Tuesday night hell introduce Kostakis at aSidekicksevent atVromans Bookstorein Pasadena, Calif. Their conversation below covers topics ranging from anxiety to coming out to the ever-complicated writing process.
JOHN COREY WHALEY:Will your new book is calledThe Sidekicks.
Whats it about (in one sentence) and what made you want to write it?
Courtesy Will Kostakis; Lilly Lawrence/WireImage
It started as a senior-year project.
My best friend had passed away the year before, and I was still processing how it affected me.
… And I bet you cant pitchHighly Illogical Behaviorin six words or less.
Harlequin Teen
WHALEY:Six words!
Okay Anxious kid makes new friends.
KOSTAKIS:And why did you write it?
WHALEY:The origin of my book is pretty personal too.
I feel like writing is sometimes the only way I understand anything.
KOSTAKIS:Back then, I couldnt see the forest for the trees.
It was the worst pain I had experienced and my life was over.
But I was conscious of the fact that my characters had to grieve as teenagers, not as twentysomethings.
That meant preserving how I grieved in high school, warts and all.
WHALEY:SO difficult.
Have you ever referred to yourself as a wunderkind?
You have to tell the truth, its EW.
For that reason, I am so thankful my first book flopped upon release.
It cut me down to size and helped me realize age and hype arent everything.
WHALEY:That popped collar wouldve taken this country by storm, my friend.
I hope youll consider a pop or two on your first U.S. tour.
Dont think I wont ask you in public either.
What excites you most about your American debut?
KOSTAKIS:Im making my debut having had a test run in Australia.
Its like Ive been training 10 years for this … … And also to lug home some beautiful, beautiful hardcovers.
Theyre not really a thing in Australia, which is devastating.
Do you have any advice for me as a debut author?
What are the traps?
What have you learned?
WHALEY:My advice?
Danger, Will Kostakis.
For them, its about finding the perfect story for a kid or teen.
And that passion and its impact are awesome and contagious.
But my sexuality does inform my grief …
I was closeted, my friend who died was closeted.
All grief is rooted in time not having enough of it, not spending it properly.
How did your upbringing shape the stories youve told?
Any last words, pal?
KOSTAKIS:No last words, only … Pops collars up
