CB: What made you decide to post your manuscript?
HN: Good question. I wrote Meg & Linus with the intention of posting it to Swoon, but I didn’t want to admit it at the time. I kept telling myself it was just a fun story to play with. But the closer it got to being finished, the more I wanted to share it. In the end I had some friends who convinced me to just try it. They kept telling me that there was literally nothing to lose—and, well, they were right. You know how George McFly from Back to the Future tells Marty he’s afraid of letting people read his work because they might not like it? That was pretty much me before I posted my manuscript. In the end it was a mix of my friends’ support and a good deal of stubbornness that made me post it.
CB: What was your experience like on the site before you were chosen?
HN: It was good! I tried to read as much of other people’s works as I could, and I was amazed at the level of support on the site. You know, between the writers. You’d think we’d all be in competition with one another, but that was not my experience at all. Everyone was so nice.
CB: Once you were chosen, who was the first person you told and how did you celebrate?
HN: At first I didn’t tell anyone because it took a while to fully sink in. I kept rereading the e-mail from Swoon Reads to make sure I wasn’t completely misunderstanding it. Once it really sank in, I told one friend who had beta-read my manuscript before I posted it. I think it was at least a full day later, but it was amazing. It started feeling real at that point. It took me a while to really get to the celebrating stage, though—but I did, eventually. With some family and some good food. Mostly I think I didn’t really stop grinning really widely for several days.
The Writing Life
CB: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
HN: I always knew that I wanted to be a writer. I told my own bedtime stories when I was a kid, so I’ve been practicing for a really, really long time. I always just wanted to tell stories.
CB: Do you have any writing rituals?
HN: I do, yes. While I type all of my stories, I usually write my outlines by hand. I can’t even say why, but I always do that. Usually I start with a bullet point list, and then I put everything on index cards that I pin to my super-awesome writing bulletin board. I love index cards because you can rearrange them as needed and switch them out as plot points change, or get rid of some completely, or add more.
Another thing that’s very connected to writing for me is getting something to drink before I start. In winter I usually make myself a cup of tea or coffee; in summer I get a bottle of water. I think if I ever stopped writing I’d probably dehydrate pretty quickly.
I also usually set myself a daily word count. When I’m really busy on a day it might be as low as two hundred words. On other days I might aim for five thousand. It just helps me to have a sort of finish line to aim for.
CB: Where did the idea for this book start?
HN: It started when I mentioned to a friend that I always wanted to write something in epistolary format. The idea wouldn’t leave me alone, so I wrote a letter from one girl to another, post-breakup, and I had the idea to reveal in the end that they were already back together and had just found this old letter in a box in the attic. Obviously the story changed quite a bit. The characters became younger, and at a certain point I just fell in love with the friendship story more than with the breakup story. But yes, it started with a fictional letter from a fictional girl to her fictional girlfriend. Or, actually it really started with a conversation I had with a friend, as so many ideas do.
CB: Do you ever get writer’s block? How do you get back on track?
HN: Yes, I do! I’ve found that a good way to deal with it is to skip the part that I can’t figure out. Because usually it’s a very specific piece of story that’s resisting me. So I walk away from it. I either write what comes afterward, or I shift the point of view to a different character, or sometimes I close the document and try to write something else entirely. The Internet is full of writing prompts. Sometimes it helps to just take one of them and run with it until the words start flowing again. The tricky part about that approach is that if you stay away from a story for too long it sometimes starts slipping away completely. I have no real remedy for writer’s block. The only thing I know for sure doesn’t work is forcing it. That just leads to frustration. I find that simply taking a different approach works much better.
CB: What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever heard?
HN: That all a first draft has to do is exist. It’s so true! It really helps not to censor yourself too much during a first draft. It doesn’t have to sound good at that point. If you stop and edit too much along the way, you’ll get lost in details or get discouraged. But once you have it written you have the bare bones of the story right there and you can change and edit and tweak as much as you want. I mean, Meg & Linus started out as a completely different story in the first draft. But once I had the characters on paper I could work with them and get to know them properly.
The Swoon Index
CB: On the site we have something called the Swoon Index where readers can share the amount of Heat, Laughter, Tears, and Thrills in each manuscript. Can you tell me something (or someone!) that always turns up the heat?
HN: Well, if I had to pick one thing … I like a bit of friendly competition. Whether it’s rivalry with underlying mutual admiration or just friendly teasing, I like reading it.
CB: What always makes you laugh?
HN: I think for me that’s mostly a language thing. A lot of things have the potential to be funny if they’re told right or worded correctly. I’ve always admired writers who just have this wicked way with words that makes me laugh every single time, writers like Terry Pratchett, Janet Evanovich, and many others. Language is funny.
CB: Makes you cry?
HN: Miscommunication between characters. It’s such an everyday thing to go wrong, and can add so much suspense to a story. It’s a very relatable problem and never fails to get to me.
CB: Sets your heart pumping?
HN: Oh, for that I usually turn to fantasy or sci-fi because following characters on a quest, especially if they have to work against time, always makes my blood run faster.
