ALYSON DERRICK was born and raised in Greenville, Pennsylvania. After moving to Pittsburgh to study English. She is the co-author of New York Times bestseller She Gets the Girl and her latest novel is Forget Me Not. Good Reading for Young Adults caught up with Alyson to discuss everything from books, reading habits to the inspiration behind her latest novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK
What would you do if you forgot the love of your life existed?
Stevie and Nora had a love. A secret, epic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. They also had a plan: to leave their small, ultra-conservative town and families behind after graduation and move to California, where they could finally stop hiding that love.
But then Stevie has a terrible fall and the last two years of her life are erased overnight. Suddenly Stevie finds herself in a life she doesn’t quite understand – she’s estranged from her parents, drifting away from her friends and dating a boy she can’t remember crushing on. She’s headed towards a future that isn’t at all what her 15-year-old self would have envisioned.
And Nora finds herself … forgotten.
Can the two find their way back together through a lost memory?
WHAT’S ON ALYSON’S BOOKSHELF?
What are you reading now?
Rachael’s next book, Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh!
If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only have five books– what would they be?
- SAS Survival Handbook
- Bushcraft 101
- The Survival Medicine Handbook
- How To Stay Alive in the Woods
- Hawke’s Green Beret Survival Manual
Where is your favourite place to read?
In bed.
Do you read one book at a time or multiple?
One at a time.
Do you use a bookmark or fold the corners of pages?
I recently started earmarking the pages and I actually like it so much more.
Where did you get the inspiration for your latest novel Forget Me Not?
My hometown inspired a lot of it!
What did you find most rewarding or challenging about writing your first solo novel?
The most challenging has been marketing my solo. The most rewarding was the moment I finished my first draft. This was the first book I’ve written all by myself and actually finished!
What are you working on next?
Something! But I can’t talk about it yet. Sorry!
What do you like to drink or eat while reading?
Darjeeling tea with honey and sugar.
If you could meet one author (living or dead) – who would it be and why?
Nina LaCour. I’ve always been a fan of hers and we’ve talked over IG a couple times, but never in person.
