Alisha Rai’s Hate to Want You was easily the most sought-after galley at this year’s RT Booklovers Convention. Rai’s reputation for absorbing interpersonal drama coupled with unforgettably hot love scenes (and that stunning cover!) guaranteed intense interest, and the word-of-mouth buzz has been growing for months. Now that her first book with romance giant Avon has finally been released to glowing reviews, we talked to Rai about her biggest Twitter pet peeve, how she wove family issues and mental health into Hate to Want You’s love story and her past as a romance novel-obsessed teenager.

Describe your latest novel in one sentence.
It's grown-up Romeo and Juliet plus mature adult communication minus the sad ending stuff plus secret annual hookups.

I’ve seen a lot of comments online comparing this book to Romeo and Juliet. Did you have that play in mind while writing, or was it only after the book was finished that you saw the similarities?
When I first got the idea for the book, I jotted down "their only love sprang from their only hate," so yes! But ultimately, I think the Romeo and Juliet comparison is only really applicable in that the two main characters have a bit of a family feud to contend with.

I was riveted by how realistically Nicolas and Livvy’s internal issues and traumas complicate the relationship between them, and also their relationships with other characters. How did you develop such emotionally nuanced conflict in Hate to Want You?
I think a lot of developing nuanced characters is being utterly charmed by how messy humans are. People are complex, imperfect, convoluted creatures. Love (any kind of love) is funny, because it's often like working through a grab bag of puzzle pieces from a million different puzzles that don't and shouldn't really go together. Getting those pieces together in a way where the end result makes the characters happier together than without each other is difficult without conflict.

Sometimes that conflict feels like it's insurmountable, but I think maturity and communication can alter perspectives and help ease those puzzle pieces into place. People can fit, even if it seems like their issues might keep them apart.

You’ve loved romance since sneaking a romance novel out of the library when you were a teenager. Do you remember which book it was? What sort of books introduced you to romance?
Yes! It was a Shirley Busbee, though I don't remember the actual book. The cover caught my attention, because I was thirteen, and almost naked people were what I was really into at the time (this was pre-Tumblr).

After that, I read every single romance that the library had in it. Historicals at first, because they were the easiest to identify, but romance is vast, so I quickly graduated to suspense and contemporaries and paranormals and sci-fi. Nothing was safe from me.

What is your biggest Twitter pet peeve?
That the gif function doesn't have every single gif of Jason Momoa as Aquaman yet.

Did Livvy or Nicholas change a lot throughout the writing process? Or were their personalities fairly clear to you from the beginning?
My heroines are almost always very clear to me from the beginning, and Livvy was a smart, sassy, wild-haired artist from the first page.

Nicholas took a lot more work. In fact, in early drafts, I struggled a lot with the opening, and I finally realized it was because it started in Nicholas's point of view. A hero not given to emotional displays of emotion is a difficult place to start a romance. He finally gelled for me, but he was a tough nut to crack.

Both characters come to epiphanies about their relationships with their parents that drastically change their view of them. How did you approach writing the early scenes between Livvy and her mother, and Nicholas and his father? Did you want to imply the emotional truth of those relationships early on, or have readers go on a journey alongside the characters?
Definitely the latter. Relationships with parents are ongoing, never-ending journeys that rarely have perfect tidy endings. Nicholas and Livvy's relationships with all of their family members will continue to evolve past the end of this book (and will be explored in the other books in the series as well).

One of the most moving aspects of this book for me was your insight into Livvy’s mental health and the mindfulness techniques she relies on. Have you found these helpful in your own life? Or did they come from research you did into coping strategies?
A little bit of both. I think there's some coping mechanisms that are pretty widespread because they're almost instinctive. Specific techniques mostly came from research and consultants (@TGStoneButch on Twitter has many invaluable resources on coping with trauma and anxiety, for example).

What’s next for you?
Nicholas and Livvy each have a sibling and I can't leave them hanging! Wrong to Need You will be out in November, and Hurts to Love You will be out in the spring of 2018.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Hate to Want You.

It takes a lot to stand out in the annual deluge of holiday-themed romance novels. Kieran Kramer's Christmas at Two Love Lane—with its charming (and only mildly cold) Charleston setting, matchmaker heroine and perfect blend of sweetness and sass—did just that. We talked to Kramer about Christmas in the South, how she decides if the humor in her books is working and what she thinks is the least romantic holiday activity.

Describe your latest book in a sentence.
Christmas at Two Love Lane is the first in a fun romantic series about three matchmakers finding their own paths to love in Charleston, South Carolina.

It was so fun to read a Christmas-themed novel set in the South! What was your inspiration for the setting, and what attracted you to Charleston in particular?
I grew up here in the Lowcountry, on a rural sea island called Johns Island, and consider Charleston my home. Christmas in the South is great. Charlestonians love their parties year-round, so around the holidays they go all out. Count on copious amounts of spiked eggnog and bourbon flowing at every event. The front doors downtown are always gorgeous, but around the holidays, the wreaths and trimmings are spectacular. I also love the nighttime boat parade in the harbor. And have you ever seen a palmetto tree swathed in lights? It's beautiful—and very merry!

Do people ever ask you to serve as a matchmaker or give them relationship advice because of your books? Do you think you'd be a good matchmaker?
This question makes me laugh because I can't tell you the number of taxi drivers in New York or strangers on a plane I've given romantic counsel to. Deep, meaningful chats that go to the heart of the matter are sometimes more possible with strangers, you know? And everyone seems to want love advice these days!

As for my friends and family, I secretly think I should have been a matchmaker in another life! I love getting people together. Have I had a lot of success with it? I think so. I've never seen anyone marry as a result of my date-strategizing on their behalf, but I've at least provided opportunities for people to get together. As Macy Frost says in the book, a matchmaker can only take a couple so far. They have to fall in love on their own.

You have a real knack for snappy dialogue and funny situations. How do you know when the humor in your book is working?
Thanks. The more I write, the more I realize I would have had a lot of fun trying to write for TV sitcoms because dialogue is my thing. I'd especially love to write for Tina Fey.

I know when the humor is working in my books when I'm not forcing it. It flows. And it makes me laugh out loud. I always feel sassy and powerful when I write funny. It's a great feeling.

Honestly, I'd like to go even further with my humor, which includes a love of the "out there," the absurd. I'm a huge fan of George Saunders and Aimee Bender. I'm working on some short stories right now in my MFA program. It's very freeing to explore my limits.

What was the most challenging part of writing Christmas at Two Love Lane?
I was writing this book over the holiday season in 2016 when I was living alone for the first time in my life, so that was very challenging. It gave me a new appreciation for people who don't have a solid network at the holidays. In late 2016, everyone left home all at once: My Navy husband deployed to Afghanistan for a year, our youngest child started college, and our two older children moved to England and Spain to study and couldn't come home for Christmas. So Christmas morning, my youngest and I made breakfast for the residents of Charleston's Ronald McDonald House. It was a great experience. And it fueled my references in the book about how good it feels to help other people during the holidays. It's the best gift you can give yourself, honestly.

When you worked as an English teacher, what was your favorite book to teach and why?
Great question! I could talk all day about books. I'd have to say The Pearl was a great novella to read in a classroom of kids who are intimidated by reading. It's shorter, it's got a fascinating setting, and it breaks your heart. Middle school and high school kids love to feel emotion. They're so sincere and wise. We don't give them enough credit.

You're a huge fan of Oscar Wilde. If you could magically transport him to the present day, what do you think he'd most enjoy about the 21st century?
First of all, he'd love to go to the great new bar named after him and totally devoted to celebrating him at 45 W. 27th Street in Manhattan. I was there last week, and it rocked! I so wish I could transport him to the present day. . . . I really would love for him to be my best friend. The closest I could get to that was hugging the bronze statue of him at the bar.

Oscar Wilde was wickedly intelligent and fun. He was fully alive. You know when you meet people like that—you want to be around them. Everyone wanted to hang out with Oscar back in the day. The thing he'd enjoy most about the 21st century would be the freedom he'd have to be totally himself without being thrown in jail (at least in most countries). He could go to Pride parades—he'd lead them! He'd love the computer age, I think. He'd be on his smartphone all the time, being snarky. He'd have a couple million followers on Twitter. I think he'd appreciate freedom of expression, above all.

In your humble opinion, what is the least romantic Christmas activity? And what is the most romantic?
The least romantic Christmas activity is standing in line at Target waiting to pay for Christmas gifts when you're both hungry and you can smell the Target popcorn in their cafe, but the line over there is too long to wait for popcorn (and a hot dog with relish for him), so you load up your stuff in the car trunk and tell yourselves you'll go home for a late lunch, but then you remember you forgot funny paper cocktail napkins for the office party, and you get boring ones because that's all they have left, and back at the car, you see the traffic leaving the shopping center is so backed up, you open the bag of candy you were saving for the stockings—and between you, you eat eight Reese's Christmas trees.

The most romantic Christmas activity is getting home after that hellish shopping trip, throwing yourselves on the couch, ordering pizza, skipping that night's party and watching Elf.

What's next for you?
Thanks for asking! Wedding at Two Love Lane is coming out in January 2018. That's Greer's book. And then Ella's book is Second Chance at Two Love Lane. That will be out later in August 2018.

I'll finish up my second year of grad school this coming May—I'll miss being on campus, walking around with my backpack with the other students, 99 percent of whom are half my age. I'll be very proud to graduate with an MFA in Creative Writing. I went back to school simply to blow my mind, kind of how Thoreau went to that pond to get away from the busyness of life. We all have our heads down, don't we? I decided to put the brakes on routine and re-examine who I am and who I want to be.

As for my writing life after grad school, I'm going to continue to explore the short form to keep me on my toes. But my main love is novel writing, especially books for women, so my plan is to get back to doing that full time (I've had to slow down a bit with classes and term papers, etc.).

Starting this May, the sky's the limit. It feels bigger to me now, wider. I'm very excited.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Christmas at Two Love Lane.

Jodi Thomas’ Mornings on Main is a sweet, contemplative romance between two lonely souls who connect in a small Texas town. Already a favorite among romance fans for her Ransom Canyon series, which takes place in a similar setting, Thomas’ newest book combines a contemporary romance with a coming-of-age story, as well as a tender portrait of a close-knit family. We talked to Thomas about her love of small towns and why habits were made to be broken.

Describe your latest novel in a sentence.
Mornings on Main weaves the stories of three women—one who is beginning to collect memories, one who is always leaving the past behind and one who is losing a lifetime.

Before you became a novelist full time, you were a family counselor. Did you bring your expertise to bear in this book?
I think everything I’ve done or studied in my life has become research for my writing.

You’re known for setting your books in small towns in Texas. Why does that particular type of place inspire you so much?
It’s partly because I’ve always lived in small towns and love and understand the people, the way their lives blend and influence one another’s. Also, every summer when I was a kid I used to visit a small town (4,000 people) where I had five sets of aunts and uncle plus dozens of cousins. My uncle always left a horse saddled for me in the backyard so I could go anywhere. I felt free and safe. Maybe in my small town stories, I’m going back to that place.

