Q&A with Kate Bromley

 

 

 

Kate Bromley is the author of the new novel Ciao For Now. Her other books include Talk Bookish to Me. She lives in New York City.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Ciao For Now, and how did you create your character Violet?

 

A: What inspired me to write Ciao For Now was my love of Rome and the time I spent in Italy. It felt like such a magical place to me, and I knew that’s where I wanted to set my story.

 

When you sit down to write a book, between writing and editing, you’re really immersing yourself in a different world for about a year – so I figured, if I’m going to spend a year somewhere, why not spend it in dreamy Italy?

 

I came up with my character, Violet, through one of my favorite hobbies, which is watching fashion design shows. I’ve probably watched every season of every design show there is, and it was always such a fascinating subject to me.

 

When I’m writing, I like to give my main characters interesting jobs/careers where I can have fun researching and learning about what they do (so far I’ve written about a romance author, a playwright, and now a fashion designer), and Violet is absolutely one of my favorite characters.

 

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

 

A: As a romance author, all my stories are going to end in a happily ever after, but I definitely wasn’t certain on the road my characters were going to take to get there.

When I do outlines and chapter summaries in my pre-writing stage, I have a general idea of how things are going to go, but I also feel like so much is decided and changes once you start putting words on the page. So, while I basically followed my outline while writing Ciao For Now, I also made plenty of changes along the way.

 

Q: As you mentioned, the story takes place in Rome--how important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: Setting is hugely important in my writing. I like to think of setting as a character in and of itself, and that's something I hope comes across in my descriptions.

 

All my books have been set in very vibrant locations – New York, London, and now Rome – and that probably comes from my deep love of escapist reads. Life can be incredibly stressful, so there’s nothing that makes me happier than sweeping my readers away to beautiful settings as they follow my characters on their journeys to find love.

 

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: I researched like never before to write this book. I figured by my watching as many design shows as I have through the years, it wouldn’t be too hard for me to grasp what fashion design students go through, as well as understanding the steps to complete a garment from start to finish.

 

Oh, was I wrong! Fashion design is such an unbelievably intricate, detailed, difficult endeavor. I researched in preparation for this book for months and months and I still feel like I only barely scratched the surface. I have such immense respect and admiration for fashion designers. They are true artists, and their talents and skill-levels are incredible.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m currently working on my next summer rom-com and loving it so much!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Check out katebromley.com for more info or follow me on Instagram @katebromleywrites

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb