.WELCOME
.WELCOME BACK EVERYONE. 746 ON OUR THURSDAY MORNING HE'S TACKLING TEEN TROUBLES FROM
BODY ISSUES TO HOMOPHOBIA AND
OF COURSE THE PROM IN HIS DEBUT
NOVEL AND IT'S GETTING SOME
RAVE REVIEWS AS WELL. AUTHOR
OF THE SKY BLUES ROBBIE COUCHE
JOINS US THIS MORNING TO TALK
ABOUT THIS NOVEL. I GOT A COPY
OF IT RIGHT HERE WITH THANK YOU
FOR BEING WITH US, RAVI. HI. SO
GOOD TO BE WITH YOU. THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME. OF COURSE. SO I
WANT TO START OFF WITH YOU
TELLING US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
WHAT THE STORY ENTAILS OF YOUR
NOVEL IS OBVIOUSLY A LOT
DIFFERENT THAN I THINK WHAT A
LOT OF YOUNG KIDS ARE READING
IN THAT THEY DON'T USUALLY GET
TO HEAR THE SIDE OF THE STORY
FROM SOMEONE WHO'S GAY RATHER
THAN THE NORMAL HETEROSEXUAL
PERSPECTIVE, RIGHT? YEAH,
EXACTLY. SO YOU MEET GUY BAKER
IN CHAPTER ONE AND HE'S AN
OPENLY GAY SENIOR IN HIGH
SCHOOL AND HE'S KIND OF DEALING
WITH SOME STUFF. HE HAD SOME
FAMILY REJECTION ISSUES AT
HOME. YOU'RE DEALING WITH SOME
HOMOPHOBIC BULLIES BUT ONE
THING THAT HE'S VERY EXCITED
ABOUT DURING HIS SENIOR YEAR IS
THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROPOSE TO
HIS REALLY BIG CRUSH ALI
RASHEED. AND SO HE'S COMING UP
WITH A BUNCH OF IDEAS TO BE
ABLE TO PROPOSE TO ALI BUT
BEFORE HE BE ABLE TO DO SO, HIS
REALLY LONG LIST OF PROPOSED
IDEAS GETS LEAKED TO A WHOLE
SCHOOL IN A VERY HOMOPHOBIC,
VERY HARMFUL BLAST HACK. SO YOU
HAVE TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT WHO
THIS ANONYMOUS HACKER IS, HOW
HE'S GOING TO GET REVENGE AND
WHERE HE'S GOING TO GO FROM
THERE. BUT AS YOU MENTIONED,
IT'S A STORY THAT CENTERS A
YOUNG GAY KID KIND OF GROWING
UP IN SMALL TOWN AMERICA AND I
DON'T THINK WE SEE ENOUGH
OF THOSE STORIES. SO I'M
REALLY, REALLY HAPPY THAT IT'S
RESONATING WITH READERS AND
THAT IT'S GETTING OUT THERE AND
WE KNOW THIS IS A FICTIONAL
BOOK BUT YOU ALSO ARE PRETTY
OPEN ABOUT HOW MUCH OF IT YOU
PULL FROM YOUR PERSONAL STORY,
RIGHT? TOTALLY. YEAH. SO I AM I
AM OF COURSE GAY AND I GREW UP
IN SMALL TOWN AMERICA. I GREW
UP IN THE RUST BELT IN MICHIGAN
AND ALTHOUGH THOSE THAT
SPECIFIC STORY AND A LOT
OF THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO HIM
SPECIFICALLY ARE NOT PULLED
FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCES HIGH
SCHOOL I WASN'T OUT WHEN I WAS
IN HIGH SCHOOL FOR INSTANCE. I
DEFINITELY ALLOWED MY OWN
EXPERIENCES GROWING UP IN SMALL
TOWN USA TO KIND OF INFORM THE
WORLD AROUND HIM. SO A LOT
OF THE CHARACTERS ARE KIND
OF INSPIRED BY PEOPLE THAT I
KNEW IN MY HOMETOWN. SO AND THE
FUNNY THING IS I THOUGHT IT WAS
PRETTY SPECIFIC TO MICHIGAN
WRITING IT BUT THEN THE MORE
FEEDBACK I GET FROM READERS I'M
HEARING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE
ACROSS THE COUNTRY FROM SMALL
TOWNS EVERYWHERE ARE REALLY
ABLE TO SEE THEIR OWN
EXPERIENCES IN THE PAGES
OF THIS GUY, WHICH IS PRETTY
COOL. SO YEAH, I THINK A LOT
PEOPLE GAY OR STRAIGHT WILL BE
ABLE TO RELATE TO THE STORY AND
I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THAT TOO
BECAUSE I MEAN I GREW UP IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BUT I STILL
DRAW SIMILARITIES EVEN THOUGH
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IS KIND
OF KNOWN AS BEING VERY OPEN AND
LIBERAL AND THAT KIND OF THING
VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE TOWN
THAT SKY GROWS UP. AND WHAT HAS
THAT FEEDBACK BEEN LIKE? HAVE
YOU BEEN SURPRISED BY ANYTHING
PEOPLE HAVE RESPONDED WITH?
