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Interview with Rom-Com Author G.F. Miller

By on June 6, 2025   /   Articles, Author Interviews  

I am excited I got to interview G.F. Miller on her newest book, What If You Fall For Me First. You can read my interview with her on Not If You Break Up with Me First which posted almost exactly a year ago! 

About the Book

Hi G.F.! Can you give us a short summary about the book?

Sofia is sick of her goody-two-shoes reputation and desperate for her crush to notice her. To help her level up from forgettable to fierce, Sofia enlists trendy and confident Holden—the guy who everyone else has written off as a total player and a first-class jerk. Under Holden’s guidance, Sofia learns to revamp her style, ride a skateboard, and stand up for herself. At the same time, Holden learns that when he’s alone with Sofia, it’s safe to drop the cool guy act and just be himself.

When their efforts start to pay off, and Sofia’s crush finally seems interested in her, she’s faced with a choice. Should she stick with the plan—and risk losing herself in the process—or take a chance on the person everyone says will break her heart?

I love that there were many things about this that felt like a classic teen movie from the 80s (best rom coms ever!). What movies were inspiration for it? Can I guess? I felt Pretty in Pink (or at least Duckie Dale) and Can’t Buy Me Love vibes!

Ooh, those were good ones. I love CBML. I mean, how cute was Patrick Dempsey circa 1987?? I see your classic rom coms and raise with “She’s All That”—another adorable (if somewhat problematic) movie. (And did you see the gender-swapped remake, “He’s All That?” Love <3). So, bestie, I’m thinking movie night?! I’ll bring the popcorn!

I’m surely up for an 80s Rom Com movie night! LOL. I like how this book has the feel of a YA book but is for those kids (like me!) who enjoyed reading about high school relationships. Can you share what you feel keeps this in the middle grade realm vs young adult? I know a lot of authors have difficulty knowing where to categorize their work.

It’s solidly middle grade! I was very conscientious about keeping the romantic chemistry, the language, and the themes at the right level for tween readers. In fact, as we edited, I ran every word, phrase, reference, and plot point through the litmus test of, “Would I want to explain that to my 10-year-old?” Parents and teachers can feel confident recommending this book to kids who are interested in reading romance but don’t want (young) adult content.

 

About the Author

Did you sneak anything from your childhood into this book? (Who hasn’t fallen for a Mark??)

I won’t pretend I was ever as purely kind and gentle as Sofia is, but I do relate to her desire to change herself and grow up on the double. I remember that moment in junior high when I thought, “I have to burn everything little kiddish and bury all weakness and grow out my bangs and prove to myself and the world that I am a baddie.” (Please see attached photo for the results.)

Glow-Up (Kind of)

And, um, yeah—crushes galore! If you’re a male human reading this, and you attended Indian Trail Junior High School for more than a week between the years 1990 and 1992, I probably had a crush on you at some point. Now you know. Sorry for making it awkward.   

Which character would you say you’re most like?

There’s a lot of me in every character, to be honest. I find my own cluttered headspace to be an endless well of source material. Sofia’s desire to transform and prove herself. Holden’s conflicted relationship with himself and others. Even the teachers and various mothers are really exaggerated versions of me in my best and worst moments.

What authors (and/or books) were some of your favorites at this age?

In junior high, I was devouring Lois Duncan books. High schoolers falling in love and running for their lives and having out-of-body experiences—that was my jam. When the covers fell off all the Duncan books, I read my share of Sweet Valley High and Harlequin Classics. But then I discovered Christopher Pike, and I was instantly addicted. Not only were those books creepy and thrilling, but the tone felt so real—like the author actually knew how teenagers talk and think and act. If you’re reading this Lois or Christopher, thanks for the memories!

 

Research/Writing

Where did the idea for this book begin—The problem? The resolution?

This book started with Holden. He was behaving very badly in Not If You Break Up With Me First, and I didn’t like him at all. When we started to dream about what might come next, he was the one character that I most wanted to get to know to see if maybe there was someone lovable under all that bad-boy bravado. As soon as Holden’s backstory and character arc came into focus, the rest of the story fell into place pretty easily. Sofia was the obvious perfect foil for Holden, and her crush on Mark in Not If You Break Up With Me First, was so fun to dig deeper into.

Do you make an outline? (Are you a plotter or a pantser with the genre?)

I do outline. And then the characters do whatever they want, so I go back and re-outline. And then the characters mess with the story again. And I re-outline… Thus, I plot my way through by the seat of my pants, and when I go back and read my first draft outline, I have to shake my head at how wrong I was about practically everything.

Can you share any tips for writing rom coms? Do you have any good sources for authors?

Rom coms are possibly the most character-driven of all the genres. The entire set-up, plot, and pay-off is driven by these two characters and how they bounce off each other. My tips are: (1) focus on character and (2) read and watch every possible rom com (if you’re even thinking about writing a rom com, you’re doing this already, right??). A good craft book is Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit. It’s a screenwriting book, but the story principles still apply!

I appreciate your knowledge of technology trends and slang you use in your book. (Sadly, I hadn’t heard the expression “glow up” before.) What are some sources for keeping up-to-date on both what kids are doing on social media and what words/expressions are in?

I don’t know of any better way to keep up than to hang out with lots of teenagers. My kids and niblings teach me new stuff every day! They are so fluent in this language—not only do they know all the terms, but they seamlessly use them in new and surprising ways. They each have their own unique spin on the language.

If you don’t have time to volunteer at your local Boys & Girls Club, you could start by following @mr_phlindsay_sped on Instagram. He’s a comedian and middle school teacher, and you’ll pick up some lingo from him.

 

For Teachers

Photo Credit: Shannon Ly for Shannon Ly Photography

Do you have a curriculum guide or discussion questions posted online?

I do! You can find classroom resources at gfmiller.com/educators-press

Are you doing school visits related to this book? 

I don’t have a formal school visiting program, but I’d be open to discussing it! When I visit junior highs, I typically talk about story craft and publishing. But if you want an unqualified person to talk about how to handle middle school relationships, I’m game for that too!

How can we learn more about you? 

Visit me at gfmiller.com and follow me on Instragram @author.gfmiller

Thanks for your time, G.F.

Thank YOU, Natalie!

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June New Releases!

By on June 2, 2025   /   Articles, Book Lists, New Releases  
It’s finally summery out, perfect for lounging with a good book! And this month, there are many new middle grade reads to check out. Here are few to spend some time reading out on the patio or the beach. Hope you enjoy these wonderful new releases!

Encounter at Owl Rock bookcover

Encounter at Owl Rock  by Rucker Moses

A pulse-pounding middle grade sci-fi adventure following two brothers and their best friend on an epic quest to thwart an alien invasion in their Atlanta suburb. Twins Cypress and Oakley Young, and their best friend Jaz are making a movie at an abandoned theme park when Oak mysteriously vanishes into Owl Rock. Cy and Jaz’s search leads them to Orion Industries, a company excavating the park with a suspiciously keen interest in Oak’s whereabouts. Their quest quickly turns into a thrilling mission to save Oak and the world too. It uses an alien invasion to explore the real experiences of urban communities while celebrating Black boyhood.

Leah vs. Art bookcover

 

Leah vs. Art by Joy McCullough and Veeda Bybee 

Leah’s ambitious extracurricular plans cause trouble in this second book in the Team Awkward middle grade series that’s The Baby-Sitters Club meets Dork Diaries. How organized, driven Leah was born into her family, she’ll never know. They’re as different as can be. For example, while she’s trying to finish unpacking boxes from their move and get to bed at a decent time, her parents are listening to indie rock records and eating ice cream sundaes. Sometimes it feels like she’s the only responsible one in the house! So when her parents sign her up for art club—to “loosen her up” and “get her creative juices flowing”—Leah decides to ditch in favor of Quiz Bowl, which meets at the same time. But as she secretly attends Quiz Bowl and lies to her parents, her competitive spirit begins to take over, threatening her scheme and her friendships.

The Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun bookcoverThe Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

Esme Sun absolutely does not care about winning shiny trophies or finally receiving some of the praise her mother bestows so lavishly on her three older, brilliant sisters. But, actually… it would be nice to be good at something. So when Esme discovers on the first day of summer, opening day at the community pool, that her growth spurt over the winter has made her a really fast swimmer, she wonders if she just might have found that thing.After Esme has an uncomfortable encounter at the pool with a new girl, Kaya, Esme worries she may have hurt Kaya’s feelings. Then, embarrassed by Esme’s awkwardness, her friend Tegan, the cool girl at school who seems to do everything perfectly, makes Esme promise that from now on, she’ll be chill, not act so babyish and intense about things–especially not swim team.But when their swim competitions begin, and Esme starts winning, she finds that she actually cares a lot. In fact, she wants to break the pool’s freestyle record. That doesn’t mesh so well with her promise to Tegan. And as Esme tries to navigate swimming and her friendships, she searches for a way to apologize and make things right with Kaya.Esme’s mom’s focus on winning confuses her, though, and she begins to wonder: Is winning really as important as she thinks, even if it means being unkind to your friends and teammates? Or is there another way to compete, to be a good sport and a good friend?

 

 

 

 

Chess Club: The Winning Move bookcover

Chess Club: The Winning Move by Rebecca Donnelly 

Chess is Halima Kasim’s favorite thing in the world. But with no local chess club in her small town, she has no one to practice with offline. Yearning for worthy opponents IRL, she recruits newbies: her next-door BFF Jem (a dedicated friend reeling from the recent loss of her grandfather), Jem’s long-lost friend Parker (eager to escape the shadow of his sport-star siblings), and Daniel (itching for answers after discovering a mysterious note left for him inside a book). Together the team forms their own chess club, navigating not just the board but the highs and lows of middle school social life. Along the way they’ll learn that it takes more than practice to be great—it’s teamwork, confidence, and the power of friendship. And never forget . . . chess is a game full of surprises.

 

 

 

AJ Torres and the Treasure of Captain Grayshark bookcover

AJ Torres and the Treasure of Captain Grayshark by José Pablo Iriarte 

When AJ and Jayden discover a gold coin washed up on the shore of Miami after a hurricane, they think it might be the answer to all of their problems.They suspect the dingy old coin may be part of the long lost treasure of Captain Grayshark, whose loot was valued in the millions. That much money could help the Torres’s sinking family business and more importantly, allow Jayden to stay in Miami with his mom, instead of moving miles away from his best friend. The boys set out on a quest, along with resident ghost expert, Andrea Wade, to unearth the pirate’s treasure on a nearby haunted island. But the pursuit of treasure might prove more perilous than they could ever imagine—with treacherous waters and a crew of angry ghost pirates waiting for them on Scream Island . . . A slightly scary, laugh-out loud adventure about searching for gold, but finding much more along the way.

 

 

 

 

Chef's Secret (Front Desk #6) bookcover

Chef’s Secret (Front Desk #6) by Kelly Yang 

Jason Yao has a secret . . . actually, lots of secrets! For one thing, it’s hard being a professional chef, helping to run a motel, and being a regular kid! And now that Mia Tang is officially his girlfriend, Jason’s life has reached a whole new level of exciting–and terrifying! After all, Mia is amazing, and Jason is . . . just Jason. But he’s determined to be the best boyfriend ever, and he knows exactly what he needs to do:

  1. Plan the perfect first date. Thanks to his dad’s new scheme to bring fancier guests to the motel, Jason is working harder than ever–and earning even bigger tips, which means he can treat Mia to the dinner of her dreams!
  2. Be less cringe, especially around other guys. And try to make some guy friends his own age! Maybe then he can finally move on from those bullies who tormented him in fourth grade.
  3. Don’t let Mia know the real him. Mia can never find out the darkest secrets that Jason is keeping–no one can!

