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WORK TITLE: It Goes Like This
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WEBSITE: https://www.mielmoreland.com/
CITY: Boston
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COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
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School Library Journal vol. 67 no. 5 May, 2021. Rebecca Moore, “MORELAND, Miel. It Goes Like This.”. p. 86.
Publishers Weekly vol. 268 no. 12 Mar. 22, 2021, , “It Goes Like This.”. p. 69.
Miel Moreland writes character-driven contemporary Young Adult novels. Born and raised in Minneapolis, she has a Midwestern heart but wandering feet. When not making pop music references and celebrating fandom, she is likely to be found drinking hot chocolate and making spreadsheets. She currently resides in Boston.
Agent: Jessica Errera at Jane Rotrosen Agency
PRESS KIT
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you pronounce Miel?
Mi-el (two syllables). “Mi” as in “do re mi,” “el” like Elle Magazine.
Do you do classroom visits?
As of May 2021, I am not available for daytime classroom visits, through at least January 2022. However, I am available for evening and weekend conversations with classes, groups, and book clubs.
I've worked with students from middle school through college for eight years, and I love talking about all things books and writing. I can present and lead workshops on developing ideas, creating a writing practice, revision, and the publishing journey. I'm also happy to talk to book groups and especially to LGBTQ+ teen groups about IT GOES LIKE THIS and queer joy.
Miel Moreland was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With time spent in California and France, she has a Midwestern heart but wandering feet. When not making pop music references and celebrating fandom, she is likely to be found drinking hot chocolate and making spreadsheets. She currently resides in Boston, where she works in higher education. It Goes Like This is her debut novel.
Our Friend is Here! An Interview with Miel Moreland, Author of It Goes Like This – On Exploring Friendship and Growing Up, Celebrating Queer Love, and Fandoms
JUNE 15, 2021 CW @ THE QUIET POND2 COMMENTS
Our Friend is Here! An Interview with Miel Moreland, Author of It Goes Like This – On Exploring Friendship and Growing Up, Celebrating Queer Love, and Fandoms
Our Friend is Here! is a guest feature at The Quiet Pond, where authors, creatives, and fellow readers, are invited to ‘visit’ the Pond! In Our Friend is Here! guest posts, our visitors (as their very own unique character!) have a friendly conversation about anything related to books or being a reader — and become friends with Xiaolong and friends.
Pride Month is a month-long event at The Quiet Pond, where during the month of June, queer authors and bookish content creators are invited to celebrate being queer, queer books, and their experiences of being a queer reader. Find the introduction post for Pride Month at The Quiet Pond here.
Pride Month can mean different things to different people. For all the nuances and complexities that come with Pride Month, I think at its very heart, Pride Month is about love and joy. For this reason, I love books that celebrate queer joy and love in all forms – and when I think of a recent book that I have read that encapsulates that, it would be It Goes Like This by Miel Moreland.
It Goes Like This is a sincere and heartfelt story that an all-queer teen pop group who have to reconcile their messy breakup and reunite for a benefit concert that has devastated their hometown. The story explores a plethora of things, but what I loved about It Goes Like This is that, at its center, it celebrates queer love. Adjacent to this is how the story explores the friendship between four queer teens and the love they have for one another, a queer romance where a second chance means loving oneself and each other bravely, and also the love for fandom and how, sometimes, queer identity is not only liberating for oneself but also a connection to others.
Friends, I am so excited to have Miel Moreland, the author of It Goes Like This visiting us at the Pond, and she visits us as a grey cat donning a scarf, glasses, and headphones! I loved the interview that I did with her, and I cannot wait for you all to read it. But, in case you haven’t heard of It Goes Like This before, allow me to introduce you!
It Goes Like This by Miel Moreland
Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph used to think their friendship was unbreakable. After all, they’ve been though a lot together, including the astronomical rise of Moonlight Overthrow, the world-famous queer pop band they formed in middle school, never expecting to headline anything bigger than the county fair.
But after a sudden falling out leads to the dissolution of the teens’ band, their friendship, and Eva and Celeste’s starry-eyed romance, nothing is the same. Gina and Celeste step further into the spotlight, Steph disappears completely, and Eva, heartbroken, takes refuge as a songwriter and secret online fangirl…of her own band. That is, until a storm devastates their hometown, bringing the four ex-best-friends back together. As they prepare for one last show, they’ll discover whether growing up always means growing apart.
Goodreads | Indiebound | Book Depository | Bookshop | Amazon
Author Interview: Miel Moreland
CW: Hello Miel! A big and warm welcome to The Quiet Pond; it is so wonderful to have you joining us at the Pond for Pride Month! For all of our friends out there who are only meeting you for the first time, can you tell us about yourself?
Miel: Thank you for having me (especially this month)! I grew up in Minneapolis, attended college in Los Angeles County, and have now settled in Boston. When I’m not writing, I’m probably reading, making spreadsheets, or listening to pop music.
CW: Your YA debut, It Goes Like This, was such a gorgeous story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved that the story centered on a queer teen pop group. What was the inspiration behind writing this story? (Is there a story behind the story?)
Miel: For a year or two before I started writing It Goes Like This, I’d been casually researching the music industry and writing music-focused short stories. I had just graduated from college, so I was also thinking a lot about ambition and how friendships change over time. And of course, I wanted to write about queer love. Once I realized that my central question was “does growing up always mean growing apart?” I knew I had to focus on a queer band, and everything came together.
