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Val Emmich

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Dubbed a "Renaissance Man" by the New York Post, Val Emmich is a writer, a singer-songwriter, and an actor. His first novel, The Reminders, was a Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers selection and his follow-up, Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel, based on the hit Broadway show, was a New York Times bestseller. He's had recurring roles on Vinyl and Ugly Betty, as well as a memorable guest role as Tina Fey's coffee-boy fling, Jamie, on 30 Rock. Emmich lives in Jersey City, New Jersey. ...more

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Hello, Dear Evan Hansen was an amazing book! Do you have any tips for dealing with anxiety? By the way. You are one of my top three favorite authors.

Val Emmich Thank you so much! Please check out my first book, The Reminders, and look out for my follow-up YA book next year.

So...I deal with anxiety every sing…moreThank you so much! Please check out my first book, The Reminders, and look out for my follow-up YA book next year.

So...I deal with anxiety every single day but it is getting better, slowly. I started psychotherapy a year ago and it's helped a lot. (Fun fact: I started going to therapy as research for writing the novel, because I wanted to know what Evan was feeling in those sessions, and then I stuck with it.). I also recently started medication for what is a larger mood disorder that I have. I've always been apprehensive about medication but I'm giving it a try. It's too early to tell if it's working.

Lastly, having a support system helps. A friend to hear you out. Parents, sometimes, although they can be a source of more anxiety. Even a pet helps, I find. Oh, and art: books, music, film, whatever.

Perhaps it will bring you some solace to hear that I am getting past it and you can, too. "The me I am is not the me I was." Hang in there. (less)

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Joan is such a completely original character....I couldn't help but love her. Was she inspired by somebody you know or was she just sheer genius and imagination on your part?

Val Emmich You're very kind, thank you! The inspiration to write part of the book from a child's perspective came, in 2013, from being a new father and spending …moreYou're very kind, thank you! The inspiration to write part of the book from a child's perspective came, in 2013, from being a new father and spending time with my first daughter. Seeing the world through her innocent eyes reignited an innocence and playfulness in me. But my daughter is not Joan. I don't know exactly where Joan came from. Certainly she shares many of my own concerns about life and the world. But I don't possess her gift of memory, so she's not completely me. Over the course of writing, she took on a life of her own and I'm thankful--that was the goal. (less)

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Val Emmich’s books

Average rating: 3.86 · 74,637 ratings · 8,831 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich (Goodreads Author), Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek 3.87 avg rating — 71,251 ratings — published 2018 — 73 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Reminders 3.85 avg rating — 3,495 ratings — published 2017 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Maybe We're Electric 3.44 avg rating — 1,225 ratings — published 2021 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Posthaste (2001-2012) 4.58 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 2012	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Du bist der Sturm, du bist das Licht by Val Emmich (Goodreads Author), Petra Koob-Pawis (Translator) 3.70 avg rating — 10 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Kære Evan Hansen by Val Emmich (Goodreads Author), Emil Birk Hartmann (Narrator), Steven Levenson really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caro Evan Hansen by Val Emmich (Goodreads Author), Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Val Emmich…

Val is Currently Reading

Val Emmich is currently reading

Doctor Zhivago

by Boris Pasternak

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Aug 11, 2020 07:12PM

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Play It As It Lays

by Joan Didion

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Mar 01, 2019 07:39AM

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Strange Weather in Tokyo

by Hiromi Kawakami

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Jan 15, 2018 07:29PM

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Val’s Recent Updates

Val Emmich answered Zoe's question: This question contains spoilers… (view spoiler) Hi Zoe. Thanks for the kind words and the question. I don't believe that anything in life is so black and white. What's the truth? Probably something in the middle. Did Connor cross personal boundaries with his sister? Probably. What sibling doesn't? See Full Answer
Jul 09, 2025 08:37AM · 1 like · like
Val Emmich answered Got Books? 's question: How did you go about writing about such a sensitive topic like teen suicide in "Dear Evan Hansen" and how did you capture it to make it not so sensitive, but still make the reader feel like they are in the room with each character? Thank you for the question. Suicide has touched my life in a personal way. I lost a friend to it in high school and I have a close family member who attempted suicide several times when I was growing up, coming very close to succeeding, but ultimatel See Full Answer
Oct 03, 2024 11:56AM · 1 like · like

More of Val's books…

Quotes by Val Emmich (?)

“I do stupid things when I'm nervous, which means I'm constantly doing stupid things.”
― Val Emmich, Dear Evan Hansen

86 likes

“I wish that everything was different. I wish that I was a part of something. I wish that anything I said mattered, to anyone. I mean, let's face it: would anybody even notice if I disappeared tomorrow?”
― Val Emmich, Dear Evan Hansen

76 likes

“The me I am is not the me I was.”
― Val Emmich, Dear Evan Hansen

tags: change, evan-hansen, me, past, quote

52 likes

See all Val Emmich's quotes »

Polls

May BoTM Side Read Nominations ~ 1st Poll
Top 5 books move onto final round

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

by Bryan Stevenson

9 votes, 23.1%

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

by Mark Haddon

6 votes, 15.4%

The Vacationers

by Emma Straub

5 votes, 12.8%

Pachinko

by Min Jin Lee

5 votes, 12.8%

The Stationery Shop

by Marjan Kamali

5 votes, 12.8%

The Glittering Hour

by Iona Grey

4 votes, 10.3%

Ayesha at Last

by Uzma Jalaluddin

2 votes, 5.1%

Dear Evan Hansen

by Val Emmich

1 vote, 2.6%

Prodigal Summer

by Barbara Kingsolver

1 vote, 2.6%

Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters

by Mark Dunn

1 vote, 2.6%

39 total votes

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