*Puts on epic movie trailer voice* This August, prepare yourself for something spontaneous…ly explosive.  Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer is the story of Mara Carlyle’s senior year, which starts off with a bang when one of her classmates spontaneously combusts during third period – and turns into a yearlong roller coaster as more students go pop. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be wondering where this book has been your whole life (take it from John Green, who left his feelings on the cover.) Keep scrolling to see the cover, discover 10 things you need to know about the author, and read an exclusive, never-before-seen excerpt from the book!

First up, the incredible cover:

Now get to know the author before you start reading:

Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Aaron Starmer

1. For two years, he worked for an African safari operator, and therefore knows slightly more about cargo vests than you do.
2. He believes the following are the only ingredients that should ever be found in guacamole: avocados, lime juice, onions, salt and (optionally) cilantro and jalapenos.
3. As a passenger in a taxi, he was once part of a high-speed chase with Disney security along the streets of Orlando. Long story short: he missed curfew.
4. He won the 1984 elementary school bush dancing competition (second grade division) in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
5. 15 years ago, he wrote his first novel, a sprawling, unpublished mess called Suburban Legends. You will never read it, except for one line of dialogue that survived and eventually found its way into Spontaneous.
6. He has run the New York Marathon, rafted the Grand Canyon, hiked the Milford Track, and eaten two pounds of gummy bears in a single sitting.
7. When he was in sixth grade, he watched the movie Better Off Dead approximately twenty-one times. If you haven’t seen it, it’s the inspiring, yet tragic story of an intrepid paperboy who’s just trying to do his job.
8. If you ask him to sing karaoke, he will probably sing George Michael’s “One More Try” and you will probably cry.
9. He lives in a state that is home to more cows than people and—if internet is to be believed—the methane found in cows’ digestive tracts makes them more likely to spontaneously combust.
10. Since he was five years old, he’s had a jagged scar on his forehead. Too bad he was born in the 1970s. Growing up, there were no Harry Potter comparisons. Only Frankenstein.

And finally, the most explosive excerpt you’ll ever read:

Spontaneous comes out August 30th, 2016!

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