Author Interview: Kiss and Repeat

Wishing a happy book birthday today to Kiss and Repeat! To celebrate its release, I am excited to share an interview with the author, Heather Truett!

Interview with Heather Truett

Let’s start off with a quick teaser about your book—describe Kiss and Repeat in five words:

Insecurity, Neurodiversity, Kissing, Learning, Self-Confidence

Kiss and Repeat is your debut novel. What inspired Stephen’s story?

My stories usually come from a few elements that are on my mind. When I started this one, I was thinking of my high school years and how my friends and I would keep track of how many boys we kissed, but I was also spending a lot of time at my son’s baseball games, and I noticed that when he was focused on pitching, his tics from Tourette’s vanished temporarily. Mix that in with my own nuerodivergences and an unexpected day on a bike, and you get Kiss and Repeat.

What’s your writing process like? Do you listen to music or have any rituals?

My process is always changing. The consistencies are that I cannot write with music playing, but I like music when I need to enter a character’s headspace, and I almost never write big chunks at a time. I have ADHD, and even with my meds, I work best in bursts. When I am drafting, I choose a craft book and read that or listen to Writing Excuses podcast episodes to transition my brain to writing mode.

In Kiss and Repeat, Stephen had Tourette’s Syndrome. What kind of research was required to accurately depict this?

I had already done a lot of reading and sought out experiences from those with TS, thanks to my son’s diagnosis. The World’s Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne was my favorite read in that process. In addition to my own research, my publisher hired a sensitivity reader to help me insure authentic representation.

What song would you choose as a theme song for Kiss and Repeat?

The first one that comes to mind is Tal Bachman’s “She’s so High.”

What’s up next? Can you share anything about what you are currently writing?

My current YA project is #OwnVoices about an autistic girl named Liza. It’s still early in drafting, but it involves grief, cosplay, and an RV shaped like an okra. I’m working on my MFA in poetry, and in that area I am focusing on historical and legendary women, weaving their stories into my own.

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About Kiss and Repeat

Release Date: May 25, 2021
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Bookshop

In Heather Truett’s Kiss and Repeat, a teen uses the scientific method drilled into him by his scientist father to begin a kissing experiment. Only the experiment gets messy, and Stephen will have to come clean if he wants to win one girl’s heart in this heartfelt and funny YA debut.

Stephen Luckie isn’t so lucky in love. He’s completely inexperienced when it comes to girls, and wonders if his tics—caused by Tourette’s Syndrome—are the reason.

Then a game at a party reveals that his body goes still while kissing. Using the scientific method drilled into him by his scientist father, Steven begins the best experiment ever—one that involves kissing as many girls as possible. Who knew science could be so fun?

But when the experiment gets underway, Stephen begins to question how he treats girls—and if his tics have been standing in his way at all. With two girls interested in him, he has to figure out what really matters to him and what he’ll risk—and gain—by being his true self.

About Heather Truett

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Heather Truett is an MFA candidate at the University of Memphis and serves as a poetry editor for The Pinch. She is #ActuallyAutistic and passionate about bringing more neurodivergent voices to the publishing table.

Heather was born in Eastern Kentucky, sharing a hometown with Loretta Lynn, and grew up in South Carolina. She moved from there to Alabama and now resides in Mississippi with her husband and teenage sons. She works as a copywriter and as a writing consultant for University students.