YEAH, I MEAN IT'S BEEN REALLY
AS YOU MENTIONED I THINK ACROSS
THE COUNTRY IT'S RESONATING
WITH ALL DIFFERENT TYPES
OF PEOPLE AND SOMETHING THAT'S
REALLY, REALLY WONDERFUL FOR ME
ESPECIALLY IS TO NOT ONLY HEAR
FROM YOUNG READERS BECAUSE IT'S
A YOUNG ADULT BOOK SO A LOT
OF TEENS ARE READING IT, WHICH
IS THE MAIN REASON WHY I WROTE
IT. SO THAT'S WONDERFUL. BUT
IT'S ALSO VERY LOVELY TO HEAR
FROM PEOPLE IN MY AGE IN THEIR
30S AND 40S OR EVEN OLDER WHO
HAVE RESPONDED AND SAID IT'S SO
GREAT TO HAVE THIS BOOK AND I
REALLY WISH I HAD THIS BOOK
WHEN I WAS YOUNGER BUT IT'S SO
COOL TO HAVE NOW. SO THAT'S A
REALLY COOL AND KIND
OF SURPRISING EXPERIENCE THAT I
WASN'T EXPECTING. AND THEN
WHAT'S THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING
THESE TYPES OF BOOKS OUT TO
KIDS? I MEAN YOU'RE KIND
OF OPENING I GUESS I GUESS
JOINING ALONGSIDE MANY OTHER
BOOKS BUT A VERY SMALL NUMBER
OF BOOKS THAT GIVE THAT
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE RIGHT?
ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. I THINK IT
REALLY AS CLICHE AS IT SOUNDS,
REPRESENTATION REALLY MATTERS
AND FOR PEOPLE FOR WOMEN, FOR
LGBTQ PEOPLE, FOR PEOPLE
OF COLOR IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO
BE ABLE TO SEE STORIES THAT
REFLECT THEIR OWN LIVES AND
THEIR OWN IDENTITIES AND THEIR
OWN EXPERIENCES BECAUSE I THINK
WHEN YOU'RE ABLE TO SEE
YOURSELF SEE YOURSELF IN MOVIES
AND TV SHOWS AND BOOKS YOU'RE
ABLE TO KIND OF CARVE OUT YOUR
OWN PATH. AND I THINK IF YOU
CAN'T YOURSELF AND THE CULTURE
AROUND YOU, IT SORT OF LIMITS
YOUR OPPORTUNITIES TO SEE WHERE
YOU CAN GO. SO I THINK IT'S
REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THESE
SORTS OF STORIES FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG
LGBTQ PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT
THEY'RE NOT ALONE AND THAT
THERE'S A PLACE IN THIS WORLD
FOR THAT AND FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE
READING YOUR NEW DEBUT BOOK,
ARE THERE MORE BOOKS TO COME
FROM YOU? YES, I HAVE ANOTHER
BOOK THAT'S INSPIRED BY LEGALLY
BLOND WHICH I'M VERY EXCITED
ABOUT. IT'S ALSO A GAY LGBTQ
THEMED YOUNG ADULT BOOK THAT
WILL COME OUT NEXT SPRING
CALLED BLAME FOR THE WIND. SO
I'M KIND OF WRAPPING THAT UP
RIGHT NOW. SO BE ON THE
LOOKOUT. ALL RIGHT. PERFECT.
AND ROB, YOU REMIND US WHERE WE
CAN GET YOUR BOOK. YEAH, WELL
IF YOU GO TO MY SOCIAL MEDIA
PAGES ON INSTAGRAM OR TWITTER,
I'M JUST AT ROVI COUCH AND
WRITE IN MY BIO YOU'LL SEE A
LINK TO THE PAGE ON SIMON AND
SCHUSTER WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN
BUY IT FROM INDIE BOOKSTORES OR
AMAZON OR BARNES & NOBLE OR
WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR