THE PIZZA CHRONICLES SERIES TOUR
and BOOK 4 NEW RELEASE
SERIES BLURB
The books in the Pizza Chronicles series follow the main character, RV, through his high school years, as he tries to answer his many questions about life, God, prayer, sexuality, being the son of immigrants, and staying loyal to his heritage while carving out his own life and relationships.
The stories should be read in order.
Book #1: Why Can’t Life Be Like Pizza?
Book #2: Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza?
Book #3: Why Can’t Relationships Be Like Pizza?
Book #4: Why Can’t Sophomore Summer Be Like Pizza?
Overall Heat Rating for the series: 1 flame
NEW RELEASE
BOOK 4
Book Title: Why Can’t Sophomore Summer Be Like Pizza?
Author: Andy V. Roamer
Publisher: Nine Star Press
Length: 52 000 words
Release Date: August 23, 2021
Genre: Young Adult LGBT
Tropes: Summer vacation between freshman & sophomore years of high school
Themes: Teenage steps toward maturity: ups & downs of romance, driving lessons, coming out to family
It is a standalone story, with the same characters from books 1-3.
The books have frequent references to previous titles in the series, so better if they are read in order.
Buy Links
Amazon US Author Page | Amazon UK Author Page
RV’s summer after sophomore year of high school isn’t all fun and games as he navigates a budding new relationship, struggles with driving lessons, copes with the ups and downs of his summer job in a movie theatre, and tries to be patient with his traditional family that doesn’t want to deal with his sexuality.
Blurb
It’s the summer after sophomore year and RV enjoys new adventures and faces new challenges having finished two years of high school. Since he loves movies, he’s happy to get a job as an usher at a movie multiplex, but learns the realities of dealing with job stresses and unruly customers. It’s time for him to start learning how to drive, and his father is eager to give him lessons. But he’s not the most patient of teachers and RV is not the most capable of drivers. Bobby is still around, but he’s doing the hard job of recovering from his injury so doesn’t have time for much else. RV tries to open himself up to a new relationship and is happy when he meets Matteo, who works at the multiplex also. It looks like the start of a budding romance – until it isn’t. And then there is RV’s family, loving but traditional, not ready or willing to discuss issues of sexuality. Luckily, as always, there is Mr. Aniso, RV’s freshmen-year teacher, who has become a friend and is always there to talk over anything that might be bothering RV. But he’s away for the summer, helping his partner’s family, so there’s only so much time and attention he can give RV.
INTERVIEW WITH ANDY V. ROAMER
Introduce yourself and your writing
Hi. My name is Andy Roamer. I worked in book publishing in New York City for many years, which is where I still live. I now am writing a young adult series, The Pizza Chronicles. It is about gay young man of immigrant parents from Eastern Europe and his adventures finding himself and his place in the world during his high school years.
How long have you been an author?
I’ve been a published author for 2 years. I’ve been writing stories and plays ever since I was a young boy.
What/who inspired you to start writing?
I think it was always in my blood. As I told someone else, I wrote letters (never mailed) to a boy in our neighborhood when I was five or six years old, asking him to come live with us. I think he was my first crush.
Tell us about your new release. What inspired you to write it?
My latest (fourth) book in The Pizza Chronicles, Why Can’t Sophomore Summer Be Like Pizza?, explores the main character’s (RV’s) adventures during the summer after his sophomore year. He goes through many rites of passage: dealing with a crush that is unrequited, taking tentative steps at dating someone else, starting driving lessons, working at a stressful summer job.
It’s a continuation of the series as I’m exploring RV’s life during the different years of high school. I was inspired to write this series because I wanted to write about a character who had some of the same traits I remember myself having at that age: being unsure about so many things, including sexuality, but at the same time determined to be part of life.
How did you decide on the title?
My family had a favorite pizza joint where we not only loved the pizza, but went to socialize with relatives and friends. So as I was thinking about a title for the books about RV’s life, our trips to the pizza joint came to mind.
What are you working on at present? Would you like to share a snippet?
I am now working on Book 5, RV’s junior year, which brings new challenges and opportunities.
RV’s Guidance Counselor’s first meeting with him – talk about pressure!:
“Your grades are only part of it. What about your extracurricular activities? A job? Volunteer work? How are your relations with your teachers? Other students? Have you shown leadership? What about clubs, organizations you belong to? Not just something on paper but where you’ve shown real initiative. Colleges want the total person, RV. The totalperson. Someone who’s not only smart, but is industrious, has community spirit, thinks outside the box, steps up to the plate, works well with others, shows he can lead others when necessary, and is willing to step up and solve problems. And not just complain about them. Are you that person, RV?”
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Making myself sit down and write. Once I’m finally at the computer, it’s usually easier, unless I’m very tired or distracted for some reason.
Did you learn anything from writing your book? What was it?
I’ve often worried, asking myself how am I ever going to come up with enough plot to move my book along. But it’s amazing. So far, at least, the muse, of my unconscious, is there for me. Once I do sit down at the computer and relax, letting the muse take over, I find things flow from somewhere. As a friend said once, “Once you turn on the tap, it comes.”
