FOLLOW YOUR BLISS – GUEST BLOG BY BY A.J. SYMON

“Normal never did nothing. Weird makes things happen.” 

That’s a line from my debut novel Golden Boy. It popped into my head the moment I learned that Smack Dab in the Middle’s theme for 2026 is superhero qualities, because it highlights an underlying theme in my book: So often when we’re following our bliss, everyone else thinks we’re just weird.

Golden Boy is about a young teen named Emma who lives is a small town in the Carolina Lowcountry. Emma’s bliss is science. She loves devouring as many books on biology and cosmology and physics and statistics as she can find in the library, using her knowledge to care for the animals on her family’s farm, and spending down time with her only friend Hudson, her golden retriever. To everyone else in town, though, Emma is just weird.

I know Emma’s predicament from personal experience. Like Emma, I had very few friends when I was young. I was awkward with people, painfully skinny, and wore thick glasses. Both of my parents worked, so I was one of those latchkey kids who got myself home from school and was on my own all afternoon until they came home around six or seven. There were no role models in my life to show me how to relate to people. All I had were books and the TV and my imagination.

And my dog. 

My dog rested his head in my lap when I read or watched TV. And he became my copilot when I flew off to destroy the Death Star, a centipede when I was rolling around inside a giant peach, and my faithful sidekick helping to stop a runaway train. He always played his part perfectly. 

To those on the outside, I’m sure I must have appeared quite weird. But my imagination became not just my escape from boredom and ridicule, it became my superpower. Now years later, I make a living with my imagination writing scripts for everything from movies to live theater. And this year, my first novel. 

My hope is that Golden Boy (in addition to being a fun, funny, and cozy read) lets readers feel seen and heard. The tweens are an awkward age. You’re discovering who you are, what you like. Parts of your body grow very quickly. Others grow slowly. Everyone is a little different, and everyone feels a little weird. I think they’ll find a kindred spirit in Emma. 

Because Emma’s weirdness really is her superpower. When Hudson gets sick, Emma brews up a serum based on her school science project—hoping to activate some of the genes dogs share with humans in order to extend his life. The next morning, Emma awakens to discover that she has apparently activated a few too many genes. Hudson becomes human overnight! Talk about superpowers!

And Hudson has a superpower of his own. He may look like a human teen on the outside, but inside, he’s pure golden. At first his innocence and positivity have the whole town shooting side eye at him. But his sweetness wins them over. His innate bliss is irresistible. He changes the life of everyone he meets. Cynical bullies become defenders of the bullied. Crotchety old alumni start dancing. He even breathes new life into the high school’s failing football team. Everyone starts following their bliss.

My other hope is that the adults and mentors who read Golden Boy see the importance of helping the young people in their lives find their own bliss. Because passion often looks weird to those on the outside. The girl obsessed with archaeology. The boy who wants to dance. The kid who spends all day lost inside their head acting out stories. Your support could shape the next Kathleen Kenyon, Mikhail Baryshnikov, or Steven Spielberg. 

Or thanks to Mrs. McCreary, my 5th grade English teacher, a fulfilled author.

So everyone, be like Hudson, honor your superpower, and Follow Your Bliss.

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ABOUT THE BOOK: When the beloved family golden retriever becomes human, a girl’s relationships with her family and herself transform in ways she never thought possible in this heartwarming and funny young adult novel.

Science-obsessed, teen-genius Emma Branch is used to being the odd one out—in her family, among her classmates, and in her small town that only ever seems to care about football. She doesn’t mind being all alone; in fact, she prefers it. Besides, who needs friends when she has a best friend already—her golden retriever, Hudson.

But when Hudson gets into an accident, Emma can’t bear to lose her only friend. Luckily, she’s been working on an experimental substance for her school science project that could help him out. All it was supposed to do was heal Hudson, not…turn him human?!

Emma, her family, and the whole town is about to learn just how a golden retriever can change hearts and minds for the better—that is, after causing a big, old mess first.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A.J. Symon was born and raised in the South where he was instilled with a love of football, dogs, and any food that’s been breaded and deep-fried. He got the idea for GOLDEN BOY when what he assumed was a game of fetch with his golden retriever turned into a game of keep-away. If that dog were human, he thought, he’d be an amazing running back. Symon lives with his family in Barnesville, Georgia, where the proceeds from this book will help keep several golden retrievers in the lifestyle to which they’ve become accustomed.

Grab your own copy of GOLDEN BOY!