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• The Love Interest Bloomsbury (New York, NY), 2024

• Helen Comerford website - https://helencomerfordauthor.com/

  Helen spent a decade as a theatre stage manager, walking and talking very quietly backstage in theatres around the country. Her time working at Shakespeare’s Globe, and with Wise Children Theatre Company, cemented her love of theatre and allowed her to travel around the world looking for stories. After squeezing her writing into days off and train journeys, Helen left the touring life to settle in South Wales and dedicate herself to writing joyful (and ridiculous) books.

  When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking around the Welsh countryside with her dog, Cocoa.

  She is represented by Christabel McKinley at David Higham Associates.

• Bloomsbury - https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/discover/articles/interviews/i-find-the-concept-of-heroism-inspiring-and-endearing/

  Words by Helen Comerford | Nov 05 2024
  Author of The Love Interest and self-confessed superhero fanatic, Helen Comerford, on her love for the superhero universe, where she likes to write and inspiration from other authors.

  1. The Love Interest is a YA novel swept up in romance, satire and humour. How did you come up with the idea for this book?
  The Love Interest follows the story of Jenna Ray, a seventeen-year-old swimmer, from the coastal town of Nine Trees, who is the first person rescued by the new hero, Blaze. In their world the hero’s ‘first’ goes on to play a big role in their story and, since they’re similar ages, the entire world decides for Jenna that she is going to be Blaze’s love interest …

  At the time of writing, I was a happy singleton being bombarded by messages from popular culture, and society in general, that I should be in a relationship. I decided to write a tale of self-determination and the superhero genre’s ‘love interest’ was the perfect trope to subvert. I like to pair my feminism with superpowers and I am a superhero NERD, so I had the best time researching heroes, villains, love interests and other superhero tropes.

  2. With this being your debut novel, were there any boundaries you wanted to break through in your writing?
  The superhero genre is one that has evolved in pictures, first cartoon strips and then graphic novels, films and TV. I didn't set out to intentionally break boundaries with The Love Interest, but I did feel like I had free reign to take certain moments out of a traditional prose format. Looking at verse novels and graphic novels, where the text sometimes races around the page, definitely inspired these moments.

  And a less technical answer - I also wanted to centre Black and mixed heritage love and joy in my story. Thankfully this boundary has already been broken, but I’d like to make sure it stays in pieces, where it belongs.

  I grew up watching the X-Men cartoon every Saturday morning and adored Storm, a powerful Black woman who could fly.
  3. What fascinates you about superheroes and why?
  I’ve always loved superhero stories. I grew up watching the X-Men cartoon every Saturday morning and adored Storm, a powerful Black woman who could fly. Superhero stories generally follow a character trying their absolute best to do the right thing. I find the concept of heroism inspiring and endearing – who doesn’t love watching Spiderman trying over and over to save the day whilst everything goes wrong around him?

  But it isn’t just the main character’s journey that makes superhero stories so enticing. The stakes are always sky-high, there are superpowers, overdramatic bad guys, crazy costumes, tense romance, plucky sidekicks … I could go on. I think I managed to squeeze almost everything I love about the superhero genre into The Love Interest.

  4. Where do you like to write?
  I love writing in my notebook on a beach or in a forest, or in a cosy pub after a hike, but in reality, I do most of my writing on my laptop at home. I do have a view of the Welsh hills from the office window though.

  5. Are there any authors you look to for inspiration?
  So many! All of them! Whilst I was writing The Love Interest I watched superhero films and TV (especially Marvel’s Agents of Shield), but I read romantic-fiction. Talia Hibbert, Ali Hazelwood, Casey Mcquisition, Joya Goffrey and Lex Croucher all inspired me to level up the banter, the conflict and the swoony moments of my novel.

