A Guest post plus Enter to win a print copy of Kiss and Repeat by Heather Truett

Kiss and Repeat
Heather Truett
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: May 25th 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

In Heather Truett’s Kiss and Repeat, a teen uses the scientific method drilled into him by his scientist father to begin a kissing experiment. Only the experiment gets messy, and Stephen will have to come clean if he wants to win one girl’s heart in this heartfelt and funny YA debut.

Stephen Luckie isn’t so lucky in love. He’s completely inexperienced when it comes to girls, and wonders if his tics – caused by Tourette’s Syndrome – are the reason.

Then a game at a party reveals that his body goes still while kissing. Using the scientific method drilled into him by his scientist father, Steven begins the best experiment ever–one that involves kissing as many girls as possible. Who knew science could be so fun?

But when the experiment gets underway, Stephen begins to question how he treats girls – and if his tics have been standing in his way at all. With two girls interested in him, he has to figure out what really matters to him and what he’ll risk – and gain – by being his true self.

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I don’t listen to music while writing, but I do use music to put myself into my character’s headspace. I favor 90s music, because those songs take me back to my own teen years. Listening to them is like hopping into a time machine. My whole body and brain can feel what it was like to be heartbroken or in love for that very first time. For this book, I chose songs that also let me inside the boy’s side of these experiences. I will highlight a few of my choices:

“She’s So High” by Tal Bachman perfectly encapsulates how Stephen feels about Joan in the beginning of Kiss and Repeat.

“Hanging by a Moment” by Lifehouse was a song one of my boyfriends loved, and it was on my mind as I wrote a particular almost-kiss scene for this book.

“Two Princes” by the Spin Doctors made me think of Stephen watching Joan pine for Wade. I think we all know that feeling of wanting to be with someone even though they have every reason to choose someone else.

“Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls is a song that takes me back on that afore mentioned time machine, so that I am slow-dancing in my living room with the first boy I loved. We had one of those bad-boy/good-girl dynamics, and it was a rare soft moment in my memory.

“Simply the Best” by Noah Reid (the Schitt’s Creek version) is the lone non-90s song on the list. David and Patrick’s relationship made me really happy while watching Schitt’s Creek, and I wanted that sweet silly feeling from the serenading scene to show through in Stephen and Joan’s relationship as well.

This list includes songs I cried to, like “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain, artists that were a big part of my teen years (I grew up in Columbia, SC, where Hootie and the Blowfish was a local band), and songs that make me smile (a band boy once pulled me on stage while he sang a cover of “Kryptonite”). If anyone has some modern songs that evoke these same feelings, I’d love your suggestions. It wouldn’t hurt to explore other decades. J

Author Bio:

Heather Truett is a novelist and poet. She is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Memphis. She is represented by Hilary Harwell of KT Literary.

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