Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
Warm your heart this June…and grab a copy of Annabel Monaghan’s sweet, new romance novel! In Summer Romance, Ali is navigating emotions tied to a failed marriage and while overcoming grief she develops an unexpected relationship. Attraction, love, companionship and self-discovery make this story a pleasurable read and if you know about Monaghan’s expertise in this genre, you will have a box of tissues by your side! I loved it right along with her other novels! Check out my Q&A with the author below.
Benefits of a summer romance: it’s always fun, always brief, and no one gets their heart broken.
There aren’t enough labeled glass containers to contain the mess that is Ali Morris’s life. Her mom died two years ago, then her husband left, and she hasn’t worn pants with a zipper in longer than she cares to remember. She’s a professional organizer whose pantry is a disgrace.
No one is more surprised than Ali when the first time she takes off her wedding ring and puts on pants with hardware — overalls count, right? — she meets someone. Or rather, her dog claims a man for her in the same way he claimed his favorite of her three children: by peeing on him. Ethan smiles at Ali like her pants are just right — like he likes what he sees. The last thing Ali needs is to make her life messier, but there’s no harm in a little Summer Romance. Is there?
Book Nation Q & A with Annabel Monaghan
Q: What inspires you to write novels about women whose lives drastically change course?
A: I think I’m really interested in who people grow up to be and why. I’m interested in how all of the choices and concessions women make along the way lead them to a day when they wake up and think, “Huh. Is this my life?” It happens all the time and I like seeing a woman in a story, no matter her age or circumstances, come to terms with where she is and maybe course correct.
Q: What is your trick for creating a story that makes the reader cry?
A: No tricks here! It takes me a long time to connect to the characters that I’m writing and to really feel like I understand what they want. Once I understand that – no small thing – then I can take it away from them and break my own heart.
Q: How do you come up with a premise and are there specific elements you know you want to include before you begin writing a new book? (an old crush, a dog, a handsome man, hard pants, a loss?)
A: I only have the broadest strokes when I start. In Summer Romance I knew she was a professional organizer with a messy house and a chaotic life. I knew she’d meet a guy. The rest of the stuff sort of comes in from my own subconscious – I do remember during the COVID lockdown forcing myself to put on hard pants every day, like it was some outward show of sanity!
Q: In Summer Romance, Ali and Ethan have great chemistry and their characters are complex and well-developed. An extra special treat is that you have surrounded them with lots of other wonderful characters that have depth as well. Do you come up with each character’s profile and back story before you write or do they just evolve during the process?
A: Thank you! And no, I get to know all the people as I go. They honestly always start out to be sort of extreme in the first draft – overly extroverted, overly dramatic, overly everything – and then I pull them back as I go.
Q: Why do you think the romance genre seems to have gained popularity lately? (And even though the stories you tell are fiction, do you think your books offer women support and encouragement as they face their own life events and struggles?)
A: I hope my books offer support and encouragement, and when I get a message from a reader that she saw herself in a story it means everything to me. Romantic relationships are a huge part of our lives, they’re not extra credit like volleyball. These relationships help us discover ourselves and form our families and break us and help us learn and reconnect. I think people read romance to engage with infinite possibility for themselves.
Q: What current books have you read that you recommend?
A: So many good books! ANNA BRIGHT IS HIDING SOMETHING by Susie Orman Schnall came out on June 4. Also SEVEN SUMMERS by Paige Toon (grab your tissues!!) May 21.
Q: Where can we keep up with all that you do?
This article originally appeared on BookNationByJen.
About the Author:
I am the (…wait for it…) national bestselling author of Same Time Next Summer and Nora Goes Off Script, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Writing these love stories has probably been the most fun I’ve ever had. Pre-Nora, I wrote fiction for young adults and a column for not-so-young adults. Since you’ve gotten this far into my website, you probably knew that already.
I grew up in Los Angeles, and nearly every one of my relatives still lives in Southern California. I attended Duke University where I studied English. I have an MBA from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania and a brief history as an investment banker. I also used to teach novel writing at the The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. I now live in the suburbs of New York City with my family, including a little dog who sheds.