• Pine Reads Review - https://www.pinereadsreview.com/blog/interview-with-helen-comerford/

  Interview with Helen Comerford
  November 22, 2024 Sam Yanis 0 Comments

  About the Interviewee: “Helen spent a decade as a theatre stage manager, walking and talking very quietly backstage in theatres around the country. Her time working at Shakespeare’s Globe, and with Wise Children Theatre Company, cemented her love of theatre and allowed her to travel around the world looking for stories. After squeezing her writing into days off and train journeys, Helen left the touring life to settle in South Wales and dedicate herself to writing joyful (and ridiculous) books. When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking around the Welsh countryside with her dog, Cocoa” (Bio from author’s website).

  Find Helen Comerford on the following platforms:

  Link
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  A big thank you to Helen Comerford for taking the time to do an interview with us at Pine Reads Review! Her debut young adult novel, The Love Interest, is out now from Bloomsbury YA. Also, be sure to check out our review of The Love Interest here!
  Sam Yanis: The Love Interest is your debut young adult novel, but you have written one other book. Did writing Rising Stars Reading Planet: Trapped in School help you prepare for this novel, and if so, how?

  Helen Comerford: Trapped in School is an educational reader for 7-9 years. It was a lot of fun to write, and came with the added challenge of making sure the language was pitched right for that reading level. Other writers will probably disagree, but I’d say 7-9 is the hardest age group to write for. The book needs to be simple enough for them to read independently, but interesting enough to keep their attention. It’s great writing practice and because Trapped was published before The Love Interest, I also got to experience all the stages of editing and production for a smaller (8,000 word) project before doing it for my CHONKY (90k + words) YA novel. If you want to write for young people, I’d definitely recommend looking at schemes like Reading Planet. Lots of the big publishers have educational programs that need authors.

  SY: Your website mentioned that you work as a theatre stage manager. In your opinion, what are the biggest similarities and differences between storytelling in the theatre and in books?

  HC: Love this question! Scale and time are probably the biggest differences. I remember once writing a play with twenty characters and thirty settings and a very nice literary manager at a theatre explained to me that as a new playwright I should aim for a single setting and a cast of three! In the big leagues, there’s very little an incredible director, with a big budget, can’t achieve on stage, but there are literally no limits when it comes to novels.

  Then there’s time. I think authors can learn a lot from theatre – they have to tell their story in around two hours, making sure to hit big plot points at the right time to keep the audience engaged. I work with the theatre director Emma Rice a lot, and she always says you need something BIG to happen at the hour mark when the audience will be starting to feel uncomfortable and thinking about going to the bathroom, and something REALLY BIG to happen if you’ve forced them to sit there much longer.

  Good theatre has structure, clarity, and has been ruthlessly edited so every scene moves the story forward. This is definitely something I aim for in my books.

  SY: I was originally drawn to The Love Interest because I’m a big fan of comic books. Did you like comic books/superhero movies growing up? Was there one in particular that inspired Jenny Ray’s story?

  HC: I love superhero stories. I was a massive fan of the original X-Men cartoon and particularly loved Storm (a powerful Black woman who could fly). As much as I love the genre, the representation of women in superhero stories has always been a bit … meh. That might be what inspired Jenna’s story as much as anything. It’s written for all the under-developed Love Interests, the women who are there just to be kissed or killed to move the story on, and the ones who don’t have the agency to know what they want. Jenna knows what she wants and she fights throughout the book to try and do the right thing. I hope that this will leave readers feeling empowered and give them the boost they need to face the broken world we’re currently living in.

  SY: I particularly enjoyed the small-town, coastal setting of the novel. Was the town inspired by where you live in South Wales? If not, was there another region that influenced the creation of Nine Trees?

  HC: I moved around a lot growing up and spent time in the coastal towns of south-east England. Nine Trees is a fun amalgamation of places like Dover, Hastings and Brighton, but geographically and stylistically it’s based on beautiful Whitby in Yorkshire (northern England), which had the right number of lighthouses! All that said, I adore south Wales and the next couple of projects are rooted firmly in the country I now call my home.

  SY: I loved how Blaze and Jenna would take turns saving each other. How important was it for you to portray their relationship as an equal partnership?