Why do you think Jillian has never deviated from the way of life she learned from her father?
I think most of us fall into patterns in our lives. Habit outweighs adventure until someone comes along and wakes us up. That’s what happened to Jillian.

Are you a crafter or quilter yourself? If you were to make a quilt with Eugenia, what would you make?
I have a quilt room in my house that has quilts from my grandmothers [going] back three generations. My mother quilted, both my sisters quilt and I do not quilt. When my mother read my first book she said, “Jodi, you quilt with words.”

Sunnie is a great example of a believable teen character—blossoming into her own independence and intelligence, but still prickly and immature at times. How did you thread that needle from a writing standpoint?
Sunnie was a hard character to write. Maybe those years of teaching high school helped me out. I loved that age.

When I first read the premise of Mornings on Main, I expected a lot of angst between Connor and Jillian, but instead, they both try their best to accept that her stay is temporary, no matter how strong their feelings towards each other are. Why did you choose to have your characters react in that way?
Connor is a good man who has always accepted his role in life. He’s settled, sometimes helping others at the cost of his own happiness. But he loves deeply with Jillian. To keep her, he’ll have to fight.

What do you like to read when you’re not reading romance?
Across the board. Reading one kind of romance would be like eating at the same restaurant every night. I love it when I find a book that I can’t put down. The whole world stops for a few hours and I step into the story.

What’s next for you?
I just finished the seventh book in the Ransom Canyon series, which will be out in September. And I’ve spent the last few weeks out in my little hideout we call the bunkhouse. A new story is taking shape on the whiteboards. I’m going back to Laurel Springs—back to Main—only this time I’m opening a tea shop. Hope my readers will drop in next spring.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Mornings on Main.

(Author photo © Portraits by Tracy.)

There are challenging premises for a romance novel (like a less-than-popular time period), and there are premises that can derail the entire book if not handled well (say, a character recovering from abuse). And then there is Roni Loren’s latest series, The Ones Who Got Away, where the central characters are the adult survivors of a school shooting. In the hands of a less talented author, this could have superficial at best, exploitative at worst. But the first book in the series was a critically acclaimed success. And Loren’s detailed, multifaceted depictions of trauma, as well as her empathy for even minor and antagonistic characters, are on full display in its sequel, The One You Can’t Forget. We talked to Loren about what prompted her to take on such a heavy topic in a romance, how she writes emotionally raw conversations and more.

I have to say, I was dubious about this series at first, given its subject matter, but you completely won me over. What made you decide to write a romance with such an emotionally tricky, potentially alienating premise?
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear it won you over. I knew when I got the initial series idea that it could be a hard sell. Not just for readers but for a publishing house. I had to find an editor who believed that this premise could work in a romance. But the idea came to me with such strength that I couldn’t let it go. I needed to tell these stories. When we see tragedies like this happen in the news, we see the victims for a few moments on the screen and then we move on. However, those victims have to go on with their lives, carrying the weight of that grief and trauma with them. I wanted to draw attention to that, how these things have long-term ripple effects on all involved. I chose to tell the stories in a romance because I wanted to give people who have been through so much their happy endings.

The gun violence debate in this country is extremely prominent at the moment, but we’ve been here many times before without much significant change. Do you think this time is any different? Do you see any change in policy or outlook coming?
I want to say yes, that I always have hope, but honestly, it’s hard to come by lately. I was in college when Columbine happened, and I remember how horrified and shocked I was. I had never once walked into my high school wondering if someone would bring a gun to school and hurt me. Now we have school shootings happening every few weeks and kids have this new terrifying reality to face. Things need to change. That much is obvious. But will they? I don’t know. I won’t give up hope. I’ll send my money to the organizations that are working to make things better and will vote for the people who I think can make changes, but it’s going to be a long haul journey.

What about Rebecca made you want to write her love story? Did you always know she would have a book of her own, or did you come to that decision while writing her in The Ones Who Got Away?
From the beginning, I knew I wanted to tell each of the four women’s stories. I didn’t, however, know whose story should be next. I don’t plot ahead, so I leave myself open to see which characters will step forward while I’m writing. Originally, I thought it would be a different character, but Rebecca kept nudging her way into scenes and making me want to know more about her. (I know that sounds weird since I created her, but uncovering a character is like uncovering a fossil. I only get little glimpses at first.) I needed to know why Rebecca was such a workaholic and why she avoided getting emotionally involved with others. What was she running from? She was a hopeless romantic as a kid and now was an unsentimental divorce attorney. So many questions meant she had a big story to tell.

Something I really loved about The One You Can’t Forget was its wealth of compelling side characters. How did you make figures like Rebecca’s father, Wes’ brother Marco and Rebecca’s client Anthony pop off the page?
Thank you! I’m a character-driven writer, so creating side characters is a lot of fun for me. Everyone has a story even if they’re only on the page for a few moments, so I try to think about that when creating a side character. What’s their history? Why are they how they are? (This may come from the fact that I was a therapist in my former career. I need to know everyone’s secrets.) This also gets me in trouble because if a side character gets too interesting for me then I want to write them a book! I may already have plans for Marco. But I also want to make sure no one is a caricature. Like Rebecca’s father was at risk for that. Even though he’s an antagonist, I didn’t want him to be a “bad guy” because he’s not. He thinks differently from his daughter and goes about things in ways that he shouldn’t, but he absolutely loves her.

Since you used to be a therapist, what advice would you give Wes and Rebecca if they were your patients?
Depends on if they were in my office at the beginning of the book or at the end, lol. I’d have a lot of advice for them at the beginning. They are both white-knuckling their lives at the start of the book and not working through a lot of things they need to face.

