Page Powars is the author of the forthcoming young adult novels The Borrow a Boyfriend Club and And They Were Roommates. He is based in the New York City area. Outside of writing, Page helps with soundtracks, sobs over The Untamed, and unfortunately plays Genshin Impact.

I had the opportunity to interview Page, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

I’ve been obsessed with everything Geeks OUT and Flame Con have been doing for a while now, so it’s an absolute honor to be here! I’m a transgender young adult author who was pretty much raised by my favorite LGBTQ-coded video game characters. My debut rom-com which stars a transgender teenager, The Borrow a Boyfriend Club, is in stores September 12 or 14, depending on the country. I’m from Michigan and now live in the New York City area.

What can you tell us about your debut novel, The Borrow a Boyfriend Club? What was the inspiration for this story?

Back in 2020, I wrote The Borrow a Boyfriend Club because I had a lot of insecurities while transitioning. In order to believe I’d get over them someday, I created Noah, my trans main character, who gets that happy ending. It was the first time I ever attempted to write a trans character—and a rom-com! Before, I was writing sadder queer stories because that’s all I saw on shelves at the time, but let’s be real, I’m not cut out for that. I’m too unserious.

As an author, what drew you to the art of storytelling, specifically young adult fiction and romance?

Nowadays, many queer authors come from fandom spaces. Probably because fandom was, growing up, the only place we could easily find LGBTQ content. Since I was a teenager, I’ve always obsessed over video games like Genshin Impact and Fire Emblem where same-gendered characters act a little too emotional about one another. Only when I was in university did I finally write some dialogue, though.

As a queer writer, what does it mean for you to write a story where a young trans man is at the center of his own romance?

Watching books like Gender Queer and Felix Ever After find success gave me the push to finally attempt a trans protagonist too. What wasn’t—and still isn’t—mainstream are trans teens starring in rom-coms, in my opinion. Even if they get a romance, there’s usually some transphobia along the way. That’s unfortunately realistic and something I do enjoy reading about! But sometimes I’d like an escape. So, the fact that this main character is starring in his own lighthearted rom-com is so meaningful to me.

How would you describe your writing process?

If I’m being honest, as a transgender author, I come from the perspective that I need to craft my plots as exceptionally commercial as possible for traditional Big 5 publishers to take me on. So, that’s where I always start, and I spend a long time there. Then I move onto romance and character planning ASAP. (Usually enemies-to-lovers because, c’mon, it’s my favorite.)

Growing up, were there any stories in which you felt touched by/ or reflected in, in terms of personal identity? If not or if so, how do you think this personally affected you as a writer?

I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver was the first YA novel I ever read starring a transgender character. I was OBSESSED with it during university. Now I have a blurb from Mason on the front cover of The Borrow a Boyfriend Club?! Surreal.

Although I more often saw myself in video game characters who were cisgender teenage boys. At first, American media’s generalized obsession with overt male masculinity tripped me up when trying to process my transgender identity—because I didn’t want to be like that. But since these video game characters weren’t Tall and Buff AF, I was finally like, oh, okay, I just don’t want four hundred pounds of muscle like these Marvel Avengers being shoved in my face. I’ve heard other trans men discuss this confusion too The gender envy started with Link from Zelda: Wind Waker when I was, like, six. Then Sora from Kingdom Hearts. And so on, and so on…

As a writer, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?

Early readers have positively said that The Borrow a Boyfriend Club has a type of silly cartoon logic to it, and that’s probably because my creative influences more often come from video games and cartoons! I find that most media made for teens—TV shows, animations, games—is allowed to be unserious. But with YA literature, I’ve had a tough time being allowed to make the same choices. Now, I’ve found teams who get it, but before, there was so much rejection along the way, criticizing this. I say let teens have the option to read something silly, especially if they’re trans! That’s what our community needs right now.

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or difficult?

Dialogue is my love, my joy, my baby girl. My first drafts read more like scripts. What I struggle with may be obvious now after saying that—description, setting, etc. Basically, the rest of the whole dang book. I just thrive off of character dynamics and interactions so much that I can get bored with the rest. (My editors politely and rightfully scold me for it.)

As a writer, often one of the hardest parts of writing a book is just finishing it. Could you tell us any tips or strategies you used that helped you accomplish this?

I didn’t start doing this until my mentors, Sophie Gonzales and Amelia Diane Coombs, introduced this to me, but it’s saved my life since: OUTLINING! I know. You’re already shouting, “That’s boring! Shut up!” I was there once too. But things change; people change. Nowadays, I share 20-page outlines with my critique partner and agent before ever starting a book. That way, they pick out plot holes before I spend days crafting scenes that do not work. Personally, I use the Save the Cat outline for both YA and Adult.

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want others to know about you?

Hm… Well, I didn’t major in English or Creative Writing. I was lucky enough for the University of Michigan to offer me a full-ride to study Music Composition and Technology! A theme song obnoxiously loops in the Borrow a Boyfriend Club’s high school meeting room, and I turned that into a real song. You only get access if you donate a copy of The Borrow a Boyfriend Club to a trans youth org via The Ripped Bodice Bookstore, but I hope to keep sharing more music related to my books in the future!

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

In The Borrow a Boyfriend Club, the two main characters never name the big-headed, tiny-armed T. Rex plushie that’s on the US cover. What would you name him? And is he gay?

An author friend of mine named him Chainsaw. He is gay.

Also, as a fellow fan of The Untamed, could you tell us what are some of your favorite parts about this show/fandom?

We stan a fellow The Untamed stan. I personally think it’s a masterclass in making your main character accidentally choose the worst-possible scenario over and over. What about you? It’s a challenge to turn your main character from hero to villain and retain an audience’s love for them—but the author pulls it off. You feel Wei Wuxian’s despair and hatred toward the world alongside him. The embedded tragic love story only heightens that pain. Fun fact: the only time I’ve cried since starting T is when I watched the live adaption many years back.

As a writer, what advice might you have to give for other aspiring authors?

As long as you read and study books in your genre, I strongly believe you don’t need an English degree or MFA. There are many free online resources on how to traditionally publish. As cringe but free as it sounds, my music/art backgrounds have helped me become more of an overall storyteller than just a writer, which I value to this day. Oh, and go outside if you can! Try new things! Hang out with friends! It’s not wasted time; it’s all useable writing material.

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

I AM! WOOHOO! But right now, I can only talk about my next YA romcom, And They Were Roommates. It’s about a trans teenage boy who wants to keep a low profile at his prestigious all-boys boarding school, but that proves difficult once he starts rooming with the strict principal’s charming son, who’s also his former summer camp fling from before he transitioned. It gets very messy. You can add on Goodreads!

Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?

I was oh-so-lucky to receive an early copy of Okay, Cupid, which is Mason Deaver’s upcoming YA T4T romance releasing January 2nd. It’s about a non-binary cupid who ironically gets roped into the most intense, heart-pounding love triangle I’ve ever read. When I tell you that book shattered me and put me back together again, I! MEAN! IT!