by Kat Georges

Jessamyn Violet’s SECRET RULES TO BEING A ROCKSTAR is a sizzling LGBTQ+ Young Adult novel, releasing April 18 at Three Rooms Press. This sparkling debut novel tells the story of Kyla Bell, who goes from playing piano at a local restaurant in Western Massachusetts to being asked to join her favorite band as keyboardist on their next national tour. The catch? Because she is so green, the band’s manager requires that she move to Hollywood immediately to stay with a jaded music producer for a few weeks in a kind of “rockstar bootcamp.” Set in the 1990s, the story displays the excesses and abuses of the era front and center, as Kyla tries to maintain her sense of self while undergoing truly life-altering experiences.

In addition to rave reviews from literary outlets and bestselling authors, SECRET RULES TO BEING A ROCKSTAR has been a hit with real-life rockstars who started in the same era. Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara says “Jessamyn Violet effortlessly captures the seedy world of music in 90s Los Angeles and the scary, sensitive, sticky feeling of being a teenager in an adult world.” Eva Gardner, bassist for P!NK and Cher, calls it “a colorful story full of hope and wonder, immersing the reader in the near-dystopian dreamscape of the music industry in 1990s Los Angeles–and I know because I lived it.” Peyton Bighorse of Skating Polly declares, “Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar is a magical story that reminds me of when we were first getting started.”

Jessamyn, who holds a BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College and an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco’s California College of the Arts, is committed to creative pursuits. In addition to writing, she is the drummer for the internationally-acclaimed psych-rock band Movie Club.

I sat down with Jessamyn to find out how the fruition of a lifelong dream to be a published author felt, and to get her insight on her book, her writing process, and her love of literature and music.

Kat Georges: How does it feel to be releasing your debut novel?

Jessamyn Violet: It feels like the most exciting time in my life. A lifelong dream, when finally realized, is utterly unreal. I grew up worshiping books and always wanted to publish my own. I sort of knew how difficult a dream it is to realize, but I don’t think any of us fully know what we’re signing up for when we decide to pursue publishing. I did not know if I was ever going to accomplish this task, but now that I am, I feel endlessly lucky to be doing it with Three Rooms Press and my goal is to feel satisfaction for seeing this through no matter what the outcome. That’s kind of what my book is about; doing what you love with no expectations and despite the human dilemma of never being satisfied. Every time I wanted to throw in the towel I’d think of all the great writers who never got to live a day of their own success and that would shut the pity party down pretty quickly. 

“Every time I wanted to throw in the towel I’d think of all the great writers who never got to live a day of their own success and that would shut the pity party down pretty quickly.”

KG: In SECRET RULES TO BEING A ROCKSTAR (out April 18, 2023), what drove you to write about a young woman, Kyla Bell, risking everything to pursue her dream of being a professional musician? How closely is this story aligned with your own experiences?

JV: I wanted to write about a cool female lead character because there aren’t enough out there, in my opinion. Kyla’s not someone who’s “cool” as in popular, she’s cool as in rock stars want to hang out with her. She’s open minded and willing to roll with the punches. This story is complete fiction, and is really a bit of a fantasy novel—not that it contains dragons or anything. I just wish I’d been cool enough (and old enough) to have experienced being in a glitter grunge band in the 90s. I graduated high school in 2001 and didn’t start playing in bands until 2011 but have always been enthralled with the music scene in the 90s. That’s maybe the best and most magical part about being a writer: if you wish to have a certain experience, you can just write about it. In writing about Kyla’s adventures, I hoped to show that we all must rough ourselves up in the name of art. There is no getting anywhere in the creative world without mistakes, shame, pain, and humiliation. Still, the moments that you feel you’re getting close to who you’re meant to be make the pain all worth it, and the thrill of doing something daring that is nearest to your heart should always be the overall incentive.

KG: What Kyla experiences in LA of the 90s is a world with a lot of pressure to fit into a scene far removed from what she grew up with in Northampton, Massachusetts. In LA, she is cast into a world of nightly partying, being hit on by much older men, alcohol, drugs, and nightclubs. You grew up in the 90s. How does this reflect your experiences? Do you think anything has changed in the Hollywood music scene/industry?

