Emma Straub

Including American Fantasy.

And the line that is an epigraph for American Fantasy is, A pretty boy in his underwear.

If there's anything better in this whole world, well, who cares?

I mean, if that's not perfect for a book about a boy band cruise, then, you know.

And I do think that being around smart people makes you smarter.

You know, I think that having to keep up with Stephen just conversationally probably made me smarter.

Yeah.

I will say I don't play word games with Stephen every day anymore, but I did for a long time and my mother still does.

And he really is unbeatable.

I have played Scrabble against that man more than anyone else, like other than my husband probably.

And I don't think I have ever won, not once.

Humor was always important to me.

Like my first book, my poor first novel that nobody read, it was really not funny.

And my second book, The Vacationers, sold maybe like 150 times as many copies online.

And it's because it's actually in my own voice, you know, like from my point of view.

And I was like, oh, that's what I'm supposed to do.

That's what I'm supposed to do.

And that's what I've done since.

And it's so pleasurable.

And do other people think my books are funny?