Her Name in the Sky

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I self-published the novel in 2014. Tantor Media published the audiobook version, narrated by the actress Piper Goodeve, in 2017. HNITS has sold over 30,000 copies all around the world. Her Name in the Sky is a young adult novel about two best friends who can’t help falling in love during their senior year at a Catholic school in southern Louisiana. As they try to figure out their relationship, they grapple with the religious and cultural constraints of their community and, more severely, with internalized homophobia. The story has a happy ending. Joanie rolls her eyes. Luke takes her hand and says, Aw, do you not know how to respond when we publicly shame you?

Lisa’s about to respond when a deafening buzzing sound swells outward into the gym. Students all around the bleachers jerk their hands up to their ears. Then there’s the distant sound of a microphone falling over, and Lisa, clutching her ears, sees Mr. Park, the half-blind old technical director, raising his palms in apology. Several feet away from him, Mrs Kwog, the principal, rolls her eyes up into her head. Just something small. Just the six of us. I didn’t think you’d want anything crazy, especially after that pep rally and the game— All of that has changed now,” Chaeyoung says. “We had an overall winning record this past fall, all of our seniors are braces-free and beautiful, and Jungkook now stands at—what are you, four-foot-eight?” My path from self-publishing to traditional publishing. I self-published my first novel, Her Name in the Sky, in 2014. It has sold over 30,000 copies in countries around the world and has been featured on BuzzFeed, Bustle, and AfterEllen. In 2020, my traditional debut, Late to the Party, was published by Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan. You can hear more about my transition from self-publishing to traditional publishing here and here. I did three thousand push-ups in the time you were gone,” Jungkook says. He tosses the tennis ball to Felix and runs out into the street. “Throw it long!”Because this is the first date I’ve been on where I actually like the person,” Chaeyoung says, and Lisa blushes all over. Chaeyoung smiles, her eyes still on the brownie batter. “Is it bad if I don’t want to come home for a night? I want to have the whole weekend to ourselves when you visit. And I want to be able to, you know—” her face turns pink—“actually sleep in the same bed.”

And then we went over to Urban Outfitters and Felix and I got her that book about hamsters dressed as Renaissance painters?” Lisa says. Yeah, but he grew up here,” Jungkook says. “Anyway, the hell with him. I’m glad I don’t have to spend another four years dealing with his shit. He always challenged just about every decision I made as captain.” They fall into bed with their stomachs full of macaroni and cheese and their teeth coated with sugar from their Coca-Colas. Chaeyoung wears one of Lisa’s old t-shirts—the softest, best-loved one—and a pair of her Victoria’s Secret PINK shorts. She lies on her stomach and starts to breathe on a sleep cycle almost right away—before Lisa even has a chance to ask her which TV show she wants to watch—so Lisa lies down next to her and re-memorizes the familiar sound of her breathing. The fan blades circle overhead, moving the air in the room so that it washes over them in gentle waves, occasionally carrying Chaeyoung’s scent to Lisa like a bee carries pollen to a flower. PPS now that you’re 18, you might actually be held accountable for this stuff…so keep that in mind. Happy birthday!He is,” Chaeyoung agrees, her eyes gentle. She pulls at the threads on her scarf as a thoughtful expression comes over her face. “Sometimes I wish we could shut down all the roads in Baton Rogue,” she says, “so there would be no cars, no traffic, and everyone could just walk around beneath the trees, and the dogs could run and play wherever they like.”

And Lisa finds herself praying again, and she feels God coursing through her body and blood, but this time she knows it’s with jubilation. He looks the same as ever, Luke says. Like he’s high and doesn’t know what he’s doing here. Gotta love old Goach.

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Han, it would take about two seconds for anyone in this school to figure it out, Clay says. Who else would give Baker a note like that? They walk up the wooden stairs in silence, their feet tracing the familiar path to Lisa’s room, and Lisa feels content just to be together, just to have another Friday night sleepover in which Chaeyoung will borrow one of Lisa’s t-shirts to sleep in, and Lisa will turn the ceiling fan on high because Chaeyoung likes it that way, and they’ll fall asleep with some sitcom episode playing through Hulu on Lisa’s laptop. Hola, amigos,” Jisoo says, shuffling into their row, oblivious to the screaming people all around her. “Sorry we missed the big play.” Lis, it would take about two seconds for anyone in this school to figure it out,” Jungkook says. “Who else would give Chaeyoung a note like this?”