How To Get a Boyfriend 101

Author's Note :)

hello, reader... i'm thrilled that you made it to the end of the book!

although this book was published in one go, the behind-the-scenes of the journey from my younger self, being struck one day by the idea of writing about a love-longing dude reading a straight girl's self-help book to navigate his not-so-straight love life, to myself now, publishing it in this complete fiction novel form, was a wild ride.

first—this book did not start with these characters! i've rewritten a lot of the scenes that i pulled from the predecessor version of how to get a boyfriend 101, a fanfiction that's still on my profile. the amount of love and support i received for that version, along with a desire to improve upon the story, drove me to transform and re-do it all over the course of a year.

i wanted to write a story centered around lgbtq+ characters but more focused on the fun parts of their lives. the joy, passion, friendships, crushes, and hectic teenage life that a lot of people can relate to. of course, teens in the community share challenges, like a fear of being rejected, and a fear of being forced out before being ready to come out, which was touched upon in russell and blake's relationship.

but in general, i wanted to stick to felix's charmingly ridiculous thought trains (which frequently collide) and funny mindset. coming up with and writing his character was an absolute joy, both as a fanfiction character and in this book an original character in his own right. exploring the ways i could pull the most random ideas into his tangents and integrate them into the context of the story was so much fun, and i loved getting to rewrite several of his rants. y'know... only a few.

i'm extremely lucky to be able to share this story with you, and i love seeing the feedback i get and the supportive interactions with people who read my stories!

thank you, again, for reading. i can't even begin to express how much every sign of support means to me.

hope to meet again soon!

- nina :)

p.s. it's been hinted at for the entirety of the book, and yes—the BTFC has an origin story! in the next bonus chapter, you'll be able to see how it came to be, and not from the point of view you'd necessarily expect ;)