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Don’t give up. I’ve told this story many times of entering a writing contest when I was in college. Sending in my manuscript, I asked the contest judges to let me know whether my writing was any good, in effect seeking affirmation. My entry didn’t win, but scrawled on the return letter, someone had written, “I can’t tell you whether you should continue writing. If you have to write, you will write.” In effect this person was telling me not to seek validation from outside. Writing is its own validation.
Do characters and stories just pop into your head, or do you take your time thinking about and planning them?
It’s a combination. Sometimes things pop into my head and rush to jot them down before they disappear forever. But usually, I spend a couple of months before sitting down to do the actual writing, to think about my upcoming book and what I want to write. I call it my “research,” letting things percolate in my head for awhile until they gel into something that I feel I can work with.
Do you write often? Do you have a schedule?
I need a schedule. There are too many excuses not to write if you leave it until you think you’re ready.
What are your writing and personal goals for 2021 and beyond?
To finish The Pizza Chronicles and then write about other characters.
Are you a cat person or a dog person? Tell us about your pets.
I like most animals, dogs more than pets. I just got back from vacation where the people had two dogs and about a dozen cats (they live in the country). As much as I like the animals, I don’t have any pets. I run around too much and don’t think I’d be as responsible with them as I should be.
THANK YOU
CHECK OUT THE FIRST THREE BOOKS IN
THE PIZZA CHRONICLES SERIES
BOOK 1
Book Title: Why Can’t Life Be Like Pizza?
Author: Andy V. Roamer
Publisher: Nine Star Press
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Length: 55 100 words/ 208 pages
Release Date: March 30, 2020
Genre: YA Contemporary
Trope: Son of immigrants
Themes: Coming Out
It is a standalone story.
Buy Links
NineStar Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK
In Why Can’t Life Be Like Pizza? RV begins freshman year at demanding Boston Latin School, doing his best to keep up and fit in while wrestling with his immigrant heritage and his sexuality.
Blurb
Wrestling with his sexuality, along with a lot of other things, RV thinks all is okay when he starts going out with Carole. But things get more complicated when RV develops a crush on Bobby, a football player in his class, who admits he may have gay feelings, too. Bobby is African American and facing his own pressures. Luckily, RV develops a friendship with Mr. Aniso, his Latin teacher, who is gay and always there to talk to when the pressure becomes overwhelming.
BOOK 2
Book Title: Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza?
Author: Andy V. Roamer
Publisher: Nine Star Press
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Length: 50 200 words/196 pages
Release Date: June 1, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Trope: Summer Vacation
Themes: Obstacles to exploring sexuality and enjoying summer
This story is a continuation of Book #1 with the same characters
Buy Links
Nine Star Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Tagline In Why Can’t Freshman Summer Be Like Pizza? RV and Bobby have survived freshman year and are looking forward to spending a wonderful summer together. But life has other plans.
Blurb
RV and Bobby’s summer is not what they wish for. They hardly have time to spend with each other. Bobby is busy at football camp and working at a job his father has pressured him into taking. RV is busy with a summer job, too, and also has to help his parents pass their U.S. citizenship test. His friend Carole jumps at the chance to spend her summer in Paris. As always, Mr. Aniso, RV’s Latin teacher is there to talk to when RV gets too lonely. He’s also there when RV inadvertently spills one of Bobby’s secrets, and Bobby is so angry at him RV is afraid he’s ready to cut off the friendship.
BOOK 3
Book Title: Why Can’t Relationships Be Like Pizza?
Author: Andy V. Roamer
Publisher: Nine Star Press
Length: 58 000 words/ 272 pages
Release Date: March 15, 2021
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Trope: Forming relationships
Themes: Maintaining relationships through difficulties/helping friend through tragedy
This is a continuation of Book #2 of The Pizza Chronicles
Buy Links
Nine Star Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK
In Why Can’t Relationships Be Like Pizza?, Book #3, RV begins sophomore year in high school, though his relationships create more questions than answers.
Blurb
RV is trying to maintain his newfound friendship with Bobby, but it’s becoming harder and harder. Bobby seems a different, more distant, person. RV’s friend Carole is distracted with the ups and downs in her relationships with the French boyfriends she met during her summer in Paris. RV’s new friend Mark is focused on his family’s troubles. School is a mixed bag. But Mr. Aniso, RV’s former teacher and mentor, is there to lean on, especially when near tragedy strikes and RV needs Mr. Aniso’s counsel to stay strong and provide help where it’s needed most.
About the Author
Andy V. Roamer grew up in the Boston area and moved to New York City after college. He worked in book publishing for many years, starting out in the children’s and YA books division and then wearing many other hats. This is his first novel about RV, the teenage son of immigrants from Lithuania in Eastern Europe, as RV tries to negotiate his demanding high school, his budding sexuality, and new relationships. He has written an adult novel, Confessions of a Gay Curmudgeon, under the pen name Andy V. Ambrose. To relax, Andy loves to ride his bike, read, watch foreign and independent movies, and travel.
Social Media Links
Blog/Website | Facebook | Instagram: andy_v_roamer
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