Hello Jarrod and Sofia! Thank you so much for taking time to speak with Geek Vibes Nation about your upcoming novel, Retro. Could you start off by telling our readers a little about yourselves and your book?
Jarrod: Hi there! Sofi and I are writing partners and life partners in every way! Our favorite thing to write is fun high-concept thrillers, with the right amount of banter and a little bit of chili peppers of spice! Retro is a light-hearted wild ride that questions: can we survive a year without our devices? And if so, in our story, you get the scholarship of your dreams! Only in our story, contestants start going missing, and it’s up to our protagonist to figure out who is sabotaging the Retro Challenge, or maybe she’s next… Although it’s a roller coaster, it’s also an addictive guilty pleasure, because every chapter title is a song, and the index is a playlist which you can listen to while you read!
Sofi: Hola! Sofi here, nice to meet you! I’m from Spain, so we live between Madrid and Los Angeles. (And yes I made Jarrod learn Spanish) Traveling the world and storytelling is our passion! It was really important for us to have a strong female Hispanic protagonist because YA literature is really unrepresented in that area. Luna is definitely smart, funny, imperfect, and loyal—total best friend material. All of her friends will become your best friends too. And all the while, we cover themes about cyberbullying, how we treat each other though the screens of our phones, and what it means to be compassionate in this era where we are all so plugged-in.
The idea of the Retro Challenge is fascinating. Especially the idea of tying it to the character’s future by offering a scholarship. Could you tell me how that idea began and how you developed it into a full-length novel?
Jarrod: For us it started with the concept that ever since the smart phone, around the turn of the millennium, human beings basically became cyborgs– only the our computers are at the tips of our fingers, rather than internally. So, we were always asking ourselves, now that we’re so integrated with it, can we really live without smart technology? We thought that this was such an important moment in humankind, so we used year 2000 as our cut off for what is Retro!
Now at first the Challenge seems tough, but it turns out to be pretty fun! No more comparing games on social media. Without your mom’s constant texts and exes knowing where you are at all times, you feel totally free. RETRO is wish fulfilling escapism. And when it’s all rolled into a thriller that keeps you turning the pages, you feel like you’re really living this adventure—making new quirky friends, and uncovering a mystery with a big twist at the end.
Sofi: Developing it into a novel wasn’t easy because blending fun, comedic, carefree, vibes and ominous thrilling feels are two diametrically opposed tones. It’s something that is done in film and television, but not as often in literature–but we’re confident that the blend together will be like nothing you’ve ever read before!
I thought it was so interesting that an instance of cyberbullying is what kicks off the novel. Unlike in the past, today’s youth can have their humiliation immortalized on the internet and that’s scary. Could you talk about the decision to integrate that into the story?
Sofi: It’s impossible to talk about our phones without talking about the way that we communicate on them–and cyberbullying is one of the biggest problems of our generations. Being authors that put ourselves, and our writing, out there, publicly, we received our fair share of trolling or hateful comments. (Though there’s a lot of love too) So we wanted to call out the haters and show them that being an asshole isn’t cool and that love and compassion rules.
We dedicated this book to all of those who are facing bullying of any kind, and we wanted to show that being different isn’t weird. Normal is whatever we define it to be, that you deserve to feel beautiful, no matter what society’s impossible expectations may be <3
Luna is such a strong and bold character. What was process of creating and developing the character?
Jarrod: Luna truly is a mix of Sofi and myself in character, though many of Luna’s personality traits mirror Sofi directly. It’s why Luna is hands down my favorite character because it reminds me so much of her! (Mushy I know, but I can’t help myself).
Sofi: Luna is like a chili mango lollipop. Sweet and Spicy. She’s bold, but also vulnerable. She knows who she is, though she battles her anxieties. Luna is always trying to better herself. Plus, she loves her mamá to the moon and back, even if their relationship can be tumultuous at times. We wanted everyone to empathize with this seventeen-year-old girl! And it’s a real challenge with protagonists, because you want them to be generally accessible to connect with a wide range of people, which can often result in creating a main character diluted in personality, who comes off as bland. So we took the opposite approach– a riskier one– that I’ve seen done often in Spain–which is making the protagonist really rich in character, colorful, and so her that you have to take her for who she is. She feels like someone that could be your bestie, to both laugh, cry with at the same time!
The rest of the cast is diverse and interesting, as well. How did you both go about developing Luna’s supporting cast?
Jarrod: Well, when you’re taking a challenge to win the scholarship of your dreams, and you’re having fun wearing vintage clothes, dancing like it would never be posted, and falling in love like you’re living in a movie–you’re going to have to meet some lovable lifelong friends, right? There’s Mimi, the quirky queer, pink-haired, lizard loving, brutally honest best friend—and Darnell has been Retro long before the challenge ever began. Then there’s Samantha, the pigtailed princess who was brutally bullied, turned consummate badass survivor. And while reading you’ll meet many more! For us, representation was paramount when creating our characters, so everyone feels like they can come along for this crazy ride. Basically, this group is meant to be your new best friends! And because the Retro Challenge flips the rules of school upside down, our characters meet all types of amazing people that they wouldn’t have normally hung out with.
