In her first young adult novel, New York Times bestselling author Tia Williams returns to the unforgettable world of Seven Days in June to give readers a fresh, funny, and emotionally layered glimpse into the life of sixteen-year-old Audre. In Audre & Bash Are Just Friends, a type-A student secretly moonlighting as a teen therapist decides she’s tired of missing out on life—and hires the local bad boy for a crash course in summer fun. We spoke with Williams about the joy of writing for a younger audience, why first love stories never lose their magic, and what longtime fans can expect from this much-anticipated spinoff.

She Reads: Tell us about Audre & Bash Are Just Friends. What inspired you to write a young adult novel and how was writing for this age group different than your adult novels?

Tia Williams: Audre & Bash Are Just Friends follows Audre, a high-achieving, type-A junior who goes to an elite Brooklyn private school. She’s the president of her class. She has a lucrative, secret side-hustle as a student therapist. She’s a debate team champion. She does so many things well, but realizes she doesn’t know how to have fun – so she hires the local “bad boy” to show her a good time for the summer.

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I absolutely loved writing for this age group. There’s an innocence and sweet confusion to the teen years that was refreshing to explore. First love, friendship drama, annoying parents…I loved the challenge of stepping into that world. Of course, it helped that I have a sixteen-year-old girl living in my house!

SR: Audre was a beloved character from Seven Days in June. What new things did you learn about her while writing Audre & Bash and what can fans of Seven Days in June look forward to learning about the family from this new perspective and point in time?

Tia: She was such a fun character to write in Seven Days. It made me giggle, to create this twelve-year-old girl who was often more clever than the adults in the room. Now, at sixteen, she’s that same precocious, witty girl, but she’s lost a bit of the confidence; which is definitely something that happens as you enter high school and social/emotional stakes get higher. Where the seventh-grader had a bullet-proof swagger, the eleventh-grader second-guesses her every move.

In other news, Eva and Shane have settled into a cozy life together–with a few major updates. I think fans of Seven Days in June will have fun catching up with these two, four years later.

SR: What are some of your favorite elements to writing about first loves?

Tia: There’s nothing like first love. The vulnerability and discovery you experience is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You’re not jaded yet, and you’re so open and hopeful. I don’t know that I’d want to relive my own first love (thank heaven for adult clarity) but it was a thrill walking in Audre and Bash’s shoes for a year!

SR: What’s a YA book you loved as a teen that still sticks with you today?

Tia: Forever by Judy Blume was a formative read. I remember reading it under my covers with a portable flashlight, feeling like it was the most salacious story ever written. The next month, I read Flowers in the Attic, which swiftly changed my mind.

SR: Can you share any details about the TV adaptation of Seven Days in June and your role as executive producer?

Tia: The only thing I can say right now is that it’s in development as a series with Will Packer and Amazon. I wish I could divulge more!

SR: What’s your favorite indie bookstore, and where is it located?

Tia: Baldwin & Co in New Orleans

SR: Who is an author (living or dead) you’d love to have coffee with?

Tia: Dorothy Parker

SR: What’s the best book you read last year?

Tia: Reformatory by Tannarive Due

SR: If you could sit and have a conversation with just one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Tia: Tuesday Rowe (A Love Song for Ricki Wilde), because she’s a former child star, and I’d demand to know all the sordid Hollywood tea.

SR: Share a podcast you love.

Tia: Ratchet and Respectable by Demetria Lucas

SR: What were some of the songs on your playlist while writing Audre & Bash?

Tia:

  • Love by Kendrick Lamar
  • Thinking Bout You by Frank Ocean
  • Nothing Even Matters by Lauryn Hill
  • BMF by SZA
  • Creep by Radiohead
  • Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover by Sophie B. Hawkins
  • You and I by One Direction
  • About a Girl by Nirvana
  • Dreaming of You by Selena
  • Please Please Please by Sabrina Carpenter
  • Say Something by Mariah Carey

SR: Which book has had the biggest impact on your life?

Tia: It by Stephen King