CW: What I really enjoyed about It Goes Like This was how the characters offer a unique perspective – where the characters are world-famous and live celebrity lives – but I enjoyed the balance of how relatable and ‘human’ their stories were. What interests you about famous people, and what was your hope when writing a story about famous queer pop idols?
Miel: I don’t consider myself interested in famous people per say so much as I am interested in creative people—just like you asked me what the story behind the story was, I’m curious about what the story is behind the song, and the story behind that story, maybe one that’s not disclosed clearly or publicly. In writing It Goes Like This, I got to imagine that the private story behind Grammy-winning pop songs—my favorite genre—was about two girls in love.
I chose to write about a famous queer band for a few reasons. First, I wanted to write myself, my friends, and our love into a musical genre where we haven’t always been openly represented or respectfully welcomed (although that’s continuing to change and improve). I also wanted to write about what happens after a friend group falls apart, and a band was a way to heighten the stakes involved. I am admittedly much more interested in fandom and fans than celebrities (even artists) themselves—in the meaning and communities fans create. So perhaps I made a famous band just so I could make the joy of their fandom. My hopes for the story remain tied to all of the “human” aspects: navigating second chances and changing dreams, just with a backdrop of an art form beloved by many of us.
CW: I felt like the main characters are a huge pull of the story – and I loved them all. Gina, Steph, Eva, and Celeste felt like these stunning, realised characters and their desires, their doubts, their joys, and their struggles felt so, so real. How did you approach crafting each character and writing and developing their stories? (Whose perspective did you have the most fun writing?)
Miel: I started off with a simple grid: what they each wanted at three key moments in time, so I could begin to imagine their character arcs. Then I set them loose. Although this didn’t begin intentionally, after I signed with my agent, each revision (with her and then with my editor) seemed to focus on developing one character per round. This helped me to dive deep and really track who they were, how they changed, and what they needed.
As for whose perspective was the most fun to write—Gina’s, no doubt. She was also the most difficult for me to write, because she’s so complex and I wanted to do my best to respect that. But her voice is so clear to me, and her ambition comes directly from my own. She’s a planner, a schemer, deeply ready to love and so worthy of love herself.
CW: I loved how It Goes Like This is just unapologetically, beautifully queer, and it felt like It Goes Like This was a celebration and love letter to being queer. What does it mean to you to write a story that centers queer characters?
Miel: I wanted to write a book that was just bursting with queer love on every page, and one where queerness was rarely the cause of the characters’ problems. I wanted to write a book that felt like coming home: the anxiety you don’t even notice you carry is lifted, and you can fully, deeply relax. American culture has shifted significantly (albeit not uniformly) in the last decade, but I spent my teen years completely paranoid, wanting to read queer books and stand up for queer rights, but all too aware of the homophobia that existed even in my “liberal” area. Under those circumstances, it’s not a shock I had to move to Southern California and join anonymous online spaces (more on that later!) before, at twenty-one, I could understand that I was bi and feel something other than stress. Writing queer central characters meant I could craft a narrative where their identities are both cause for celebration and completely normal. And that combination means the world to me.
CW: I also felt like It Goes Like This was a love letter to fandom and fandom culture. How has fandom shaped your own life, and was there a particular reason why you balanced your storytelling with perspectives from the main characters and their fans?
Miel: It Goes Like This as a love letter to fandom is exactly right. While I’d read some fic in high school, almost accidentally, I really came into fandom “late,” in college. And I immediately fell in love. It was a marvelous creative space for me, full of queer stories and queer communities. I wasn’t ready yet to write queer main characters into my own original fiction, but I could as a fan. Moreover, being in spaces where queerness was the norm helped me become ready to explore and then name my own identity. Without fandom, I’m not sure when I would have figured out I was bi, and I’m almost certain it wouldn’t have been a discovery of such joy and rightness, because in college I didn’t have an in-person queer community.
In the short stories I wrote in the two years before I started It Goes Like This, the main characters were almost always fans, and I wanted to honor that in the novel. I also wanted to take the opportunity to show a side of fandom I’d seen but is perhaps less well represented in fiction: smart, generous, queer, joyful, and welcoming. That’s certainly not always the case, but it’s just as real as the more toxic fandom spaces. By including the fans’ perspective in the novel, readers gain an outside perspective on their fame and band’s history, as well as the joy that to me is so intrinsic to music.
CW: What are you working on next? (Can you tease us? A vague clue?!)
Miel: My hands-on research for It Goes Like This involved a semester of piano lessons. My hands-on research for my next project included a button-maker. Hopefully I’ll have more to share soon!
CW: Miel, thank you so much for visiting the Pond! (‘Til the moon crashes into the sea! <3) My last question is: What is a food that reminds you of ‘home’ – wherever or whoever that may be?
Miel: Chocolate chip cookies—but only if they’re made using my family’s recipe!
About the Author
Miel Moreland was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With time spent in California and France, she has a Midwestern heart but wandering feet. She studied English, Politics, and French in college, and has spent most of her career working in education. When not making pop music references and celebrating fandom, she is likely to be found drinking hot chocolate and making spreadsheets. She currently resides in Boston. IT GOES LIKE THIS is her first novel.
Find Miel on: Website | Twitter | Instagram
Interview with Miel Moreland, author of It goes like this, on queer stories and her debut! | a heartfelt YA contemporary about friendship and a second-chance sapphic romance!
