Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Aaron Starmer here to share about his YA Night Swimming. It’s a contemporary story with a touch of magical realism, which always makes me want to read a book. I’m looking forward to reading Night Swimming.
Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:
From the
author of Spontaneous comes a '90s mixtape of a young adult
novel that delivers a summer romance with an unearthly twist.
It was just one swim… How could they know it
would never end?
It's the summer of 1994 and Trevor can barely
wrap his mind around the fact that he and his friends have graduated high
school. The future is a murky thing, filled with a college experience he feels
neutral about at best, endless mixtape relistens, and the growing realization
that his crush on the enigmatic Sarah isn't going anywhere.
That is, until Sarah approaches him with a
mission: they're going to swim in all the pools in the neighborhood. Soon,
their quest leads to them sneaking into backyard pools every night and
continuing to get closer. But not close enough for Trevor, who yearns for Sarah
despite her college boyfriend, despite her "not yet"s, despite the
way she keeps pulling away the moment things feel real.
So when they learn about a natural pool hidden
deep in the woods, it starts off as just another spot to check off their summer
bucket list. But once they get there, they soon realize the natural pool has a
curious hold on them, and something very strange is happening…
Before we get to Aaron’s interview, I have my IWSG Post.
Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day.
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
The awesome co-hosts this month
are: PJ Colando, Pat Garcia, Kim
Lajevardi, Melisa Maygrove, and Jean Davis!
I'm going to skip the optional question this month.
I have good news to share! Literary Rambles is the #1 literary agent blog in FeedSpot's Top 20 Literary Agent Blogs. I'm truly honored and grateful to be included with all the other experts included in their list.
Interview With Aaron
Starmer
Hi Aaron!
Thanks so much for joining us.
1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.
From a young age, I was always telling stories. Or making up songs. Or, if I could get my hands on a video camera, filming movies. So, whenever I had the opportunity to do something creative, I jumped on it. In college and grad school, I studied literature and film, and even though I didn’t know how I was going to use those interests in a career, I kept them alive while I worked my first jobs in New York City. I somehow ended up in the travel industry, and that led to some writing assignments for guidebooks, which was a great introduction to the publishing process. For a few years, I wrote a giant, unwieldly novel in my spare time. It was unpublishable, but I realized that the best parts of it were about the adventures of a group of kids. So, I decided to write about (and for) kids. That ultimately resulted in my first published novel, DWEEB.
2. Where did you get the idea for Night Swimming and what made you decide to set it in 1994 vs. the present?
I got the idea over 30 years ago, when a friend proposed the idea of sneaking into and swimming in all the pools in our town. We may have swum in one or two, but never took it much further beyond the idea phase. The idea, however, stuck with me. Years later, I wrote a few pages of a screenplay that played with the idea, but I couldn’t finish it. It felt more like a novel. And since I had the idea so long ago, it felt natural to set it in that time, when I was that age. There is also a very specific reason (which I won’t spoil) about why it needed to be set 30 years ago, because there needs to be some distance for what the characters ultimately experience. When I finally did write the novel, there was no question about when it would be set and how it would feel because it had been with me for so long.
Your Writing Process
3. It’s amazing that you finally wrote this story after all these years. I love the mysterious natural pool and the element of magical realism in your story. How did you weave this into the story, and what are your tips for writers wanting to write a story that includes magical realism?
So much of good writing is about gaining a reader’s trust, and it’s something I think about a lot. That trust usually hinges on how characters act once that magical element is revealed. Do they go with it immediately? Are they sceptics? What emotional conditions need to be in play for magic to bleed naturally into a realistic world? There’s a line in the book where one of the characters says something like, “If you were suddenly being chased by a monster, you wouldn’t question the existence of the monster. You’d just run.” While another character says, “I’d probably think it’s a person in a monster suit.” It tells you something about each character, but it that still doesn’t change the fact that they would both run. For me, I want my characters to react to the world both logically and instinctually. Before long, the readers will trust the world because they trust the way the characters are living in it.
4. What is your writing process like, and how long did it take you to finish your manuscript for Night Swimming to submit to your agent and editor?
It’s different for every book. For this one, I started writing it numerous times and set it down and came back to it. In one case, years later. But, since it’s relatively short, the actual writing process probably added up to 6-9 months of work. When I share with my agent, it’s usually either a sample of something, or a finished manuscript. In this case, I did both. He saw it once when I first had the idea and 30-40 pages. Then he saw it again a couple years later when it was finished. I don’t think there was much, if any revision, after that point. We took it straight to the publisher.
5. It’s cool that you didn’t have to do
revisions before submitting to your publisher. Share a bit about Trevor as a
character. Did anything surprise you about him as you wrote his story?
