Day’s YA: Q+A with Jonny Garza Villa

For this special edition of Day’s YA, we got to chat with Jonny Garza Villa about their upcoming book, ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE!

ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE by Jonny Garza Villa
9781250843999
5/2/23
Wednesday Books
Ages 14-18

E-galley available on Edelweiss and NetGalley

What’s something that made you smile today?
We launched the ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE preorder campaign today! I was finally able to show everyone the incredible character art of Ander and Santi, done by the incomparable Mars Lauderbaugh and scream about how incredible they are. I can’t look at that art and not smile. It’s perfection.

What are you currently reading?
An advanced copy of RILEY WEAVER NEEDS A DATE TO THE GAYBUTANTE BALL by Jason June. I’m such a Jason June stan, loved their first two books, and this one is no different so far!

What’s your go-to writing snack?
I’m not a huge snack person while writing, but I won’t say no to a spicy hummus and pita chips. Liquids are more the necessity for me. A holy trinity of water (stay hydrated!), AriZona green tea, and a Red Bull? I’m good to go.

Where’s your favorite place to write?
Anywhere there’s a window nearby. Or outside on a nice day.

What’s an upcoming book that you’re excited about?
Racquel Marie’s YOU DON’T HAVE A SHOT. I got to read an advanced copy last year and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. If you’re at all a fan of rivals-to-lovers and the queer takeover of soccer, you’re going to love this one.

What’s on your TBR?
AN APPETITE FOR MIRACLES by Laekan Zea Kemp, INTO THE LIGHT by Mark Oshiro, and LAST SUNRISE IN ETERNA by Amparo Ortiz are at the top of the list.

What was your favorite book as a child? Why did you love it?
THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE. Really the entire Chronicles of Narnia. I think it awakened this love of literature as escapism. And I blame it as my first step on the Narnia obsessed to Lord of the Rings obsessed to avid Dungeons & Dragons player pipeline.

What’s a fact about you that surprises people?
In my pre-pandemic existence, I did drag for a couple years. My drag queen name is Corona Rivera, like crown in Spanish and for trans activist Sylvia Rivera. She’s very camp meets chola culture.

What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey so far?
Learning. I’ve only been writing since late 2018. ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE is only the second book I’ve ever written. So learning from friends and critique partners who have been kind enough to share their wisdom, learning about myself as a writer and what my voice is, what stories matter to me, and seeing growth in my writing has been a really cool thing. I hope to only keep learning.

Do you have a favorite taquería?
My heart belongs to Taquería Datapoint here in San Antonio, Texas. There’s specifically a food truck location that’s open late night. Some of the best tacos in my life have been consumed in that parking lot at three in the morning.

How was writing ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE different from writing your first book, FIFTEEN HUNDRED MILES FROM THE SUN?
ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE definitely didn’t come as easy for me, as a story. It also took much longer to draft—six months compared to one month for FIFTEEN HUNDRED MILES FROM THE SUN. But, at some point in drafting Ander & Santi, was able to let go of the imposter syndrome that had been heavy during the entire publication journey of my debut novel, which was huge for me and my writing. And I think, ultimately, I define them as, like, FIFTEEN HUNDRED MILES FROM THE SUN is inspired by my teenage years while ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE is very much my life post-high school and moving to San Antonio.

The love story in ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE is so beautiful. Do you have a favorite love story (fictional or real)?
It’s not a romance by definition, but Rufus and Mateo from THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END come to mind. Adam [Silvera] did such a good job at investing me not only in the very finite existences of two characters but, even more so, of their relationship and their love for each other. I didn’t want the book to end solely because I was so eager for the two of them to have just a few more minutes together.

Let’s talk for a minute about the absolutely stunning cover. Is it what you imagined? Did you have an idea in your head of what the cover would look like when you were writing the book?
STUN. NING. The cover is definitely as close to vision as I could’ve asked for. I knew I wanted it to be inspired by a moment in the book that I won’t go into detail on now for the sake of spoilers, and, along with that, for it to look like it could be a mural. I definitely didn’t have this conceptualized while I was drafting, but I think as soon as that scene was written I knew it had cover potential. I for sure knew that that moment was, for me, the defining scene of Ander and Santi’s entire story.

Who was your favorite character to write?
I loved writing Ander. When their character finally clicked into place and their voice, defined, it was so much fun. I loved writing their sass and their loud emotion and their growth. I felt this deep connection to them as an artist trying to find their love for what they do in a predominately white space. And, especially, I loved writing any scene with them and their mami. The way those two butt heads and dragged each other but also very much love other, to put that into words was my favorite.

A big part of ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE is the idea of home and discovering where home is. Do you have any advice for people who may be struggling with a sense of home?
Find community. Whether that’s a school club or sports team or band or a religious practice or online, anywhere. Especially as a queer person, platonic relationships are so vital to my existence and what I define as home. But also, and I forget where I heard this, remember that your first home is yourself. Your body. In any way you are able to, show love for yourself. You’re worth it.

Thank you so much to Jonny for taking the time to chat with us!! Jonny’s book, ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE, will be available on May 2.