Ask the Author: Bill Konigsberg
Answered Questions (35)
Bill Konigsberg
It's Feb. 26th. It had to be pushed back because there are some issues in the printing industry and they wanted to be sure they could have enough copies printed for the launch.
Bill Konigsberg
Hi Andy, good question! My take on this is that it's a flaw on Rafe's part. Yes, it's totally ironic that Rafe felt a great deal of agency in his own battle to life without a label, yet he quickly foists many labels upon Ben, and feels totally i the right to do so. For me as an author, there are lots of places where that inconsistency exists in my life, where I feel self-righteous about something I'm dealing with, but can without thinking be careless about something similar a friend is going through, just because what they are going through doesn't match my experience.
Does that make sense?
Does that make sense?
Bill Konigsberg
Hi Aly! I'm moving on to something else. The Music of What Happens is my next book and it's another LGBTQ book with an M/M romance in it. It comes in January of 2019. Thanks!
Bill Konigsberg
Hey there Cassandra! Yes, another M/M story is on its way. The Music of What Happens is even more of a romance than these two! January of 2019!
Bill Konigsberg
Alas, I've decided not to. But check out The Music of What Happens next January! Fans of these two will definitely enjoy this one, too!
Bill Konigsberg
Alas, no third book coming. But my next book, The Music of What Happens, will make you happy, I promise! If you liked Openly Straight and Honestly Ben, just wait 'til you meet Max and Jordan. Next January!
Bill Konigsberg
Hi Vernie, sorry it took me so long to answer! I think it's just a quirk of my writing style. I tend to leave things open rather than tie everything up in a neat little bow. It's not on purpose, it's just sort of how I do things...
Bill Konigsberg
Hello there! I honestly don't know. It's an e-book only. My suggestion would be to try to find it on Amazon.au. If that doesn't work, try Amazon.com and see if it will allow you to download it.
Bill Konigsberg
Great question! No, these are, to me, three different universes. There was a second book in the Out of the Pocket universe, and it was set to be published by Penguin in 2010 but my editor left and the new editor didn't care for it. I wrote Openly Straight as a replacement book for that one, and it's a totally different world. As for Porcupine, yeah, totally different. I can't imagine my characters from different books meeting. It kind of melts my mind to imagine!
Bill Konigsberg
Hi there... generally speaking, a paperback is released a year after the hardcover. So probably March of 2018. As soon as an official announcement comes, I'll put it on my website.
Bill Konigsberg
Well... I thought there would never be an Honestly Ben! So I don't want to say never, or that it's definitely the end. I could imagine a book about Albie and Toby, though it isn't currently in my plans.
Bill Konigsberg
Hi Charly! I actually had NOT planned on writing a sequel. I thought Openly Straight was a standalone book, but then I got so many emails and messages from readers who wanted to know if more was coming, and I decided to give it a go! I hope you'll enjoy it when it comes out in March.
Bill Konigsberg
Thank you so much! Honestly Ben is just 3 months away! March 28, 2017!
Bill Konigsberg
Well I can't speak for other authors, but for me it relates to my background as a sports writer. I've always been a sports guy. I am aware, however, that a lot of my readers are not sports savvy, so I do try to keep it as simple as possible. :-)
Bill Konigsberg
I need to answer these questions more frequently! Sorry. The sequel to Openly Straight, Honestly Ben, will be published on March 28, 2017.
Bill Konigsberg
Hi there! So glad you enjoyed Openly Straight and loved Rafe so much!
I wish I could change the publication date, but that's up to the folks at Scholastic. So I'm waiting along with the rest of you to see the book in print! I will tell you that a whole new adventure for the characters awaits, and I promise you it will be a fun ride.
As for Bryce? I expected he'd be a big part of the book, but it turns out his mother sent him to one of those wilderness programs where he's getting in touch with his inner mountain man. So no, he's not really a big part of Honestly Ben... I miss him, too!
I wish I could change the publication date, but that's up to the folks at Scholastic. So I'm waiting along with the rest of you to see the book in print! I will tell you that a whole new adventure for the characters awaits, and I promise you it will be a fun ride.
As for Bryce? I expected he'd be a big part of the book, but it turns out his mother sent him to one of those wilderness programs where he's getting in touch with his inner mountain man. So no, he's not really a big part of Honestly Ben... I miss him, too!
Bill Konigsberg
Rafe wasn't inspired by anyone that I know... he just kind of appeared as I started to write the book, and as I got to know him I learned he is a little bit like a teenage me, and a little different. I really love Rafe a lot. It was fun to go back and write more Rafe for Honestly Ben.
Bill Konigsberg
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed Ben and Bobby especially. You'll get to read about Ben, as you know. As for Bobby, I can't really say. Once you stop writing about a character, as a writer you wonder the same thing... what could have been? What would have happened? I'll leave it open, in case some day someone wants to make a movie of it!
Bill Konigsberg
Hi there! You will see Toby in Honestly Ben, yes...
Bill Konigsberg
I can't ruin the secret! Sorry... All I can say is that the book will be a fun read, I promise!
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Jan 01, 2019 10:55AM · flag