{"id":1407,"date":"2016-06-20T14:07:53","date_gmt":"2016-06-20T18:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blinkyabooks.com\/?p=1407"},"modified":"2026-01-02T08:18:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T08:18:50","slug":"book-brag-started-goodbye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.harpercollinsfocus.hcusweb.com\/blinkyabooks\/book-brag-started-goodbye\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Brag! It Started with Goodbye"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Started_Goodbye\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Happy longest day of the year, readers! In honor of all things summer, it\u2019s my pleasure to announce next year\u2019s spring\/summer release, It Started with Goodbye<\/em>, a sweet and quirky contemporary novel with a Cinderella twist.<\/p>\n

Here to celebrate the announcement of this book with me is author Christina June<\/a>. She is a debut author and high school counselor, who loves spending her summers eating ice cream, strolling farmers\u2019 markets, playing tourist in her own city, and binge-watching Felicity<\/em>, Gilmore Girls<\/em>, and Lost<\/em> for the millionth times.<\/p>\n

JM:<\/strong> Hi, Christina! So excited to introduce the world to It Started with Goodbye<\/em>. Tell us about how you came up with the story and how it feels to be publishing your first novel!<\/p>\n

CJ: I\u2019m excited to be here! I\u2019ll save my inspiration for the next question. As for how it feels to be a debut author? So many things at once. I am elated, terrified, and humbled in equal parts. It is a great honor to be able to share my words with readers. The young adult book community really knocks my socks off with their passion for great stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n

JM:<\/strong> It Started with Goodbye<\/em> is a bit like a modern fairytale retelling. What was your inspiration for including a Cinderella theme?<\/p>\n

CJ:<\/strong> It was literally an abandoned shoe. I was walking into work the Monday after the Homecoming dance and there was a dress shoe lying on the side of the road. There are a lot of Cinderella-inspired stories, and for good reason, since all of us can relate to feeling treated unfairly in some way. I wanted to make my heroine someone who questions the rules she\u2019s living with.<\/strong><\/p>\n

JM:<\/strong> Your main character, Tatum, is certainly not the type of girl who sits around and waits for her happy ending\u2014she creates her own. What do you love most about Tatum?<\/p>\n

CJ: I love that she thinks she\u2019s right all the time, sometimes to a fault. I\u2019m sure my parents will agree when I say she\u2019s a little like me at that age (and maybe also now). I admire that she always does Tatum the best way she knows how and she doesn\u2019t apologize for it. <\/strong><\/p>\n

JM:<\/strong> Tatum is a graphic designer. Do you have any artistic talents, or are you living vicariously through her?<\/p>\n

CJ: Writing is my biggest creative outlet these days, but once upon a time in high school I was a theatre and choir nerd. The first big show I saw was Cats<\/em> when I was 5 and I tried to hide under the seat when the actors danced in the aisles. I still love watching musicals though, especially on Broadway\u2014who wants to take me to see Hamilton<\/em>?!<\/strong><\/p>\n

JM:<\/strong> Sneak peek. What is your favorite line from the whole story? (Yes, I know it\u2019s hard to choose!)<\/p>\n

CJ: This is like making me choose between chocolate and peanut butter! Okay, if I have to choose, this is probably my favorite\u2014mostly because of what happens because of it. This is an email Tatum sends after listening to a particularly emotional piece of music:<\/strong><\/p>\n

That completely wrecked me. Bravo. <\/em><\/p>\n

T<\/em><\/p>\n

And if you want to know who she sent it to and what comes next\u2026..well, you\u2019ll just have to read the book!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks so much, Christina! Readers, stay tuned for more posts on It Started with Goodbye<\/em> and from Christina, and be sure to preorder the book at the links below. Also visit www.ChristinaJune.com\/<\/a> for more info on preorder perks and special events such as:<\/p>\n