” Or “Omg wouldn’t it be cute if…” And then the other person saying “UM YES.”
Ashley: We live and die by text messages, voice notes, and google docs. But the process itself was super seamless.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Olivia: Besides the never-ending challenge of balancing parenting and writing, both of us have multiple other projects in the works, and it was hard not to ignore them and solely play on the playground of Call Your Boyfriend. The world has been so heavy, and it was such a relief to write something that was pure joy, with low stakes and a happy ending. Overcoming them? Pure will! But also leaning on each other. When one of us was overwhelmed, the other took the wheel.
Ashley: I think the main challenge for me was not bugging Olivia too much lol. But she was a great sport. Plus everything she said. These kids. This world.
What’s next for you both?
Olivia: Well, the next rom-com is out next year! Queerleaders is even funnier and just as joyful. As for my individual projects, my next YA novel-in-verse, Blood Lick, is out next year as well.
Ashley: I have my second picture book and my debut middle grade coming soon!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
Olivia: I just finished Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame by Neon Yang and loved it. I also enjoyed Model Home by Rivers Solomon. I’m in the middle of Original Sins by Eve L. Ewing which I’ve been looking forward to for awhile. My next must-read is The Corruption of Hollis Brown by Kayla Ancrum.
Ashley: I’ve been reading a ton of middle grade to help me find and hone the voice for mine. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, When You Trap A Tiger by Tae Keller, and The Girl Who Drank the Moon are some recent favorites.
