Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We have a deep fantasy for you today. Robin Alvarez is here to tell us about When Oceans Rise. Robin, take us away!

Robin: When Oceans Rise is a YA contemporary fantasy which comps as a Filipino Little Mermaid (with no mermaids) meets The Butterfly Effect. 

A teen girl gives up her voice to the sea witch to escape an abusive relationship, but after she’s dropped into an alternate universe, the sea witch uses her voice to unleash Filipino monsters on the worlds. The girl must get her voice back to save both worlds.

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

Robin: When Oceans Rise is based on this moment, at seventeen-years-old, when I decided to go surfing during a hurricane and almost died. I’d been in an abusive relationship. That day in the surf, I got caught in a fierce riptide, and I wondered if it would just be easier to let go. Ultimately, I didn’t. But When Oceans Rise is built around that entire scene of powerlessness and struggle and questioning what I was worth.

Sabitha: That’s such a powerful moment. Was there any equally powerful music that inspired you while you were writing?

Robin: ‘Explosions’ by Ellie Goulding was a big influence for the way a person can feel like they are destroying everything around them. 

Sabitha: We have a lot of writers in our community. What’s your writing process?

Robin: I’m a hybrid writer currently, and I prefer to write in a 4-act structure because it just makes the most sense for my brain. 

Sabitha: Do you have a “fan-cast” – do you have actors you’d cast as your main characters?

Robin: Someone else made me a fan-cast that now lives in my brain! Liza Soberano is a Filipina American actress, and Diego Tinoco is of Hispanic descent so they’re a dream! 

Sabitha: That’s lovely! What book do you tell all your friends to read? Besides yours of course!

Robin: Recently? Ever Since by Alana Bruzas. It made me cry so much and really shows the warning signs of a different kind of abuse. 

Sabitha: That’s such an important message for a book. In your own novel, which character do you relate to the most and why? Has it changed?

Robin: In my villain era, the sea witch! In my healed era, Anita, the happy, supportive best friend. 

Sabitha: How did you choose the title?

Robin: It’s based on another song that inspired my book! “Oceans” is a song with images of just trying to keep your head above water. 

Sabitha:  If you could pick any author to read your book, who would you want to read it? Why them?

Robin: Jenny Han! I’m such a big fan of her writing, and she is the coolest author to follow. Her life just seems magical!  

Sabitha: When you picture your ideal reader, what are they like? 

Robin: Weird! I love all things weird and people who are not afraid to be themselves.

Sabitha: Agreed! Does the location the story takes place mean something to you or to the work?

Robin: Yes! It’s set in Corpus Christi, Texas which is where I spent my teen years. I love Corpus so much because for all the darkness I experienced, there was always more light. 

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Robin: When Oceans Rise is available is major retailers like Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Target, as well as several indie stores online. Please follow me on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We love queer novels, and Diane Billas is here to tell us about her sapphic coming of age. Diane, introduce us to your book! 

Diane: Does Love Always Win? is a sapphic coming of age young adult novel that explores coming out and understanding one’s sexual orientation. Sam “Shorty” Daniels has a plan for her senior year, but her romantic life being a hot mess was not part of the agenda. Shorty quickly discovers she’s not attracted to her newest boyfriend and fellow marching band member Zack, despite her many hours of daydreaming of what it would be like to date him. Their previous flirting had been so intense that those feelings have to come back again, right?

When Shorty’s asked to show the snarky new girl around high school, Shorty’s instantly intrigued by Kristy’s wit, and they bond over their love of writing. They quickly become inseparable, and Shorty has a breakthrough moment realizing why none of her other relationships worked out. Just as Shorty is about to break up with Zack, her bitter ex-boyfriend Bryan threatens to out her to the entire school and Shorty’s conservative parents. Will Shorty be able to overcome Bryan’s ridiculous blackmail scheme and get her dream girl?

Sabitha: It sounds both fun and meaningful. Is there a personal element to this story which inspired you to write this book?

Diane: When I was growing up, I struggled with similar issues that Shorty does, questioning my sexuality, but I didn’t have any books available to me that I felt I could relate to. My hope with this book is that someone who might be going through something comparable will look to Does Love Always Win? and see themselves reflected in it. I created the book I wished I could have read in high school.

Sabitha: We have a lot of writers in our community. What’s your writing process?

Diane: My writing process is all over the place. It’s funny, for my writing day job I make an extremely detailed outline before starting a project, but for my creative writing, if I have an idea, I just sit down and write. The details and character plotting come later after I have written a scene.

Sabitha: How did you choose the title?

Diane: I chose Does Love Always Win? as my title because of the saying that deals with marriage equality, ‘Love Wins.’ I thought it was fitting for an LGBTQ+ centered book.

Sabitha:  It fits perfectly. If you could pick any author to read your book, who would you want to read it? Why them?

