Before we commence with the interviews, the CFTCU music playlist, haunted foxes, a pajama party in the labyrinth, comic reviews from bed, and one mass reader intervention . . . I thought I'd tease the final version of my book while critics flatter the insides.
Feel free to play this sexy music while you scroll your way to ecstasy.
"Heidicker’s debut crackles with twitchy energy . . . a fun, absurdist romp through gaming culture, populated by zany characters and a quest narrative worthy of its own game." -Booklist
"I know actual teen readers who need this novel in their lives. CURE FOR THE COMMON UNIVERSE is more than just a great story, a fantastic, relatable protagonist, or laugh-out-loud gamer humor; it’s also a life-affirming look at what makes our lives truly epic, both inside and outside the gaming world." -Courtney Alameda (author of Shutter, librarian extraordinaire)
"It's funny, but waxes philosophical. It alludes to every great video game ever developed, but doesn't shy away from current problems in the gaming community (read: sexism). It dives into the typical YA romance, but happily lets that subplot take an arrow to the knee. It's got everything [from my list] of Things I'd Love Combined Into a Book One Day ™." Brooks Benjamin (author of My Seventh Grade Life In Tights)
"A plugged-in young adult comedy about the pain of unplugging . . . perfect for teen gamers and readers who are fans of Jesse Andrews and John Green." -School Library Journal
". . . by the time the book ends, you'll have a completely different outlook on what you've just read . . . You feel [Jaxon's] pain, but at the same time the book subtly interrogates the whole awkward heroic nerdboy trope, until you finally find yourself asking, hmm, why is he the hero again?" Rahul Kanakia (author of Enter Title Here)
"I loved this book so much, for its irreverence and humor and cultural relevance, but also for the way it manages to have something really worthwhile to say about taking a hard look at yourself and tackling the difficult challenge of growing into a better person without ever being preachy. In fact, if you’re like me, you’ll burn through the whole thing in one or two sittings with a big smirk on your face and only a subconscious awareness of the profundity of the message. I genuinely cared about the flawed main character Jaxon, and I have to say the resolution to his story has an integrity that is matched by very few young adult novels." -Andrew Brumbach (author of The Eye of Midnight)
