Every Time You Hear That Song by Jenna Voris is a split-POV love song to country idols, romantic road trips, and queer love, on shelves now! Told in alternating perspectives, this queer coming-of-age story celebrates country music, complicated women, and living authentically.

We had some questions for author Jenna Voris about her latest novel. Scroll down to read!

Don’t forget to get your copy here!

Country music. Roadtrips and treasure hunts. Multi-POV AND multi-timelines. Where did the idea for Every Time You Hear That Song come from? 

Every Time You Hear That Song was initially inspired by one of my friends telling me about Dolly Parton’s dream box. Basically, Dolly wrote this new song, locked it in a time capsule, and it’s not going to be opened until her 100th birthday in 2046. I think that’s so fun and dramatic, but naturally I was like “omg what if everyone’s waited all this time, but then when someone goes to open it, the box is empty?” and everything sort of spiraled from there.

If you could tell Decklee ONE thing, what would it be? What advice would you give Darren? 

The thing is that Decklee would not listen to a single word I say! I would try to tell her that there is a way to balance personal happiness and professional success but she would simply leave me on read. I would also tell Darren that no one actually knows what they want to do with their lives at seventeen and that she has time to figure it out, too. Basically, listen to “Vienna” by Billy Joel on repeat until something sticks.

We heard there are quite a few Swiftie easter eggs in Every Time You Hear That Song. Is that true?!

There might be one or two (or several) and I’m so excited to see which ones people pick up on! In general, the idea of solving little riddles to unlock secret song titles and uncover hidden clues is very Taylor Swift coded and if I had to pitch this book in songs, it would be “The Lucky One” meets “A Place In This World.”

Speaking of which: if Decklee was a Taylor Swift song, which would she be? What about Darren, or Mickenlee? 

Decklee is 100% “The Archer.” It’s tragic but it’s true. Darren is a nice mix of debut Taylor and “You’re On Your Own Kid” and Mickenlee is definitely something like “Treacherous.” If there’s one thing that girl is going to do, it’s yearn.

If you could choose an artist to write the soundtrack for Every Time You Hear That Song, who would you choose? We’re dying to hear Whiskey Red! 

I love artists like Brandi Carlile and Kacey Musgraves. I think they’d nail the lyricism of these fictional songs while still giving them a distinct country twang. I’m also obsessed with Ethel Cain—she’s not a country artist but her music is so visceral and nostalgic. I listen to “American Teenager” at night with my windows down all the time.

Every Time You Hear That Song and your debut Made of Stars are, obviously, VERY different books! How did you go about transitioning from heart-pounding sci-fi to breaking-my-HEART contemporary? 

I actually wrote Every Time You Hear That Song before I queried Made of Stars, had an agent, or knew I would ever be published. I just really loved the characters and the story and wanted to see where it could go. Because of that, my process didn’t really change and I didn’t feel much of a transition. Looking back, it was nice that I was able to write so much of this book without any external pressures or expectations.

Did *THAT* Fleetwood Mac song inspire you while writing?

Not specifically, but the concept of a song you once loved souring after a breakup was obviously a big theme for this book. And of course, there’s something so dramatic about cursing your ex live on stage using the lyrics of a song you wrote. My “Silver Springs” was actually the 2010 Camp Rock 2 press tour where a recently broken up Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato sang “Wouldn’t Change A Thing” without looking at each other once. The energy? Unmatched.

Who would you cast in an Every Time You Hear That Song movie? 

I want to cast Laura Dern in every adaptation ever, mostly because I just want to meet Laura Dern and feel like we would be friends. Other than that, I’m not sure! I think Sadie Sink would be a great young Mickenlee.

Why do you enjoy making us cry? My emotions are NOT recovered. 

Emotional manipulation is actually so important to me but if you want to know a secret, I still haven’t recovered either and still tear up each time I read the last chapter.