Happy Friday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for OUT OF THE BLUE! I’m so excited because today I have an interview with Jason June to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I’m so excited to for you to find out more about it!
Out of the Blue by Jason June Published on May 31, 2022 by HarperTeen
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy, Queer, Romance, YA
Pages: 320
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram
Crest is not excited to be on their Journey: the month long sojourn on land all teen merfolk must undergo. The rules are simple: Help a human within one moon cycle and return to Pacifica to become an Elder--or fail and remain stuck on land forever. Crest is eager to get their Journey over and done with: after all, humans are disgusting. They've polluted the planet so much that there's a floating island of trash that's literally the size of a country.
In Los Angeles with a human body and a new name, Crest meets Sean, a human lifeguard whose boyfriend has recently dumped him. Crest agrees to help Sean make his ex jealous and win him back. But as the two spend more time together and Crest's perspective on humans begins to change, they'll soon be torn between two worlds. And fake dating just might lead to real feelings...
What would you do if you spent the day with Crest and Sean? Where would you go to eat, hang out, relax, etc.?
Ah, this would be so fun! So I think the best thing to show Crest since they’ve been under the sea so long are forested national parks. Like, imagine never getting to see the beauty of a forest or hiking up a mountain. Crest would freak out the first time they saw a moose! And Sean would adore finding some secluded lake where Crest could let their tail out for a while. It would be so much fun! As for eating, Sean and I would find some fabulous vegetarian spots since Crest has a hard time stomaching meat. BBQ some veggie burgers or something on our park adventures!
If Crest and Sean were to hang out with other fictional characters, who would they be and why?
Crest needs to have a serious heart to heart with Ariel about why she was so enamored with humans so fast, and would also let her know she doesn’t have to set up her life around a partner at the horribly old age (note the sarcasm) of 16. There was still so much she needed to discover about herself, and Crest and Sean would be supportive friends helping her find out her own joys, and if that included Eric, great, but she never really got the shot to learn who she was.
If there was one fictional place you could travel to for a day, where would it be and why?
I want to go to the labyrinth in Labyrinth. It’s just such a whimsical place! Party with Ludo and the goblins and Hoggle and Jareth. The Worm. It’d be a blast!
If you buried a time capsule with three items inside, what three items would you choose and why?
First would be my journal that has like, the last few years in it so it’d detail a nice chunk of the past few years. Then I’d include maybe a face mask because I think it captures all the anxieties and new normals we’ve been having to put up with the last couple years, and if the point of the time capsule is to really capture the time it was buried, I think that’d be pretty emblematic of what we’ve all been up to as a global community, even though it’s a bummer. And lastly I’d put a copy of OUT OF THE BLUE because maybe whoever digs this thing up needs a fun queer merperson read!
What was your favorite bit of research you ended up not using?
I did a lot of research on sea animals for Crest since they’d compare a lot of stuff they see on land to what they find in the ocean, and I actually ended up using most of it. Most of the stuff I didn’t use had to do with aquatic life mating practices because I was like, there are only so many jokes you can make about a sea cucumber before it gets old, you know?
What is your favorite quote, scene, or moment from Out of the Blue?
Without giving too much away, my favorite scene is the ending. It’s very action-packed, but doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, and I think it ties in the heart of my two main characters nicely. I also love so so so much that the final word in the whole book is “blowholes”.
About Jason June
You’ve come here wondering, “What is the meaning of life?” Er, I mean, Jason June’s life. Jason June (it's a two-name first name, like Mary-Kate without the hyphen or the Olsen twin) is a genderqueer writer mermaid who loves to create picture books that mix the flamboyantly whacky with the slightly dark, and young adult contemporary rom-coms full of love and lust and hijinks.
When not writing, JJ zips about Austin, Texas. He loves dinosaurs, unicorns, Pomeranians, and anything magical that takes you to a different world or time. JJ is a tried and true Laura Dern stan, and he is actively looking for an Andalite friend.
His picture books include WHOBERT WHOVER, OWL DETECTIVE, illustrated by Jess Pauwels, and PORCUPINE CUPID, a queer-inclusive Valentine’s Day story, illustrated by Lori Richmond, both from Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster. For under-the-sea whimsical adventures, check out the MERMICORN ISLAND chapter book series from Scholastic! And get ready for JAY’S GAY AGENDA, Jason June’s debut YA, queer rom-com, coming June 1, 2021 from HarperTeen!
What do you think about Out of the Blue? Have you added it to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!
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