He’s naïve, and perhaps a little coddled. I was playing a bit with the idea of the “mediocre white guy” who breezes through life. He’s certainly empathetic and kind, but somewhat clueless about other people’s struggles. Or at least about other people’s perspectives. It didn’t surprise me that he had to face a reckoning at the end, and that he had to suffer in some way and realign some of his views, but it surprised me how humble he would be about it. I guess I hope I can be that humble as I continue to learn and change.
Your Road to Publication
6. Michael Bourret is your agent. How did he become your agent, and what was your road to getting your first publishing contract like?
Michael wasn’t my first agent. My first agent read my query for my first book and signed me on the day that she was quitting her job at a big agency and going out on her own. Luck? Of course! It was a stroke of luck for both of us. She needed clients and I needed an agent. And I’m pretty sure I was one of her first clients who wrote for young readers. Over the next couple years, we published a second book (The Only Ones), but she became more focused on adult fiction and non-fiction. So, we both decided I needed someone who was more in tune with the children’s book industry if I wanted my career to succeed. I made a list of a handful of agents who represented middle grade and young adult novels I admired, and I reached out to a few authors I knew for introductions. Michael was at the top of the list and thankfully, he really liked my book The Riverman. And off we went.
7. It’s good that a few authors helped introduce you to agents. You write MG and YA and have sixteen published books. You also have a YA thriller that will be published in 2027. How did your career as an author evolve, and how have you been able to continue to sell your stories?
I’ve tried to experiment with and combine different genres (sci-fi, fantasy, satire, comedy, realism) and cater to different age groups (elementary school through high school) while always retaining my distinct voice. I don’t know how to define that voice, other than to say it’s slightly off-kilter, and lends itself to high concepts (spontaneously combusting teenagers, magical lockers, etc.). Sometimes I wish I could write more traditional books that appeal to wider audiences, but I don’t think that’s in my skill set. If I’m not in tune with the writing, then certainly the readers won’t be in tune with it.
8. You now write full-time after having
day jobs as an editor for a travel publisher and working for an African safari
company. And you have a family. When did you decide that you could quit your
day jobs? What advice do you have for other writers about making this big decision?
I quit my day job before I had kids, and when my rent and other expenses were very low, and when my wife had good health insurance. I also knew I could pick up some freelance writing and editing gigs to fill in the gaps between book advances. So, I knew I didn’t need to land huge advances to continue. And I also gave myself two years to make it work, and luckily it did work, though there were plenty of times I have questioned the decision. Of course, not everyone will have all the privileges I had, or perhaps even any of them. I would suggest giving yourself a timeline, a budget, and a set of goals before making any leap like this. Then treat the job like any job. Put in the hours. Challenge yourself to learn and to do better with each book. And hope that you find some luck along the way.
Promoting Your Book
9. That’s great advice. How are you planning to promote your book? How has your work on your social media platforms and book promotions changed over the years?
With this book, I’m currently focusing on going local. I’ve been working with indie booksellers, media outlets and educators throughout the small state of Vermont (where I live), to get the book in the hands of my neighbors. How far it will expand from there is hard to know, but after years in the industry, I know what I can control and what I can’t. For now, I have a certain amount of control over my backyard, so to speak.
10. What are you working on now?
I have a middle grade book coming out in 2026, called You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This, which you’ll be hearing more about…soon. And I’m currently writing a book called The Swans, which is a young adult thriller/satire about a town that’s plagued by a history of swan murder. In other words, another thing that’s a bit off-kilter…
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Aaron. You can find Aaron at:
Website: www.aaronstarmer.com
LinkTree: www.linktr.ee/AaronStarmer
Instagram: www.instagram.com/aaron_starmer/
Threads: www.threads.net/@aaron_starmer
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/aaronstarmer.bsky.social
Book Info: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/599890/night-swimming-by-aaron-starmer/
Giveaway Details
Aaron’s publisher is generously offering a hardback of Night Swimming for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by June 14th. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.
If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other
social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or follow Aaron on his
social media sites, mention this in the comments, and I'll give you an extra
entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway
is U.S.
Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops
Monday, June 9th I have
an interview with author Nancy McCabe and a giveaway of her MG Fires Burning
Underground
Wednesday, June 11th I
have an agent spotlight interview with Mark O’Brien and a query critique
giveaway
Monday, June 16th I’m
participating in the Dad-o-Mite Giveaway Hop
Monday, June 23rd I have
an interview with author Michael Spradlin and a giveaway of his MG Threat of
the Spider
Tuesday, July 1st I’m
participating in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop
Wednesday, July 2nd I
have an interview with author Nia Davenport and a giveaway of her YA Love
Spells Trouble and my IWSG post
Monday, July 7th I have
an interview with author Natalie Richards and a giveaway of her MG Survive This
Safari
I hope to see you on Monday!
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