  HC: SO IMPORTANT. In a couple of early drafts, Blaze actually spent more time being rescued by Jenna, then I realised I was doing exactly what I set out to challenge and gave him his agency back! But there were little moments where I wanted to make it very clear Jenna was capable of looking after herself and others. A tiny moment that springs to mind is when she ends up in Nine Trees Harbour (I won’t say how) and I wanted to make sure she climbed out unaided, rather than being pulled out by the men on the harbourside.

  SY: The Diviner was a key figure in the story, but she was also shrouded in mystery. What was the process of crafting her persona like, and what can we expect from her if there is a sequel?

  HC: The Diviner was really interesting to develop. She’s the epitome of how women are treated in the patriarchal hero universe; an insanely powerful person who can see into the future, but is a nameless, faceless servant because of her gender. You walk a thin line with superheroes, they need to be powerful enough to be exciting, but not so all-powerful, unbeatable that they become dull (ahem Superman). So, the Diviner’s prophecies are vague enough to influence the heroes, whilst leaving a level of uncertainty and anxiety for the characters to face. There’s definitely more Diviner drama to come (no spoilers here).

  SY: While The Love Interest tackled important topics like sexism and misogyny, it also remained light-hearted. Was it hard to maintain the balance between the serious message and the lighter overall feel of the novel?

  HC: I suppose I set up a misogynistic universe and then created characters who would be at odds to it and then let the story run from there. I always want to infuse my work with joy and humour, especially when I’m tackling serious issues. If there’s a way to add a joke into a scene, I will twist myself in knots to do it! I also wrote The Love Interest during the covid lockdowns and I honestly just wanted to make myself laugh. I think I wrote the scene with the super-powered pigeons around the time we were told that we weren’t allowed to travel back to our families for Christmas. The more depressing the world around me got, the more ridiculous the action of the book became.

  SY: To wrap up the interview, let’s talk about the future! Is there going to be a sequel to The Love Interest, and if so, is there anything you can say about it at this moment?

  HC: There is a sequel! The Hero Complex. I’ve just finished the final (copy) edit and it comes out on June 5th. There will be more heroes, more action, more romance and more humour. I’d read the first one before you google the sequel though to avoid spoilers. Jenna and Blaze’s story is a duology and I’m very excited to share the conclusion of their adventure with everyone.

  Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Lead Writer

• The Black Book Blog - https://theblackbookblogg.com/in-conversation-with-helen-comerford-author-of-the-love-interest/

  In Conversation With Helen Comerford, Author of ‘The Love Interest’
  July 11, 2024
  Share this post

  When I was contacted about interviewing Helen, I was truly overjoyed. The Love Interest is a gorgeous YA novel set in the town of Nine Trees, with a heroine you’ll root for and superheroes that you’ll either love or hate. It’s the sort of book, 14/15 year old me would have been obsessed with. It really spoke to that nerdy side of me.

  I really LOVED our conversation and I’m so happy Helen had the time to speak to me. I’m sure we digressed and chatted about other things. However, thank you so much Helen for taking the time out to speak to me and WearMedia Hive for organising this interview.

  A swoony, speculative and entirely electric YA debut with a humorous and satirical take on the conventions of the superhero-verse, for fans of Michelle Quach’s Not Here To Be Liked and the Marvel Universe.

  Seventeen-year-old Jenna Ray has just been saved by the world’s newest superhero, Blaze. And, in the eyes of the public, that means one thing: Jenna Ray has been cast as the Love Interest.

  No. Not happening. Not if Jenna has anything to say about it (even if Blaze is actually quite sweet and cute).

  But her plans to defy the HPA (the Heroics and Power Authority) and turn down this new role are thwarted when the Villains begin to take an interest in her and offer a life-changing proposition; become Blaze’s Love Interest, while avoiding catching feelings for him, to uncover the HPA’s secret plans and find her missing mum.