JV: I think fiction is a collage of life experience, art ingested, and a hyperactive imagination. Revisiting the 90s behavior can be infuriating, honestly. People were getting away with terrible stuff that decade and I definitely experienced loads of it. It really shines a light on how very different the world is now compared to how it used to be–in both good and bad ways. I chose to show some of the normalized bad behavior in the 90s in order to illustrate that things have really improved in some areas. Dieting and eating disorders were rampant back then, and the utter lack of inclusion of different ethnicities and body types in all forms of media (film, TV, magazines) was unbelievable. Sexism and homophobia was totally ingrained in the culture. Thank goodness some things have changed. The entire Hollywood music industry has since undergone a spotlight reveal of lecherous, predatory behavior; many labels, individuals and bands folded overnight. It does feel like power can’t be abused to the same extent that it used to be. Thanks to the internet, everyone’s accountable.

“Revisiting the 90s behavior can be infuriating, honestly. People were getting away with terrible stuff that decade and I definitely experienced loads of it. It really shines a light on how very different the world is now compared to how it used to be–in both good and bad ways.”

KG: In your novel, Kyla is coming to terms with her sexuality, and realizing that she prefers relationships with other women. As a YA novelist, how important is it to you to be inclusive in your storytelling and character creation?

JV: I think it’s hugely important to tell stories about atypical characters, and anyone who feels different is always a great subject for YA. Plus, I myself have been queer long before the term was reclaimed as a good thing to own with pride. When I first started this book in 2009, Queer YA was not a genre that was popping. I was taking a “risk” by making Kyla sapphic. When I first started shopping Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar around I got all sorts of funny suggestions that I didn’t want to take. Probably that’s part of the reason why it took so long to cross the finish line. It’s been amazing to see how much the LGBT+ community is doing in the book world to make these kinds of stories more in-demand, and I feel lucky to be a part of this very warm and supportive crowd. 

KG: Describe your writing process: how do you get from an idea to a completed manuscript? Are you an outliner or do you write the plot as you go along? What challenges do you find when writing and how do you overcome them?

JV: I really enjoy flying by the seat of my pants, but that technique definitely is better for short stories than novels. I generally like to create a loose outline and then leave the connecting the dots/swinging on the vines to my imagination. I think over-outlining demystifies the process for me and makes writing less fun. There is always an active challenge when I write this way: Can I entertain myself? Keep my own attention? I do really enjoy editing, the cutting and cleaning up as well, but the initial churning out pages is definitely the most thrilling part.

Photo by (c) Christopher Mortenson @mortyvision

KG: You’re also the drummer for the psych-rock band, Movie Club. Tell us a bit about how you came to be a drummer, and what this band is all about.

JV: I actually started drumming while writing this book. I grew up playing classical piano, but it was always a serious solo practice more than a fun group activity. I wrote the majority of this novel in a band rehearsal space in San Francisco that I used as my writing studio during grad school. There was a drum kit in the corner that just kept calling to me, and eventually I picked up. My first performance as a drummer was backing up an amazing writer/musician and friend Sam Boudrot at our thesis event. I love the physicality of drumming. It really takes the edge off the long hours spent writing at a desk. And as someone who loves editing, I also enjoy the fact that drumming is like musical punctuation.

Movie Club is an instrumental psych rock duo started in 2018. I’ve always been obsessed with instrumental music. I grew up listening to (and playing) a lot of classical tunes. To me, instrumental music is the most universal genre, as all-inclusive as it gets. And psych rock is the most fun genre, you can get as weird and original as you want. We try to keep it short and to the point, which makes us different from jam bands. My (now husband) bandmate, guitarist Vince Cuneo, is an incredible person to collaborate with, so talented on the axe as well as behind the scenes. To me, the most important part of any project is who you’re working with. If you’re working with the right people, you will see your efforts go far.

KG: If you were hosting a dinner party for three of your all-time favorite writers—past or present—who would you invite and what would you eat?

JV: Just three? That’s hard. I think I’d invite literary heavyweights and massive influences Charles Bukowski, Anaïs Nin, and Hunter Thompson. That would be a pretty rowdy crowd. Everyone would be hitting on Anaïs. We would have an eight course Italian meal, featuring an assortment of regional red wine and all the hits – cheese and charcuterie boards, homemade minestrone, caprese salad, fresh butter truffle pasta, seafood crudo platter, five kinds of pizzas, steak with green peppercorn sauce… Finish with a nice spicy amaro and some lemon ricotta cheesecake with dark chocolate gelato. Mmmm. 

Jessamyn Violet's debut novel SECRET RULES TO BEING A ROCKSTAR (9781953103291) will be released April 18, 2023 in Trade Paperback, ebook, and audio. For further details on the book, click here.