13th June 2021CategoriesInterviews, Moreauthor, author interview, blog tour, book recommendations, Book tour, bookblog, bookish, bookrecommendations, Bookreview, Books, bookstagram, diverse ya books, diversify your reading, interview, Interviews, it goes like this, LGBTQ+, lgbtqiap, miel moreland, queer books, reading, sapphic, sapphic books, sapphic romance, YA, ya books, ya contemporary, ya debuts, ya diverse books, Young adult, young adult books10 Commentson Interview with Miel Moreland, author of It goes like this, on queer stories and her debut! | a heartfelt YA contemporary about friendship and a second-chance sapphic romance!
Well, what can I tell you? Never has something sounded as perfect as a coming of age story about four queer friends in a famous band that has to reunite, years after they split up. There was so much to this story, from the second-chance romance to the friendship aka found family to the struggles teenagers go through to the fandom world to the unmistakable queerness to—I think you get it now.
Miel Moreland’s debut was heartfelt and so incredibly relatable, which is why I’m more than thrilled to have her here as my guest today! In this short interview we’re talking all about It goes like this and, of course, being queer! I say it’s time to convince every single one of you to pick up this book, so let’s take a walk, shall we?
It goes like this by Miel Moreland
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release date: May 18th, 2021
Genre: Young adult, contemporary
Representation: lesbian, lesbian/Jewish, pansexual/non-binary and black/bisexual main characters, sapphic relationship
Trigger warnings: primary: misgendering, underage drinking // minor: biphobia, homophobia, substance addiction, eating disorders/body image
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
In Miel Moreland’s heartfelt young adult debut, It Goes Like This, four queer teens realize that sometimes you have to risk hitting repeat on heartbreak.
Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph used to think their friendship was unbreakable. After all, they’ve been though a lot together, including the astronomical rise of Moonlight Overthrow, the world-famous queer pop band they formed in middle school, never expecting to headline anything bigger than the county fair.
But after a sudden falling out leads to the dissolution of the teens’ band, their friendship, and Eva and Celeste’s starry-eyed romance, nothing is the same. Gina and Celeste step further into the spotlight, Steph disappears completely, and Eva, heartbroken, takes refuge as a songwriter and secret online fangirl…of her own band. That is, until a storm devastates their hometown, bringing the four ex-best-friends back together. As they prepare for one last show, they’ll discover whether growing up always means growing apart.
“It Goes Like This was everything my music nerd heart needed AND wanted. Lyrical and heart-wrenching…beautiful representation, sweetest longing and the pop-star romance of my dreams; Swifties will swoon happily with this story tattooed on their hearts.” – Erin Hahn, author of You’d Be Mine and More Than Maybe
Interested? You can purchase It goes like this at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound, Indigo or any other (online) bookstore!
Hi Miel! First of all, thank you so much for doing this interview with me, I’m beyond excited! Could you introduce yourself and your debut a bit?
Thanks for having me! I grew up in Minnesota and consider myself a Midwestern writer, but in early adulthood I lived in other places that strongly influenced me, including Southern California and France. Now, I live in Boston. My debut, IT GOES LIKE THIS, is about the four (former) members of a broken-up queer band, who reunite in their hometown for a benefit concert after a devastating storm.
I love everything about It goes like this’s premise! I was already sold at “Four queer teens”, to be honest, but when I heard about the sapphic second-chance romance, it quickly became one of my most anticipated releases! Do you still remember when you came up with this idea?
The idea for this book had really been building over the course of about two years. I was very interested in the music industry, in fans, and I also wanted to write about friendship and queer romance. I wrote some short stories along the way, approaching these topics from different angles, and then finally one night I realized it had to center the band, but after the breakup. (If you read the Acknowledgements, you’ll see the exact date.)
What were your favourite types of scenes to write for this novel?
I loved writing all of the scenes in the past, where we see how they got to the present situation! I admit that I also really like a good argument scene—not all of which occur before the main timeline.
Like I said, there are four main characters, but which of them did you resonate with most?
There are elements of all four I really resonate with—they’re all their own people, but they also each have some small part of me, taken to an extreme, that makes up one part of their personalities. I feel closest to Eva, since she is the most similar to me and I spent the most time writing from her perspective.
What do you hope your readers will get from reading this?
I hope readers will walk away with joy, and imagine that some of the love the characters show each other is extended to them as well. Beyond that, I hope readers close the book with hope—that it’s okay to change your mind, for your friends to change their minds, and for everyone to keep growing and changing, sometimes separately, sometimes together.
If you could tell your younger writer self anything, what would it be?
Keep going—and don’t be afraid to make the characters queer (and in love!) on the page, not just in your head.
And lastly, what’s a book you’d recommend to the people reading this?
THE OTHER SIDE OF PERFECT, by Mariko Turk. It’s such a beautiful story about ambition, friendship, and new beginnings.
Thank you so much for this chat, Miel! It was amazing to talk to you, and I wish you all the good things in the future!
About the author
Miel Moreland writes character-driven contemporary Young Adult novels. Born and raised in Minneapolis, she has a Midwestern heart but wandering feet. When not making pop music references and celebrating fandom, she is likely to be found drinking hot chocolate and making spreadsheets. She currently resides in Boston.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
About this tour!
If you’re interested in other fun content surrounding It goes like this (from reviews to favourite quotes to playlists!), be sure to click here for the tour schedule!
This tour was hosted by TBR and beyond tours! Thank you for letting me participate!
Conclusion of today? It goes like this is a queer fan’s dream and I’m a sucker for (sapphic) second-chance romances! But what’s a trope YOU are absolutely obsessed with?