Wes and Rebecca are both dealing with difficult emotional issues and the fallout from their respective pasts. How did you approach writing the conversations where they try to unpack those experiences together?
I try to write those heavy conversations in a way that shows the growth in the relationship. Both Wes and Rebecca tend to isolate themselves instead of opening up to anyone. Wes can be broody and pushes people away when they try to dig into emotional stuff (like when his brother pushes him on a few things). Rebecca can be the grin-and-bear-it type who doesn’t let anyone see her flinch. So when Wes and Rebecca open up to each other about their pasts and what they’re going through, it shows that their connection is becoming something special and different from the other relationships in their lives. That’s a big part of what falling in love is—showing the other person the ugly stuff and being accepted as you are. So when I’m writing these conversations, I do it in doses depending on where they are at in their relationship development.

I may or may not have stalked your website to prep for this interview, and was delighted by your fantastic book recommendations! What books are currently at the top of your TBR?
Yay, thanks! I love telling everyone what to read, lol. Right now, I’m reading Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover and listening to the audiobook of The Art of Screen Time by Anya Kamenetz. Next, I’ll probably be picking from The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean or The Handsome Girl and Her Beautiful Boy by B.T. Gottfred. I’m such a mood reader, though, so it will depend how I’m feeling when I finish reading the current book. My TBR pile has hundreds of books in it.

In honor of Wes’ profession and the many moments of food porn in The One You Can’t Forget, what is the most romantic meal someone could make for you?
I’m originally from New Orleans, so food from home would be a special treat since it’s harder to find here in Dallas. Boiled crabs. A shrimp po’boy. A really great gumbo. But really, just having a meal made for me would be a romantic gesture, since I’m the cook in the house, lol.

What’s next for you?
Next up is Taryn’s book, The One You Fight For, which will come out in January. Her story was a big challenge to write because of who her hero is. I can’t say more than that yet, but details should be available soon. And I’ll be starting Kincaid’s book in the next month or so to wrap up the series.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of The One You Can’t Forget.

Author photo by Charm Me Photography.

Donna Kauffman’s Blue Hollow Falls series takes the small-town genre and gives it a creative twist—the titular village is an artists and musicians’ enclave, tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains. In the second book in the series, Bluestone & Vine, Blue Hollow Falls is the perfect place for Irish folk singer Pippa MacMillan to recover from a vocal chord surgery. She’s not nearly as famous in America as she is in the U.K., and the creative atmosphere could inspire her next album. Except for the fact that Pippa hasn’t sung so much as a note since her surgery because she’s so overcome with fear that her voice is forever lost or damaged. Enter a supportive community and a very handsome, ex-military vintner. We talked to Kauffman about whirlwind romances, the inherent risk of creation and what she thinks is the most underrated TV show.

I really loved Pippa—her ease with herself and self-deprecating humor were so refreshing. Where did your inspiration for her character come from?
Thank you! I grew up in a family filled with that exact same kind of life attitude. Pippa is sort of an amalgamation of me and my sisters. (Except we’re all very tall and Pippa is, well . . . not.)

Pippa and Seth definitely have a whirlwind romance. What do you think needs to happen for real love to develop in such a short time?
I think being put in close quarters like that, with heightened circumstances, does bring two people together far more quickly. Initially finding themselves stuck under one roof together definitely amplified Pippa and Seth’s reactions and feelings, but it was when they both had to deal with the outside crisis of Seth’s neighbor that they were really pushed forward more rapidly. It’s true in real life that when you have to work together with someone during a crisis, or in a situation where teamwork is required under intense pressure, whatever the ultimate goal might be, a unique bond is forged. If there also happens to be a strong attraction between the two people involved, well . . . anything can happen!

One of my favorite aspects of Bluestone & Vine is how the usual gender roles in romance were somewhat reversed—the hero was hesitant about getting into a relationship, and the heroine was far more open about her desires and emotions. Was that a conscious decision on your part, or did that facet of their personalities just emerge as you developed them?
It was a combination of both. I love to flip gender norms as well as societal norms. The characters definitely direct the course of the story, but any time we can take a look at something we all experience in a new way, from a totally different vantage point, I’m all for it. I think it makes for an interesting read as well as a fun way to explore the myriad reasons that might cause two people to take that leap of faith and let go of their fears. Falling in love is never boring and it never happens exactly the same way twice!

Why do you think small-town romances have such a steady appeal for readers?
I can’t speak for all readers, but for me, I love the cozy feeling I get when I’m reading a story set in a small town—tucked away in a picturesque place, with a group of people who all know each other, folks who I’d like to know and call friends. It’s so comforting. I especially like it when the location adds a distinct flavor, a specific character to the story. Best of all, the setting puts the main protagonists inescapably in each other’s orbit and their burgeoning relationship under the microscope as the whole town weighs in on what is happening right under everyone’s noses. The focus is on the blossoming romance, but the everybody-knows-everybody set up provides plenty of fodder for interesting secondary storylines as well.

At one point in the book, Pippa and Seth have a very lovely and honest conversation about how the creation of art is inherently risky. What was the riskiest thing about this book for you?
The risk is the same with all books I write. Everyone who reads one of my books (or any book, for that matter) brings their own life experience and point of view to the story. Of course, I want them to love it exactly how I love it, feel what I feel, laugh when I laugh, cry when I cry . . . but their own experiences might cause them to have a completely different reaction to this or that story element. The possible points of view are so vast and varied, there is no one-size-fits-all story. And that’s okay! I always write the story that I most want to read, then hope like crazy that enough readers feel the same way I do, love the things I do, to make the book a success. I love getting notes from readers who had strong reactions to elements that, to me, weren’t focal to the story, but to them, meant everything. On the flip side of that, there are readers who are turned off by things that I dearly love, because of their own experiences. As much as I want everyone to love everything I write, I’m also fascinated by all reactions, good and bad, because that informs me. Not so much as a writer, in that I will continue to write the stories I most want to read, but about the human condition, about why people react as they do to this thing or that. I study human nature by default, so the more I know, the more nuanced and interesting my future characters will become.