Jason knows he’s got his work cut out for him, but hey, if he can date a girl like Mia Tang, anything’s possible, right?

 

The Incorruptibles bookcover

The Incorruptibles by Lauren Magaziner 

Fiora Barrowling lives in a world where sorcerers rule over humans. After surviving an encounter with The Radiance—the very worst of the sorcerers—she’s whisked away to the incredible Incorruptibles (“Inc”) Academy, a school for resistance fighters in training. But most of the other students think Fiora hasn’t earned her place there, and when things start to go wrong and it seems the sorcerers have a spy in the academy, all eyes are on Fiora. With all odds stacked against her, can Fiora prove that she belongs?

 

 

 

 

Bison bookcover

Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers by Frances Backhouse 

Bison are North America’s largest land animals. Some 170,000 wood bison once roamed northern regions, while at least 30 million plains bison trekked across the rest of the continent. Almost driven to extinction in the 1800s by decades of slaughter and hunting, this ecological and cultural keystone species supports biodiversity and strengthens the ecosystems around it. Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers celebrates the traditions and teachings of Indigenous Peoples and looks at how bison lovers of all backgrounds came together to save these iconic animals. Learn about the places where bison are regaining a hoof-hold and meet some of the young people who are welcoming bison back home.

 

 

 

Mysteries of the Human Body bookcover

Mysteries of the Human Body: Weird and Wonderful Anatomy Explained by Neon Squid and Azmain Chowdhury 

  • You know your heart is always beating, your intestines digest your food, and even that your brain is still awake when you’re asleep—that’s no mystery. But why do we get “brain freeze” if we eat ice cream too quickly? And why on earth do we get butterflies in our stomach when we’re nervous? And is it true we can squirt milk from our eyes?! This book focuses on the bizarre things all of our bodies do—including things we don’t understand (looking at you, appendix). Dr. Azmain also asks the burning medical questions we’ve all been wondering about:
    Why does cilantro taste like soap to some people?
    How long can we stay awake for?
    Can our hearts actually break after a romantic break-up? (Asking for a friend).Filled with gross, surprising, and downright terrifying facts, it’s bloated with cool science to impress your friends.

 

Karen Latchana Kenney is a children’s author and editor who loves creating all kinds of STEM books and classroom content. Find her at https://www.karenlatchanakenney.com/.

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Editor Spotlight: Tara Weikum

By on May 30, 2025   /   Articles, Editor / Agent Spotlight  

Tara Weikum has worked in publishing for decades.  Starting as editorial assistant with ALA Booklist Magazine in 1996, she then spent three years  as an associate editor with Disney Publishing. In 2000, she moved to HarperCollins where she’s been ever since. Beginning as an editor, she became editorial director in 2009, and vice president, editorial director in 2013. In 2024, she was promoted to vice president, publisher of HarperCollins’ new Storytide imprint. From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors borrowed Tara for a quick chat to learn more about her career, influences, and Storytide in general.

headshot of Tara Weikum, vice president and publisher, HarperCollins' Storytide imprint

 

MUF: Thanks for agreeing to speak with us, Tara. Congratulations on launching this new endeavor. First off, what can you tell us about the Storytide imprint? What’s its focus or specialty?

TW: The Storytide imprint publishes powerful and distinctive stories with commercial, bestselling potential as well as literary merit, across all genres. Our focus is on middle-grade and teen fiction.

MUF: What has your career path been like so far? How did you get into publishing in general, and editing in specific? What was your educational background?