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Author Spotlight
Miel Moreland
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: MIEL MORELAND
May 8, 2021
We are excited to feature author Miel Moreland and her debut YA novel, IT GOES LIKE THIS (Feiwel and Friends May 18, 2021). Enter to win a copy!
Illustration © Jenn Woodall; design by Trisha Previte
Tell us about yourself and how you came to write for teens.
I’ve been a reader, writer, and pop music lover for most of my life. In college, I worked as a mentor to high school students, and perhaps also because I started writing my debut when I was twenty-three, it never occurred to me not to write for teens.
Congrats on your debut YA novel, It Goes Like This! Tell us about it and what inspired you.
It Goes Like This is about the four members of a broken-up queer band, who reunite for a benefit concert in their hometown after a devastating storm. There’s a second-chance sapphic romance, friends as family, four different interpretations of ambition, and, of course, pop music references. All of these elements and themes were (and are!) interests of mine, or sprang from my own questions during the transitional life period in which I began to write It Goes Like This.
Was your road to publication long and winding, short and sweet, or something in between?
I’d consider it in-between! I very briefly queried with another novel while I was revising It Goes Like This, and although I received some interest, I decided to stop because I already could tell It Goes Like This was a much stronger novel. I started querying It Goes Like This in June 2018 and signed with my agent that September. We went on submission within a few weeks and received some requests to revise and resubmit, which we decided to do. We went back on sub in May 2019, and It Goes Like This sold that fall!
Did you have a playlist for this book, or a representative song?
I have several, all available on my Spotify profile here. But to start with just one song, the song that I was listening to the month before I started drafting, listen to “Do Anything” by Mary Lambert. You need the live version to get the full effect of its influence on the novel.
What projects are you working on now?
I’m too superstitious to really discuss WIPs before deals are announced, but I have several projects in various stages! Queer characters and strong friendships are always a must.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Read and revise! Reading outside of your genre can push your own creativity, but I also believe it’s essential to read critically within your genre. What pacing or plot requirements are there, even across very different books? What conversations are being had about certain tropes? What do you have to add to these conversations? And of course, write. Write more. Keep writing… and seek out friends, beta readers, or critique partners to give you feedback. You don’t have to agree with everything, but you should revise with an open mind. There are very, very few writers who could be ready to query or publish without feedback from anyone else.
What is one thing most people don't know about you?
As a kid, I played a few different instruments for a couple of years each, but I’m not very musical! I took a semester of piano lessons while revising It Goes Like This to refresh my memory of basic theory and get a physical feel for what it’s like to play pop music.
Where can people find you online?
I’m on Twitter @MielMoreland and Instagram @readthenfall. My website is mielmoreland.com.
Miel Moreland was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With time spent in California and France, she has a Midwestern heart but wandering feet. She studied English, Politics, and French in college, and has spent most of her career working in education. When not making pop music references and celebrating fandom, she is likely to be found drinking hot chocolate and making spreadsheets. She currently resides in Boston. IT GOES LIKE THIS is her first novel.
Money Talk: Miel Moreland on the Financial Rules She Never Breaks
Miel Moreland, author of It Goes Like This, discusses the financial tips and tricks she uses as an author and university administrative employee.
By Miel Moreland, Interviewed by Money GirlJune 30, 2021
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Money Girl Laura Adams: When did you decide that you wanted to become an author (or other career)?
Miel Moreland: I knew I wanted to write books from a very young age, five or six at the latest. I committed to it in a serious way when I was about sixteen.
MG: Do you write full-time?
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MM: I do not write full-time! I have a full-time administrative position at a university. I make more money from that job than from writing—and my job also comes with paid time off, employer-sponsored health insurance, and other benefits. It can be tricky to balance, time-wise, but the stability afforded to me by having a day job means I’m less anxious about my writing, because I’m not counting on writing books quickly in order to be able to pay rent. Since I’m both a slow writer and someone with anxiety, it’s much better to have this pressure taken off.
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MG: Did you study writing (or something else) or has it always come naturally to you?
MM: I did not study writing—I was a double English/Politics major in college, but the English program at my school was focused on literature. I only took one creative writing class in college, and that was a mixture of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Writing comes naturally in the sense that the love for writing comes naturally, but the skill requires significant and ongoing practice, and of course lots of revision. I read a lot (or, at least I thought I read a lot until I realized how much bloggers read!), and I’m always trying to learn from other writers.
MG: When you first started writing (or something else), were there any financial challenges? If so, how did you manage them?
MM: When I first started writing It Goes Like This, I’d just finished my teaching assistant contract in France and was back in the United States, living with my parents while I applied to jobs. Ultimately, during the year in which I wrote, revised, and queried It Goes Like This, I had a constantly changing job situation, while simultaneously applying to grad school: unemployed, working more than full time, working part-time... If I hadn’t been living at home, I wouldn’t have been able to write during periods of unemployment and part-time work—because it would have been urgent for me to work more. Instead, because much of the money I earned that year went into savings for my move to the East Coast, I was able to make the choice to work less and write more at certain times.
MG: What advice would you give someone who's creative or wants to change their lifestyle about balancing passion for their art and earning an income?
MM: Perhaps the first question is to determine if you want to earn money from your art. You don’t have to! In fact, you should consider whether turning your passion into a job could actually decrease your enjoyment of your art. If you decide to pursue financial return from your art, do you want it to be fun, bonus money, or serious money that you will rely on? What kind of time is required to make the quality and quantity of art necessary for your answer? I spend a lot of time on my author job that isn’t purely writing—I’m reading to improve my craft, networking with other authors, and promoting my books.
IMPORTANT!
