Katie Holt is the author of the new novel Not in My Book.
Q: What inspired you to write Not in My Book, and how did you create your characters Rosie and Aiden?
A: I drew from my real life in some regards. I wrote this when I was a freshman in college at NYU during the pandemic. I was 19 and I was so excited to go to New York but because of the pandemic, I had to stay home in Tennessee.
I was planning to study English and Creative Writing and would often daydream about what my life would be like. I didn't have a writer's workshop romance like Rosie and Aiden did, though. Writing a book is super vulnerable and I thought about what it would be like to share that vulnerability with someone.
I feel like Rosie and Aiden are both sides of me--a romance optimist and a romance pessimist. And I wondered if those two sides could ever join and Rosie and Aiden formed in my head!
Q: The writer Chloe Gong said of the book, “An incredible meta-layered romance about writing romance, and all the feelings that emerge in between.” What do you think of that description, and did you enjoy writing a novel about writers?
A: I was so honored that Chloe Gong said that! I think she's right that it's "meta." It's a romance novel about writers writing a romance novel so that description feels apt for sure.
I loved writing a novel about writers! I think all writers can agree that writing can be a struggle some days. Instead of just having to feel that frustration on my own, I could share that with my characters and have them relate to it. In a way, it made writing it easier.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Rosie and Aiden?
A: They're an unlikely pair, but they work together. It's like french fries and milkshakes. You wouldn't necessarily think they'd go well together, but then once you give it a shot, you end up really liking it.
Rosie really hated the entire idea of Aiden for a while until she gave him a shot and saw him from a new perspective. I loved writing this enemies-to-lovers dynamic between them and all the banter and insults that came with it.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: Although this is a romance novel, I'm really hoping I can bring more representation to Peruvians. I grew up wishing that Latinx representation would extend to Peruvians, but nothing I read or watched ever did.
It was really important for me to include my Peruvian culture through Rosie and I really hope readers walk away knowing even just a little bit more about Peru.
I also hope this encourage readers to step outside their comfort zone and try a romance novel! I think anyone who reads this book knows just how passionate I am about the genre.
I think in recent years people have been more accepting, especially with BookTok, but for a long time, there was shame associated with the genre.
As a bookseller, I witnessed first-hand how people would try to convince me they never read romance, even if they were looking for the latest rom-com. I hope people can walk away proud to be a romance reader or skeptics can try something new.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I'm working on another bookish New York City rom-com! I don't think I can say too much but it follows a bookseller at an iconic New York City bookstore as she falls for an unlikely match.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Not in My Book is my love letter to romance readers and New York City!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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