From California girl to Connecticut lady, best-selling author Annabel Monaghan has traded in her YA [young adult] hat for a Rom-Com Crown—and her fans couldn’t be happier about it. Brainy (she has a BA from Duke and an MBA from U. Penn) and quick-witted (she often has me in stitches with just one text), the mom of three (books and boys), is my next subject for Cake or Pie?
Jane Rosen(J.R.): A little bird told me you are becoming an empty nester. What are you most looking forward to? What are you dreading?
Annabel Monaghan (A.M.): I’m sure there’ll be a major meltdown in my future, but for now, I’m excited. We’ve sold the nest and are moving soon, so it feels like a new beginning. I’ve sorted through so much stuff and many memories in the last nine months that I’m ready for a clean slate.
J.R.: I know it’s like asking if you have a favorite child, but do you have a favorite of your novels?
A.M.: I’d say “Summer Romance.” It’s the most personal of my books. There’s a lot of my life story there and a big chunk of my experience with finding myself while raising kids and certainly my experience grieving my mom. The book is a love letter to joy and my mom.
J.R.: Describe your best-ever book tour stop.
A.M.: I don’t think anyone can compete with Charleston. I mean, didn’t they name a dance after the place? I’ve been to Buxton Books in Charleston twice, and a book club aptly called @extraafbookclub has shown up both times in custom T-shirts with my characters’ names, headdresses, and themed earrings. This last time, they all came straight from a skateboarding lesson in honor of Ethan, my “Summer Romance” hero.
J.R.: Your first book, “Nora Goes Off Script,” was a perfect rom-com. Was there something you can point to that inspired that story?
A.M.: Yes! I got temporarily hooked on the Hallmark Channel and started wondering what kind of people wrote those movies. I thought it would be sort of interesting if they’d never actually been in love and were plugging words into a formula. And then I wondered what it would be like if that writer found herself in a giant toe-curling romance of her own.
J.R.: Which author, dead or alive, would you most like to blurb your next novel?
A.M.: You? Is this a weird place to ask? I’m going to say, Sally Hepworth. I’m such a huge fan of hers, and if she blurbed my book, it would be an excuse for me to have a conversation with her.
J.R.: Can you tell us a little about your next novel?
A.M.: It’s about a child star who’s trying to be taken seriously in Hollywood as an adult. And there’s a guy who is a stone-cold fox.
J.R.: What is something that surprised you in the publishing industry?
AM: I’m still blown away by how supportive authors are to each other, how they’ll spend two days reading your book to offer an endorsement for free just because it’s a nice thing to do.
J.R.: If you had to be trapped inside any book for a month, where are you?
A.M. Easy – “Just One Taste” by Lizzy Dent. It’s her newest book and takes place in Italy. There is so much pasta and sunshine, and everything smells like oranges.
J.R.: What is your favorite classic of all time?
A.M.: “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith
J.R.: If you weren’t an author, what would you be?
A.M.: Depressed.
J.R.: What’s your pet peeve?
A.M.: Voice messages on IG. It’s faster for the person sending the message but is more labor-intensive for the person receiving the message.
J.R.: What’s your favorite bookstore?
A.M.: Athena Books in Old Greenwich, CT. It’s like a gracious home full of books.
J.R. Fido or Feline?
A.M: Fido
J.R.: Kindle or paper?
A.M.: Both
J.R.: Cake or Pie?
A.M.: Pie
Jane L. Rosen is the author of Seven Summer Weekends., On Fire Island, A Shoe Story, Eliza Starts a Rumor, and Nine Women, One Dress. She is also a screenwriter and contributor to publications including The New Times, Tablet, and now, her hometown paper, the Fire Island News. She and her husband have three grown daughters and a rescue pup named Rosalita.
