About the Author: Samantha Markum
What would you like readers to know about you?
Starting off with the hardest question! Well, I am a big nerd, a semi-professional crybaby, and easily prone to new hyperfixations which come and go with the seasons. I write books about messy girls falling in love, and the mistakes they make along the way (some of which could be counted as certifiable disasters, because those are the most fun). I love reading books with incredible friend groups, complicated family dynamics, and, of course, love interests who make you swoon.
I also want readers to know that my DMs are always open and I love to talk! Even if it’s not about books and is just about some dumb meme I’ve posted that I thought was funny, or a random interest I’ve talked about!
What music do you listen to (if any) when you write?
Ah, I am extremely prone to getting music stuck in my head, so I really can’t focus unless I’m listening to instrumental music. I am extremely specific – no movie soundtracks, nothing overly famous, nothing too intense, and absolutely no string instruments. I don’t want to hear one pluck of a guitar. Basically, spa your generic spa music.
Now, if we’re talking about what amps me up to write, that’s a totally different story! I’m the type of person who gets an idea for a book and immediately makes a playlist. I just love creating a vibe. When I really want to get in the mood to write, I’ll listen to that playlist basically on repeat, and then shut it off, turn on my spa music, and get comfy on my couch to get some words down. My playlist for You Wouldn’t Dare is extremely fun and summery (think Magic in the Hamptons by Social House + Lil Yachty and Sticky by The Maine), and my playlist for my next book, Love, Off the Record, starts with Sabotage by Beastie Boys. (Because what’s more romantic than Beastie Boys?) (That playlist also ends with Know Your Enemy by Rage Against The Machine. Just your average first date jams!)
Fun fact: the playlist for This May End Badly doesn’t feature a Beastie Boys song, but one does get mentioned in an early chapter of the book. (The playlist actually starts with Teenagers by My Chemical Romance. Again, romance!)
What books or authors inspired you to become a writer?
I am a Sarah Dessen fan through and through. Of course I have many other influences, but Sarah Dessen was THAT girl for me. I was in high school around the time YA was first really beingdefined as the genre it is now, and I remember reading The Truth About Forever for the first time and being like oh. Yes, I had my VERY OWN “OH.” MOMENT! It happens outside of books! And occasionally is completely unrelated to kissing someone you thought you didn’t even like! (Who knew!)
I knew after reading just one of her books that contemporary romance was going to be my thing. I was a very widely-readchild and had already been writing fanfic for years, about pretty much everything I watched/read, but this was the defining moment for me. Which is why I call You Wouldn’t Dare the Dessen book of my heart! Truly would not be here if I hadn’t picked up (ahem, stolen) The Truth About Forever from my high school bestie’s bookshelf. (Liz, if you’re reading this, I am sorry for my crime and I owe you a replacement!)
About the Book: You Wouldn't Dare
What is your book about for those who haven’t read it?
You Wouldn’t Dare follows Juniper Nash (a girl with so much personality, I gave her two first names) in the summer before her senior year as she wrangles her best friends into doing community theater with her, while also falling (again) for the boy whose life she kinda-sorta ruined the summer before. It’s all about friendship and summer and getting a second chance at love, all set in a picturesque town I love to refer to as Stars Hollow-by-the-Sea. Perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and Sarah Dessen.
What has been your inspiration for writing it?
I hold Florida very near and dear to my heart, as someone who lived there for in my teens and into my very early twenties. I basically learned most of what I know about the world in Florida. The first year I was able to go back, after a long time living away, I took a trip to a small beach town and immediately fell in love. From the house we stayed in (which is what Junie’s house is modeled after exactly, down to the canal out back) to the bakery to the pizza place to the beach itself, this place is White Coral Key. I almost never start with a setting—normally I get an idea for a person or a premise and then fit it into a place. But with this, I went through many iterations trying to fit a story into this town before one finally stuck. There are even hints of the old versions in the final, like when Junie talks about Castor Clemmons, the meanest man on the island—originally, he owned the bike shop in town and, in the book’s very short stint as a YA murder mystery, was the culprit!
This version is much less murder-y, thankfully! (Although there is more than one trip to the emergency room, just to keep things interesting!)
What was your favorite scene or part of your book to write?
So much of this book was fun to write (and so much of it a complete slog that made me want to tear my hair out lol). But my favorite parts are always the swooniest, so pretty much any scene with Junie and Graham is my favorite. If I had to pick one, the walk home where he asks her on a real date. It’s just so flirty and fun, and it’s so them (right down to the favor trading!) and I really love a full circle moment.
Where can your book be purchased?
B&N and Amazon, but of course, I would love for readers to purchase from Bookshop or their local indie—or from my local indie, The Novel Neighbor!
To the Future Writer:
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to write a book?
Write the book you want to read. There is so much online about the market and what’s trending, but at the end of the day, it’s impossible to keep up with what readers want. Writing the story you want most to see on bookshelves is most fulfilling because you’re the one who wants most to see how that book ends.
Also, find a community. Writing is such a solitary activity, and it’s so easy to get stuck in your own head. I met my closest friends writing fanfic when I was in high school/college, and they are still the people I write with today, which makes sending off my early chapters way more fun and wailing about plot holes much more bearable. (Truly, they deserve awards for what they put up with from me!)
What’s next for you? Any events, upcoming pubs, etc.
My next book, Love, Off the Record, comes out June 11, 2024! It’s about two rival freshman journalism students as they fight for a reporter spot on their college newspaper while also, unbeknownst to them, falling in love on an anonymous campus-only dating app. There will be events! Hopefully several! So keep an eye on my website/social media for announcements!
Where can we find you:
Twitter-@sammarkum
Instagram-@sam.markum
Others- (Threads) @sam.markum
What’s on your TBR list?
Oh this is so so hard because my list is so so long! Right now, at the very top: Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor, Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa, and The Boy You Always Wanted by Michelle Quach.
For books coming out later (or sooner) this year: Wild About You by Kaitlyn Hill, Whenever You’re Ready by Rachel Runya Katz, Sex, Lies, and Sensibility by Nikki Payne, and The Boyfriend Wish by Swati Teerdhala.