FML - Ben and Coop

Ben and Coop may be the best characters I've ever written.

Ben is kind of an ass, and Coop is a little mopey, but together, they're my favorite couple.

Everyone always jokes about the gay best friend in books.  If there's a girl narrator (in a contemporary book), there's a decent chance she's got a sassy gay best  friend.  When I wrote FML, I knew that Simon's best friends were this really great couple.  A lot of who they are came from writing them.  Their characters came to life for me on the page, but one of the main reasons I wanted to write them is because there just aren't that many gay couples in books (YA or otherwise!), who just get to be couples.  No drama, no cheating or weirdness.  They're just a gay couple being all gay and coupley.

But the other reason they're important is because they show Simon what it really means to be in love.  Simon thinks he's in love, but it's seeing what Coop and Ben have that shows him what love really is.  It's not grand gestures or lofty speeches.  It's the little things.  The moments between all that other crap.  that's what love is.  That's what Ben and Coop have.  That's what Simon wants.

I wanted to show that to Simon and I wanted to show that to people who read it.

I really do believe that Coop and Ben are maybe the best characters I've written.  And I think you will too.