Every cabin and home in Bluestone & Vine was lovingly described and expressed its owner’s personality so well. What would someone learn about you based on your writing space?
That I love being a hermit. Ha. I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains, tucked away from the madding crowd, with a bounty of nature as my backdrop. My coworkers are the many types of birds who visit my feeders and deck garden, the deer, rabbits and raccoons who feast in my woods, and the occasional bear who drops by for a visit, often with youngsters in tow. Don’t get me wrong, I love people! I just like that I can venture out and be part of the crowd, observe the ebb and flow of humanity, then come home and be in peace and tranquility while I dream up my next fictional adventure.

You’re a TV critic in addition to writing romance. What would you say is the most underrated TV show? And what is your all-time favorite TV ship?
Hmm . . . hard to say. I think the most wonderful thing about the advent of the internet is that everyone can find folks who love the shows they love. My biggest critique is that, quite often now, new shows aren’t given the chance to develop a following before they are unceremoniously yanked from the lineup. (And, conversely, that some real head-scratchers are still out there banging away at it.) My all-time TV ship? Also a toughie. I have such a broad range of programming that I watch, I can’t pick just one. I’ve been doing play-by-play recaps of NCIS now for a few seasons for USA Today’s Happy Ever After blog, and I have to say it’s impressive that they’ve managed to avoid the pitfalls that so many other long-running shows do, where they write themselves into a corner and can’t develop the storyline beyond a certain point. NCIS has admirably managed to balance the murder-of-the-week storyline with the personal narrative stories of their main cast of characters. A far trickier balance than it would seem. So my kudos go to them.

You’re from the same area that the Blue Hollow Falls series is set. What’s a must-do for a first-time visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains?
It’s impossible to pick just one. Do it all! Last year I drove the full length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which winds along the mountain ridges, traveling close to 400 miles through my state, Virginia, on down into North Carolina and ending just at the Tennessee border where the Great Smoky Mountain National Park begins. I expected it to be a lovely, scenic drive, with some fun hiking and camping along the way. It turned out to be one of the most spectacular adventures of my life. On par with any other national park I’ve seen, or any exploration I’ve undertaken anywhere in the world (and there have been many of those.) So, if you ever get the chance, make that drive. I did mine in the fall and saw everything from stunning foliage to sparkling ice forests. I plan to do it again in the spring and take in the wild colors of the blooming rhododendron, hike more trails, take in more exhibits. It would never be the same trip twice. You won’t regret it!

What’s next for you?
I’m excited to be continuing this series with a holiday novella coming this October. Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls (with Seth and Pippa’s wedding as the backdrop!) features Seth’s sister Moira and will be part of Fern Michaels’ annual Christmas anthology, A Season to Celebrate. Then readers won’t have long to wait for the next full-length Blue Hollow Falls book. Will McCall gets his forever love story in January’s Lavender Blue. And I’m thrilled to announce I’ve signed on with Kensington to continue the series into next year and beyond. I hope you’ll stop by for a visit and fall in love!

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Bluestone & Vine.

Author photo by Spencer Kauffman.

When the premise of Zoey Castile’s Stripped hit the Internet, it immediately landed on several most anticipated lists (including ours!). Now the wait is over and Castile’s Magic Mike-inspired romance is finally here. Stripper hero Zac Fallon is just as adorable and sexy as we hoped, and heroine Robyn Flores is a highly relatable portrait of “hot mess” millennial womanhood. We talked to Castile about researching male revues, the complexities of female friendship and what comes next.

For those who may not know, you’re also the author of the fantastical and magical Brooklyn Brujas series. Is writing fantasy YA a different experience than writing contemporary romance? Or is it the same writing routine, just different genres?
Romance and fantasy look very different but they’re the same in many ways. Writing fantasy YA is a much longer process because when I write about magic I’m creating entire systems of rules that will impact the rest of the books. Romance requires the same kind of careful world building and rules—they’re just different. The archetypes are there. The hero. The heroine. The unforeseen evil. The mentors. The sidekicks. The difference is that instead of your heroine being a witch, she’s a schoolteacher. Instead of the evil manifesting as a centuries-old sorceress, it’s the principal.

I definitely don’t mean to be a bit cheeky with this question, but did you do any research when trying to capture the life of a male revue dancer?
Hah! I definitely watched all the Magic Mike movies. Magic Mike XXL is the best modern fairytale ever told, and I do love retellings. I went to Thunder From Down Under while I was in Vegas. It was ridiculously over the top and fun. Other than that, I’ve just been following male dancers on Instagram for “inspiration.”

There are some romance readers who won’t read a book where the hero is in any way “involved” with other women. With that in mind, were you at all conflicted about making the hero a stripper?
I was not conflicted. Many people who work in adult entertainment as not involved romantically with their clients. It’s a fantasy and it is their work, so a partner would have to trust and respect that.

What I really love about the heroine (and charming fifth-grade teacher), Robyn Flores, is that she’s in the middle of a weird slump. Her best friend is about to get married, and she’s struggling to be happy because she’s worried about losing her best friend. How did you manage to strike a balance between depicting real, relatable friendships between women but also adding the internal conflicts we often experience when a relationship is on the cusp of a major change?
I always try to ask myself what I would feel if I was in the same situation as my characters. Then I ask myself what someone close to me would feel. Emotions are so complicated. Robyn wants to put her best friend’s wedding before her feelings. She also isn’t equipped to handle everything by herself. As women, we are taught to put others before our own happiness. There has to be a balance. As a writer, you have to write the truth that your character is feeling and that will lead you to their development.