I loved the pop culture references in the book. The songs, the fashion, the media trends, etc. How did you decide which references would make it into the novel?
Sofi: Our belief is that Retro isn’t “old” it’s nostalgia, so we dug deep inside ourselves to find with the references that we loved. We looked around and realized that baggie pants and tie dye shirts were coming back in style. Billie Eilish dies her hair green and Drake albums are being sold on Vinyl. As for music, we included songs like “Livin’ La Vida Loca” to “Smells like teen Spirit” to “Heaven is a Place on Earth” because we wanted to tell this story through music as well, hence every chapter title being a song. We also combed through Youtube to do research on what Retro songs we’re all still loving today, and after enough searching we hit the Jackpot! Then the trick was making them correlate with our chapters, which was a ton of fun. Because every chapter title gives you a hint as to what Luna may experience next.
With this novel being a collaboration, what was the writing process like? Did you trade off chapters? How do you settle disputes?
Jarrod: As I have learned in all partnerships and relationships the key is communication. Something that I am a forever work-in-progress on. We talk everything over, from Luna’s favorite color of skittles, to her favorite guilty pleasures in life (ice cream and hot sauce in case you were wondering). And we made sure Luna’s voice was more like a fruit smoothie rather than a fruit salad. There are no chunks within my writing or Sofi’s. We make a point to blend our personalities smoothly. Every page is literally half of her brain and half of mine! And disputes are settled in an easy way. If anyone doesn’t like something, we rework it or throw it away. Like any legislative body, you need two yes’s to get anything approved!
Do you have advice for other writers considering collaborating on a project?
Sofi: Oh yes, there is much advice to give. For starters, the project only exists because of our relationship—so that means your relationship as partners is more important than the story. And by putting the person first, what you create is crafted only with positivity and excitement, and we strongly believe that it shows in the work. Be honest with yourself (and each other) about your strengths and weaknesses, and have the humility to defer to the other person when handling an area that they have a better mastery of. And then try to learn from them! Let your plot and your characters be two aspects of your story that you both stay malleable on, as you constantly mold one to satisfy the other. Character and plot aren’t rigid and set until the book publishes! Sofi and I work on google documents so we can edit in real time together. Also, take walks and try to not let your story consume your lives. And lastly, I recommend having fun working late nights, eating Cheetos, and taking breaks to listen to loud reggaeton music! But that’s just me 😉
What would you say is the main message you’d like readers to takeaway from Retro?
Jarrod: We wanted to show how important our technology really is, and how it can also be a beautiful, powerful thing, when used with good intention. But technology is only as wonderful as the people controlling it.
Sofi: Also, we wanted to show that behind every single screen is a human being with a beating heart. We never want to forget that. We are more than our profiles, and we should never feel like we have to prove to the world that we are cool enough, smart enough or pretty enough—because we are enough.
Could you tell us about any upcoming projects? Are there any more collaborations between the two of you soon?
Jarrod: From here on out, together, we plan to publish every year, a new fun, crazy thriller that will keep you addicted to the pages like a Netflix binge. We’re working on a few secret projects now that will be announced this year! Working together is such a joy, and we grow closer as partners with every passing chapter—even if Sofi keeps me up by writing all night long. (I’m a day guy and she’s a night girl).
Where can our readers connect with you online?
Sofi: We are always somewhere new on the globe, writing, laughing and stuffing our faces with food like it was a part time job! So on social media you get to join in on all of that fun ☺ We love doing giveaways and contests (like naming our characters after readers and fans) and we always aim to give a behind the scenes look of what author life is like! We are so thankful for all of our friends online, and for this wonderful interview! Follow us on TikTok and IG @SofiandJarrod!
Retro goes on sale January 24th, 2023, everywhere books are sold.
About The Book
What starts off as a lighthearted competition to live without modern technology for a year turns into a fight for survival in this unputdownable young adult thriller by New York Times bestselling author Jarrod Shusterman and debut author Sofía Lapuente.
It was never meant to happen this way.
Things were never supposed to get this out of hand.
After a cyberbullying incident at her school goes viral, Luna Iglesias finds herself at the heart of a brewing controversy. When the social media company Limbo—who are also implicated in the scandal—sweeps in with an offer that sounds like an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and receive a scholarship to the college of her dreams, she’s happy to jump on the new trend. It’s called the Retro Challenge, where contestants live without modern technology, wear vintage clothes, party as if the future weren’t already written, and fall in love as if they were living in a movie.
At first, the challenge is fun. But then things get dangerous. Kids start disappearing, including Luna’s friends. There are voices in the woods. Bloodred markings on the trees. And Luna increasingly begins to wonder if all these strange happenings are connected with the Retro Challenge.
Secrets. Lies. Betrayal. The weight of her family on her shoulders. There’s so much on the line for Luna, not to mention she’s falling in love with the last guy she expected. Unless she can figure out the truth behind who’s sabotaging the challenge, the next person to disappear may be Luna herself.
Writer. Video Essayist. Film/TV Critic. Pop Culture Enthusiast.
When he isn’t writing for Geek Vibes Nation or The Cinema Spot, Tristian can be found typing away at one of the novels or screenplays he’s been working on forever.
