An Interview with Gavin Thomas

Gavin Thomas was born in Salisbury, MD, and raised in Ocean View, DE. Growing up, he was sometimes bullied because other students and teachers didn’t understand him, due to him having autism. Despite this, he treated them with kindness and made friends with many of his classmates, mostly girls, as a result.

Gavin has enjoyed creative writing since he was a child and would write stories with action and/or romance, but never thought it would go anywhere until he came up with the idea of Tomboy And Tomgirl, a story about a tomboyish girl and a girly boy who became superheroes thanks to the archangels and had a roles-reversed romantic relationship founded on true love and respect. Later on, he also added a sequel to the story that featured a sunny girl with a tomboy vibe and a nerdy boy with a tomgirl vibe and proceeded to add another sequel that featured a tomboy with a warrior-like personality and a tomgirl with a loving, diplomatic personality.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

I wanted to be able to give a story that would inspire others and give a voice to those whom society has tried to silence, but also one with thrilling action, laugh-out-loud comedy, heartwarming spirituality, and various spiritual themes, which ultimately became the Tomboy and Tomgirl trilogy.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

It was pretty easy. Ayla is a tomboy and Jonathan is the male equivalent, so Tomboy and Tomgirl was perfect. I also used the subtitle “Earth’s Unconventional Superheroes” because they’re both superheroes, but not the kind you see every day.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

“Scars To Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara

“A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton

“Umbrella” by Rihanna

“Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani

“Not Afraid” by Eminem

“Call You Out” by Flyleaf

“All Star” by Smash Mouth

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

The Sailor Moon manga series.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

My greatest personal inspirations are my mom and one lady friend. As for more entertainment-based inspirations, Powerpuff Girls, Sailor Moon, Pokémon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Harry Potter, Chrono Trigger, and Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

One thing I hope they’ll be able to get from my books is that the point of life is to be the best version of yourself that you can be, regardless of judgment from others. One doesn’t need to compete to be great.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.