  To make matters even more complicated, just as Jenna starts to embrace her new-found career, she discovers she might be more on the side of the superheroes than she ever imagined …

  This book is gorgeously written. It’s funny, full of wit, romance, strong family relationships and so much more. The action scenes are glorious. There’s not a single dull moment and I love that we have a heroine at the front and centre of a narrative driven by men.

  Superhero books, films, tv-shows and more, tend to have men at the front of centre.

  From The Boys, Invincible and most of Marvels popular films. The Marvel films with women at the centre e.g. Captain Marvel and The Marvels were described as ‘flops’. It’s so interesting to me that we can’t have superhero films where women are the heroes. Plots where they aren’t the ones that need saving or rescuing. So I loved that Helen really explores this argument with this book, but in a fantastic way.

  So to kick off, what made you decide to become a writer?

  Helen: I don’t even know. I was that kid that always had a book with them as a safety blanket. And I decided early on that I wanted to be Enid Blyton because I was racing through the Famous Five books.

  Then I started writing my own little stories and just never really stopped writing.

  I also work in theatre when I’m not chained to my laptop. So I did have a go at writing plays and the response I got was “Erm so it’s funny but you can’t have 12 main characters and 54 settings. It’s not viable.“

  From there, I decided to move into novels and that’s now my happy place.

  Me: I love that! I grew up on the Famous Five too and I feel like it’s just the standard.

  Helen: Oh definitely. Did you do Mallory Towers or Twins at St Claires?

  Me: I did both. Haha!

  Helen: YOU DID BOTH? No-one does both!

  Laughter*

  Me: I was one of those kids that just said “yeah I’ll do both! Why not!”

  Helen: I was pure Twins at St Claires.

  Me: That was such a great series. But anyways enough reminiscing!

  I know The Love Interest is your debut book, but what actually inspired you to write it?

  Helen: Well, I started writing a story about love and superheroes. But at the same time, I was a single adult and I just felt like I was being pelted by the message that:

  Being a single woman is NOT okay.

  And I remembered that 15 year old Helen was bombarded with the same messages. I remember being a teenager and thinking, ‘oh well I need a boyfriend. Everyone else has one or a partner. What’s wrong with me? There must be something wrong with me.’

  And I just wanted to write a book to emphasise that there’s nothing wrong with you. Be who you are. And be proud of who you are.

  Love is great but it isn’t everything.

  Me: Oh honestly, as I get older the more that message seems to hammer down. I don’t even know where it’s coming from. It’s just everywhere.

  And I love that Jenna was so independent and very vocal about deciding if she wanted to be Blaze’s love interest or not.

  Helen: Yeah it was really nice to give a teenage girl the type of agency I didn’t have when I was her age.

  How long did it take you to write the book?

  Helen: I started writing it on my MA, which was a course on writing for young people.

  It actually took about 4 years to write, including revisions with my agent and Bloomsbury as well.

  The sequel will be coming out (hopefully) in June 2025!

  So I’ve had to turn that around much quicker – in about a year.

  How has that process been? Has it been different or similar?

  Helen: Yeah it’s been very different.

  But the world exists. I know who the characters are and I already know what they do. I understand the world of Nine Trees and the mechanics of the EVs.

  And it continues straight on from the first book.

  Me: Oh that’s so good to know! I was wondering if it does.

  Helen: Well, I say it continues straight on but there’s a tiny gap. It’s very small.

  If I had to start from scratch I wouldn’t have been able to write the sequel that quickly. Because it’s a world and characters that I know and love – it’s come together quicker. I’m hoping that it’ll be fun, funny, full of superheroes and action-packed power scenes.

  How was the world-building? Did you struggle to create it? Was there a process? How was that for you?

  Helen: World-building was really interesting because the concept came first, followed quickly by the characters and then setting was last.

  It came from research and the questions I had to ask myself when I was creating a superhero-verse.

  The key question being: How do humans have powers?

