We’re here today with Sara Bennett-Wealer, whose new book NOW & WHEN is out today! Let’s dive right in!

Skyler Finch hates Truman Alexander with every fiber of her being. So when her phone starts sending her notifications from the future, and it looks like she’s with Truman—as in romantically with him—she goes on a quest to fix it. But changing the future means messing up the present. And Skyler might just need Truman as an ally as she works to figure everything out. In this rom-dram with a time-travel twist, finding your way means accepting that life doesn’t come with a roadmap,and that people, like glitchy phones, are full of surprises.

Where did you inspiration for this book come from?

I was inspired a bit by the past and a bit by the present. One of my high school classmates used to infuriate me like Truman does Skyler at the start of NOW & WHEN. It never led to a romance—in fact, I’m sure I was a big old jerk in that relationship. But fast forward to today, when social media lets us all re-connect, and it got me thinking how a 16-year-old would handle it if they could glimpse their older self and saw that they were romantically involved with someone they thought they couldn’t stand. 

What was the hardest thing about this project?

Finding the real story! When my editor bought NOW & WHEN, she told me it needed a major revision. I’d written the story during a really painful time in my life, and the manuscript was weighed down by sadness. She encouraged me to look for the fun in the story, and take it in a new direction. It was super hard having to re-imagine a whole book on a tight deadline, but looking back, it was also wonderful. I’m so much happier – in general, and with how the story turned out. 

What was the most fun thing about this project?

Again, finding the real story! I really enjoyed seeing where my imagination could go – especially when I was exhausted from writing on deadline. Some of the things that popped out of my head were unexpected and zany, and some of it is in the book today!

Time travel can be tricky. Did you worry about the paradox factor, or was it easy to keep the timelines straight?

OK. I can ramble on this subject, so get ready!! 

Short answer: I wanted the time travel aspect of the story to be “spark” and “sparkle” – this magical something that prods Skyler out of her comfort zone. I didn’t want it to be the focus, which freed me up to not think about some of the rules that other time travel stories would need to follow. 

Longer answer: 

I know there’s a lot of theory involved with time travel, which informs the “rules” of how a time travel story works. (I’m a HUGE fan of the German series Dark on Netflix, which handles time travel, paradox and all of those related elements masterfully. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend!) But with this book, I tried not to think too much about theory. 

That’s because time travel isn’t the story, meaning I’m not exploring how it works and the rules of it. Skyler is an unreliable narrator – she’s not aware of whatever rules there are, and she’s not all that interested in exploring them. She’s just fumbling her way around the way I think most of us would in such an unusual situation. 

Remember that she’s seeing 10 years into the future. And she has a limited perspective. She comes to realize that innumerable other factors and people making their own choices and decisions could be impacting the future too. I do think there are some paradoxes that occur, but I sort of leave it up to her and the reader to recognize them. 

All of this gets to one of the big questions in time travel: whether things are deterministic. Do our choices actually have an effect on our futures, or are things destined to happen a certain way? I’m still deciding what I think personally, but I think this story pretty definitely falls on the side of choice and free will.

If you started getting messages from the future on your phone, would you change your actions in the present? Why or why not?

I don’t think I could resist! And I think I’d know the whole time that it was a bad idea, but I wouldn’t be able to stop, especially if the things I was seeing were negative. 

What did you learn by writing this book?

I learned I’m actually a better writer when I lighten up. I learned that good editors are like gold. I learned not to be scared of big re-writes, to look at my work through different lenses, and be willing to go in totally new directions.

What can you share about your revisions process?

I’m not a fast writer, and my first drafts often miss the mark. This has especially been true of my past two projects. When facing a major revision, I find the beats that I know I want to keep – the pieces that are *true* and must stay. Then I look at new ways to connect those beats. I keep a lot of notes, and I do it on graph paper because there’s something about those squares that inspires me to connect in many directions, looking at possibilities, rather than just think linearly. I re-write scenes, create new ones, then print it all off and edit by hand, then I start the whole process over again until I think I’ve made the story the best it can be. (Then I turn it in to my editor, who often has more suggestions, then the process starts all over again!) 

What do you want readers to take away from your story?

I guess just give the people in your life grace. Everyone is trying, doing the best they can with the resources and knowledge they have now. Instead of making assumptions that close you off, be open to letting people show you who they really are—and give yourself grace, too! You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to be confused. It’s OK. You’re going to be just fine.

What advice would you give to other writers who are still looking for that elusive book deal?

You have to have stamina and a thick skin. Stamina to finish projects and stamina to revise them, however many versions it takes. And a thick skin to accept frank feedback and weather rejection. Stamina to submit and resubmit and submit again. A thick skin to shelve a project that isn’t ready and stamina to start something new. Both of these things will help you get closer to your goal of publication, and they will serve you well after – because frank feedback, big projects, revisions and rejections are still a part of the game even after you’ve published several books! 

What are you working on next?

It’s a story about a girl who has grown up in a family-owned funeral home. It, too, started out super-serious and has morphed into more of a rom-com (with a bit of a ghost-hunting twist). I also just started something that I think could be a middle grade. I won’t be sure until I get a little farther in. But I’m super excited about the funeral home book, and I think my editor is, too. So yay! 

Lightning Round:
Coffee or tea?  Coffee! 
Hardcover or paperback? If it’s a title I’m dying to read, whichever I can get my hands on first. 
Drafting or revising?  Revising! 
Cats or dogs? Both! 
sweet or salty? Salty

Thanks so much for stopping by, Sara, and Congrats on your new release!

Would you like to enter to win a copy of NOW & WHEN, along with some other goodies? Comment below for your chance. And be sure to follow Sara on Twitter: @sbennettwealer