Faking Reality is another charming multicultural romance by Sara Fujimura, the award-winning author of Every Reason We Shouldn’t, which was a National Public Radio Best YA Book of the Year. We chat with Sara about her latest release, writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Sara! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I am the American half of our biracial, bicultural Japanese-American family. I write books for intelligent, adventurous, globally-minded teens who aren’t afraid to fall in love with someone completely different than themselves. Except for BREATHE, all of my books feature mixed Asian teens as the main character and/or the Love Interest.
How is your 2021 going in comparison to that other year?
“Second verse, same as the first…” Seriously though, things are ramping up in some areas (new ideas) and stagnant in others (book festivals). Though I am sad that both of my books with Tor Teen came out during the pandemic—and that I likely won’t get to do in-person events to promote them—I know this is just a stumbling block and not the finish line for me. To keep from getting frustrated about the uncontrollable, I choose to focus on the things that I can control—mainly creating new projects.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
HAIL, HAIL CAMP TIMBERWOOD by Ellen Conford. Ellen has since passed, but several years ago, I hunted down a copy of HAIL, HAIL CAMP TIMBERWOOD and had her sign it at an event we were both attending. Ellen later sent me a handwritten thank-you note, which I keep in the book. It’s one of my treasures. Ellen’s book didn’t make me want to be an author exactly (that wouldn’t come until I was about 25!), but it made me want to create something that would be loved long after I was gone.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
Algebra class, but that was because I was bored. Then I got to Geometry and was completely lost. I had to put down my pen on the plotless Duran Duran fanfiction I covertly wrote with my twin and two friends in a round-robin-style notebook. I didn’t start writing again until college, and even then, it was nonfiction. My professor (my degree is in Public Health Education) once hired me to be his assistant because I could “understand complex concepts and distill them down into accessible language.” This skill has served me well over the years. I later wrote educational articles for kids, including—wait for it—a diabetes education article for Scholastic’s SCIENCE WORLD. I also wrote science and history articles for educational magazines such as LEARNING THROUGH HISTORY and APPLESEEDS, among others. I’ve made a complete circle back to writing fiction full time now, but all of my books offer readers an immersive experience into whatever unique setting my characters are in. Whether that’s a summer in Nagoya, Japan, fighting the Spanish Flu in 1918 Philadelphia, training to be an Olympic-calibre skater, or working with power tools on their family’s HGTV show.
Your new novel, Faking Reality, releases on July 13th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Sweet. Swoony. Foodie. Empowering. Realistic.
What can readers expect?
If you love swoony, sweet rom-coms that take you to a place you’ve never been before with extraordinary—but still realistic—girls, then FAKING REALITY might be for you!
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
Though my twin has worked in TV, she mainly worked in post-production and was rarely on set. Her good friend and former co-worker, Sara Van Acker, is a real-life “Stephanie” (talent specialist), though. She helped me bring my book to life.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or?
Aurora, one of Leo’s older sisters. Though she can sometimes come off as rude, everybody needs an Aurora in their life. That one person who tells it to you straight even if they sometimes hurt your feelings. You know that they are a loyal friend who will always have your back.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
The worst: Write what you know. That would be a tiny box for me. Luckily, I have many talented friends with lots of different skill sets, abilities, and experiences. Though I do a lot of online research first, my friends help me take my work to a deeper level.
The best: Write what you know. My box might be tiny, but it’s deep. I could write foodie characters for the rest of my life. I am a twin. I was a Girl Scout leader for a decade. I have lived in Phoenix for almost twenty years, and desert life is different from your typical American suburban life Case in point: Be sure to check your shoes for SCORPIONS when you come to visit. I am the daughter and the wife of immigrants. There are many mixed Japanese families in our community, but we are one of only a handful where DAD is Japanese, not Mom. Write your universal story that many people can relate to on a visceral level, but then add the specifics from your life that make it fresh and unique.
What’s next for you?
I have a couple of different things bubbling right now. The biggest one is turning my first book, TANABATA WISH, into a manga. I am also writing a companion book for EVERY REASON WE SHOULDN’T from derby girl Mack’s POV. I also want to expand my short screenplay KITSUNE MASK into a TV pilot. Insider secret while reading FAKING REALITY: I originally put KITSUNE MASK in the book as a placeholder until I could come up with another thing for Dakota and Leo to be huge fans of, but then it stuck.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I read a lot of good YA books, but the two that made me lose sleep recently were David Yoon’s SUPER FAKE LOVE SONG and Kat Cho’s WICKED FOX.