Before you start a side hustle, you should consider whether turning your passion into a job could actually decrease your enjoyment of your art.
Then you need to be serious about both your current financial needs or commitments and your future goals. How much money would you need from writing in order to make it an integral part of your income? What are you counting as writing: will you also offer editing services, pitch yourself for classroom visits, or write freelance articles in addition to novels? If you stay in a regular full-time or part-time job while writing, what’s the trigger point at which you would consider being a full-time writer? If you try writing full-time, what’s the plan for if it’s not sustainable long-term? You’re not less of a writer just because you have bills to pay and you can’t pay them entirely through book advances.
If you’re balancing art with another job, there are plenty of factors to consider. Some writers thrive on having other jobs related to writing, such as teaching or working in communications. I would be too drained by having a day job that required a lot of creativity. For now, I’ve also deliberately chosen a job with a strict 9-5 schedule. If I were in a job that required a significant amount of overtime, I wouldn’t have time to write. As with everything in life, don’t be afraid to change your mind as your wants or needs evolve over time!
It can be tricky to balance, time-wise, but the stability afforded to me by having a day job means I’m less anxious about my writing.
MG: What do you like to spend money on that some people might consider a splurge or luxury?
MM: Cake from local bakeries to celebrate any book milestone, no matter how minor. And concerts, of course—I promise I didn’t write any tickets off on my taxes as book research.
MG: What’s the best thing you’ve bought in the last few months?
MM: On a practical level, the best thing I bought was a new phone. My previous one was old, physically falling apart, and could not hold a charge. Plus, it was constantly crashing, which was obviously an issue when a significant part of being an author is promoting your books online!
On a fun level, I recently bought a ticket to a live comedy show for the first time. I started watching comedy specials and stand-up during the pandemic, and since live comedy seems to be coming back sooner than live music, this is replacing a concert I might have gone to this year.
I grew up in a household that prioritized experiences over things, and sometimes experiences translate to really nice chocolate cake, and sometimes you just want to be in a big space with other people, all sharing in a particular joy.
MG: What’s the biggest money mistake you’ve ever made?
MM: Not tracking my expenses exactly when I got my first post-college position. I had a basic budget, and I kept a rough sum going in my head, but not knowing the exact numbers was an unnecessary stressor. This was complicated by the fact that my savings were in my American bank and my income—and most of my expenses—were going through my French bank.
QUICK TIP!
It’s especially important to track your money exactly when you’re not charging everything to the same account, or when some portion of your money is only available for certain purchases or in certain locations.
MG: Tell me a financial rule that you never break.
MM: I pay my credit card off completely every month!
Okay, I have broken this rule twice... once when I had to use my American credit card for certain travel expenses but my paychecks were going into my French bank account, and once when a friend was slow to pay me back for a concert ticket. But it’s now been years since I’ve broken this streak.
Miel Moreland: A Star In The Making MAG
June 12, 2021
By LTODOROVIC1 SILVER, Rochester, Michigan
Hello Reader,
My name is Luka, and I had the honor to interview Miel Moreland about her Young Adult debut novel, It Goes Like This. This book is about four LGBTQ+ teens that break up their world-famous band after a falling out but are brought back together after a storm devastates their town. The book explores two major concepts. The first explores growing up and evolving relationships, and the second is the representation of LGBTQ+ people in a positive light. What makes this book even more special is that the plot doesn’t focus on around bigotry toward the LGBTQ+ community, which has been seen time and time again in literature. It was an absolute
pleasure and honor to work with Moreland and Books Forward on this interview, and as an LGBTQ+ teen myself, I am grateful for the inclusion and normalcy that is displayed in this book.
Sincerely,
Luka T.
1.) Did you fear any or have you received any backlash from writing this book about queer teens?
"I haven’t received any backlash yet — or if there has been, I haven’t seen it! I don’t search my name or read Goodreads reviews, so there might be some small grumbles floating around, but nothing that’s reached my attention. I know it frequently happens to queer writers, and I’ve mentally prepared for this to occur in the future. I wouldn’t frame it as something I was 'afraid' of going into the publishing process, as I feel supported and protected by my publishing team and other queer writers."
2.) Did you face any initial rejection for this book idea?
"It depends on what you mean by initial! Like every other writer, not every agent I queried wanted to represent me, and not every editor to whom we submitted the manuscript wanted to buy it. But all of that occurred within very normal time frames or numbers for publishing, so I don’t see it as rejection so much as part of the process for finding a publishing team that was a good fit for me and my book."
3.) What inspired you to write this book?
"I was inspired by so many different threads of life and culture! It Goes Like This is about a broken-up band, so I was heavily inspired by music and fan culture. I also had questions about ambition and how friendships change as we grow up, so I wrote some possibilities into the book."
4.) Is there any message that you hope readers gain from the book?
"One message I hope readers gain is one I am always trying to remember myself: it’s okay to change your mind, and more than once. You can decide to quit; you can decide to try again; you can decide to try something entirely different. Related to that, I hope readers gain comfort in seeing that friendships can change over time. Sometimes, we’re not able to be good friends, for a variety of reasons. But we can change, and our friends can change, and if we make space for those changes, friendships can (sometimes!) redevelop stronger than before."
5.) It is very uncommon to write a book about LGBTQ+ characters, much less with the plot residing away from bigotry. This kind of normalcy is rarely seen in the real world. Was that a factor in why you wrote this book?
