We’re happy Aaron Karo could join us to share more about his novel GALGORITHM and his writing process.
Aaron, how long or hard was your road to publication? How many books did you write before GALGORITHM, and how many never got published?
This is my fifth book and second YA novel. My road to publication was quite unique because I started writing online for fun back in college, and my work went viral. But this was the late 1990s, before blogs were invented and when viral wasn’t even a word yet. I initially started writing non-fiction adult humor but have gradually moved into young adult fiction, which is kind of a crazy transition. I never would have predicted that back in college!
Was there an AHA! moment along your road to publication where something suddenly sank in and you felt you had the key to writing a novel? What was it?
Before I wrote my first novel, my publisher sent me like twenty YA books to read to get a feel for the genre. I never opened them and they are still sitting in my closet. I didn’t want to emulate anyone’s style (even by accident), or write down to the reader, or dilute my voice in any way, so I figured I might as well just start typing and see what happens. I think it worked because I was too naïve to know I was doing anything wrong.
What’s your writing ritual like? Do you listen to music? Work at home or at a coffee shop or the library, etc?
I work from home on a completely clean desk with nothing on it save for my computer. I can’t work anywhere else. I don’t listen to music and can’t have any sound of any kind. And I can only write for long stretches at a time, like a minimum of five hours, because it takes me a little while to warm up.
What advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?
I know other writers might disagree with this – but I think you have to know your ending first. I don’t type a word until I know how it all ends. Because everything, from the very first page, should flow to your ending. I don’t believe in figuring out your ending on the fly.
What are you working on now?
I’m writing a sitcom pilot for Comedy Central. Stay tuned!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Galgorithm
by Aaron Karo
Hardcover
Simon Pulse
Released 5/5/2015
A romantic comedy about high school, heartbreak, and having all the answers.
What if the secrets of dating and love were revealed in one simple formula? That is the tantalizing proposition high school senior Shane Chambliss offers the hopeless and hapless guys who come to him for relationship advice.
After the girl of his dreams breaks his heart, Shane devises a mysterious formula called the Galgorithm and establishes himself as the resident dating guru at Kingsview High School. But his attempts to master the art of romance go outrageously awry.
As Shane tries to navigate the ensuing drama, he must follow his heart, abandon all the rules, and ignore his own advice in a quest for true love. What he discovers, no formula could ever predict…
Purchase Galgorithm at Amazon
Purchase Galgorithm at IndieBound
View Galgorithm on Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aaron Karo is an author, comedian, and screenwriter. His books include “Galgorithm,” “Lexapros and Cons,” “I’m Having More Fun Than You,” “Ruminations on Twentysomething Life,” and “Ruminations on College Life.” He was born and raised in New York, currently lives in Los Angeles, and always pays on the first date.
http://aaronkaro.com
What did you think of our interview with Aaron Karo, author of GALGORITHM? Let us know in the comments!
Happy reading,
Martina, Jocelyn, Shelly, Jan, Lisa, Susan, and Erin
