On this episode of Everything is Canon, Steve talks to agent/author Eric Smith all about his latest book, You Can Go Your Own Way which he described as, “If you need a little injection of honey into your veins, might I recommend Eric Smith’s slice of life tale “You Can Go Your Own Way”. Magically nostalgic, earnest and heartfelt, this is a wonderfully inconsequential (not at all an insult) story! Definitely recommend.”
Here’s the summary…
No one ever said love would be easy…but did they mention it would be freezing?
Adam Stillwater is in over his head. At least, that’s what his best friend would say. And his mom. And the guy who runs the hardware store down the street. But this pinball arcade is the only piece of his dad that Adam has left, and he’s determined to protect it from Philadelphia’s newest tech mogul, who wants to turn it into another one of his cold, lifeless gaming cafés.
Whitney Mitchell doesn’t know how she got here. Her parents split up. Her boyfriend dumped her. Her friends seem to have changed overnight. And now she’s spending her senior year running social media for her dad’s chain of super successful gaming cafés—which mostly consists of trading insults with that decrepit old pinball arcade across town.
But when a huge snowstorm hits, Adam and Whitney suddenly find themselves trapped inside the arcade. Cut off from their families, their worlds, and their responsibilities, the tension between them seems to melt away, leaving something else in its place. But what happens when the storm stops?
Yes, You Can Go Your Own Way may seem like a surface level stuck inside during snowstorm slow burn romance, and while it is that, the truth is, once you dig into the two mains, Adam and Whitney, there’s a lot more going on theme wise that I think most folks will find relatable in some way. The magic is in the nuance here and it’s worth your time to pay attention the details. And of course, for your pinball nerds out there, prepare yourselves accordingly.
Eric and I talk about the fun nostalgic aspect of the book, the road to being an agent and an author, his very personal submission in the Allies anthology, You Can Go Your Own Way of course, and much, much more.
You Can Go Your Own Way is out now, click HERE to order a copy today!
About the Author:
Eric Smith is a literary agent and Young Adult author from Elizabeth, New Jersey. As an agent with P.S. Literary, he’s worked on New York Times bestselling and award-winning books. His recent novels include the YALSA Best Books for Young Readers selection Don’t Read the Comments, You Can Go Your Own Way, and the anthology Battle of the Bands, co-edited with award-winning author Lauren Gibaldi. His other books include the IndieBound bestseller The Geek’s Guide to Dating, the Inked duology, and The Girl and the Grove. His writing has sold into eight languages. A lifelong lover of writing and books, he holds a Bachelor of Arts from Kean University in English, and a Master’s in English from Arcadia University, where he currently mentors MFA students. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and son, and enjoys video games, pop punk, and crying over every movie.
