Okay, so by now, you're probably like:
Or
Which is completely understandable. So to help heal your emotional wounds, here's a Q&A! Okay, Â it probably won't be as fulfilling as reading the theoretical sequel, but it'll come close. Hopefully. Read on!
Q&A
Q: What made you come up with the story?
I've aways been obsessed with high school cliches. Don't know why. Maybe it's because I was underwhelmed by my own high school experience, and movies like Mean Girls, Easy A, She's the Man, and 10 Things I Hate About You (and more recently, The DUFF) have always been guilty pleasures for me. I love reinventing cliche's, so I knew I wanted to write something about one (or a couple), while still making it very smart and refined. I like things that can speak to people of all ages and backgrounds, so although I knew this would be a high school story, it was important to me to have ethnically diverse, dynamic characters.
I LOVE alter-egos/secret identities and anime (blame my love of Ouran Highschool Host Club, Death Note, and Code Geass) so I definitely wanted to write something that also had a humorous yet dramatic vibe to it. So long story short, I really wanted to write a story about a girl going undercover at an all boys school, Â but making it as smart/refined as it was humorous. And I think I accomplished that. :)
Q: When will Miren fall in love with Jeno?
A: I love how you phrased this question. This means I can answer it without giving away anything! *Laughs maniacally* As you may have noticed, Miren is a little stiff, and probably isn't one to make the first move unless she has to. However, she definitely likes Jeno. And he definitely likes her. As you could tell from the ending, I really didn't want to do a "will they, won't they" dynamic between them. Â They are aware that their feelings aren't particularly platonic, and that aspect of their relationship will be on display in the possible sequel. However, just because they realize they care for each other doesn't mean they'll end up with each other. They're both skeptical people, and the circumstance they've been placed in might complicate their relationship.
Q: When did Miren meet Parker?
A: In middle school with Penelope. He's a year ahead, and Miren started going to the same  school as them in 7th grade, so she didn't really get to know him that well until he started high school and his family got closer to Penelope's family. At that time, Miren was living with Penelope's family (this was around the time Miren's family life fell to pieces).
Q: Will Mino get together?
A: I'm guessing that this is Miren and Jeno's ship name? I dig it. Anyway, as you read in the ending, it's evident that they do have some feelings for each other. However, there are all of these external things that stand in their way, not to mention the fact that Miren might not even be emotionally available to be in a relationship with him due to her unresolved feelings toward Parker, and her own personal nature. Whereas Jeno is sort of this serious badass that honestly doesn't give a fuck about others while still being a fundamentally caring/grounded person, Miren is incredibly self-conscious and over-critical. Truthfully, not much would stand in their way if they wanted to get together. But I don't see Miren giving in so quickly, if at all. *
*Note, I'm saying this strictly from a reader's perspective, not as the author. For all you know, they might begin the theoretical sequel as a couple, but accepting that they can't be too lovey dovey because of the circumstance. Maybe Jeno tells her that he got caught in the moment and he rejects the notion of them ever being together, making Miren realize that she actually does love him. Maybe they just spend the entire non-existent sequel ignoring each other until Parker reveals that he's gay and in love with Miles. Who knows?
Q: What happened to Miren's dad?
A: I don't want to say too much because I actually have no idea myself, but he's out of the picture. Alive or not alive, idk. He's just out of the country if he is and he left Miren and her mom when she was younger. Due to her last name, he is Nigerian (Igbo), while her mother was African-American.
Q: Why did you make Miren black? Why did you make the minority characters the races they are? Why interracial couples?
A: Okay, so this is more like fifty questions, but I think they all have a similar theme so I'll try to combine my answers. Miren being black was a biased move; I am a young black female, and I have always felt that we're poorly represented in media/entertainment. Before Shonda Rhimes (creator of hit US shows like Scandal, Grey's Anatomy, and How to Get Away With Murder) came along, it was virtually IMPOSSIBLE to see a black female as a lead in a contemporary program, and the same is true with books. The black girl/boy isn't the main character unless it specifically has to do with them being black, and I really wanted to have a character where her being black didn't matter - but made her all the more dynamic. Overall, black women are hardly represented, and whenever they are, they're usually whitewashed (ex. Zoe Saldana playing Nina Simone). And don't even get me started on the lack of Latinos, Â Asians and disabled people in contemporary roles on TV...
Being a black student in an elite private school highlights the difficulties Miren already has fitting in, especially in contrast to characters like Artemis (Egyptian), Chara (Japanese), or Parker and Wallace (biracial) who, despite also being people of color, have a bit of a leg up socially because they are more physically similar to the rest of the white student body (straight hair, lighter skin). I tried to parallel this high school dynamic to the real world - how darker people are viewed less favorably to their lighter counter parts, and how people notice this injustice but may or may not do something about it. Hence, why the bullying goes on.
