Book: Those We Knew In Summer
Q1. Hello Sir, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
My name is Nicholas DeRosa. I am a high school history and economics teacher in Ewing New Jersey. I also coach Cross Country and Track and Field. Other than my writing hobbies I am a big gaming nerd. I enjoy playing board games, Magic the Gathering, and open world video games. I have a loving family, a beautiful and supportive fiancé, and an emotional support Corgi named Phil.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Those We Knew In Summer’ book?
Writing the book was not too difficult. I drank a lot of coffee and only walked away from computer to sleep and use the bathroom. But it was the months/years of editing, plot analysis, workshopping with other writers, and the frequent self-doubt and anxiety that were the most challenging aspects of writing the book. My most challenging objective was that I wanted to be sure my characters both had a continuity of personality and genuine nature to themselves, but that they also showed growth through their experiences at the festival.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
Any book that embodied the chaotic nature of young adults. I needed the angsty and reckless motifs of younger generations, but also how those actions had some larger significance for the time period in which the stories to place.
For this book I tried my best to pay homage to the “lost generation” of writers and the “beatniks” that represent a lot of the counterculture in the United States. Authors of particular influence were, JD Salinger, Hunter S Thompson, Nathaniel West, Ernest Hemingway and Jack Kerouac. If you have read any books by those authors, you’ll understand where I am coming from.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
My hometown of Clinton New Jersey is where the story takes place. It’s important for this book in particular because I refence it’s characteristics often. It is where my friends and I grew up and it will always be home for us. Other places I love are Gettysburg, PA because I have had some of my favourite history memories there with my Dad, students, and friends, and I had my first writers conference and workshop there; and Mystic, CT because I just love the town.
Q5. Is there lots to do before you drive in and start writing a book?
One word, research. Most of my books have some kind of historical component that requires research. For this book I needed to research the history of the town in regard to the Bellewood Amusement Park and I also needed to compile the musicians and songs I wanted to use for the book. It’s a lot of scene building to make the story come alive. Which is also why the book has a map of the festival that comes with it.
Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Those We Knew In Summer’ book?
The draft took about two weeks. I wrote it between the end of summer camp (yes, I work at a summer camp as well) and the beginning of the school year. The edits took about two years.
Q7. On what all platforms readers can find your books to buy?
On Amazon you can order paperback and Kindle versions. On my Blurb Bookstore (links on my website and socials) you can order paperback, hardcover, and an ebook version for tablets. You can also email me for merchandise like stickers and the festival map.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the cover and the title of your books?
Oddly enough, my Mom came home one day with a painting she did of a night scene overlooking a lake with lights in the distance. It fit perfectly to my story. I brought the idea to my fiancé Amanda (@acrossendesign) and she designed the cover, map and stickers. The cover is from the vantage point of the campsite looking over the lake to the festival in the distance.
The title is representative of the friendships and experiences the characters have when they escape to the festival every summer. Though the characters only see these festival goers once a year, they feel the closest to them.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
You must write things that have some relevance or connection to everyday life. I am a huge fan of JRR Tolkien, but even the characters of Middle Earth have a connection to our lives in the non-fantasy world. Without this connection in your writing, no one will care to read it.
Q10. Are there any secrets from the books (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
There are many secrets. Every interaction and observation that occurs amongst the characters has some significance to the inner conflict of the main character. These little vignettes of exposition and dialogue also provide social commentary as well. Nothing is random in this story and every scene has some underlying significance. My best suggestion is, watch the behaviour of the main character and you will notice the subtext.
Book Is Available On Amazon
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