It’s summer and you know what that means, don’t you? All the very best of romantic contemporary YA is on the verge of being released all summer long. And today I’ve teamed up with Penguin Young Readers to get you guys excited about one of my most-anticipated Contemporary releases of 2019, Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan.
This book is so adorkably perfect for a summer afternoon spent reading in a hammock or on the beach or at a theme park while waiting in line, actually especially that last one. You see, it’s about a girl who gets a job at a theme park… wearing a giant freaking hot dog suit. Which is obviously the kind of job every girl wants to do in a theme park, especially when their super cute crush is also working at said park all summer (notably not in a hot dog suit).
This book has it all – romance (of both the straight and the LGBTQ variety), a great setting, well-developed characters. I am so excited for you all to fall just as in love with it as I have. So without further ado, I’m bringing you an exclusive Q&A with the author, Jennifer Dugan!
What inspired you to write Hot Dog Girl? I love the idea of this girl working as a giant dancing hot dog at a theme park trying to find love. Where did that idea start for you?
The initial inspiration came while visiting a local amusement park and seeing some costumed employees interacting with park visitors. I thought right away that it would make a great setting for a summer romance. I knew that my main character, Elouise, was going to be a bit of an awkward mess, like I and many others were in high school. I wanted to pick a costume that would reflect that, and a giant hot dog seemed to fit the bill.
Tell us more about Lou, what’s she like?
Lou is a little bit of a disaster. (Okay, maybe more than a little bit sometimes!) Her heart is in the right place, but some of her schemes end up backfiring and she often gets in her own way. She is quirky, loud, and full of ideas—good and bad. But above all, she’s just a girl with a big heart trying to navigate a life that sometimes feels too big and other times feels impossibly small.
Which character do you have the most in common with?
As an adult, I would probably say Lou’s dad, because I try to be patient and kind and recognize that everyone is fighting their own battles and that a little understanding can go a long way.
But, in all honesty, I was a lot like Lou when I was younger. I also came from a single parent family and didn’t really have all the tools I needed to have a healthy idea of love and friendship. I had to do a lot of learning on the fly and was lucky to be surrounded by good people who didn’t give up on me. I think we all go through periods where there’s a gap between who we are and who we want to be as a person, and even though there are consequences to that, I don’t think it makes us undeserving of love or redemption— which is definitely something that I tried to get across in my novel.
Hot Dog Girl is your first novel. How does it feel to see it come to life? What has been the most surprising part of the whole process?
It feels pretty wild to see it out in the world. While I used to daam about my book being published, it didn’t prepare me for the reality of seeing it at all these amazing indie stores and even in places like Target. Honestly, it still just feels surreal.
The most surprising part of the whole process was probably how many steps there are between writing your book and seeing it on the shelf. There are so many people that play a role in the final product—editors, copy editors, proofreaders, publicists—I am so grateful to everyone on my team for all of their efforts to bring this book to life!
What does your writing routine look like? What’s a typical day of writing for you?
Typical writing days seem rare right now, because things are always coming up either involving Hot Dog Girl promotion or working on things for Fair Verona Comics, my 2020 release. So lately I’ve had to get my words in however and whenever possible!
In a perfect world though, I try to start out by going for a trail run—that’s when I do most of my plotting/problem solving for whatever I’m working on. After, I’ll grab a cup of coffee, put on my writing playlist and knock out some words.
I’m trying something new with the manuscript that I just started. Previously, I was a total pantser so I’d have no idea what was going to happen when I sat down to write. I’d aim for 3,000 words a day, and even if I knew most of them wouldn’t end up making the cut in revisions I didn’t mind. I considered it part of the discovery process. With this new manuscript I actually plotted the whole thing out, which is making for a much more efficient drafting period. My goal for this one is one to two chapters a day.
Without giving too much away, can you tell us what your favorite part of Hot Dog Girl is? Do you have a favorite chapter/scene moment we can look forward to?
My favorite scene is an absolute spoiler, so I can’t share that, but I will say that it involves a letter. My favorite non-spoilery scene is probably when Lou overheats in the hot dog suit and has a ridiculously embarrassing encounter with her crush as a result.
Was it important to you going in to make sure that your story was diverse and represented a variety of love stories? Was it difficult to keep track of multiple pairing/story lines?
I think it’s important that books reflect the world around us. In particular, I knew before I started that the main character was going to share my bi identity. It was also important to me that she had a line where she says she mostly dates girls… even though she opens the book with a crush on a boy. Growing up, I would have loved to have a book that acknowledged that romantic feelings exist on a spectrum and that also normalized attraction to multiple genders.
In terms of the other relationships present in the book, it wasn’t too hard to keep track of them. I really wanted to represent a variety of relationship hurdles that teens experience—everything from first dates to meddling parents to epic break-ups. There is more than meets the eye with nearly every couple at Magic Castle playland.
This is a story of first love. Can you tell us about your first love?
Oh wow, my first love was a rollercoaster. We were both sixteen at the time, and as cliché as it sounds, the moment our eyes met there was like a zap of electricity between us. We quickly became inseparable, for better or worse. It didn’t last, neither of us really knew what it meant to be a good girlfriend at the time, but the nice thing is that we ended on good terms. After a bit of space and tears, we even ended up staying friends. Even now we’ll still occasionally catch up on social media!
What are a few of your favorite books?
There are so many! Some YA reads that I’ve loved are: Opposite of Always by Justin Reynolds, These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling, and This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender. Outside of YA, I also highly recommend Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune (adult) and Karen Strong’s Just South of Home (middle grade)
And last, what’s currently on your summer reading list?
I’m currently reading Wicked Fox by Kat Cho and I’m obsessed! Some other books I’m really excited to dive into are: The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante, Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi, If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka and of course Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston!
There you guys have it, straight from the source! There are so many things to love about Hot Dog Girl and I hope you all pick it up this summer!
Check out the rest of our Summer Lovin’ Tour dates below so that you can stay up-to-date on YA’s hottest summer reads!
WEEK ONE: Hot Dog Girl
June 10 – Riddle’s Reviews – Review + Creative Instagram Picture
June 11 – @meganthemeganerd – Moodboard
June 12 – The Book Shire – Author Q&A
June 13 – Book Princess Reviews – Listicle: Book Worlds That Would Make Good Theme Parks
June 14 – @thepagemistress – Creative Instagram Picture
June 15 – @thegeekyyogi – Review + Creative Instagram Picture
June 16 – The Book Bratz – Listicle: Fun ways to get out of the house and spend time with friends during the summer
WEEK TWO: Her Royal Highness
June 17 – @librarycutie – Creative Instagram Picture
June 18 – Keep Holding On to Books – Inspired by the Book
June 19 – YA Wednesdays – Creative Instagram Picture: Wardrobe Wednesday
June 20 – Novel Ink – Author Guest Post
June 21 – Laurensboookshelf – Review + Playlist + Creative Instagram Picture
June 22 – that.ending.though – Creative Instagram Picture
June 23 – @kulver88 – Creative Instagram Picture
WEEK THREE: These Witches Don’t Burn
June 24 – Forever and Everly – Book Review + Aesthetic + Creative Instagram Picture
June 25 – bookswrotemystory – Creative Instagram Picture
June 26 – Just About Write – Author Q&A
June 27 – Bookshelves & Paperbacks – Review
June 28 – Fighting Tsundoku – Creative Instagram Picture
June 29 – Peace Love Books – Review + Instagram Picture
June 30 – @somethingofthebook – Moodboard + Review