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Monica Gomez-Hira’s fascination with quinceañeras began more than 25 years when she attended one for the first time while she was an English major at Wellesley College. The spectacle of the 15-year-old’s party amazed the then aspiring author.
“They had a smokescreen, then they wheeled her out, and she was in a giant flower. The flower slowly opened, and she rose out of the flower,” Gomez-Hira recalled. “I had never been to a birthday party like this.”
For the daughter of Colombian immigrants, this moment sparked an idea for a story, one that laid in gestation for years as Gomez-Hira worked for Simon & Schuster, Random House, and most recently, Barnes & Noble. After over a decade in the literary world, Gomez-Hira is finally becoming a published author. In March, HarperTeen will release her first young adult novel,
When I found out about
The Ex Talk, I absolutely had to read it (even though, as a rule, I don t love contemporary romances) because it s set at a Pacific Northwest public radio station. Office rivals Shay and Dominic she s a veteran producer, he s a cocky J-school grad who won t shut up about his master s degree end up having to pose as exes to host a new dating and relationships show for their struggling station. Naturally, they fall for each other.
Author Rachel Lynn Solomon based the story partly on her own experience. Shay s journey mirrors mine in a lot of ways, she tells me via email. We both studied journalism in college, and at the beginning of the book, she produces a talk show similar to the one I worked on in my early twenties. I also reported a handful of stories and produced a weekly pre-recorded show for Seattle s KUOW. The most exciting part of writing this book was how Shay grew into someone with her own history and aspirations. While she s always dreamed