On the Cusp is a regular series I do on this blog, comprising an interview with another writer who’s about to become a debut novelist. I send them the standard list of ten questions and ask them to please pick five, and to also answer a bonus question.
This week we have T.L. Simpson, who I know through an online group for new authors. His contemporary young adult novel Strong Like You will be out this March. Pre-order it here.
Why did you pick traditional book publishing? Why not self-pub or even some other art form, to tell this story? Interpretive dance, perhaps? A computer game? A series of sculptures? Why a novel, with a publisher?
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was in the fifth grade, and I have been a professional writer for the last decade, although this is my debut novel. There was never a question whether I’d write a book or tell this story through some other medium. Book-writing was always the goal!
I decided to go for a traditionally published novel for a lot of reasons. I knew the process of traditional publishing was rigorous, and I wanted professional eyes on my manuscript from my agent all the way through to my publisher. That kind of feedback is valuable, and the only way to get something remotely close in self-publishing is by paying for it.
My goal was also to reach a lot of readers, and I didn’t think I had the skillset required to do that 100% on my own.
What’s surprised you the most during this whole pre-publication process? What have you enjoyed the most?
There have been so many fun moments along the way. Seeing my cover for the first time was a huge one. But I’d have to say participating in World Read Aloud Day was one of the most rewarding things I have done as an author so far. I got to read to classrooms in California and New York. The kids asked such great questions, and I read the opening chapter from Strong Like You.
Was it a long road to get here? Do you have drawers full of previous manuscripts?
I have drawers full of manuscripts. Earlier I said I have wanted to write since I was in the fifth grade, but I did not get serious about getting a novel published until about 2017. I wrote 10 or 11 manuscripts before I got an offer of representation in 2020. Then, I wrote two more before we sold Strong Like You.
Some of these manuscripts are in the trunk forever. Others might get a round of revisions and see the light of day. I just fired one to my agent the other day!
Any plans yet, for publication day?
We will have a book launch at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Russellville, Arkansas—my hometown! We’re having it in the fellowship hall of the church in order to accommodate people since our local bookstore is limited in space. But the bookstore folks were nice enough to bring all the books and the computer stuff they need to sell them right there in the building.
It’s also my son’s ninth birthday, so we’re going to have a cake for him. He doesn’t know it yet, but I’m gonna pull him in front of everybody and sing Happy Birthday.
If anyone reading this is anywhere close to Arkansas at 6.30pm on March 12, I’d love to see you and sign your copy of Strong Like You!
Photographer: Joshua Wilson
What’s next?
We sold my next book Cope Field on proposal. It’s scheduled for a Spring 2025 release. Cope Field follows Strong Like You thematically but is more of a love story. What if the handsome, wealthy baseball star with a famous dad fell for the lowlife punk rocker living in the Ozarks and their shared trauma brought them closer together?
Bonus question: Most writers on their path to publication think about giving up at some point. Was there anything that made you feel this way? What kept you going?
You hear a lot of “no”s on your way to publication. First, it’s from literary agents. Then it’s from publishers. Like I said, I got serious about publishing in 2017 and probably queried and got rejected by hundreds of agents. When we went on sub, we kept getting these rejection letters that said something like, “We really loved this, but we don’t think it’s right for us.”
It was nice to get some validation I was writing at a professional level, but after a while it got pretty crushing. I remember when we went out on sub with Strong Like You, I thought: If this one doesn’t sell, I’m not sure I can take many more rejections.
The thought “maybe I’ll quit” very briefly entered my brain.
The very next day we got an offer on Strong Like You.
For more information, visit Travis’s website!
Lisa Tirreno 