“There is nothing wrong with you, and I hope you won’t lose sleep over close-minded people. Plenty of us are out here doing what we can to ensure our stories are told and visible and trying to lead with more love and kindness.”
Young adult author Robby Weber may have turned 30 this year and published his fourth novel aimed at teens, Everything About You, which may seem like an impressive feat for someone so relatively young. But Weber has been a writer for as long as he can remember. Growing up in Florida, stories are what got him through. “It’s strange, but I started writing so early that I honestly can’t think of a time when I didn’t want to be a writer,” he told me. “As soon as I was able to read on my own, I was devouring books.”
The author had, in fact, already written some novels by the time he was in college, but he started his professional life in the New York City fashion industry at the tender age of 21, an experience he says from which he drew inspiration for Everything About You. Holding true to his dream of becoming an author, once Weber moved back to Florida, he knew it was time to get serious. It was then that he wrote the YA novel that would land him an agent, If You Change Your Mind. “The very first iteration of [my first book] featured a 21-year-old Harry, but I realized I wanted to explore his arc as a teenager coming of age,” Weber explained when I asked what drove him to start writing books for teens. “Adam Silvera gave me the brilliant advice to make it YA, and I’m so glad he did. I love writing for young people and feeling like I can provide them with a sense of hope and optimism.”
In what he says is usually a surprise to no one, Weber is a former theatre kid, and describes himself as naturally a very dramatic person. “Like, when you think ‘dramatic,’ just dial the brightness up on that times a thousand, and that’s me,” he said. It’s not uncommon for those who grew up in the theatre to eventually turn to the pen to further their artistic expression, and the author thinks that comes through in his books, during what he calls some of their “larger-than-life” story beats. “Acting teaches you to understand characters and back stories in a very intimate way,” said Weber. “When playing a role, you live in this character’s mind and wear their clothes and speak the way they speak. You feel their feelings. That absolutely translates to writing.”
Once the author did start making that translation into his own writing, he knew that as a queer author, he wanted his stories to focus on uplifting queer joy. LGBTQ+ books, whether written for teens or otherwise, have a tainted history of focusing heavily on our sufferings, which may have historically had a place in the canon. “That was so much more of the narrative during the early 2000s, especially. Gay characters who were dealing with bullying or struggling with coming out,” he said. “I think those stories are 100% necessary and we should keep telling them.” But it’s authors like Weber who are more than ready and willing to also turn that narrative on its head. “At the same time, I think queer people deserve just as many joyful, hopeful stories.”
“When playing a role, you live in this character’s mind and wear their clothes and speak the way they speak. You feel their feelings. That absolutely translates to writing.”
Weber himself grew up gravitating towards young adult novels that were on the glitzy and glamorous side as opposed to the suffering one, such as book series like Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Clique. It was only when he got to college that he started reading authors like John Green and Rainbow Rowell, two writers who certainly helped propel the YA genre to where it is today. “That really was a shift where it clicked, like, ‘oh, these are stories I love and this is a genre I’d like to explore,’” he explained. “I went more of the rom-com route, but YA contemporary is still my favorite. Jenny Han, Morgan Matson, and Adam Silvera are forever my inspirations.”
As a Florida-based author writing queer-centric novels for youngsters, it felt unfortunately impossible not to bring up the current elephant in the room. Last week, PEN America reported 22,810 instances of book banning occurring in U.S. public schools since 2021. While Weber admitted that it hasn’t happened to his books that he’s aware of, he lamented that it’s tough. “I just wish young readers didn’t have to experience the way bans can make queer people feel ‘othered’ or like there is something wrong with them,” he told me. “There is nothing wrong with you, and I hope you won’t lose sleep over close-minded people. Plenty of us are out here doing what we can to ensure our stories are told and visible and trying to lead with more love and kindness.”
As for what the author is working on next? He’s hinted at wanting to branch out into the world of adult fiction with his next novel on social media, something Weber confirmed to me. “I can’t say much more,” he said sneakily. “What I can say is that I’m so grateful for everything the Citrus Harbor books have done for my life, I am so thankful for my readers, and I am so excited about what does come next!”
This interview has been slightly edited for length and clarity. Follow Robby Weber on Instagram and get his latest novel Everything About You from your local indie bookstore or library.
Jeffrey Reads 