“What’s romance with out a little threat?” L.C. Rosen teases in his signature witty approach—a query that feels as a lot a problem to his readers because it does a mission assertion for his newest YA novel, You’ve Goth My Coronary heart (out since September 9). Identified for his celebrated works like Camp and Emmett, Rosen returns this spooky season with a darkly humorous, eerily romantic story that blends mistaken id, digital intimacy, and goth aesthetics right into a love story that’s as haunting as it’s heartfelt. In true Rosen trend, it’s a narrative that balances worry and pleasure, proving that falling in love—particularly as a queer teen—is each exhilarating and terrifying.
Set towards the small-town chaos of Sleepy Hole’s Halloween celebrations, You’ve Goth My Coronary heart introduces readers to Grey, a self-aware and anxious teen whose summer time takes an exhilarating flip after a wrong-number textual content opens the door to romance, thriller, and hazard. With a closeted ex within the background, a brand new goth rival for consideration, and whispers of a serial killer stalking native homosexual teenagers, Grey’s journey is equal components suspense and swoon-worthy romance. Via laughs, chills, and heartfelt moments, L.C. Rosen delivers a narrative that captures the queer teen expertise with humor, nuance, and authenticity.
At CelebMix, I had the prospect to sit down down with Lev Rosen and dive into the inspirations behind You’ve Goth My Coronary heart—from the accidental-connection romance at its core, to the playful but haunting Halloween backdrop, and the trendy anxieties and thrills of digital intimacy. We additionally explored his method to breaking stereotypes in queer literature, navigating the publishing world, and giving teen readers characters who really feel actual, messy, and completely lovable.
Learn on as Rosen opens up about storytelling, love, and the dangers that make each unforgettable.
“You’ve Goth My Coronary heart” blends goth tradition, mistaken id, and queer romance with each humor and suspense. I’m curious—what was the preliminary spark for the story? Was it the title, the tone, or a personality you simply couldn’t shake?
Hello! It began as a joke, actually. The unique title was You’ve Goth Mail. I had recognized I wished to do a pagan guide—and possibly a goth guide—for ages, however I didn’t have an thought of what that might be till I made that joke, after which an entire idea poured into my mind.
Have been there explicit movies, tales, or cultural influences that formed this novel? How did you reimagine them to create one thing related for immediately’s YA readers?
Properly, clearly, You’ve Acquired Mail was an enormous affect—as had been all its predecessors, going again to the unique Hungarian play Parfumerie, and diversifications like The Store Across the Nook. My favourite, although, is the musical She Loves Me, which I used as a mannequin for this one—taking the aspect characters and common vibe and making it fashionable and queer.
That actually wasn’t that onerous; individuals immediately speak on social media on a regular basis, and on the apps it’s usually nameless—or at the least, everyone knows somebody might be catfishing us at any time. Individuals fall in love anyway. I really like that about individuals—how even once they’re tremendous skeptical, they will nonetheless fall in love. That’s timeless, however the web a part of it’s nonetheless fairly new.
Talking of contemporary twists, Grey’s story begins with a wrong-number textual content, capturing fashionable intimacy. What drew you to discover that premise, and the way did you make sure the on-screen romance felt emotionally grounded and plausible?
I knew that for the story to work, we needed to open with them falling in love, so the opening part is totally their texts over the summer time. That was, I believe, an enormous gamble. However I wanted to indicate this very particular type of relationship—and even when numerous us are accustomed to the way it may really feel, it nonetheless wanted numerous grounding to make the remainder of the guide work. I used to be additionally actually fortunate that my writer was open to the thought of a visible form of framing for the texts—artwork on the web page that basically makes it clear that is texting, separate from actual life. A digital honeymoon part.
As for why I wished to discover it—nicely, the thought, as I stated, got here first. However all of us speak this manner now. We textual content, and, like I stated, we fall in love with strangers. Isn’t that enjoyable? Isn’t it additionally insanely harmful?
And that brings us to Grey himself—he’s self-aware, anxious, humorous, and quietly courageous. How did you discover his voice, and had been there points of his insecurities or quirks that resonated with you personally?
In my rom-coms (and one anti-rom, still-com), I attempt to play with the queer male stereotypes that had been form of thrust at me in youth. Jack is a slutty femme punk kind, Randy is an annoying theater child, and Emmett is a condescending prep. However Grey is the stereotype I truly form of was—the indignant goth (although I used to be additionally deeply condescending). It’s at all times enjoyable and arduous to take these much less sympathetic archetypes and make them really feel worthy of affection, however Grey was a battle as a result of he’s so defensive, indignant, and type of misplaced.
It additionally felt true to what I do know teenagers immediately have to be coping with—the pandemic, local weather change [and] conflict. I really feel fairly misplaced and indignant myself. However as a teen? Making an attempt to think about their future immediately? That’s going to make you indignant. So numerous it got here from that.