  That’s where the action for most superhero stories come from. For example, your hero gets bitten by a radioactive spider and that propels the story.

  I decided that my humans would have evolved. A bit like a genetic mutation. Similar to the X-Men.

  And then from there I thought it might be fun to take it a bit further. So it’s not just the humans that have evolved, it’s the planet itself and there are some animals that are super strong and have electric blue eyes. And thats where the EVs came from – the concept of the evolution of the Earth.

  [POTENTIAL SPOILER BELOW]

  What would you say was your favourite scene to write?

  Helen: Ooo it might be hard to say without a spoiler but I’ll try.

  There’s a scene in a supermarket where Jenna, her sister and her bestfriend are running around away from the villains. They’re being chased through the aisles and about to smash into a pyramid of baked goods.

  It was so silly to write and I chuckled the entire time I was writing it. I could just picture my local Tescos with superheroes and it made me happy.

  Me: Plus teenagers running around? It sounds like the perfect amount of chaos actually.

  If you had to describe Jenna in three words, what would you pick and why?

  Helen: Ooo I’ll say heroic because it was super important to me that she was heroic from the outset. The whole story happens because Jenna decides to run back into a burning bulding to try and save someone.

  Loveable because she is kind and trying do the right thing. It makes her super endearing to me as the writer. It’s nice to write a loveable character that has friends and family around that love her aswell. It makes their bonds/connections really strong and fun to write.

  Funny. She’s not the funniest character. Its really difficult to make your main character the funniest character. However, she does have her moments.

  Out of all the characters are there any that you would want to be friends with?

  Helen: 100%. I have two.

  I would like to be friends with Megan (Jenna’s big sister) because her ranting feminist views is a mirror to everything I think. We’d have a lot of fun over a cup of coffee and discussing how we can try to put the world right.

  There’s a character called Emily, who shows up about halfway through, and is pure chaos. I think she’d be fascinating to be friends with. Definitely a bit dangerous but I’d like to get to know her.

  If you could pick a superpower, what would you pick and why?

  Helen: Someone has this power in the sequel but I’d pick teleportation. I always thought I’d prefer Telekinesis but then COVID happened and I realised how important it is to me to be able to get around.

  So yeah I’d pick teleportation so I can flip between my house, my sister in the Highlands and my family all over the place.

  What would yours be?

  Me: Oh I think mine would still be Telekinesis. It sounds really lazy but sometimes I just don’t want to move out of bed and want something to come to me. Especially when I’m reading I really hate to be disturbed. So, for example, when I need a bookmark, it would be great if I could just get it to come towards me.

  Helen: Or use Telekinesis to keep the door shut!

  Me: Exactly! But I remember when I was younger, I did want to be a mind-reader.

  And then I realised how much of a nightmare that would be.

  Helen: Yeah that would be horrible!

  Whilst one of the main themes is love, weaved into the book are themes of community, friendship and family. I was wondering whether you found it difficult to balance all the themes and if there was one you found yourself leaning into more?

  Helen: That’s such a nice question. I think when you set out to write a Romcom, you have to hold the romantic love front and centre.

  Because Jenna’s saying ‘no thank you, I don’t particularly need it in my life,’ throughout most of the book. I had to bring her other relationships to the forefront. For instance, her relationship with Joy is really strong and her relationship with her family, especially her sister, is almost equally as important.

  I think writing sisterly relationships comes more naturally to me than writing romantic relationships. But I did put a lot of effort into Jenna and Blaze to make sure they were solid.

  Me: No fair enough. I can completely understand why you might find writing sisterly relationships easier. I think I would be the same. There’s something about sisterhood that is so much easier to write.

  Helen: Yeah absolutely and because it’s often very positive. Whereas romantic relationships can kind of come and go. Sisterhood, ideally, is forever.

  What message would you want your readers to take away from your book?

  Helen: As a long time superhero fan, I think the key message in here is:

  You can be whoever you want to be.