"Yes! I wanted to write a book where queer teens could, for the most part, have the weight of bigotry taken off their shoulders. I think it’s important that YA novels exist that do represent the pain, uncertainty, and violence that so often faces queer people, but I also believe that there should be a full range of queer books — and that means some books that focus on queer joy. It was important to me to write a book in which the problems do not come from bigotry, but primarily from other sources. We spend so much time worrying about queerphobia crashing down: that’s not this book."
6.) How do you fit writing into your daily routine?
"I don’t write daily! How I incorporate writing into my week shifts with every season, semester, or job. Lately, that looks like carving out a couple of hours after work two or three days a week, plus a longer chunk of time one weekend day. Mentally, I need to have time to rest, to take care of the rest of my life, and to spend time (even virtually) with friends and family. Setting
myself up to write every day would be setting myself up to fail — and I’d rather set myself up for success. Under this routine, I’m setting a clear intention for times when writing takes precedence over everything, while acknowledging that other areas of my life need time as well."
7.) Are there any aspects of the book that reflect your personal life (people, past events, etc.)?
"Other than the band’s musical style and the music references included in the book (which primarily reflect my own musical taste), the setting was the element most heavily influenced by my life. I grew up in Minnesota but attended college in Los Angeles County; the book of course is primarily set in Duluth, Minnesota, with a handful of chapters in Los Angeles. I enjoyed being able to include places I’ve been in both states — both lives — in the novel."
8.) If you could tell LGBTQ+ teens anything, what would you want them to know?
"You are wonderful exactly as you are. Of course, exactly who you are or who you understand yourself to be may change over time — you don't have to know everything right now. No one is entitled to know your truths; your safety matters more than anyone's curiosity."
Interview and Giveaway: Miel Moreland, Author of It Goes Like This
May 17, 2021
Amanda
I am thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Miel Moreland in support of her first book, It Goes Like This. Meet the author, learn about her book and then enter to win a great prize!
Miel Moreland was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With time spent in California and France, she has a Midwestern heart but wandering feet. When not making pop music references and celebrating fandom, she is likely to be found drinking hot chocolate and making spreadsheets. She currently resides in Boston, where she works in higher education. It Goes Like This is her debut novel.
Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Instagram
Books, Tea, Healthy Me Exclusive Interview with Miel Moreland
Is there something special about It Goes Like This that you want everyone to know? Y
IT GOES LIKE THIS is a love letter to changing your mind, friendship, and fandom. My main character, Eva, is actually named after a character in a show I’d just finished watching before I started writing this novel (the original Skam).
From where do you get your ideas for your books?
It really depends on the book! I’m very inspired by setting—I can walk into a room and instantly decide I need to write a novel set there—but also by music and other books. I might read four books with some shared characteristic (and love them!) but think, “There’s an angle here none of them took. What if I wrote that?”
Where do you begin when you develop new characters? Physical characteristics, personality, plot? What comes first and how do you go from there?
A key personality trait, as it relates to a central theme or question that the premise demands, generally comes to me first. From these twin beginnings, I further develop the character and the plot. What does this character want, and why? What needs to happen so they are challenged throughout the narrative? Physical characteristics come last. In IT GOES LIKE THIS, Eva didn’t even have a hair color until one of the final drafts.
Does writing exhaust or energize you? Why?
On the whole, writing energizes me. It’s exhilarating to create a story simply from your mind.
What is your writing kryptonite? And what is the cure?
Plot and tension are always going to be my downfall in the early drafting stages. I just want to explore my characters without too much stress. Luckily, my agent intervenes so my books have the industry-expected tension paths.
What book are you reading right now?
I’m reading The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow. The tagline is, “Can their love of books and pop music save the world?” Which is pretty exactly relevant to my interests.
What do you do to keep yourself healthy? What is your #1 healthy lifestyle tip?
Allowing myself time to rest is key. Fresh air and sunshine are also essential for my mental health—as Elizabeth Bennet would say, I’m very fond of walking.
What is your go-to recipe when you cook at home? It doesn’t have to be healthy – just yummy.
I’m not much of a cook! I make very simple foods at home. A recipe I make often is pumpkin muffins—with chocolate chips, of course.
It Goes Like This
Miel Moreland
Published by: Feiwel & Friends
Publication date: May 18th 2021
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
In Miel Moreland’s heartfelt young adult debut, It Goes Like This, four queer teens realize that sometimes you have to risk hitting repeat on heartbreak.
Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph used to think their friendship was unbreakable. After all, they’ve been though a lot together, including the astronomical rise of Moonlight Overthrow, the world-famous queer pop band they formed in middle school, never expecting to headline anything bigger than the county fair.
But after a sudden falling out leads to the dissolution of the teens’ band, their friendship, and Eva and Celeste’s starry-eyed romance, nothing is the same. Gina and Celeste step further into the spotlight, Steph disappears completely, and Eva, heartbroken, takes refuge as a songwriter and secret online fangirl…of her own band. That is, until a storm devastates their hometown, bringing the four ex-best-friends back together. As they prepare for one last show, they’ll discover whether growing up always means growing apart.
2021 Debut Author Interview: Miel Moreland!
APR 18, 2021
In 2019, we made it our goal is to work with as many debut authors as possible and to spread the word about their debut novels. It was such a success last year that we decided to continue the fun for years to come! Follow us this year as we pick the minds of the 2021 debuts and chat with them about their writing process and what it's like to be a new author. Also stay tuned for news of giveaways, Twitter chats, and more!
At the end of 2020, we Tweeted about wanting to discover more debut authors and their books. We ended up finding Miel Moreland and her novel IT GOES LIKE THIS, and we have been interested in it ever since! We are so excited to have Miel on the blog today to answer some of our questions!