All of the chapters are named after song titles, which I thought was really fun. Did you have a writing playlist while working on this book? Have you thought about putting one together for Stripped?
I always make two playlists when I write. One for drafting and one for editing. The drafting playlist always has lyrics. The editing playlist is just scores from my favorite movies. I did make a playlist for Stripped that’s up on Apple Music.

There are so many fun secondary characters and I hope they will all be getting their own love stories. How did you keep all their individual personalities straight while writing?
I love ensemble casts in books. Once I know who someone is in my book, they’re fully formed. If I have trouble tracking someone in a scene, then they probably don’t belong there and I remove them.

Some people might be conflicted about Lukas in the book. He’s the new principal at Robyn’s school and is definitely vying for her affection. Perhaps I’m a glutton for punishment, but do you foresee Lukas getting his own book? I think that buttoned-up man needs a wild girl to help him let loose.
All three titles in the series are already spoken for!

Can you give us a little peek on what to expect from the rest of the series? I know the next book, Hired, will have Aiden getting his own happy ending.
Hired is about Aiden Rios. He’s sworn to himself that he’d never be in a relationship, but then he goes to NOLA and meets a girl.

Flashed will be about Patrick Halloran. You won’t meet him until Hired, but he’s worth the wait. It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in a Montana ranch.

Given the Magic Mike inspiration, who’s your favorite character in that series and which Magic Mike characters really lent themselves to Zac’s inception?
Fallon is my absolute favorite character in my series. I guess it’s because he’s where it all started. While he was physically inspired by Chris Evans, I think he embodies the charming and sweet personality that Channing Tatum has onscreen.

Lastly, I love asking authors this question. What are you reading and loving right now? Which books should be on our radar?
I’m reading a lot of different genres right now. Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton is a moody, lush, intoxicating fantasy. Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse is perfect for fans that are waiting for more seasons of “Supernatural.” Sinner by Sierra Simone is an incredibly sexy romance. Trust Me by Farrah Rochon is a political romance set in New Orleans. Sarah MacLean’s latest Bareknuckle Bastards series is new and sexy.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Stripped.

Author photo by Sarah Nicole Lemon.

Most Christmas romances, while they may have some serious undercurrents, are more focused on providing the ultimate cozy, seasonal comfort reading. Susan Fox’s Sail Away with Me is not one of those books. While it does take place over the holidays, beginning in late fall and concluding in the new year, this romance between bookseller Iris Yakimura and popular musician Julian Blake uses the season as both thematic backdrop and complication, as opposed to a central element. It’s a wise choice on the part of Fox, whose latest hero is dealing with a very painful past—Julian is a survivor of sexual abuse, and his return to tiny Destiny Island brings back horrible memories. Yet he finds solace in his friendship-turned-romance with the shy, deeply kind Iris. We talked to Fox about creating the world of Blue Moon Harbor, tackling a serious subject in the context of a holiday romance and the importance of The Tao of Pooh.

Sail Away with Me was finished right as the #MeToo movement picked up steam—what was that experience like for you?
I’m glad that #MeToo has taken off, and I was already very aware of the issues when I started writing Sail Away With Me. I’d previously written about a widowed heroine who survived domestic physical and sexual abuse in Love Me Tender. I’d read Canadian hockey player Theo Fleury’s Playing With Fire, where he talked about being abused by his junior hockey coach. I followed the firing of prestigious Canadian radio host Jian Ghomeshi and his trial on charges of sexual assault. I was aware of the high incidence of sexual assault and harassment of vulnerable people, the disincentives for reporting it and the way society has enabled powerful people to continue getting away with abuse. I knew in the first Blue Moon Harbor book, Fly Away With Me, that Bart Jelinek was an abuser and one day would get his comeuppance.

Now, with #MeToo, I’m encouraged to see that more victims are feeling empowered to come forward, and also to see more sexual predators being exposed and sanctioned for their actions.

Like Iris, you’re an introvert, which can be a challenge for a successful author. How do you approach promoting your work and deal with going to events?
Like Iris, even though I’m shy I do like people and I’m interested in them. Many of the coping tools she uses are borrowed from me—like focusing on the other person rather than on myself. I’ve learned how to deal fairly well with most social situations. I avoid cocktail parties (my definition of hell!), but I’m okay with presenting workshops and doing readings. In November, for example, I was one of two panelists at Vancouver Public Library for a presentation on “Diversity in the Modern Love Story.”

Social activities are taxing for me, though. They drain me, and I then need to retreat to a nice safe, quiet space to recharge.

In terms of promo, I’m happy to do the introvert-oriented things like sending books to reader events, emailing a newsletter and posting on Facebook.

The shadow of Japanese-Canadian internment during WWII hangs over this book, as Iris’ family members were among those imprisoned. What types of research did you do for this aspect of Sail Away with Me, and what led you to include it in the novel?
I’d never even heard of the internment camps until I took a sociology course at the University of Victoria in the 1970s. I was appalled, and over the years did some more reading—books like Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson and Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris. When I started the Blue Moon Harbor series, I chose the Gulf Islands for my setting in part because of their very diverse history: Indigenous Canadians, immigrants from all over the world including Japan, fishermen, hippies, artists and big-city escapees. In the first book, when I created Dreamspinner bookstore and wanted an island family to run it, I decided more or less randomly that the family would be the Yakimuras, and Iris, the shy bookseller, would become friends with the heroines of Fly Away With Me and Come Home With Me. As I developed Iris’ character, I knew she needed her own romance, so I started brainstorming Sail Away With Me.

