Guest Post with Sarvenaz Tash, Author of The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love

I'm thrilled to welcome the fabulous Sarvenaz Tash back to The Hiding Spot days before the release of her sophomore YA novel, The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love. 

Sarvenaz's first book, Three Day Summer, was one of my favorite books of 2015 and this new book is just as delightful! It'll be in bookstores on June 14th.

Check out Sarvenaz's mini playlist for The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love below!

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I don’t generally listen to music when I write. (My one exception was my previous book, Three Day Summer, which took place during the 1969 Woodstock Festival. For that one, I immersed myself in all the music from the festival.) That being said, every one of the books I’ve written seems to have one or two theme songs that I kept going back to, especially when I needed to get revved up or inside a character’s head. 

The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love was no exception. There were three songs in particular that I played over and over again (the first three on the playlist found below), that really correlated with different themes and ideas in the book. 

So without further ado, here is a mini 5-song playlist for the book with a little bit on what each song means to the story. 

 

1. “A Sky Full of Stars” – Coldplay  

Honestly, I listened to the entirety of this album (Ghost Stories) a whole bunch while I was writing this book. I tend to really gravitate toward break-up albums, and some of the raw emotions on this one really got to me. The yearning that is in this particular song, I feel, really echoes Graham’s sentiments for Roxana. 

2. “Spaceman” – The Killers

This song is very directly related to The Chronicles of Althena, the fictional comic series that both Graham and Roxana are obsessed with. How? It helped inspire the whole story within the story! In fact, I had a vague and wild idea to write a rock opera based on music from the Killers and the skeleton of that idea became Althena. If nothing else, it was great lesson to never throw away any writing! 

3. “Just Another Girl” – The Killers  

Another song with lyrics that really helped me understand Graham’s pining for his best friend. Because even if none of his friends really got it, Roxy for sure “stuck it to his heart so hard.” 

4. “The Hardest Part” – Coldplay  

This one’s a little more personal, as this song really helped me get through a tough time and a tough break-up. And, well, you can’t write a love story without mining some of your own experiences. 

5. “If You Leave” – OMD

This one I included purely because it’s the theme song for Pretty in Pink, which was one of the biggest inspirations/influences for this book. But, honestly, the lyrics work for Graham’s story too!

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PRE-ORDER GIVEAWAY

Anyone who pre-orders The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love or purchases it the week of release (up through Sunday 6/19) will receive an exclusive swag pack featuring a signed book plate, bookmarks, a postcard, and some adorkably nerdy stickers. All you have to do is to email your proof of purchase and mailing address to geeksguidepreorder@gmail.com. (This is international). More info here. 

BLOG TOUR

Mon. 6/6        Beauty and the Bookshelf

Tues. 6/7       Prose and Kahn

Wed. 6/8        Read. Breathe. Relax

Thurs. 6/9     The Hiding Spot

Fri. 6/10         The Reading Nook

Mon. 6/13      Adventures of a Book Junkie

Tues. 6/14     Green Bean Teen Queen

Wed. 6/15      Word Spelunking

Thurs. 6/16   Andi’s ABCs

Fri. 6/17         What a Nerd Girl Says

 

About the Book
Goodreads / Buy It

John Hughes meets Comic Con in this hilarious, unabashedly romantic, coming-of-age novel about a teenager who is trying to get his best friend to fall in love with him from the author of Three Day Summer.

Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy...

Archie and Veronica...

Althena and Noth...

...Graham and Roxy?

Graham met his best friend, Roxana, when he moved into her neighborhood eight years ago, and she asked him which Hogwarts house he’d be sorted into. Graham has been in love with her ever since.

But now they’re sixteen, still neighbors, still best friends. And Graham and Roxy share more than ever—moving on from their Harry Potter obsession to a serious love of comic books.

When Graham learns that the creator of their favorite comic, The Chronicles of Althena, is making a rare appearance at this year’s New York Comic Con, he knows he must score tickets. And the event inspires Graham to come up with the perfect plan to tell Roxy how he really feels about her. He’s got three days to woo his best friend at the coolest, kookiest con full of superheroes and supervillains. But no one at a comic book convention is who they appear to be...even Roxy. And Graham is starting to realize fictional love stories are way less complicated than real-life ones.

About the Author
Website / Twitter

Sarvenaz Tash was born in Tehran, Iran and grew up on Long Island, NY. She received her BFA in Film and Television from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. This means she got to spend most of college running around and making movies (it was a lot of fun). She has dabbled in all sorts of writing including screenwriting, copywriting, and professional tweeting. Sarvenaz currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.