Miel Moreland writes character-driven contemporary Young Adult novels. Born and raised in Minneapolis, she has a Midwestern heart but wandering feet. When not making pop music references and celebrating fandom, she is likely to be found drinking hot chocolate and making spreadsheets. She currently resides in Boston
Keep up with Miel: Website / Twitter / Instagram / Goodreads
The Book Bratz: First of all, congratulations! How does it feel to be a debut author?
Miel: Absolutely surreal. I’ve wanted to be an author since I was five or six years old, once I realized this was a job people had, and now my book is coming out! Part of me still feels like it’s early 2018 and IT GOES LIKE THIS is just something fun between me and my critique partners. It’s difficult (but exciting!) to try to grasp the fact that people I don’t know are reading it, and my story is becoming part of someone else’s story.
The Book Bratz: In your opinion, what's the best part of the writing process? What's the hardest?
Miel: Is it a cop-out to say the best part of the writing process is any part that’s going smoothly? Although I do enjoy revisions in general, once I have a plan for them, starting revisions is often difficult for me because I always have to add tension—and that’s not at all natural for me! I hate giving my characters more problems.
The Book Bratz: Where did you get the idea for IT GOES LIKE THIS?
Miel: IT GOES LIKE THIS came out of a number of interests or threads in my life that all finally converged together into this one book. I’ve been a pop music fan for most of my life, and for a couple of years before I started drafting IGLT, I researched the music industry and played around with a few music-centric short stories. I started writing the novel about a year after I graduated from college, when I was thinking a lot about changing friendships. And I’d been reading some books where the band (or the team, group, and so on, depending on the book) breaks up at the end of the book. I wanted to write a book that started where the others ended. What happens after? I felt I was presented with this question: does growing up always mean growing apart? I don’t think the answer is always yes.
The Book Bratz: Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the most difficult?
Miel: This is such a difficult question, and during different drafts, I had a different favorite band member. Eva might have been my favorite to write overall, simply because I spent the most time in her head and so feel closest to her. Gina was the most difficult, because it took me a long time to be able to identify and articulate her arc, and then longer to properly build it into the book. But I adore her, and she is worth every re-written chapter.
The Book Bratz: Are there any other books or authors who give you inspiration for your own writing?
Miel: So many! I’ll shout-out just two authors right now: Tess Sharpe and Zan Romanoff.
The Book Bratz: What do you hope that readers will take away from IT GOES LIKE THIS?
Miel: It’s okay to change your mind, more than once, about what you want, what you need, and in what places and relationships you are able to be your truest, fullest, most seen and respected and beloved self at any particular moment in your life.
The Book Bratz: Do you plan on returning to the world of IT GOES LIKE THIS in the future, or do you have any other projects in mind? Can you tell us anything about them?
Miel: I don’t have any immediate or formal plans to return to the world of IT GOES LIKE THIS, but I would love to at some point! At minimum, I am hoping to share some bonus short stories (including at least one AU, because this is a fandom novel at heart) within the next year. I’ve been working on a few other novels over the past year, but I’m always wary of talking too much about specific projects until deals are announced!
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Title: It Goes Like This
Author: Miel Moreland
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: May 18th, 2021
Summary: Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph used to think their friendship was unbreakable. After all, they've been though a lot together, including the astronomical rise of Moonlight Overthrow, the world-famous queer pop band they formed in middle school, never expecting to headline anything bigger than the county fair. But after a sudden falling out leads to the dissolution of the teens' band, their friendship, and Eva and Celeste's starry-eyed romance, nothing is the same. Gina and Celeste step further into the spotlight, Steph disappears completely, and Eva, heartbroken, takes refuge as a songwriter and secret online fangirl...of her own band. That is, until a storm devastates their hometown, bringing the four ex-best-friends back together. As they prepare for one last show, they'll discover whether growing up always means growing apart.
Thank you so much to Miel for stopping by and answering our questions! We are super excited about IT GOES LIKE THISand can't wait for it to be out in the world on May 18th!
Interview with Miel Moreland: It Goes like This (Blog Tour)
June 10, 2021Urvi Sinha
It Goes like This
Author: Miel Moreland
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publishing Date: May 18, 2021
Content Warnings: primary trigger warning – Misgendering and none of it is done maliciously (although it’s still obviously harmful to the non-binary character) and hospitals / Minor mentions of: biphobia, homophobia, substance addiction, eating disorders/body image, grief/loss of a parent.
In Miel Moreland’s heartfelt young adult debut, It Goes Like This, four queer teens realize that sometimes you have to risk hitting repeat on heartbreak.
Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph used to think their friendship was unbreakable. After all, they’ve been though a lot together, including the astronomical rise of Moonlight Overthrow, the world-famous queer pop band they formed in middle school, never expecting to headline anything bigger than the county fair.
But after a sudden falling out leads to the dissolution of the teens’ band, their friendship, and Eva and Celeste’s starry-eyed romance, nothing is the same. Gina and Celeste step further into the spotlight, Steph disappears completely, and Eva, heartbroken, takes refuge as a songwriter and secret online fangirl…of her own band. That is, until a storm devastates their hometown, bringing the four ex-best-friends back together. As they prepare for one last show, they’ll discover whether growing up always means growing apart.
Purchase a copy: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound
Interview
Q- Hi! I’m so honored that you’re doing this interview with me. We’ll start this Q & A off with some basic things about you so just tell us a little bit about you in general, some favorites, things you love, things you like to do, etc.?
