In the new young adult novel 鈥溾�� (Margaret K. McElderry Books/2019), author approaches the classic theme of first love, through a dark lens.
Her central characters Maia and Chris come together through their experiences of grief and loss. Maia is trying to navigate the world and her shifting identity after the death of her older sister. And Chris, a transgender teen boy, is still processing an assault he survived the year before. Can these two teens push through their own traumas and find a true, lasting love with one another?
Smith talks to guest host Anita Rao about her inspiration for Chris and Maia, and about using her experience as a queer woman to write a transgender character.
Smith will be at on Wednesday, July 24 at 6 p.m. and at on Saturday, July 27 at 2 p.m.
