So, Warren does maintain a lot of ties to today's queer youth. John William is a confused teen, who through the course of the book finds out about his family and himself. He's obsessed with science and his next-door neighbor, a boy his age. But as the chapters unfurl, John William's world slowly comes crashing down around him, as he learns about his father and the secrets from which his mother tried to protect him. But, once you finish, you'll know what the two next books are that you'll want to read.
Warren brings a richness of detail and realism in writing about gay youth.
The characters are people we know, but the story isn't one we've read before. There's resolution, but it's more like real life. Every resolution brings up a new question of what might happen next. This also isn't a case of Warren merely exploiting a best seller by trying to milk familiar characters for all they are worth. John William is born in the final pages of The Front Runner, so the intent was always there to continue the story, she says.