"Our generation's Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion, but 666% more gay and unhinged"

Pre-orders for my book 'In Spite of You' are now open

I’m used to pretty instant gratification with my writing - usually I submit my article or my news piece or my short story and it gets published pretty quickly. Or I type away on my laptop for an article for Nonsense with the unhinged joy of an eccentric pianist.

My work, for better or worse, is now consumed, and I can run cackling to the bank with my bounty of $300. I’ve come to expect the cathartic release of working hard and fast and then having the reward of exuberant online praise, deranged comment sections, and some boomer emailing me to tell me that I have made an enemy for life after my offhand joke about Neighbours.

Which is a roundabout way of saying that having my debut novel, ‘In Spite of You’, begin to disseminate out into the world via the arcane pathways of publishing, and people actually reading it YEARS after I began writing it, makes me feel absolutely loopy. I can’t really describe how odd it feels - for so long this book has been a kind of private torture and personal delight, that it’s felt more like a ghost only I can see, haunting me. I’ve told people for years about it, but it’s existed entirely in the hypothetical for them. Now the ghost has been uncovered by those damn kids, and it’s been unmasked as a rom-com, coming to stores near you.

There’s still only a select group of people who have read ‘In Spite of You’ - my publishing team, a few close friends, my boyfriend, and as of recently, a couple of reviewers and the people I have asked for endorsements. And all of this has been terrifying. Imagine forcing your new boyfriend to read your book - the relationship entirely hangs on whether or not it’s good.

If you’ve never asked for an endorsement before, here’s how it goes: you identify some people you respect the most in the world, and then send them an early draft of something you’ve hinged your entire ego and fortune upon and ask them to judge it, and by an extension, you. It’s a gruelling and rare form of crucible - toddling up to your hero and ripping out your heart and handing it to them, like when a cat makes eye contact with you and starts horking up a furball.

But I’ve been very blessed because I got some amazing endorsements - and it’s an absolutely bonkers type of gratification. Huge “being edged for three years by Sting” types of gratification:

Gloriously fun. Think: our generation's Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion, but 666% more gay and unhinged. Come for the venom and spite, stay for the surprisingly tender-hearted swoonworthy rom-com.

– Benjamin Law

you cannot write a queer book in this town without getting the b-law sign off. If you don’t, you’ll wake up and Courtney Act will be at the foot of your bed with a knife.

A cross between Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion and the craziest Reddit thread you've ever been sent. Made me feel like I was eavesdropping on a juicy conversation at the next table.

– Sinead Stubbins

Fun fact, Sinead Stubbins is so funny that I legitimately decided that I wanted to work at Junkee back in 2016 because of her writing - and then I got the job in 2017 and she quit like a week later. Not taking it personally. Also, her book Stinkbug is coming out soon and I cannot wait.

Romantic, sharply observed, and wickedly funny, In Spite of You is the perfect rom-com for people who love love - and also love the delicious pleasure of holding a really good grudge.

– Jodi McAlister

Jodi McAlister is literally a doctor of romance, so I can’t think of anyone I want an endorsement for a rom-com from more.

What a breath of fresh air to read a book like this, that's as clever and funny as it is full of vulnerability and heart. Patrick Lenton astutely observes modern culture and romance through the lens of someone who's been through it all.

– Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen

Yes, Giselle is one of my closest friends, but equally true is that she’s a brilliant critic and reviewer.

A funny and sexy queer romp. Come for the horny love story between men, come again for the love story between friends

– Rebecca Shaw

I don’t even know who Rebecca Shaw is.

So this is all nice! It kinda feels like whatever happens next, at least I’ve had this validation? That said - I do really hope this book goes ok. It’s tough for debut novelists, and it’s particularly tough right now for QUEER NOVELS lol. We had this brief fucking window where queer rom-coms suddenly became viable, I tried to strike, and in that time LGBTQIA+ rights in the west took 700 steps back thanks to authoritarianism and fascism. Not to make it about ME, but it does make selling my book a bit harder.

One of the absolute best ways you can help me is by pre-ordering ‘In Spite of You’. Let me know if you’d like a fleshed out explanation of why pre-orders are SO helpful for authors, but there’s multiple reasons.

‘In Spite of You’ is currently up on Booktopia and Amazon. If you’re in Australia, I’d love it if you could prioritise Booktopia - let’s help out the Aussie publishing industry. More options will be up soon, including bookshop preorders. They’re all valid, and they’re all useful.

I’m not saying it’s a form of resistance to pre-order my book, but I’m not NOT saying that.

Love you.