I am beyond excited to be hosting Katie Cotugno on the blog today as part of HarperTeen’s Story Crush tour. Katie Cotugno’s debut novel, How to Love, is one of my favorite contemporary novels and I’m eager to read more from her. I have a Q&A today which will actually give you guys a little hint as to what’s coming next from Katie Cotugno. Read on for an interview and giveaway!

Describe How To Love in 140 characters or less!

A big, messy, satisfying love story told in two time periods–the before and the after.

After reading How To Love, I’m completely in love with Sawyer. I loved the rest of the characters too but he’s definitely my favorite. Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

Oh man, that’s tricky. I spent the most time with Reena, so she’s closest to my heart in a lot of ways, but Sawyer is pretty much the walking, talking amalgam of every boy I’ve ever had a crush on, so I’ve totally got a soft spot for him as well.

What do you consider the hardest part of writing?

Staying in the chair, definitely. Not getting distracted by TV or tumblr or whatever other shiny thing happens to float my way.

What’s the best part of being published?

I still get a huge thrill every time I see HOW TO LOVE out in the wild–the idea that strangers are spending time with characters and places I made up in my brain is the most incredible, fantastic dream come true.

You’re part of the Story Crush tour for 2014. What’s the most exciting part of the tour for you?

I’m so, so psyched to meet and chat with people who’ve connected with HOW TO LOVE–not to mention the amazing, talented authors I’m touring with! I also love traveling, so I’m really excited to see some parts of the East Coast I’ve never visited before.

What are some of the best reactions you’ve gotten from readers of How To Love?

I love hearing from young writers who say that HOW TO LOVE is the kind of book they want to write someday. I try to reply to every email I get from readers, but hearing from other writers always makes me smile the hardest.

Your debut is contemporary. Is it your favorite genre? Do you plan on writing more contemporary books or branch out into other genres?

I do tend to gravitate toward contemporary, realistic fiction–I like reading and writing about characters who live in worlds that bear at least passing resemblance to mine. Still, I love historical fiction, and magical realism. The MFA thesis I’m working on right now has a lot of magical realism elements–visions! magic babies!–but for me, it’s more about making sure I connect to the characters than it is about sticking with any particular genre.

Speaking of what you’re planning to write next, can you share anything about what you’re currently working on or what’s next from you?

I can! Right now I’m in the middle of the second draft of my next book, 99 DAYS, which is about a girl who comes back to her hometown in the Adirondack mountains the summer before college to face the mess–and the two very different boys–she left behind a year before. It’s kind of an homage to some of my favorite 80s movies like Dirty Dancing and Mystic Pizza, and I couldn’t be more excited to share.

About the author:

Katie Cotugno went to Catholic school for thirteen years which makes her, as an adult, both extremely superstitious and prone to crushes on boys wearing blazers. She routinely finds herself talking about the romantic endeavors of characters on TV shows as if they actually exist in the world.

Katie is a Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Broadkill Review, The Apalachee Review, and Argestes, as well as on Nerve.com. Her first novel, HOW TO LOVE, is out now from Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins.

The great loves of Katie’s life include child’s pose, her little sister, and mozzarella and honey sandwiches. She lives in Boston with her husband, Tom.