If the family (on her dad’s side) had been on Destiny Island since the late 1800s, of course, they would have been victims of Canada’s horrendous treatment of Japanese Canadians during WWI and WWII. So I had to do more research to get the facts right, and then reflect on how that history might have affected Iris’s family and herself. Then I had to decide how much of that to include in the book, and I thought it was important enough in these troubled times to play a significant part. For example, here’s Iris talking with Julian:

“We carry the wound of the internment camp, even though it happened to our ancestors and not to us. We are also aware something similar could happen again. That affects us. It’s part of the reason we keep our heads down and try to be respectable, contributing citizens who don’t make waves.”

“Jesus. You don’t really think it could happen again?”

“Julian, I want to believe in the good in people, but I see a world where people are hated and attacked, even killed, for their religion, the color of the skin, or their sexual orientation. Even their gender. Yes, horrible things can happen when people get scared.”

What made you decide to pair Iris, who you always knew would have her own story, with Julian?
Julian, too, has been there from the first book, when the heroine of Fly Away with Me saw him onstage, singing and playing the guitar. She thought of him as a “tarnished angel.” Obviously, a man like that had a backstory and deserved his own love story. As I delved into Julian’s backstory (which included being sexually abused as a child), I realized how complex he was, and what a fascinating combination of dark and light. A man who gave so much, yet didn’t believe he deserved love. Who better to pair him with than Iris, the woman her friends refer to as an “old soul”? Though she has her own frailties, she’s serene, at peace with herself, introspective, perceptive and wise. I knew Julian could learn from Iris and begin to heal, and I knew that with his support and love she could find a greater internal strength than she’d ever believed herself capable of.

How do you structure a whole island in your head? Have you drawn a map? Or does it just build out naturally as the series goes on?
I used a real Gulf Island, Salt Spring near Victoria, as a general model, but Destiny is much smaller and less developed. From there, I created what I needed for each story, keeping notes and making sure to be consistent. I’m not much of an artist, so I didn’t even try to make a map.

I was delighted when Julian asks Iris to recommend him a book, and she chooses The Tao of Pooh. When did you first encounter that book, and what made you decide that it would be Iris’ pick for Julian?
I discovered Benjamin Hoff’s The Tao of Pooh fairly soon after it was published, probably in the mid-eighties. I’m not sure if a friend introduced it to me, or if it was vice versa, but I know we both enjoyed it. That book sent me back to read Winnie-the-Pooh again, which is always a pleasure. So then, many years later, when I thought about Iris’s philosophy of life—which she refers to as a “constantly developing spirituality”—it reminded me of Hoff’s book. I read it again —and Pooh as well ☺—and realized what a good fit both stories were for Iris and Julian’s relationship. In a way, The Tao of Pooh, Winnie-the-Pooh and Sail Away With Me might be said to have the same theme: discover and respect your inner nature.

Did any real-life musicians inspire Julian? What type of music do you hear in your head when writing him?
In terms of appearance, I have a photo of Keith Urban dressed all in black, and that’s exactly the way I see Julian. In terms of musical style, no, there was no specific musician. I imagine Julian’s style as being kind of a mix of folk and rock, soulful and a bit angsty. His songs aren’t formulaic, and they tell stories. Like “From Dust a Rose,” based on Iris’s grandparents’ love story (which started in an internment camp). And “Your Reality,” about Julian’s father’s struggle to recover after a horrible accident.

Sail Away with Me takes place during the holidays, but is far less focused on Christmas trappings and events during many other seasonal romances. Was this in response to the darkness and emotion of Julian’s storyline, or did you have other reasons for writing a more holiday-adjacent book?
Partly, it was that the story needed a longish timeline. Neither Iris nor Julian are the type of people who’d leap into an emotionally intimate relationship over the short span of a holiday season. I wrote that kind of story in “Blue Moon Harbor Christmas” in Winter Wishes, and I think it worked for that couple because they’d known each other years before and had a child together. But Iris and Julian were strangers, reserved people, and needed time to develop a friendship and to learn that they could trust each other, so I started their story at the end of October and let it build through the autumn. And then when Julian did reveal his secret and publicly “out” his abuser in the middle of December, that was such a difficult, meaningful, stressful step for him, Iris, his family and their friends, that it just couldn’t be a normal Christmas. On the other hand, it does turn out to be a more emotional, loving Christmas than Julian has ever before experienced.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Sail Away with Me.

Author photo by BK Studio Photography.

The second I heard the premise for Red, White & Royal Blue, I knew I had to read it. The son of the U.S. president falls in love with a prince of England? Put that directly into my veins. And as my increasingly impassioned text message history can tell you, Casey McQuiston’s debut was even better than I in my wildest dreams believed it would be. This romance between cocky, charismatic know-it-all Alex Claremont-Diaz and his nemesis, Prince Henry of England, has everything—a raucous karaoke scene at a gay bar, cutthroat election shenanigans, a very romantic Star Wars through line—and McQuiston perfectly balances the escapist, fizzy fun of her setup with the emotional impact of Henry and Alex’s relationship. I talked to McQuiston about the alternate political reality of her debut, the importance of later-in-life coming out narratives and more.

Red, White & Royal Blue is absolutely hilarious. How do you know whether the humor is working in your writing?
It’s hard! I watched a ton of my favorite comedies while writing this, especially “Veep,” “Parks & Rec” and “Happy Endings.” I spent a lot of time absorbing things that made me laugh, thinking about what specifically made it funny and trying to internalize the natural rhythm of banter. You really can’t force humor. It has to feel like something someone would actually say out loud, off-the-cuff. So most of the time it’s about letting your characters talk, rather than cramming one-liners into their mouths, and then reading it back out loud to see how it actually feels and sounds when someone says it.