There is also this misconception that black women are more masculine then women of other races, which is something I explored quite literally by making Miren dress in male drag. Ironically, despite the hassle of keeping up her disguise, she finds that her life is much easier, which goes into the expectation (and in many cases, reality) that men have it easier socially than women. Miren is a person first, and that's what I really wanted to get across. Often non-white characters are reduced to stereotypes or token characters. And I hope that when you read the story, you realizing why we need more representation.
As for interracial couplings, I just wanted to both reflect and expand on our reality. I often see black/biracial guys dating white girls (Parker and Penelope), but I hardly see two minorities dating each other (Chara and Wallace). But in Miren's case, I wanted to dispel the idea that black women are less desirable, particularly by men of other races, which is why I specifically made Parker (biracial) and Jeno (white) her "love interests". Black is beautiful, and more importantly, it is okay.
If you need more clarification about what I mean, I think the article below picks up what I'm throwing down:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/saeedjones/we-cant-eat-lupitas-black-beauty-try-as-we-might#.mrzl0NLg0
#Blackgirlmagic
Q: What are your dating preferences? We're any of the couples/friends inspired by your relationships?
At the ripe old age of 20, I haven't actually been in a relationship. *Sighs dramatically*
I spent most of my undergrad being a competitive pre-medical student, playing in a "band" and writing. However, as picky as I am, I am also incredibly open. I don't think people should limit who they date by race, but I think you have to be on the same page with the person value-wise (not necessarily having the same religion or something). Which is exactly why April and Jackson from Grey's Anatomy are going through such a rough time...lol
One theme I would like to go into further with the sequel I'm not writing is the fluidity of love and getting away from the notion that certain characters have to date/get together for them to show love/care toward each other. And that love isn't about being straight or gay or bisexual  or physical, it's just about caring for each other. Take Artemis, for example. You can tell that she loves Miren, yet  they'll probably never be romantic interests or anything (I want to say that they'd never be a thing, but never say never lol), but the care they have for each other is something I wish people had more of. It's like, unless someone wears a label of importance to you (sibling, parent, offspring, relative) you're probably not going to care about them. And although I'm not saying that you should go hug a stranger on the street, if more people empathized than sympathized with each other, I think we'd live in a better world.
Moving on from that rant, I do have a good friend (RachelMarieMasseyFre)Â that inspired me to put the story up. I don't see her as much as I'd like, but I can see a lot of the Chara/Miren dynamic between us.
Q: What do you do?
A: I write. All day. Everyday. Just kidding. I'm a prospective medical student, so I spend most of my time freaking out about med school in the fall while trying to make the most of my gap year*.
*A gap year is a year off you can take after college before starting professional school (medical, law, graduate, dental, etc). In my case, I did college in three years, so my gap year was more like me taking the final year of university off. :)
Q: Who's your favorite character?
A: That's a hard question! In many ways Miren is like a less fun extension of my self (she's a little more dry, and her sense of humor is a little darker than mine. I tend to be more out there/boarder line sophomoric. And I wouldn't have kicked Penelope's ass. I would have gotten back at her later. I'm not very confrontational unless I HAVE to be), but I adore Jeno.
I like how he is a serious character, but he isn't boring or too stiff. He's very conscious of how other's act and how he comes across to others, yet in the end of the day he acts as much for himself as he does for others. He's very balanced, yet he has his faults and he's aware of them. Basically, I like him because he's the one who continues to make the story interesting after Chara's suggestion to transfer schools.
I will give Wallace an honorable mention, and I do like Artemis quite a bit. But I love her in the sequel. Â You know, the one that is only a figment of your imagination. :)
Q: How did you come up with that f&*@ed up ending?
A: I don't know! The novel was originally planned to be a stand alone, but once it got close to ending, I felt that there was still so much more the characters had to say and do. I knew that there had to be some roadblock preventing Miren from coming back, but my brain was like, "Yo, she has no reason to stay at Rinzen anymore, but she can't just go back to St. Rosemunde either. Something fucked up has to happen." And then I just thought of it. Don't know why; don't know how. But it's the perfect conflict, isn't it?
Q: Was the story always like this? Did you change it at all?
A: When I first wrote the story a couple years back, it was a lot longer (100k words, or 400 pages). Because I have a lot of free time, around January I had the random idea to rewrite it. It took me roughly two weeks, and I cut it down to around 75k. Here are some of the changes/differences:
1. Rosemunde was actually a co-ed school (boy and girl school, non-Catholic) where Parker, Soren, and Klondike attended with the girls, while Rinzen was still an all boys school, where Jeno, Wallace, Axel, Levi and all the other guys attended.