A- When I’m not writing, I’m probably making a spreadsheet (whether for my day job or my personal life), dancing to pop music, or reading. Chocolate is a must, always, and like Elizabeth Bennet, I’m very fond of walking! I’m a Midwestern writer at heart—it’s where I grew up—but I’ve lived in Southern California, France, and now in Boston.
Q- Where did you come up with the idea for It Goes Like This?
A- It Goes Like This is really like a full chord, or maybe a complex harmony, of several threads of inspiration. I was circling writing about queer love, broken friendships, and fandom, and after trying out a few short stories, I realized how to bring them all together by centering the band.
Q- Are you a planner or a do-it-as-it-goes kind of person? Do you think out and plan every aspect of a book or do you come up with a basic idea and just see where it leads you?
A- For IT GOES LIKE THIS, I started with the basic premise and a few key moments along the way. Funnily enough, though, I had a massive spreadsheet of what each of the characters was doing each month for five or so years before the main action starts. So while the present timeline, and the actual story, fell under “we’ll see where it goes,” very quickly after I started writing, I knew I needed to nail down exactly what was in the characters’ pasts, even though much of it is never detailed in the novel.
Q- We’d love to know a little bit about the people behind-the-scenes. Who motivates you to write and is your constant support system?
A- I’m lucky to have many strong friendships in my life, some with writers (not necessarily of fiction) and many with non-writers. One of my critique partners in particular is constantly fielding my questions and offering song recommendations!
Q- If I’m not wrong, It Goes Like This is about friendship, growing up, discovering yourself and music of course. So are you a music fanatic yourself? Who’s your favorite band?
A- Yes, I love pop music! I mostly listen to individual singers—think Taylor Swift, Halsey, and Sara Bareilles. My favorite band specifically has to be One Direction.
Q- Are the main characters in your book, Eva, Celeste, Gina and Steph, inspired by anyone in real life or are they completely the products of your imagination?
A- They’re not inspired by anyone!
Q- It Goes Like This is an incredible and meaningful book and I can’t wait to see what else you come up with! So are you currently working on anything else right now and can you tell us anything about it if you are?
A- I am working on a few projects now! I’m hoping to be able to share more about one of them later this summer. For now, think more queer kids, but high school, not Hollywood.
About the Author:
Miel Moreland writes character-driven contemporary Young Adult novels. Born and raised in Minneapolis, she has a Midwestern heart but wandering feet. When not making pop music references and celebrating fandom, she is likely to be found drinking hot chocolate and making spreadsheets. She currently resides in Boston.
MORELAND, Miel. It Goes Like This. 352p. Feiwel & Friends. May 2021. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781250767486.
Gr 8 Up--In middle school, Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph formed a queer pop band called Moonlight Overthrow that made them superstars. Last year, however, not only did the band break up, but Eva's longtime girlfriend, Celeste, dumped her for a solo career. Now Eva attends college, Celeste sings, Gina stars in movies, and no one knows about Steph, who moved home to Duluth, IA. But after a major storm lays waste to Duluth, Gina suggests one last benefit concert for Moonlight Overthrow. Each band member has reasons for agreeing, and their fandom goes wild. Over one long week at Steph's house, they all consider what they lost and gained by ending the band--and their relationships--and figuring out what they really want for the future. This novel is a home run. In their personal journeys, the sympathetic protagonists make good role models for teens worried that every mistake or course change is permanent; the characters demonstrate that growing up, changing your mind, and admitting you screwed up are all fine. The nonchronological structure effectively fleshes out their backstories piece by piece, and interstitial social media clips represent fan culture honestly and fondly. The protagonists are all white except Gina, who is Black, and are cisgender except for genderqueer Steph. Although swearing and colloquial body part terms occur frequently, romantic interludes and references are not explicit. VERDICT Fans of bands and bandom will love these queer college-age former pop stars reuniting for a benefit concert, personal reflection, and a hopeful future.--Rebecca Moore, The Overlake Sch., Redmond, WA
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
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Moore, Rebecca. "MORELAND, Miel. It Goes Like This." School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 5, May 2021, p. 86. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A661255307/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3bf83f8f. Accessed 19 Sept. 2021.
Miel Moreland. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends,
$18.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-250-76748-6
Garnering two Grammys and countless fans, Moonlight Overthrow was the perfect musical combination of four queer friends, all former middle school classmates--until it wasn't. Now, a year and a half after the band's breakup, they're barely in rouch. Celeste's a star solo act in New York; Eva, who was blindsided by the simultaneous endings of the band and her romance with Celeste, is in college, writing music and running an anonymous Tumblr account about the group from L.A.; Gina, the band's sole person of color, is a successful actor; and Steph, who now identifies as nonbinary, is back home in Duluth. There's no reunion in the works, despite online rumors about the topic, but after their hometown is hit by massive storms, the band agrees to do a benefit concert. It's difficult, though: hurt feelings need to be worked out, Steph prioritizes their family over the group, and the band's not used to performing together anymore. And then there's Eva and Celeste's unfinished story. Debut author Moreland switches between the bandmates; though their voices feel undifferentiated at times, she also uses interview transcripts, social media posts, and breathless fan reports to create a funny, romantic, and moving picture of four young musicians rrying to figure out their complicated personal and professional desires amid media scrutiny. Ages 13-up. Agent: Jessica Errera, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (May)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"It Goes Like This." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 12, 22 Mar. 2021, p. 69. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A656810631/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3b6f9187. Accessed 19 Sept. 2021.