Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book?
Is it part of a series?
Two Like Me and You is the story of two high
schoolers, a lovesick boy and a mysterious girl, who take a World War II
veteran back to France in search of his long-lost love. There is also a famous
ex-girlfriend involved, and a fair amount of ‘90s hip hop references. It is a
stand-alone novel.
Do you have a favorite character?
The WWII
veteran, Garland Lenox, was by far the most fun to write because he’s old and
ornery and doesn’t really have a filter. I think Parker Haddaway is my favorite
character though. I’m sure some readers will see her as manic pixie dream girl,
but I think Parker’s wants and desires actually propel all the action in the
book, and her past eventually explains all of her eccentricities.
Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e.
querying agents/publishers?
I did.
This is my first novel, but I’ve had two non-fiction books traditionally
published by Zondervan/HarperCollins. My former agent pitched the book to
several editors without success. I tried querying new agents later, but most
were understandably turned off by the fact that the book had already been
shopped around. After Two Like Me and You received a Kirkus Star a friend in
the industry wanted to send the book to a couple of agents, but by then I was
just ready to get the book out there and let people read it. I am querying
agents with my second novel now.
If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer,
how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?
Damonza.com
designed my cover. They sent me an early version with two different faces, and
I loved the idea, but not the faces, so I asked if it was okay if I searched
around on Shutterstock for a couple of better faces. That was a bizarre
process. You can search by model on these stock photo sites, so when I found
faces I liked I was scanning hundreds of photos of the same girl and guy. There
they are playing tennis. There they are on their wedding day. There they are in
doctor’s scrubs. I finally found photos of them both looking up, and we used
them on the cover.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music
or do you like silence?
go to the
same coffee shop in Auburn, World Cup Coffee, five days a week for about three
hours. When our youngest is in kindergarten next year I’ll have a lot more
time, but for now I’ve just got the three-hour window when he’s in the Children’s
Day Out program at a local church. It’s a quiet coffee shop, and I listen to
music the entire time. Usually, I play the ‘my favorite’ mix on Apple music,
though sometimes I’ll listen to an album or a song that means something to the
scene I’m working on. I’ve accidentally listened to the same song more than 20
times in a row on a few occasions when the writing was going well.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse
takes you?
I outline
scenes, but make room for the story to go in unexpected directions. I need some
idea of where I’m going on the first draft, or I’d probably stare at the blank
screen for three hours and then burst into tears.
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript
before publishing?
I did. My
friend Becky Philpott, who worked on my books at Zondervan, did the macro and
micro edit for Two Like Me and You, and she was invaluable.
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between
marketing your current book and writing your next book?
Yes! There
is so much to learn, and since deciding back in February that I’d indie publish
Two Like Me and You, my latest novel has been mostly on the backburner while I
read about marketing and learn how to format a book and all the other things an
indie author has to do. Hopefully, if I indie publish my next novel, my
learning curve won’t be as steep.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
Before our
kids were born I played a lot of golf. My wife and I are both Auburn grads, and
we live in Auburn, so we go to a lot of football and basketball games. I’m a
big Star Wars fan and collect old action figures. I usually buy myself a new
one whenever Auburn loses to cheer myself up. My wife and I both love to
travel. I’ve been to six continents (you’re next Antarctica) and about thirty
countries. We went to France while I was working on Two Like Me and You and
retraced the route the characters take in the book. We’re going back to Europe
this summer, Paris and Barcelona, and I can’t wait!
What’s next for you?
I’ve
finished a second novel called The Rome
of Fall. It’s a high school football story loosely based on Julius Caesar
and half set in the early ‘90’s and half set modern day. My third novel, which
I’m only about 15,000 words into, is a Gatsby retelling set on the Florida Gulf
Coast during the financial crisis and housing market crash in 2008.
Two Like Me and You
Chad Alan Gibbs
Publication date: May 20th 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Edwin Green’s ex-girlfriend is famous. We’re talking cover-of-every-tabloid-in-the-grocery-store-line famous. She dumped Edwin one year ago on what he refers to as Black Saturday, and in hopes of winning her back, he’s spent the last twelve months trying to become famous himself. It hasn’t gone well.
But when a history class assignment pairs Edwin with Parker Haddaway, the mysterious new girl at school, she introduces him to Garland Lenox, a nursing-home-bound World War II veteran who will change Edwin’s life forever.
The three escape to France, in search of the old man’s long-lost love, and as word of their adventure spreads, they become media darlings. But when things fall apart, they also become the focus of French authorities. In a race against time, who will find love, and who will only find more heartache?
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
Author Bio:
Chad Alan Gibbs lives in Alabama with his wife, two sons, two dogs, and an embarrassingly large collection of Star Wars action figures. Two Like Me and You is his first novel.
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