2. A huge fight in the courtyard at Rosemunde between Miren and Penelope caused Miren to lose the award, it didn't happen on stage. The headmaster at Rosemunde was also a dude.
3. Rosemunde and Rinzen had swapped names, if that makes sense. I thought it be funny for an all-boys school to have a girly name. Obviously, this changed when I had to make the other school an all-girls catholic school and the name St. Rosemunde seemed more fitting.
4. I had to tighten the homecoming stuff because it dragged on.
5. I made Jeno more direct about his feelings toward Miren (such as adding the all-most kiss scene in the last chapter).
6. And I made the following name changes:
-Almira St. Biston to Sydelle St. Biston to Penelope van Helsing
-Mercy Enwezor to Miren Eze
-Jeno and Jemma Abendroth to Jeno and Jemma Rutherford
-Archer and Wallace Herrison to Parker and Wallace Harrison
-Chara Suketto to Charolette "Chara" Tachibana
-Remi Awad-Wheatley to Artemis El-Amin
I'm sure there are more things I can't think about. I'll be sure to add them on when they come to me. Stay tooned. :)
Q: F%&* THE Q&A! Â STOP TEASING US! IS THERE GOING TO BE A SEQUEL OR NOT?
A:
So here are some answers to some questions I know you're dying to ask:
Q: What's going to happen in the sequel? What's Miren going to do now? Tell me, damnit!!
A:Â Stuff will happen in the sequel. And Miren will do things.
Just kidding.
Naturally, there will be a mental/moral dilemma of what Miren should do now (ex. come forward, try to use her "death" to her advantage). And the new dynamic between Jeno and her friends will influence her decision. Basically, what I'm saying is, she may or may not be in drag when the story returns. So consider what either decision would mean. If she goes back to Rosemunde, she might find her self in a bit of a love triangle with Parker and Jeno, and have to deal with some new obstacles including Penelope's aggression.
If she were to stay at Rinzen, Miren might find herself unable to accept Jeno's affections for the time being, and might feel torn about letting Parker and Artemis be sad about her "death" as she considers the ramifications of her decisions, and if getting back at Penelope is even worth it.
So which would you pick? It's pretty obvious. *Wink*
Q: When the f&*% is the sequel going to be up?
A: I start school in the fall, so I'd like to have it up by early/mid May, but don't quote me. Like I said, I'm  close to 60% done, and I have an ending in sight. I'll let you know when I finish it, but I believe I can have it done in a few weeks.
CONTEST(S)!?
I want to repay the favor to some of your for sticking with me and reading my story. There is a female character that appears in the sequel that I've had a little bit of trouble naming. So I'd like it if one of you chose! Please put your suggestion in the comments or PM me. There will be five finalists based on the ones I like best, and one ultimate winner (maybe we can do a collective vote for the best). The prizes can range from a review/critique of your work, a follow, a dedication - whatever we agree upon. If any of you have suggestions for a prize, that will also be put into consideration.
As for the name, all I can say is that this character is originally from the UK and is female. Try to use the names of  my existing characters for motivation. I like to have a nice blend of unique, but not too out there names (ex. Miren, Jeno,  Artemis) as well as more common ones that aren't overused (ex. Penelope, Wallace, Levi). For example, I would probably pick Clarke over Calypso for a name (I'm also obsessed with The 100 if you couldn't tell). You have a week from today (April 3, 2016) to get in your names!
Also, I'd love to hear your choices for actors used for the cast list of the story. Keke Palmer (Miren) and Elizabeth Gilles (Penelope) are pretty much locked in, but I'm not so convinced about Jeno. I originally had him as Dylan O'Brien, but I also like Daniel Sharman (a beautiful man but I don't know if he's too old to play an 18-year-old boy), and Ezra Miller (The recently buffed up version. If you look up 'Ezra Miller Superman v Batman premiere' and he's wearing a red jacket, then you have the right picture. He's younger than Dylan, but has a jaw line that could cut glass...so I'm wondering if that also makes him look too old lol).
Moving on from my rant, if you offer some suggestions for the other characters (ex. Parker, Wallace, Chara, Soren, Jeno, Jemma, Levi, Axel), then there might also be some prizes in store. I'll let you know the details when I come up with them. :)
CLOSING REMARKS
All in all, it was such a pleasure to write for all of you. I was on the fence about putting this story out there, but it couldn't have been better received by all of you. I can assure you that if you liked this story, that the sequel will also be very entertaining. To keep things simple, it will probably just be called The Class Reject: A Damsel in Disguise, Vol. 2. Â Anyway, this was fun, and please continue to share any thoughts or ideas with me. Your feedback will always be welcome. Thanks again. And happy Easter to those who Easter. :)
Until then,