Interview: Taro Meyer, author of Emma G. Loves Boyz

I'm pleased to have author Taro Meyer stopping by today to chat about her middle-grade, Emma G. Loves Boyz...

Emma G. Loves Boyz

(A True Love Journal)

by Taro Meyer

11/24/15

Red Sky Presents

Emma G. Loves Boyz - A True Love Journal is the first book in the new Tween Girl Series by Taro Meyer - the exuberant journal of a star-struck fan who vows to stop at nothing - not even doing chores! - for a chance to see her favorite boy band perform live...

Emma G. is CRAZY about Aaron, lead singer of Boyz3000. Of course, she doesn’t actually know him, but so what? Feelings are feelings. That is until Josh appears… and he’s soooooo CUTE. Navigating her two crushes and her middle school life, especially with eighth-grade hater Renee around, is a challenge. And oh yeah, she’s got to earn money for an AWESOME trip to the Bahamas to see the band of her dreams. Hello???? How much can one thirteen-year-old take???

goodreads / amazon / b&n

Praise for Emma G. Loves Boyz

“[A] gentle depiction of young love…Emma’s contagious enthusiasm amplifies this wholesome fan letter for younger readers.” – Kirkus Reviews

What three words best describe Emma G. Loves Boyz?

Mega-Crush, Music, BFF.

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers, especially reluctant readers, to give Emma G. Loves Boyz a try?

Can you love both a pop star and an awesomely cute boy at the same time and still manage to get good grades and navigate middle school dramas – especially with eighth-grade-hater Renee trying to make you feel like a worm?

Grab a copy of Emma G. Loves Boyz and answer the following:

-favorite chapter?

My favorite would probably be “Outside.” That’s when Emma runs into Josh on the beach in the Bahamas. He’s the guy she was checking out at the Boyz3000 concert the night before. She gets all flustered when she gets a really good look at him because he is TOTALLY CUTE!!!

-favorite page?

Page: 8, It’s where Emma’s older cousin, Elyse is giving her advice about boys.

“Sometimes boys don’t want you to know they like you. So they look at you like they are trying to look like they aren’t looking at you or liking you, but really, they are. So make sure you look nice at all times because boys like a girl who looks nice, even though they pretend they’re not liking her.”

   

-favorite place/setting?

The Bahamas!!!!

It’s crazy romantic there. Everything is so beautiful and exotic and different.

-flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentences teaser.

This is when she’s trying to work on a school essay but is just thinking about her feelings for Aaron, the lead singer in her favorite band.

“When you feel something, you have to believe! Your feelings are totally crucial to your life! When I look at Aaron’s face I get those stomach flutters! And feelings CANNOT BE IGNORED.”

    

What inspired Emma G. Loves Boyz? How did the story come to be?

My young cousin, Ella was 13 and madly in love with Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. We used to talk about her feelings a lot.

Ella had a once-in-lifetime chance to go to the Bahamas to see the band in concert, and she got backstage to meet them. She called me for advice before she went in. She was so excited she could hardly speak.

I told her to thank him for his charitable work and for being an inspiration to kids everywhere. She did and instead of smiling and going to the next girl in line, Nick Jonas actually stopped talked with her.

It was an experience she will remember for the rest of her life. And frankly, I will too.

Can you tell us a bit about your character Emma? What makes her special and what do you love about her?

Emma is a little over the top in her energy, which I love. She’s got so much popping up in her brain, and she expresses herself with lots of conviction. And she’s funny. She always tries to come up with solutions to whatever problems she encounters, whether it’s getting rid of the horrible D she got on an essay, or convincing her parents to let her go to the Bahamas to see her favorite band in concert. I love that she writes poetry that expresses her feelings even though no one else will see it – or so she hopes!

Emma does whatever she can to see her idol Aaron and Boyz3000 in concert...when you were Emma’s age what band/celebrity would you have done anything to see? (when I was Emma’s age my “Aaron” was Taylor Hanson!)

Ah…Taylor was definitely a cutie.

I loved The Beatles, especially John Lennon. I loved the poetry in their lyrics.  

Will we see Emma and her True Love Journal again?

Absolutely. The song contest could change every aspect of her life. And who knows what will happen with Josh and Aaron?

What’s the BEST thing about being an author?

Making a fictional character come to life and connect to the life of the reader. Emma is real to me, as are all the characters in the book. She was inspired by my cousin, but she is her own unique person and sometimes, it’s like she’s telling me what to write.

Fill in the blanks:

I’m really awesome at Singing in hallways because there’s a good echo.

I’m really embarrassed to admit I’m a horrible cook! Once when I cooked for my little daughter and niece, my daughter said, “Ewww. This is disgusting.” My niece said, “That’s not nice. I think it’s disgusting too but I’m eating it.”

The last great book I read was The Fault in Our Stars.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by Emma G. Loves Boyz, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

I’d have a chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, butter pecan, marbled cupcake with crunchy almonds and creamy coconut frosting swirls on top because I think life is most fun when we maximize our possibilities and we mix things up.

So I’d call it my Mixy-Maxy Cupcake.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Taro!

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