Some of the most fascinating parts of this book are the ways the White House Trio (and, to a lesser extent, the members of the Royal Family) take control of their own public images. Did you take inspiration from any real-life figures for this aspect of the novel?
Honestly, the only character who’s actually based on a real life figure is Ellen. I took a lot of inspiration from Wendy Davis, another Democratic woman from Texas. In a lot of ways, I was drawing more from the idea of people. Alex is kind of embodying the concept of a modern Kennedy; Henry’s mom is giving you a little bit of the Princess Diana archetype in her tenacity and rebelliousness; Senator Richards represents entrenched conservative legacy families like the Bushes. But I always say that no real royals or first families were harmed in the making of this book!

Did you always know that Red, White & Royal Blue would be a gay romance?
I write queer fiction for the same reason straight people write straight fiction: because I’m a queer person, and that’s the world I live in and the experiences I draw from and relate to. With this book—and with my future books—my vision was to write a fun, escapist, tropey, smart rom-com good enough to help push queer love out of the margins and into the rom-com mainstream. So, in that way, I always knew this would be a queer book, but the specific way that played out, with Alex and Henry both being cis men, was something that sort of revealed itself to me as the plot started to take shape.

Whose side are you on concerning the quality of Return of the Jedi—Alex or Henry?
Such a good question! I personally love Return of the Jedi, but I still think Empire is a better movie.

Alex’s discovery that he isn’t actually straight felt very realistic and I think spoke to the fact that many people, even if they grow up in a loving and accepting home, don’t necessarily realize their queerness as children or early adolescents. What led you to make that decision for his character?
I lifted a lot of material from my own life for Alex’s big “ah-ha” moment, because I wanted to write it in a way that would have helped me if I could have read a book like this years ago. There’s this prevailing idea that all queer people inherently know from birth, or at least from adolescence, that they’re not straight, and I think that closes the door on people who take longer to get there. So I wanted to show something that was relatable to me and to a lot of other queer people out there who may not have seen that particular kind of representation before. Plus, Alex is a cocky little know-it-all. Of course he would be blindsided by something like this just when he thought he had it all figured out!

I thought Henry’s knowledge and love of LGBT history was a particularly meaningful through line, especially as Alex is inspired to learn about his own country’s history as a result of his conversations with Henry. Where would you recommend American readers who want to learn more about this same subject start?
Love this question! A few of my favorites: And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts, A Queer History of the United States by Michael Bronski, Transgender Warriors by Leslie Feinberg (also Stone Butch Blues), Gender Trouble by Judith Butler, Angels in America by Tony Kushner, Coming Out Under Fire by Allan Bérubé, The Gay Revolution by Lillian Faderman, so many more. Two recent releases I loved were When Brooklyn Was Queer by Hugh Ryan and Tinderbox by Robert W. Fieseler. Also watch Paris is Burning!

This is less a question than a personal plea: I am hopelessly obsessed with Pez. Can you please tell me a fact about him that I wouldn’t know from reading the book?
Oh my god, there’s SO much. Pez has a huge place in my heart. A little backstory on him: In his and Henry’s early Eton days, they gravitated to each other because they were both seen as “different” by their classmates. Pez was more straightlaced and proper as a kid, until too many kids looked at Henry sideways for not having a stiff upper lip and too many teachers praised Pez for being so well-behaved and well-spoken. He definitely went home for summer break one year and came back with his nails painted, swanning around in flashy violation of the dress code just to piss off the establishment, and he never looked back. Also he has lots of other famous friends he’s not legally allowed to talk about.

At a certain point, Henry and Alex start ending their emails to one another with these really gorgeous quotes from famous queer love letters. Do you have a favorite among those?
It’s so hard to choose between these, because there were so many good ones. I lost a lot research hours to just reading letters. But my favorite lines, I think, are Vita Sackville-West’s “I miss you even more than I could have believed; and I was prepared to miss you a good deal” and Jean Cocteau’s “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for having saved me. I was drowning and you threw yourself into the water without hesitation, without a backward look.”

Reading the alternate political reality of Red, White & Royal Blue was a very emotional experience for me, and I expect it will be so for a lot of other readers. What was that like for you as a writer?
It was such a complicated thing to balance, because I wanted that little twist away from reality to be close enough to our own world to feel relatable and possible—and to not gloss over the institutional oppression and discrimination that would still be a problem no matter who was in office right now—while also being an optimistic escape. On a personal level, it was about trying to reconnect with hope and the feeling that progress is possible and that the moral arc of the universe does actually bend toward justice. So it was this journey of, how can I do this realistically and respectfully at the same time? How can I call this out without getting lost in the politics when it’s supposed to be a rom-com? How do I find the hope and still mirror what’s happening right now? I did my best, so I hope people find it as cathartic to read as I did to write.

What’s next for you?
I can’t reveal too much specifically about future books, but I can tell you that I have another queer new adult rom-com in the works! This one centers on two very lost and very lonely girls who fall in love on the New York subway, with a big time travel-y twist. It’s wildly different from Red, White & Royal Blue, but at the same time, it’s still just as fun and full of complicated families and ride-or-die friendships and cinematic kisses. I’m so, so excited to share more about it soon! And of course, there’s also the deal I just signed with Berlanti Productions and Amazon Studios to adapt Red, White & Royal Blue! I could not be more amped to see where that project goes and work with the team we’ve put together to make something incredible.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Red, White & Royal Blue.

Author photo by Raegan Labat.