CB: And finally, tell us all what makes you swoon!
HN: Friendship. People liking each other. I find there’s nothing more swoonworthy than people laughing together and rooting for each other and being each other’s biggest fans.
Notes between Meg and Linus, passed during study hall, junior year.
Meg: Who’s your favorite Star Trek captain?
Linus: Why? I’m not sure.
Meg: Just if you had to rank them. Who’s first?
Linus: Who’s yours?
Meg: Picard.
Linus: Oh, good choice. I’m not surprised.
Meg: Duh. Leadership skills!
Linus: Others have those, too, though.
Meg: Yeah, but his are better.
Linus: Debatable.
Meg: HOW??
Linus: Hey, I don’t disagree with you that he’s good!
Meg: Good! TEA, EARL GREY, HOT!!
Linus: Classic!
Meg: He’s the wisest of all the captains.
Linus:… I dunno. Kind of. Many wisdom points for Jean-Luc, for sure!
Meg: Also, his head is shiny.
Linus: True. But I guess my number 1 is Janeway.
Meg: Love her! I need a WHAT WOULD CAPTAIN JANEWAY DO? bracelet.
Linus: I want one, too! ROLE MODEL!
Meg: Awesome characterization, too. I love how they made her a leader without ever feeling the need to make her masculine. You know?
Linus: Yes! That! Absolutely!
Meg: She has amazing leadership skills, too. Maybe as good as Picard’s even.
Linus: Better, if you ask me.
Meg: She has all the skills.
Linus: I like how her story is most like a classic kind of “quest.”
&n
bsp; Meg: She’s like the sci-fi version of Odysseus. You know, in addition to being completely awesome.
Linus: Exactly! Yes.
Meg: I want to be her!
Linus: She’s the best!
Meg: She’s definitely my number 2!
Linus: My number 2 is Picard.
Meg: So. 3? Sisko, for me.
Linus: Same!
Meg: Yay! I mean, I don’t want his job, but I admire how he handled it. Keeping things together with all the chaos he was faced with all the time.
Linus: A lot of politics he had to deal with. More than the other captains. That can’t have been easy. I couldn’t do what he did!
Meg: He never had it easy. You’re right, he was the most “politician” of them all. Because he had to be.
Linus: Can you imagine having to put up with Quark and not going crazy?
Meg: Ha! No way!
Linus: I think as for Kirk and Archer, they’re sort of a shared number 4?
Meg: Really? Hmm. Yeah, maybe.
Linus: Archer had some good moments.
Meg: Oh, yes! Definitely! He has quirks. That makes him likable.
Linus: He also has the most adorable dog. That earns him almost enough points to beat Kirk.
Meg: PORTHOS. That dog is the most adorable thing in the history of EVER!!
Linus: YES!!
Meg: Kirk has the incredible misfortune of having been written and acted in the ’60s.
Linus: I agree. I think for the time he was created in, he was doing OK.
Meg: Yeah. It’s nothing personal. He just had a bit of an “ego.”
Linus: I like his snarky side.
Meg: OK, yes, I like that, too, whenever it doesn’t make him a jerk. It’s just the ’60s and women …
Linus: No arguments from me there. It’s not really his fault, though.
Meg: He’s a bit too capital-H “Hero” for my taste.
Linus: I know what you mean.… This list is more difficult than I thought it would be!
Meg: Let’s recap … shared first for Kathy and Jean-Luc?
Linus: Yup. Sounds good!
Meg: 3rd for Sisko. No, 2nd, in that case!
Linus: Shared 3rd for Archer and Kirk.
Meg: 1. Janeway, Picard
2. Sisko
3. Archer, Kirk
Linus: Sounds right. We should do episodes next!
Meg: Totally! That’s gonna take a little more time, though.:)
Linus: LOL. True. But once we’re done we can start an epic rewatch!
Meg: So on board with that! Let’s do that!
Linus: Yay!:)
THREE FRIENDS
TWO LOVE STORIES
ONE CONVENTION
KEEP READING FOR AN EXCERPT.
CHAPTER 1
TAYLOR
“This is it, you guys,” I say as we approach. “Everything we’ve always dreamed about. This is our Holy Grail.”
Charlie, Jamie, and I stand before it side by side, tears in our eyes as we admire its indescribable beauty.
“Our Disneyland,” Charlie adds, her pink hair blowing slightly in the warm breeze.
Jamie nods as a wide smile spreads across his face. “Our Graceland. I can’t believe we’re actually here.”
We each take in a deep breath.
“Are we truly worthy of so much awesome?” I ask.
Charlie takes a brave step forward. “Yes. We are.”
When we say it, it’s a whisper, like the name itself is to be cherished: “SupaCon.”
We take the final steps toward the building.
Crowds of cosplayers line the entrances.
I smile at those who look my way.
