We had the pleasure of welcoming back TJ Klune, writer extraordinaire, for another interview in celebration of the release of Heat Wave, the final book in the Extraordinaries trilogy. We got to ask TJ about future writing plans, his plot summary in memes and so much more!
Hi TJ! Welcome back! How are you doing? How has 2022 treated you so far?
I can’t complain! I just recently returned from my first in-person book tour, something I haven’t been able to do given…you know. Life. It was one of the best experiences of my writing career. I love being able to talk to readers face-to-face about books.
Lightning round: what is the last tweet that made you laugh, the last book you read that caused you emotional damage and one compliment that will always make your day?
The last tweet that made me laugh was something to the affect of “White people be naming their kids like Literaleigh.”
The last book that caused emotional damage was Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White. How dare the author write the perfect queer horror novel when I wasn’t expecting it.
The one compliment that will always make my day? “Your book made me cry on public transport.”
Now, tell us about Heat Wave! What can readers expect from the explosive finale?
Heat Wave is the culmination of years of work on a series that is dear to me. We get to see Nick Bell—a chaos demon in human form—struggle to understand what being a hero actually means, and what true justice looks like. But he won’t have to do it alone as Seth, Jazz and Gibby are there to help him make sense of the weirdness that is their existence. And, along the way, Nick’s father will prove he is the World’s Best Dad by researching safe queer sex practices and sharing what he learned with his son. It…goes as well as one might think.
It seems like you’re always working on a dozen projects – what does a normal day in the life of as a writer look like for you? Walk us through it!
I keep to a pretty strict schedule. Given I have ADHD, I need routine in order to function properly. I write first thing in the morning for four or five hours. It’s when I feel most creative. The rest of my day is spent on the other aspects of my job: marketing, publicity, and an email inbox that never, ever empties no matter how long I spend on it. I am extremely fortunate in that I get to do what I love as my job.
In Heat Wave, plot twists from earlier books are addressed, enemies resurface and the political situation in Nova City takes an even more dangerous turn. What do you want readers to take away from Nick Bell’s story (and the epic conclusion) overall?
A repeated family mantra throughout the series is that it’s easier to stand together than it is to struggle apart. As has been proven time and time again, a community coming together has the power to bring about active change. It can be daunting, and sometimes can feel like thankless work, but it’s important—now more than ever—that we come together and stand up for what’s right. With the continued assault on queer people in this country to people thinking they have the right to decide what others can or cannot read, it can feel overwhelming. But people like this have tried this exact thing before and failed. They will fail again.
Last time, we talked about how difficult it was for you to say goodbye to these characters (same), so let’s celebrate them a bit! I know it’s hard to choose, but what were you three top moments while writing Nicky’s story in these three novels (can be anything from favorite scenes to fan interactions etc.)?
By far, the best response I’ve received from these books are queer people who are also neurodiverse. I set out to write these books to give people like me the chance to see themselves in books. I’ve receive countless letters and messages from people who feel seen because of a character like Nick. There is nothing more humbling than that.
The second moment I think about constantly happens in the first book. Nick, growing rather desperate to get superpowers, decides that if he jumps into a heavily-polluted river wearing mystical jewelry (that in fact came from a drag queen living her best life), he’ll get what he’s after. He does not. It’s stupid! But of course Nick would try something like that.
Last, one thing I’ve loved quite a bit is Nick’s fanfiction. Fanfiction gets unfairly knocked about for not being “literature.” It is, full stop. Not only is it a form of artistic creativity, there are fics better than critically acclaimed bestsellers. Fanfiction is life.
Fans can look forward to a new novel from you called In the Lives of Puppets! Without spoiling too much, what scene or moment from the story makes you excited for people’s reactions to it?
It’s quite simple, really: I’m going to make you fall in love with a small Roomba vacuum named Rambo who has social anxiety. You’ve been warned.
Your novel Wolfsong is also going to be (re)released with a shiny new cover this September! If Ox and Joe were to meet Nicky and his squad, what shenanigans do you think they’d get up to?
Ox and the pack would absolutely not know what to do with Nick and Team Lighthouse. Nick would probably cross several boundaries with all his incessant questioning, and Gordo would most likely tell them all to leave him alone because he does not have time for children.
Last but not least, do you have any new book recommendations for our readers?
I mentioned it once already, but everyone needs to read Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White. It is an incredible story about survivors of a zombie apocalypse who hole up in a LGBTQ+ youth center. I only have one thing to say to the author: How very dare you.