  So I would watch a superhero film and maybe wouldn’t see myself. Or I’d see myself in the woman that gets swept out of the way of a car coming towards them by the superhero. And that would be it.

  But in The Love Interest, you get to choose your own future! And you can say no to the tropes and roles that people try and shove you into.

  It’s emphasised that you can honestly be whoever you want to be.

  If you could give any advice to any aspiring writers out there? What would you give and why?

  Helen: I would definitely say write what you love.

  It’s the most common writing advice but it’s the best.

  You can research trends in the industry until you’re blue in the face. But publishing moves so fast and writing a book takes a really long time. So chances are if you try to hop on a trend, it could be gone by the time you finish writing your book in 18 months time. Or by the time you’ve sold it in 2 and a half years.

  So always write what you love.

  And that also means that the research is really fun. I mean I got to watch the MCU films and buy comic books as research! It was amazing.

  And that concludes such a great interview with the incredible Helen Comerford. Thank you so so much Helen for taking the time out to talk to me.

  Listening back to this interview made me smile and super excited for the next book in this fantastic series. So if you haven’t already, go and pick up a copy of The Love Interest! It’s out now.

  Like this:

Comerford, Helen THE LOVE INTEREST Bloomsbury (Teen None) $19.99 11, 12 ISBN: 9781547614790

Despite craving peace and quiet, a teen becomes embroiled in nonstop superhero action.

After a fire breaks out in the British town of Nine Trees, Blaze appears on the scene to rescue Jenna Ray, who collapsed while trying to escape the heat and smoke. With his superspeed and ability to fly, he becomes Nine Trees' hero. Blaze is a member of the Heroics and Power Authority, the organization that registers and manages those who demonstrate special abilities rumored to come from the accelerated evolution of the planet. Blaze's actions trigger speculation that because Jenna is his first rescue, she's also his Love Interest--a distinction the feminist Jenna initially rejects. She's a keen swimmer who prefers a low-key life with her dad and sister; dealing with media intrusion worsens her anxiety and panic attacks. Not long after her identity goes public, Jenna is approached by the Villains, an opposition group with its own powerful members who want her to spy on the HPA. If she agrees, the Villains promise to reunite Jenna with her mother, who left the family when Jenna was 7. Comerford peppers her work with clever, inventive twists as Jenna starts falling for Blaze. This fast-paced story culminates in a dramatic, satisfying conclusion that promises an exciting sequel. Jenna is Black, and Blaze is Chinese and white.

A sharp romantic comedy that takes aim at the patriarchy. (mental health resources)(Fantasy romance. 14-18)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Comerford, Helen: THE LOVE INTEREST." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A810315274/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c73b8e3d. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.

The Love Interest

Helen Comerford. Bloomsbury, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-547-61479-0

A picturesque superhero universe and the 21st-century world collide in Comerford's rom-com debut, which features comedic dialogue, sophisticated depictions of mental health, and empowering, authentic female relationships. Seventeenyear-old Jenna Ray lives in the coastal town of the Nine Trees, where a prophecy involving catastrophic disasters will be fulfilled when a new hero emerges. So when Jenna is the first person saved by newcomer Blaze, the public has already cast her as the helpless love interest, a role she has no desire fulfilling, especially if it means being kidnapped by villains. But when the villains offer Jenna the opportunity to see her mother, who has been missing for more than 10 years, in exchange for spying on Blaze and the Hero's Association, she realizes there's more to the superhero industrial complex than costumes and cool weapons. Mixed-media formatting including splashy text and in-world newspaper clippings add to the classic superhero flair, offering ominous foreshadowing throughout the easy-to-follow plot. The juxtaposition between the stories being told to Nine Trees' population and the real, uneasy truth behind these tales is handled maturely, and the incorporation of contemporary sensibilities that mimic IRL society add a hilarious twist to this male-dominated superhero world. Ages 12-up. (Nov.)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"The Love Interest." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 33, 2 Sept. 2024, p. 65. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A812513349/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0bf649a9. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.