Asbury University Professor of English Dr. Devin Brown published “Not Exactly Love,” his second novel for young readers.
According to the book’s synopsis on Amazon, “Not Exactly Love,” tells the story of Leda Johnson, a precocious thirteen-year-old girl dealing with “semi-requited love – meaning she has a friend who is a boy but not her boyfriend, but she wishes he was.”
The novel is formatted as Leda’s diary, letting the reader see the world through her perspective as she reconciles what she has with what she wishes she had and discovers what real love is in the process.
Not Exactly Love is the sequel to Brown’s first novel for young readers, “Not Exactly Normal,” published in 2005. Although the two books share characters and settings, the new novel is told from the perspective of Leda Johnson, a secondary main character from the first book. As a result, “Not Exactly Love” serves as both a sequel and its own standalone story.
“Truth be told, they want direct sequels for huge books, which ‘Not Exactly Normal’ was not,” Dr. Brown said. “For ‘Not Exactly Normal,’ they wanted me to write a standalone with the same characters. Everyone who reads the first book will buy the second, but the thousands of people who haven’t read the first book can still read and enjoy the second one before reading the first.”
Aside from his “Not Exactly…” series, Brown published numerous explorations and commentaries on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. These include “Hobbit Lessons: A Map for Life’s Unexpected Journeys, A Life Observed: A Spiritual Biography of C. S. Lewis,” and his first book, “Inside Narnia: A Guide to Exploring ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,’” which was also published in 2005.
Through these works, Brown has built a reputation as a “C. S. Lewis scholar.” Brown’s faculty profile on Asbury’s website even features a quote from Douglas Grisham, his consultant, proclaiming him as such.
Brown believes some readers may see his latest release as an unusual change of pace, but he insists that “Not Exactly Love” is more inspired by Lewis and Tolkien than a reader might assume.
“I’ve got two of these middle-grade novels now and maybe 10 or 11 of the other kind, but the nice thing is that it’s in the vein of what the other guys did,” Brown said. “It’s not what they wrote, but it’s in the age group they wrote for. Now, this is not a fantasy, and you can tell that because it’s not selling like hotcakes. It’s contemporary realism. Although part of me says, ‘Going forward, should I do some sort of fantasy that will sell? Should I put a dragon in it or something?’”
Regarding the lengthy gap between entries in the series, Brown cites increased demand for his Lewis and Tolkien material. “I had other projects, but I kept going back to ‘Not Exactly Love’ because I thought other people might like it,” Brown said. “It’s a good thing because rejection makes you think, ‘Okay, I need to use this opportunity to make it better.’”
“Not Exactly Love” is available from most major book retailers, including Amazon, where it has been named the #1 New Release in Teen & Young Adult Christian Relationship Fiction. Dr. Brown plans to hold a Valentine’s Day “launch party” in Kinlaw Library in February 2024, featuring a reading from the book, giveaways, and refreshments.
“I tell all my creative writers, ‘I’d love to read your book someday,’ and I’m not just being nice,” Brown said. “It’s not like I’m 29, and here I’ve got a new book out this year. It’s really exciting. And I’ve got another one coming after this one!”