Q&A with Shelby Saville

 

Shelby Saville is the author of the new novel And They Had a Great Fall. She is the CEO of a media agency, and she lives in the Chicago area.

 

Q: What inspired you to write And They Had a Great Fall, and how did you create your characters Jake and Kat?

 

A: The story came to me after reading a GQ article by Daniel Riley. He was profiling a young, up and coming actor. He observed that the actor was in a “window of in between-ity— … While it was the beginning of something enormous for him, it was also, a little sadly, the end of something else – the very last days of the first part of his life.”

 

That passage rolled around in my head for days as I was thinking about the space between the before and after when life changes. That time when you are remaking the rest of your life, sometimes unconsciously.

 

I wondered what would happen if you put two characters together who are stalled as their lives are changing.  One character's life is changing due to success, the other, tragedy. 

 

The character of Jake was born. He's a young actor who is finally getting the one thing he always wanted: fame. But it's not all he hoped for, and he's cracking under the expectations that come with being a celebrity. 

 

I paired him with Kat whose life changed years ago when her husband died, leaving her and her young daughter. She's grappling with the promise of a life that never happened and resists living life after his death. 

 

I crashed these two complex characters together who on the surface don’t make sense, but have a secret romance during the pandemic, a time when the entire world stalled.

 

And They Had a Great Fall is the story of when they reunite a year later and the world has reopened. What happens when they have to face the reality of their lives and the risks that come with being together?

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between them?  

 

A: I’ve always loved the Grumpy/Sunshine trope, but I twisted it a bit for this novel. Kat and Jake are what I call a Monday/Friday couple.

 

Kat is all business, practical and controlled. She’s not grumpy, but she certainly has little time for frivolity and does not take risks. 

 

Jake is the exact opposite – he’s fun and takes life in the moment. He’s not all sunshine, but he believes life is one big exploration. 

 

In addition, it was important to me to write a male character who was charming, creative and sensitive. Conversely, I wanted to show a female character who had a lot of agency over her life. 

 

The dynamic between them is interesting because they approach life so differently. At times they spar because they can’t really understand each other, but at other times, the very reason they are attracted to each other is their differences.   

 

One thing to note about the novel is that I purposefully set the novel in Copenhagen because Danish design is all about Form and Function, which describes Jake and Kat. It is a subtle reminder that you can have both and build something beautiful.

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: And They Had a Great Fall is a title with many layers. 

 

It has hints of a fairytale, specifically Humpty Dumpty, who “had a great fall.” Kat calls their first kiss the “Humpty Dumpty” incident.  (You’ll have to read to find out why). 

 

Also, Copenhagen is often referenced as the City of Fairytales, because it was the home of Hans Christian Andersen. I liked the juxtaposition, because this is a very real story of two people who are not living a fairytale.  

 

Also “they had a great fall” is a reference to their relationship. Kat and Jake move past their initial casual, physical relationship and fall for each other. But the novel doesn’t stop there. Eventually their relationship and their lives fall apart. Only after their “great fall” can they find their fairytale ending.

 

Lastly and more literally, the book is set in the fall. The season mattered to me as it reflected their lives. Both of them are at an inflection point in life, and fall is a season of transitions. The 10 days they have together, in the fall, are the 10 days that ultimately change the course of their lives. 

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I knew I wanted it to end with Kat letting go and rediscovering the joy in life. That said, I played around with a few different endings, each with different outcomes for our couple. As the novel progressed, ultimately I realized their lives are exponentially better when they are together. I couldn’t bear to keep them apart. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have also been toying with a prequel for And They Had A Great Fall. Many of my early readers have asked if I’d consider a prequel to show Kat’s life before Jake and when they first got together. I am currently sketching out that story arc. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: My day job is being a CEO of a large media agency, and I write on the side. Being a female leader, it is important to me to show women, with real jobs/real economics inside of the romance genre.

 

While I do love many novels with women who somehow live in million-dollar homes as painters, gardeners, bakers, or art gallery docents, I think there is space to show less romanticized careers. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb