{"id":65125,"date":"2026-04-16T09:54:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T13:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/?p=65125"},"modified":"2026-04-16T09:54:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T13:54:27","slug":"steven-gellman-five-things-i-learned-writing-somewhere-in-nowhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/2026\/04\/16\/steven-gellman-five-things-i-learned-writing-somewhere-in-nowhere\/","title":{"rendered":"Steven Gellman: Five Things I Learned Writing Somewhere in Nowhere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Have you ever wanted to eat stinky tofu while binge watching reruns of the Bionic Woman? Or fall in love with a boy named Pajamas?<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>Have you ever thought there was an alien in your stomach trying to kill you? <\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming out is hard when you have two gay moms. At least it is for Simon Bugg. It\u2019s his senior year, and nothing\u2019s going as planned. When his mom scores a dream job, Simon\u2019s world is turned upside down. Stuck at a new school in a strange town, he spirals, torn between the only friends he\u2019s ever known and a growing circle of freaks and geeks who welcome him in.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things start to look up for Simon when he meets the handsome PJ in drama class. That is, until he derails their first date in spectacular fashion. With a little help from his friends, Simon finds his way back to PJ. But how can he have a relationship with the boy of his dreams when he\u2019s convinced he\u2019s going to die?  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one knows about the nightly alien attacks at 11:22. Why then, and why are they getting worse? Simon must face a dark secret before he loses his chance with the boy he loves. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1: Stinky tofu is pretty damn tasty\u2026in fact, it\u2019s delicious!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone deserves to see themselves represented in books. So, when I set out to write Somewhere in Nowhere, <\/em>I made diversity a priority. I wanted my cast of characters to be as colorful and vibrant as the friends I had growing up in Montgomery County, Maryland. This approach opened doors to new experiences as I did research for my characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I first learned about stinky tofu, I was obsessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can\u2019t really be a thing, can it?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, but people don\u2019t really eat this, do they?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yep. They do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And how bad does it really smell?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pretty bad!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had to know more. I investigated its history and the intense fermentation process it goes through to become the odorous, night-market delicacy beloved across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China. But one thing was missing. I had to try stinky tofu for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t easy, but when I found a restaurant with stinky tofu on its menu (East Dumpling House in Rockville, MD if you\u2019re asking), it was steps away from where my protagonist and his merry band of misfit friends go to high school. A stinky match made in heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the big, taste-testing night, my spouse and I took friends to East Dumpling House. I don\u2019t want to give too much away, because I put it all in the novel, but I\u2019ll tell you my spouse sort of liked it, but it was a gag-worthy moment for our friends. What about me, you\u2019re wondering? I loved it! Every stinking bite. The fun part for all of us, though, was experiencing a new culture and trying foods out of our comfort zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve since learned about hairy<\/em> tofu. Who\u2019s up for the challenge?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2: Sorry, Ripley. The only alien in my stomach is a-n-x-i-e-t-y.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the risk of sounding clich\u00e9d: it\u2019s okay to not be okay. This is a lesson I\u2019ve had to learn more than once in my life, and it was never more poignant than when I was writing Somewhere in Nowhere<\/em>. I was in the throes of crippling anxiety and panic attacks. I would be up all night. Then, in the morning, I would lay my experiences bare on the page. What Simon was feeling and going through was what I was feeling and going through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I needed to take my own advice, and I wanted to share this message with readers who may be going through their own mental health struggles. (Spoiler alert: the alien isn\u2019t real.)  Simon\u2019s challenge is my challenge. And it may be yours, too. Though his story is fiction, the anxiety and panic Simon experiences is very much my story and my truth. And writing this novel was way cheaper (and did more to help me) than all my years of therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3: Are you there, Hector? It\u2019s me, Simon, and I can\u2019t breathe.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I set out to write my debut novel, I knew it had to be three things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n