Shifting a bit to the guide’s tone, “You’ve Goth My Coronary heart” manages to be spooky, humorous, suspenseful, and romantic suddenly. How did you stability these tonal shifts whereas preserving the emotional core? What guided your method to creating such a vivid, goth-meets-small-town Halloween world?
I’ve my editor to thank for lots of that tonal equilibrium. There have been variations that had been a lot darker—presumably too darkish for a guide that ostensibly is a romance with a contented ending. The serial killer plotline has been modified so much. However I attempted to herald this sense of darkish humor that basically linked issues collectively, and this perception that, whereas the world could be horrible at instances, that doesn’t imply you don’t discover magnificence in it. That was what I stored aiming for: the wonder.
Your work usually mixes humor, coronary heart, and darker themes whereas centering queer adolescence. How do you method portraying these emotional stakes in a approach that feels each trustworthy and accessible to YA readers?
It comes right down to remembering that your characters are actual individuals, giving them numerous depth and contradictions. I consider Walt Whitman so much—this concept that every of us is a universe. We’ve got all these items in us—humor, coronary heart, darkness—and as a teen, they’re even nearer to the floor. Simply do not forget that, and every thing else falls into place.
Have been there explicit scenes or characters in “You’ve Goth My Coronary heart” that you simply particularly loved writing—or moments that challenged you creatively? How did you navigate these challenges?
I had a lot enjoyable arising with the Halloween homes and the entire Halloween Graveyard Truthful. I’ve been to occasions like that, however having the ability to create my very own—with none funds limitations—was numerous enjoyable. As for challenges, I believe it was arduous to jot down the closeted ex plotline. That was tough, and I hope very trustworthy. However once more, to get by means of it, I simply tried to maintain my characters’ humanity in thoughts and allow them to be indignant at one another, or give one another grace, at totally different moments.
Genuine queer illustration has at all times been a cornerstone of your storytelling. Throughout your profession, how has your method to YA advanced, notably in immediately’s increasing however nonetheless scrutinized publishing panorama?
Properly, like I stated, I’ve been making an attempt to tackle these varied stereotypes in my comedies. Then I’ve my YA adventures, just like the Tennessee Russo collection, that are additionally very queer. I believe I’ve simply approached every guide as its personal factor, not in relation to the guide world. Doing that, I believe, simply results in disappointment and missed marks. I give attention to my characters and what I would like the guide to be. Persons are going to scrutinize as a lot as they need, it doesn’t matter what. Write the guide for you—or for youthful you, as I do with these.
Taking a look at your work tempo, 2025 alone noticed three very totally different releases. How do you juggle such diversified worlds whereas protecting every story distinct? And while you step away from writing, how do you unwind and recharge?
Properly, it’s vital to notice that the enterprise of publishing strikes slowly. Books, even when completed, are nonetheless at the least a yr out from publication, and typically they’re delayed by outdoors forces, as occurred with one in all these. So it’s not like I wrote all of those in a single yr, or that I wrote none of them this yr—whereas they’re popping out quick and arduous, they weren’t written that approach.
With all my books, I get into writing them by absorbing outdoors media: watching films which have the vibe I would like, listening to playlists, going to artwork exhibitions or galleries, and consulting analysis books, fiction, or artwork books that encourage me and get me into the headspace for the story I need to inform.
As for unwinding and recharging—I’ll let you realize as soon as I’ve completed that.
Fascinated by the larger image, which tendencies or themes in YA fiction excite you most proper now? The place do you hope queer literature will evolve subsequent, and are there explicit tales you would like extra writers would sort out?
I’d like to see extra historic queer YA. I’m seeing some, and it’s all glorious, however actually well-researched, non-speculative queer YA looks like one thing numerous publishers aren’t taking a threat on. I additionally really feel like queer YA has to interact with queerness itself slightly extra. We used to have all these coming-out tales—it felt like the one story we had been allowed for some time—and now we’ve got all these romances. And there are lots of people on the market saying issues like, “It’s a rom-com the place the characters occur to be homosexual.” I can not specific how a lot I hate ‘occur to’ in that context.
Particularly immediately, the concept partaking together with your queerness—or the way in which the world views your queerness—is someway dangerous, or makes you somebody whose “being homosexual is their entire persona,” is one thing I come throughout and assume is insanely unsuitable. The act of falling in love as a queer particular person in a world the place individuals actively don’t need you to is an inherently political act, and shying away from that won’t make it much less political or shield you from these individuals.
On the flip aspect, I additionally admire that possibly we’d like aspirational worlds the place it actually doesn’t matter—consolation tales to maintain us going—and I don’t begrudge anybody that. I simply assume publishers see queerness, particularly in YA, as that consolation story and are afraid of truly partaking with queerness. That bothers me. And I nonetheless gained’t learn something the place the advertising and marketing supplies say somebody “occurs to be homosexual.” However that’s my private factor; I do know. I’ve seen that phrase an excessive amount of as an insult to different tales—I can’t unsee that.
Lastly, if Grey may ship one final textual content to his thriller stranger—one thing that captures what he’s realized about love and worry—what may it say?
“Hope is goth.”
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