An Interview with Kat Colmer

  Hey guys! So the wonderful author of Can't Beat the Chemistry, Kat Colmer, agreed to answer a few of my questions! Without further ado, let's get into it!

Mel:  What inspired you to write MJ’s story?

Kat: I wanted to write a story about flawed characters struggling to find their way in life while navigating parental and societal expectations. A story that challenged society’s definition of intelligence and dared readers to look past stereotypes. A story that reflected some of the struggles I’ve seen my students go through over the years.

Mel: What, if anything, do you have in common with MJ and Luke?

Kat: I admit, I have MJ’s need for planning and organisation (I’m totally the to-do list type), but I lack her punctuality, much to my husband’s frustration. As for Luke, I have his love of music. I also like to think I have Luke’s patience, but my family may disagree. I definitely share his struggle with chemistry. All those equations! Give me words any day ;-)

Mel: What character from Can’t Beat the Chemistry do you relate to the most?

Kat: This surprised me, but I think I relate most to MJ. Not so much on a lack-of-social-awareness level (last I checked, my social skills were up to scratch) but I can relate to MJ’s need for order and planning, her need for control and her frustration when she doesn’t have it. I can also understand her fear of stepping out of her comfort zone to follow her dreams. That’s scary enough with the support of your family, which, unlike MJ, I’ve always had.

Mel: What was your favourite scene to write and why?

Kat: I loved writing the car scene where MJ heads to Luke’s for the weekend. The banter between the two characters flowed straight from my head onto the page. It was so real to me I could almost taste the salt and pepper flavoured chips they were munching on while MJ asked poor Luke to explain which ‘indicators of interest’ a guy shows when he likes a girl.

Mel: We see MJ grow quite a lot in this novel. What was the hardest part about developing MJ’s character, and why?

Kat: MJ’s is a complex character. Opinionated and judgemental to the point of being insulting, MJ’s abrasiveness may make it difficult for readers to like her at first. This need for her to be ‘likable’ frustrates me. I don’t think we place the same expectation to be likable on male characters (Here’s a great article on the topic). I, for one, love MJ. I understand her. I created her in all her abrasive complexity. A product of her strict upbringing and academically focused environment, MJ’s character arc forces her to recognise and let go of the damaging parts of herself without losing the essence of who she really is, because deep down, MJ is a decent person who wants to do right by other people. She just doesn’t know how to go about it at the start. Writing MJ in a way that made her relatable despite her abrasiveness, a way that showed her fear and vulnerability beneath all the prickliness, was the hardest part in developing her character.

     Mel: We hardly see Sandy, MJ’s best friend, in the novel, but get the feeling that she’s going through her own stuff. Would you ever consider writing a short story or novel on her?

Kat: Oh, Sandy definitely has a story to tell. I’ve had snippets of her life come to me while writing and editing Can’t Beat the Chemistry. They’re tucked away in a little notebook of their own and I’m itching to see where they might lead me. And Zac. Zac needs his own story, too. Don’t you think?

  Mel: MJ’s mother puts a lot of pressure on her academically, and MJ feels trapped in this situation where she feels she has to study and do what her mother wants her to, to the point where her life doesn’t seem like her own anymore. Is there any advice you could give to readers out there going through a similar situation?

Kat: This is a tough one. As MJ and Luke’s story shows, high expectations can be a double edged sword. On one hand, they help us reach for and achieve great things. On the other, constant high expectations can crush a person’s spirit. My advice would be to always strive to do the best you can, but also remember that many of the things that seem so important right now, like exam marks and rankings, don’t have to dictate the path you’ll take in the future. Because if you really want something and are willing to work for it, there are many paths to your passion, no matter the expectations placed on you by others.

Mel: What is a lesson or message that you want your readers to take from your novel?

Kat: Learn from others as you walk your path, but make sure you choose its direction. And always listen to your heart when making life’s decisions; because the brain really can’t function without the heart.

As an aside, I would like to state that it would be amazing to have a novels on Sandy and Zac! Kat made a really good point about the different standards we hold for male and female characters as well! I've seen a post on Tumblr about something similar actually, about how we adore morally grey male characters but hate on morally grey female characters. It's really jarring to notice how patriarchal stereotypes even play into fiction and literature. It's really interesting to analyse the patriarchal tropes embedded in our literature and to try and tear them down. (I might do a post on this later!)

Can't Beat the Chemistry is released today! This book really is amazing, it tackles important issues and really stays with you even after you've finished it. It has great character development, a sweet romance, and great lessons for the readers. You can purchase it at your local bookstore (NZ/AUS- not sure about internationally, sorry!) or online from Book Depository, Rhiza Edge website, and Booktopia. 

Kat Colmer is an Australian YA author who's also a teacher-librarian. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on her website! I wanna end by saying a huge thank you to Kat for answering these questions, providing me with an e-ARC of her book to read and review, and for being an amazing person. She's such a sweetheart and has made the reviewing process so much more fun for me.