TW: Like many in publishing, I was an English major. I grew up in the Midwest and after college I attended the Rice University Publishing Program, which is no longer around. That immersive experience was what convinced me to take the leap and move to New York, after a year of working at the American Library Association in Chicago, to look for opportunities in publishing.

MUF: What sort of duties and responsibilities do you fulfill in your current position?

TW: Editors wear many different hats. I currently oversee the Storytide imprint and team of editors. We are focused on shaping the imprint identity with the books and authors we publish.  I manage budgets, acquire new projects, edit manuscripts, write copy, review design and marketing materials—the list goes on!

MUF: Did you always know you wanted to work with this aspect of the field?  Did you ever dream of being an author?

TW: I’ve always dreamed of working with books in some capacity. I never aspired to be a writer myself but I devoured everything I could get my hands on when I was growing up, and I was always the person that friends asked for advice about their English assignments and personal writing. I grew up on a farm in a rural area so bookstores and even libraries were hard to come by. My childhood reading appetites were fed with a wide-ranging variety of books I could scrounge up from friends and relatives by authors such as VC Andrews, Shel Silverstein, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Danielle Steel; series like Harlequin Romance; and classics like the Trixie Belden and Bobbsey Twins books, supplemented by books that were assigned at school and birthday gifts. The adage of “reading widely” was true for me by necessity and I believe it helped inform my ability to love all kinds of books across genres.

MUF: What books have inspired you along the way, whether growing up or as an adult? What books do you wholeheartedly recommend at any given opportunity?

TW: Books by authors such as Jandy Nelson, Franny Billingsley, Jacqueline Woodson, Alison Bechdel, and Casey McQuiston are some favorites over the years. Kate Atkinson’s Life after Life and Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow are two adult novels that were wonderfully devastating. And of course from my own list of middle-grade I’ll hand any of Katherine Applegate’s incredible novels to any child or adult, as well as Thanhha Lai’s award-winning verse novel Inside Out & Back Again.

MUF: What do you look for in books and submissions? What catches your attention and calls to you?

TW: If a premise feels fresh and offers a unique twist on an idea, and the writing is engaging and compelling, I’m often open to considering manuscripts. Since I’m drawn to a variety of genres I like to consider a range of subjects.

MUF: Do you have a favorite age range or genre to work with?

TW: I’m drawn to contemporary realistic novels; romance; magical realism; and light fantasy across middle-grade and teen.

MUF: What sort of tips, tricks, and advice do you have for aspiring writers, editors, or even agents?

TW: Reading widely in the area in which you’d like to write or work is definitely the top piece of advice. As a writer, what will help you see how and where your future books might sit alongside current books, or how they can be set apart in an intriguing way. And as an editor or an agent it’s important to be knowledgeable about the market. And for aspiring writers in search of an agent, research who represents your favorite writers as a first step to finding a good fit for your own work. For future editors and agents, internships will provide incomparable insight into the ways in which all manner of publishing works, and can help guide you to find out where you’d like to work.

MUF: Do you have any interesting hobbies or interests? How do you unwind and relax?

TW: I work remotely and live in Hawaii, so everything water-related is a favorite of mine, from snorkeling to swimming to stand-up paddleboard. I also volunteer regularly at the local humane society and take shelter dogs on hikes and to the beach.

MUF: Do you have any upcoming Storytide releases you’d like to plug? Any juicy announcements?

TW: Lady’s Knight by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner is a raucously funny and romantic teen novel publishing in early June; The Haunting of Bellington Cottage by Laura Parnum is a gently spooky middle-grade novel coming in July; No Sam! And the Meow of Deception, Drew Daywalt’s sequel to the NYT bestseller They Call Me No Sam, is coming in September; and Thorn Season by debut author Kiera Azar is a sharp and sexy romantasy also publishing in September, in both hardcover and a gorgeously spec’d out deluxe limited edition.

Cover of Inside Out & Back Again Cover for No Sam and the Meow of Deception Cover for The Haunting of Bellington Cottage

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