Diane: I would really like Becky Albertalli to read my book. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was the first young adult LGBTQ+ book that I’ve seen receive mainstream attention in the publishing world, and it was even adapted into a theatrical release. I feel Becky’s work paved the way for expanding the LGBTQ+ market and showed its relevance even to individuals that do not personally identify as LGBTQ+. It would mean a lot to me if she read and enjoyed my book.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Diane: Does Love Always Win? is currently on pre-order and out June 20, 2023. You can find me here.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Pavithra Ramesh joins us to share a romance novel, Our Perfectly Blended Chaos. Pavithra, can you give us a bit of background to your book?

Pavithra: Destiny brings its twists and turns when Payal decides to set on a path that defines her fate. She was a beautiful girl with simple dreams who decided to follow her ambition to work on the job she loved. She meets a guy at the airport and it feels like love at first sight. However, she knows her priorities and moves on. Life plays its card when the guy she left behind as an infatuation followed her to prove his mad love for her. New city, new job, new people and a feeling that feels like love but is complicated. What happens later, is a battle of romance, friendship, revenge – a perfect blend of ultimate chaos.

Sabitha: That sounds like a lot of fun. What inspired you to write this book?

Pavithra: I derived inspiration from the need to give my readers a book which combines it all – mystery, romance, friendship and revenge. I often crave reading such books that keep me hooked on what is happening and help me visualise the scene in my mind while I read. That is exactly what I wanted to offer my readers. Inspiration to write also comes from my daily life.

Sabitha: Was there any music that inspired you while you were writing?

Pavithra: Not a certain specific kind of music but in general music helps me calm my mind and get into a flow that does wonders for the book.

Sabitha: Do you have a “fan-cast” – do you have actors you’d cast as your main characters?

Pavithra: Well, the cast of Friends is definitely a dream cast. I would cast Jennifer Aniston as the protagonist; she could do justice to any role.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read? Besides yours of course!

Pavithra: The Secret is the best self-help book I have read so far. It made me believe in manifestation. Apart from that, I love The Kite Runner. It left me in tears at the end of the book and touched my heart like no other.

Sabitha: How did you choose the title?

Pavithra: Well, my book is a blend of romance, revenge, and friendship mixed with some mystery to keep you hooked till the end. When I thought about how I could bring this mix to the title, I came up with the name Our Perfectly Blended Chaos.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Pavithra: You can find me on LinkedIn, and order my book on Amazon.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We’re joined by William F Gray to talk about his debut psychological thriller, The Man Behind the Door. William, can you tell us about your novel?

William: The Man Behind the Door is a psychological thriller about grief, trauma, and addiction with a ghost story spin.

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

William: The inspiration for this book was actually my own father, who is the basis of Leigh Glasscock. It started out as a way to get to know him better ten years after his suicide, but it grew beyond that. He had a lot of struggles in his life, and I set out to tell his story in a non-biased, compassionate way within the structure of a fictional story.

Sabitha:  Which character do you relate to the most and why?

William: Leigh Glasscock is a character that I think encompasses the complexity of life. He does some truly heinous things throughout The Man Behind the Door , but he’s also the most likable because you understand him. You might hate him one second, and the next you’re feeling sorry for him, and then you’re actually rooting for him.

Sabitha: How did you choose the title?

William: The Man Behind the Door came from an early chapter, where I refer to a character that one of the children meets as “The Man Behind the Door”. As soon as I put it down, I knew that was my title. Not only is right on the nose (he’s literally behind the door) but it also fits metaphorically, because Leigh lives his life without anyone knowing him for who he really is. No one really saw who the person he was underneath the mask he wore.

Sabitha:  If you could pick any author to read your book, who would you want to read it? Why them?

William: This is the obligatory Stephen King reference, but it’s for a better reason than “He’s my favorite author.” I was twelve years old when I first picked up The Gunslinger and was introduced to King’s universe, but it changed my life forever. I read the entire Dark Tower series while my family imploded due to drug abuse. Everyone in my family used, and I was very much alone with the exception of Mr. King, Roland, and his ka-tet. In a lot of ways, they saved my life.

Sabitha: Books can be such a powerful force for us to find understanding and strength. You’ve written a moving and personal story. What do you most want your readers to take away from reading your book?

William: This is a two-fold question. At face value, I want everyone who reads my book to feel the same excitement I do when I read a great novel. On a deeper scale (and this is one I knew from the moment I published it) I want someone to read my book and feel like they aren’t alone. I want them to see a little bit of themselves in there, whether it be in the struggles that Leigh has or making sense of his actions after the fact. It’s a rollercoaster of a novel, full of horror, both supernatural and mundane, as well as pain and bittersweet closure. I think it has a little bit of something for everyone, but I also know that every author thinks that.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

You can find my debut novel on Amazon and my website. My upcoming supernatural horror novel, The Devil Within Us All, is releasing this May via Wicked House Publishing. It’s inspired by powerful men who abuse their station (religious, political, or otherwise) to bring out the worst in others.