We pass Batman posing for a photo with Groot, Jessica Jones walking hand in hand with Michonne, and Goku lining up behind Darth Vader to buy coffee. A little girl dressed as Captain Malcolm Reynolds runs toward a group of Marty McFly cosplayers and asks for a closer look at their hoverboards.
My geeky kindred spirits.
“For years,” I say as we get closer, “we’ve stalked the SupaCon posts of strangers on the other side of the world. And now here we are.”
“Charlie!” A woman with curly blond hair is speed-walking toward us, waving and smiling.
“Oh, hi!” Charlie lights up with excitement and hugs her. She gestures to us. “These are the friends I told you about: Taylor and Jamie. Guys, this is my new manager, Mandy.”
“Hey,” Jamie says with his stellar grin.
I nod. “Hi.”
“Hey, welcome to SupaCon! How was your flight?”
“Long,” Charlie replies. “When did you get here?”
“Yesterday. Had to get a few things organized.” She starts rummaging through her handbag. “I’ve got three passes for you all, but I’m afraid I could only get one VIP pass for you. Your friends will have to stay on the public floors while you do your publicity rounds.”
Charlie’s smile fades, and she glances at Jamie and me apologetically. “Mandy, isn’t there anything you can do? Maybe you could call the studio and tell them these two are my entourage. I need them.”
Mandy shakes her head slowly. “Sorry, all the VIP passes were snapped up months ago. I don’t have the pull to get any more. I can get you guys inside now without lining up, but if you want to attend any panels or signings, you’ll have to line up like everyone else.”
My shoulders tense, and my palms start to get clammy. The thought of spending the next three days in lines with hundreds of people makes me break into a nervous sweat. Jumping the lines was supposed to be one of the perks of tagging along with Charlie.
Sensing my quiet panic, Jamie flashes me a reassuring smile. “It’s all good, Tay.” He leans in, his brown eyes looking at me from behind dark lashes. “At least this way, we don’t have to worry about Charlie’s fangirls swarming all over us everywhere we go.”
I push up my black, thick-rimmed glasses and look away, choosing to focus on his Converse sneakers instead. “Okay.”
Mandy watches me curiously, her eyes darting between me and Jamie, then landing back on me. “I love your cosplay! Queen Firestone, right?”
“Yep!” I grin, smoothing out my coat.
I’ve never cosplayed before, but I couldn’t resist the chance to dress as my literary hero for SupaCon. I look down at my outfit, quietly congratulating myself. I nailed it. Black trench coat over a tank top and gray jeans tucked into Doc Marten boots, I am Queen Firestone. I’m also shaking with nerves, but now that I’m here, it’s so worth it. It’s even worth getting changed in the airplane bathroom so we could dump our suitcases at the hotel before check-in and come straight to SupaCon.
Charlie smiles proudly and puts a hand on my back. “She even sewed the crown sigil on the back! Spin around, TayTay!”
I drop my backpack to the ground and do an awkward spin, showing off my handiwork.
“That’s epic!” Mandy says. “I love those movies. I haven’t read the books, though.”
My eyes widen. “You gotta! They’re the best books ever written! They changed my life. I mean, the movies are life-changingly awesome, too, but the books are where the true magic happens.”
She giggles at my enthusiasm, then clasps her hands together. “Okay. You guys ready to go in? Let’s go!”
We follow her as she weaves through the crowd and leads us around the back of the building. Three security guards with arms the size of bazookas guard a door that says PRIVATE: STAFF ENTRANCE ONLY.
Mandy shows them her pass that hangs on a lanyard around her neck, and they let us in with an intimidating dip of the chin. Her heels clickety-clack on the concrete floor as we walk down a narrow hallway. I can hear the hum of the crowd on the other side of the wall. I’m a bundle of excitement and giddiness and anticipation. There are so many panels to see, signings to attend, and Pop toys to buy and only a few days to do it all. I tap my fingers against my thumb anxiously and try to mentally use the Force to make Mandy walk faster—the faster we get inside, the
more we can tick off our SupaCon bucket lists.
I nudge Jamie with my elbow. “I can’t believe we’re actually here!”
He pulls the lens cap off his camera and nods. “I know. This is crazy!”
Two weeks ago, we were at school.
Wearing my scratchy, heavy winter uniform, complete with long skirt, knee-high socks, and dorky necktie. Charlie, Jamie, and I were huddled in the cold library, cramming for midyear exams. Melbourne was rainy and cold and gloomy.
Now, we’re in San Diego, the US of A, in the middle of summer, at the most famous pop culture convention in the world.
And it’s all thanks to Charlie, her three-million-strong YouTube channel, and the little Aussie indie movie she starred in that is now becoming the breakout hit of the year.
About the Author
Hanna Nowinski is a language enthusiast and trained translator for German and English who lives in the middle of nowhere, Germany. She has wanted to be a writer since she learned that books were made by real people. As a kid, she made up her own bedtime stories, mostly sending her stuffed animals on adventures around the world. She loves books, music, coffee, and getting way too emotionally invested in TV shows. Meg & Linus is her debut novel. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Meg & Linus Page 27