Super Summery Q&A with the Super Stephanie Perkins! {Blog Tour}

Title: Summer Days & Summer Nights

Edited by: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: YA Anthology

Published: May 17, 2016 by St. Martin’s Press

Maybe it’s the long, lazy days, or maybe it’s the heat making everyone a little bit crazy. Whatever the reason, summer is the perfect time for love to bloom. Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories, written by twelve bestselling young adult writers and edited by the international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins, will have you dreaming of sunset strolls by the lake. So set out your beach chair and grab your sunglasses. You have twelve reasons this summer to soak up the sun and fall in love.

Featuring stories by Leigh Bardugo, Francesca Lia Block, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Brandy Colbert, Tim Federle, Lev Grossman, Nina LaCour, Stephanie Perkins, Veronica Roth, Jon Skovron, and Jennifer E. Smith. 

In the first anthology, I thought the overarching theme was hope. How does Summer Days and Summer Nights compare?

 That’s a wonderful interpretation, and it’s apt for these stories, too. I wanted the two anthologies to feel connected, and the easiest way to do that—when you have so many different authors and genres—is through theme. So we have love, and we have hope.

 Several characters in both anthologies are actually going through some pretty dark times, which surprises some of our readers, but I think hope often shines the brightest out of darkness. It’s important to show both sides of it.

 And if you could pick one from the anthology authors, who do you want to spend your summer with? What are the things you would probably do?

 Oh, no! What a terrible question, ha! But I’ll answer it. I WILL.

 I’m gonna say . . . Tim Federle, only because his new musical Tuck Everlasting just opened on Broadway. So I’m hoping he’ll score tickets for me and the other twenty-one authors.

Your contribution to this collection is a new story featuring Marigold and North (previously seen in My True Love Gave to Me). What was it like revisiting these characters? Did you always know that there would be more to their story? Will there be more in the future?

 I’m not sure if I always knew a continuation of their story was worth telling, but I did know where their future was headed. In the early days, I was working under the assumption that I wouldn’t HAVE another chance write about them, so I was trying not to think about it too much. If that makes sense.

 But . . . I have a hard time letting go of characters. I always have. So when the summer anthology came to fruition, I knew immediately that I would continue their story. Now, I’m happy with how I’ve left them. In the first story, North helped to heal Marigold. This time, she helped to heal him. They’re good.

 If you had to pair Summer Days and Summer Nights with a summer-y drink, what would it be?

 Watermelon juice. It’s so simple—it’s just watermelon that’s been put into a blender, but it’s heaven.

What can we expect to see from you next? Are there any plans of releasing a new full-length novel soon? 

 My next novel is a teen slasher, which hopefully (if I finish it on time!) will be published next year. I’m having such a blast writing in the horror genre. And it’s honestly not as big of a departure as it seems. There’s still an attractive boy, an intriguing setting, and quippy friends. It just also contains a lot of murder.

TALK TO ME, CHUMS. Summer vs. School. My True Love Gave to Me vs. Summer Days and Summer Nights. Discuss, discuss, discuss.
 
 

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