Q&A with Turner Gable Kahn

 

 

 

Turner Gable Kahn is the author of the new novel The Dirty Version. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Dirty Version, and how did you create your character Tash?

 

A: The seed actually came during the height of the #MeToo movement. I remember texting a group chat with my closest girlfriends and saying, “Someone should write a book about a world without men.”

 

That offhand comment stuck with me and eventually became The Colony — the feminist dystopia my main character, Tash, has written, and the story at the center of the book-within-the-book.

 

Not long after, I started seeing all the coverage about intimacy coordinators on streaming shows like Normal People and Bridgerton. The role felt so fascinating — and genuinely hopeful, like a sign that Hollywood was evolving.

 

And I thought, what if the person hired to “sex up” a feminist story wasn’t a threat, but someone the writer slowly, reluctantly learns to trust?

 

Tash came into focus quickly. She’s proud, loyal, and deeply protective of the work she’s created. She’s also a love letter to my real-life female friendships.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Tash and Caleb?

 

A: Their relationship starts with a lot of friction — and not the fun kind, at first. Tash sees Caleb as a threat to the integrity of her novel, and Caleb thinks she’s difficult and a little condescending.

 

But as they start working together, there’s a shift. He earns her trust not by overpowering her, but by meeting her where she is — with sensitivity and respect.

 

The tension between them is rooted in control: who gets to tell the story, whose voice matters, how desire is framed. But at the heart of it is mutual admiration. I wanted their romance to feel like an extension of their collaboration — a story about two people learning how to create something new together.

 

Q: The writer Neely Tubati Alexander said, “Gable Kahn masterfully tackles the constant and varied misogyny women face in society head-on, while also portraying a real, beautifully flawed [main character].” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I was so honored by Neely’s blurb — she’s a writer I admire, and that description really captures what I hoped to achieve with this book. I didn’t want to write a main character who had everything figured out. I wanted Tash to be angry and complicated and occasionally unfair — and still worthy of love.

 

There’s so much pressure for female protagonists to be likable or “relatable,” and that can flatten them. With Tash, I tried to be honest. She’s smart, she’s sharp, she’s scared, and she’s doing her best in a world that hasn’t always been kind.

 

I think Neely’s comment reflects that duality — that you can confront systemic issues and still tell a deeply personal story.

 

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 started with a pretty solid outline — I like to know where I’m going, even if the road curves a little on the way there. So I always had the ending in mind. But the emotional tone of the ending shifted as I got deeper into the draft.

 

One of the most significant changes came during revisions with my agent. We decided to move a pivotal scene up earlier in the story, which had a domino effect. That shift gave the book more room to breathe, and made the character arcs feel more earned.

 

I also added an epilogue that wasn’t in the original draft — and now I can’t imagine the book without it.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Right now, I’m working on a new novel that draws from a past life of mine — I used to do live storytelling performances and consult on public speaking. The story centers on a professional storyteller who gets roped in to coaching the Best Man speech for a wedding... and finds herself entangled in ways she didn’t expect.

 

It’s still in the romance space, but with a different tone and texture. I’m drawn to stories about performance, identity, and the things we reveal when we tell stories — or try to avoid them.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Just that The Dirty Version is a romance set between South Florida and Hollywood, and it’s all about what happens behind the scenes — in creative work, in relationships, and in the stories we tell about intimacy. I wanted it to be thoughtful and sexy, but also a little sneaky — like a sharp conversation wrapped inside a slow-burn kiss.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb