EDWARD UNDERHILL (he/him) is a queer trans man who grew up in the suburbs of Wisconsin, where he could not walk to anything, which meant he had to make up his own adventures. He began writing (very bad) stories as a kid and wrote his first (also very bad) novel in his teens. In college, he studied music composition, before earning a master’s degree in film music composition. After a few years living in very tiny apartments in New York, he moved to California, where by day he writes music and by night he writes stories, which aren’t as bad as they used to be. When not doing either of these things, he’s probably gardening or hanging out with his cat. Always the Almost is his debut novel.

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

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

Hello and thank you for having me! I’m Edward Underhill. I’m a queer trans man and I write books about queer and trans teens. I grew up in Wisconsin but I live in California now. I also write music sometimes.

What can you tell us about your debut novel, Always the Almost? What was the inspiration for this project?

Always the Almost is a YA rom-dram about a trans boy who makes two New Year’s resolutions: one to win back his ex-boyfriend, and the other to beat his arch-nemesis at a big piano competition…until a new boy moves to town and makes a play for his heart.

I actually remember exactly when I came up with the idea for Always the Almost. I was driving to work very early in the morning and I was exhausted and kind of in a moment of feeling frustrated about a lot of stuff, and I thought, “I’m always almost good enough!” Which sent me right back to these music competitions I did in high school where I came in second a lot, and suddenly the idea of putting a trans boy in those competitions popped into my head. The romance aspect developed after that, kind of in response to my anxieties about trans rights at the time. I wanted to write a love story with a happily-ever-after for a trans kid.

As Always the Almost is centered around music, I was wondering if you have any personal connections or memories about music yourself that you would like to mention?

Yes! As you probably guessed from my last answer, I’m a musician! I grew up playing cello and I’m also a composer, which is my other job. I usually get ideas for the biggest emotional scenes while listening to music. One of the best surprises about Always the Almost going out into the world has been readers sending me playlists they’ve made, inspired by the book. They all really slap!

What can you tell us about your upcoming book, This Day Changes Everything? What inspired that story?

This Day Changes Everything is about two teenagers—a trans boy and a queer girl—from two different small-town marching bands, who both travel to New York City to march in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. But the day before the parade, they both accidentally get separated from their bands while out sightseeing and wind up on the wrong subway train together. The whole story takes place in a day, as they try to find their way back to their bands before the parade, and end up falling for each other along the way. It’s definitely more straightforwardly a romcom than Always the Almost! I wanted to write an epic, almost magical love story like the classic YA books I loved when I was younger, but for trans and queer teens. And I used to live in New York City, so it seemed like the perfect setting!

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

I sort of fell into writing young adult fiction without really thinking about it: I love writing about big feelings, and everything is big and new and raw when you’re a teenager. As for the romance…I think a lot of that has to do with being trans. I want to write stories where trans teens, especially trans teens outside of big blue cities, take up space and are seen and loved. Not to ignore how hard it is to be a trans person in the world (especially now), but to show those epic love stories happening anyway.

How would you describe your writing process?

It’s changed a lot; honestly, it changes with every book I write. When I wrote Always the Almost, I thought I would never write an outline before plunging into writing the book. But for This Day Changes Everything, because it takes place over about 24 hours, I needed an outline just to keep all the events straight in my head! Generally, though, I pretty much always come up with characters and emotions first. I usually know how all my characters will interact before I ever come up with a plot.

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

Yes and no. I never encountered a trans person in anything I read growing up. I had no idea trans identity even existed until I got to college. I wish that I’d been able to see that in books sooner. I lost a lot of time to feeling “wrong,” but having no language to understand why. This is a big reason why I put trans people in everything I write. But I do absolutely remember the first queer book I ever found—Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle. I bought it for myself in high school. It’s about a gay boy growing up in Minnesota, and the Minnesota part was why I bought it. I literally never imagined queer teenagers could exist outside of coastal cities.

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

The funny thing is, I don’t write like her at all, but Diana Wynne Jones’ books have been my go-to comfort reads for a long time. When I picked up Howl’s Moving Castle as a kid, it just blew me away. I think I absorbed a lot about humor and subtle but honest emotion from her books. Another game-changer for me as a writer was picking up Pagan’s Crusade by Catherine Jinks in high school. I’ve never heard anyone else mention this book, but I found it randomly at my library (yay libraries!). It’s an anachronistic historical YA with a snarky protagonist and I’d never encountered anything with that kind of voice. In terms of inspiration these days…I have no idea! Sometimes I think it’s just the weird twists and turns my brain takes when I’m not paying attention that lead to the best ideas.

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

I hate logistics so much. And I keep writing stories that require a ton of logistical planning! This Day Changes Everything takes place in a day, all over New York City, and I knew that I really had to get the travel times between each location correct, or New Yorkers would eat me alive. It was the worst. I just want to write vibes! *sobs*

But on the flip side, the vibes are my favorite part! Character and emotion! It sounds so mean but I sort of love writing the moment everything falls apart—the characters fight, or someone screws up and makes a mistake, and now they have to find their way back to each other. I love writing ordinary people who are trying their best, even when there are bumps along the way.

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?

The great Dahlia Adler once said to me, “You can’t edit a blank page.” I literally repeat that to myself over and over with every new project I write. Just finish it! You can make it better later! That’s the whole point of revising and editing! I’m a perfectionist, and it was hard to let myself off the hook, but it’s helped a lot.

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

I’m a giant plant nerd. I have a cat and I talk to her like she’s a reasonable adult who will understand a thoughtful argument about why she shouldn’t jump on the counter. I’m actually a slow reader. I like puns way too much.

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)?

What do you know a lot about that has never once been useful in your writing?

To which the answer would be: Dinosaurs. I was a total dinosaur kid and I still know a bunch of random dinosaur facts, but I’ve never once found a way to work T. rex into a book.

What advice might you have to give for aspiring artists?

I always hesitate to give advice because everyone’s needs and processes are so different. But one thing that’s worked for me: write out of spite. I’ve had a lot of rejections. Plenty of times I thought there wasn’t room for me or my stories. But I always end up in a place of “I’ll show YOU,” and that’s motivated me to keep writing, and finish the books.

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

Argh, yes, I am working on other projects and I can’t really say much about them yet! But they are books! And one day soon maybe I’ll be able to share more details!

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

I will pick up anything by Patrick Ness; A Monster Calls truly destroyed me in the best possible way. I recently read The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson and it is an excellent contemporary YA. Skating on Mars by Caroline Huntoon is a fantastic middle grade with a nonbinary protagonist. And I’m very excited for Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler.