Four years ago, Carley Fortune’s debut novel, Every Summer After, launched her journey from an award-winning journalist and editor to a New York Times best-selling author. Since then, she hasn’t slowed down. Her fourth novel, One Golden Summer, is set to be released on May 6, perfectly timed to take readers on their annual Carley Fortune escape. Can’t wait until then? Any of her novels would make a perfect date for Valentine’s Day
Jane Rosen (JR): If you had to choose your Valentine from the pages of your books, who would shower you with roses and chocolates on February 14th?
Carley Fortune (CF): Charlie Florek, who is the hero of my next novel, One Golden Summer, and a side character in my first, Every Summer After. I’ve always had a soft spot for him. He’s an unapologetic flirt with a heart of gold.
J.R.: In real-life you have been married to your husband, Marco, for over a dozen years now. How did you meet-cute?
C.F.: We met in journalism school and have been together for 20 years this March. I don’t actually remember the first time we met, but in our third year of school, we had a magazine feature writing class together, and I remember being impressed by his writing, which developed into a bit of a crush. Then I found out he had a nonna who made the world’s best homemade lasagna, and that he was a drummer. Crush solidified! We circled around each other for a little while before we started dating, and we’ve been together ever since.
J.R.: What was your wedding song?
C.F.: Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space by the British rock band Spiritualized. It was the first song Marco messaged me before we started dating. It’s dreamy, romantic, and melancholy, and it pulls in bits of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” another song I adore.
J.R.: Your most watched Rom-com?
C.F.: It’s probably Thirteen Going on Thirty. It hits so many of my weak spots: childhood best friends who are estranged as adults, the magazine industry, and Mark Ruffalo.
J.R.: There has been a lot of Hollywood buzz around your novels lately. Can we have an update, please?
C.F.: Here’s what I can share: Every Summer After is being adapted as a series by Amazon Prime Video. The first season is being written now. Meet Me at the Lake has been optioned by Netflix and Archewell Productions, and it continues to move along behind the scenes.
J.R.: Which author, dead or alive, would you most like to blurb your next novel?
C.F.: Either Elin Hilderbrand or Taylor Jenkins Reid. I admire them both tremendously. Luckily, I didn’t have to solicit blurbs for One Golden Summer. It’s one the most painful parts of the publishing process.
J.R.: I couldn’t agree more! What is your most beloved classic of all time?
C.F.: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It’s a masterpiece featuring one of the most memorable heroines of all time.
J.R.: What book made you fall in love with reading?
C.F.: I read the book Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden countless times as a kid. It’s about a group of Aussie teens who find their farming town invaded by a foreign military group. (I lived in Australia from ages three through eight years old.) It has a tough female protagonist, teen angst, and so much drama, but what I loved best were the vivid descriptions of the Australian bush. It was a big influence on my own writing.
J.R.: Ocean, lake, or pool?
C.F.: The lake! I grew up on a beautiful lake in Ontario and return to the area every year. It’s where I feel most creative and was the inspiration for my first novel and is the setting of my next one.
J.R.: Kindle or paper?
C.F.: Paper. I have two young children, and it’s important to me that they see me reading books—that’s not as obvious when you’re reading on a screen.
J.R.: Cake or Pie?
C.F.: Cake! Specifically, a moist yellow cake with chocolate buttercream icing.
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 and Great South Bay News. She and her husband have three grown daughters and a rescue pup named Rosalita. Stay tuned for her upcoming title, Songs of Summer, scheduled for release in May 2025. Visit janelrosen.com for more details.
