As a big fan of contemporary books I’ve been curious about The People We Choose. This book released earlier this year and today I’m participating in the book tour hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours. I had the honor of interviewing the author. So keep on reading if you want to find out more about The People We Choose and the author who wrote it.
The People We Choose by Katelyn Detweiler
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publishing Date: May 4, 2021
When 17-year-old Calliope meets her new neighbor Max, their connection is instantaneous, but the revelation of her sperm donor’s identity changes everything.
Calliope Silversmith has always had just two friends in her small Pennsylvania town, Ginger and Noah, and she’s fine with that. She’s never wanted anything more than her best friends, her moms, their house in the woods, and their family-run yoga studio—except maybe knowing who her sperm donor is. Her curiosity has been building for years, and she can finally find out this summer when she turns eighteen.
Then Max and his family move into the house across the woods from Calliope, and she immediately feels a special connection with her new neighbor, one that feels different than just friendship. The stability of her longtime trio wavers over the next few weeks as she and Max start to spend more time together.
But when Calliope makes contact with her sperm donor she learns a surprising truth: her donor is Max’s father. How is this even possible?
As she and Max struggle to redefine their friendship now that they know they’re half-siblings, Calliope realizes she has much to gain by recognizing and accepting that family is both the one she has been born into, and the one she chooses to make.
Perfect for readers looking for stories about family dynamics and fans of The Other F-Word by Natasha Friend.
Book Links
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Author Interview
What inspired you to start writing and make you love it so much?
I’d always loved the idea of writing, but I never believed anything would come of it. I just loved books, and losing myself in worlds that other people had imagined and created and brought to life in black and white. That’s why I went into publishing—working as a literary agent, helping other writers to turn their stories into actual books on a shelf. But somewhere along the way, the idea for my first book IMMACULATE came to me—the image of a pregnant teen virgin, living in our modern day—and I couldn’t not write it. And once I started, I couldn’t stop. So here I am, four books deep, still writing!
What recent book do you think everyone needs to read?
DIAL A FOR AUNTIES! It brought me so much laughter and joy at a time where I was very much in need of both.
Besides writing, what other interests and hobbies do you have?
LOL. I work from home—full time agenting, writing in scraps of free time on the weekend—with a fiercely energetic two year old. Hobbies?! What are those?! (Do Netflix and Hulu count?)
Describe your book in five words or less.
Summer, love, choosing your people.
When you wrote The People We Choose did you have it all mapped out or did you sit down to see where the characters would take you?
Oh how I wish I could be an outliner! But no, I usually start with a character and a setting and a general idea of the questions I want to ask and the story I hope to tell, and let the rest magically come together from there.
What message do you hope readers will take away from The People We Choose?
Family is not just the people we’re born into—we’re free to define family however we choose, to find the people who feel like ours, the people who love and support and uplift and inspire, who understand us to our core. That kind of understanding is about much more than shared blood.
Tour Schedule
If you’re curious about this book after reading the interview I suggest checking out the full tour schedule here. You’ll find a couple more interviews, reviews and more!
About the Author
Katelyn Detweiler was born and raised in a small town in eastern Pennsylvania, living in a centuries-old farmhouse surrounded by fields and woods. She spent the vast majority of childhood with her nose in a book or creating make-believe worlds with friends, daydreaming about how she could turn those interests into an actual paying career. After graduating from Penn State University with a B.A. in English Literature, emphasis in Creative Writing and Women’s Studies, she packed her bags and made the move to New York City, determined to break into the world of publishing. She worked for two years in the marketing department of Macmillan Children’s Group before moving in 2010 to the agency side of the business at Jill Grinberg Literary, where she is currently a literary agent representing books for all ages and across all genres.
Katelyn lives in a cozy Brooklyn apartment with her husband Danny and her son Alfie, surrounded by stacks of books and records and diapers. When she’s not reading or writing or taking care of a tiny human, Katelyn enjoys yoga, fancy beverages, and road trips. She frequently treks back to her hometown in Pennsylvania, a lovely green escape from life in the city, and her favorite place to write.
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The People We Choose sounds like a book I’ll love. Keep an eye out on the blog, because I will be reviewing this one in the near future!
