Please help me give a big Hoosblog welcome to Rachel Lynn Solomon!

Rachel Lynn Solomon writes, tap dances, and collects lipstick in Seattle, Washington. She is the author of the YA novels Today Tonight Tomorrow (out July 14, 2020), You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, and Our Year of Maybe. Her debut adult romantic comedy, The Ex Talk, will be published in spring 2021. A longtime Pitch Wars mentor, she lives near a zoo with her husband and tiny dog.

I’m very excited for today’s guest! I first discovered Rachel before her debut, You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, came out and quickly fell in love with her writing. Since then, we’ve chatted on Twitter and Instagram and she is now one of my “must buy” authors. I cannot wait for her newest book, Today Tonight Tomorrow, and of course I’ll dip my toe in the adult world for The Ex Talk.

Tell us about your book.

Today Tonight Tomorrow is a rivals-to-lovers romantic comedy that takes place in 24 hours on the last day of senior here!

Here’s the official blurb:

Today, she hates him.

It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.

Tonight, she puts up with him.

When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.

As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.

Tomorrow…maybe she’s already fallen for him.

Preorder Today Tonight Tomorrow:

Now for the fun stuff!

What’s your favorite genre? Do you read what you write?

Romance! It’s probably 95 percent of what I read these days. My first two books were a bit heavier, but Today Tonight Tomorrow is a romcom, as are my other upcoming books, and I love living in that space. And to make things a little meta, Rowan, the main character in TTT, wants to become a romance novelist, which was such a blast to write. The book explores the way romance novels still carry a stigma, something Rowan wrestles with as a she gains the confidence to claim romance reader/writer as part of her identity.

Oh my goodness, I LOVE that you get to address the stigma! And I understand the need to balance darker and lighter books. I’ve written both and I feel like your body can only take so much darkness.

What’s your favorite part about writing?

I love revising. My first drafts are extremely messy—they’re essentially very detailed outlines. Revising is where the book really comes to life for me, where I can dig deep with the characters and play around with words. I’m also a huge fan of details, and while I’m revising, I learn exactly what music my characters listen to, what they wear, their relationship with their bodies and self-image, their deepest fears and why.

I also love hearing from readers. It’s still feels surreal, and I am so honored and grateful when someone sends me an email or tags me in a post. Whether they’ve connected with something on a personal level or the book simply brought them joy—it means the world to me.

*blushes at being one of those fans* I really like your point about discovering the details of your characters during revisions. I usually say that drafting is my favorite and I dread revisions, but that’s an excellent point!

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

A blank Word doc is daunting. Every time I start a new draft, I find myself wondering, can I really write a whole book? I fast-draft, and I especially try to get from zero to 10K as quickly as I can. I think it’s that I’m racing to convince myself I can write another book, and each benchmark is a wave of relief. I have to remind myself that a first draft doesn’t need to be good—it just needs to exist. And I can start my favorite part (revising) as soon as I have something book-shaped.

I feel this. I always say a manuscript doesn’t start to feel like a book until I’ve reached the 10k mark, and I’m usually really quiet about the new idea until I reach that point.

What’s an activity unrelated to writing that you love?

I am a tap dancer! I got into it as an adult and have been dancing and performing with the same studio for about seven years. I’ve always loved old movie musicals—Singin’ in the Rain is my all-time favorite movie—and that was what initially sparked my interest in tap. But it’s so versatile, and you can tap to modern music as well.

THIS IS SO COOL!

Who’s your biggest cheerleader?

My dear friend and critique partner Kelsey Rodkey (@kelseyrodkey on Twitter), who writes the best banter EVER. Today Tonight Tomorrow is actually dedicated to her! She’s been so enthusiastic about that book since the beginning, and her response was the first time I felt like I could write books that made people happy. That was huge part of why I’ve pivoted to romcoms and away from heavy contemporary YA.

I will also give my wonderful husband a shout-out for making sure I’m properly fed while on deadline and always understanding when I have to carve out extra writing time.

I love that you have such a supportive best friend! I’m lucky that way too. AND a husband who feeds you. <3 (My husband is cooking as I write this, haha.)

Now I’d like to play a fun little game called This or That. As a writer, I find that a lot of interviews ask the same questions, so I always appreciate sharing something new about myself. I’m super excited about these questions—and I hope you enjoy them!

Introvert or extrovert? Introvert

Morning or night person? Morning

Coffee or tea? Coffee ice cream 🙂

Sweet or salty? Salty

Eternal summer or four seasons? Four seasons

Mountains or beach? Beach

Dogs or cats? Dogs

Over 5’5” or under? Under—I am a lofty 4’10”!

Left or right-handed? Right

Hoodie or yoga pants? Hoodie

As a fellow shorty, I don’t want to comment on your height. But I will say your personality is much bigger!

Rachel, thank you so much for spending this time with me and my readers. Readers, you can find Rachel at these links—and be sure to check out Today Tonight Tomorrow, and all the rest of her books!

Website | Twitter | Instagram

If you missed the previous interviews, you can read them here.

Getting to Know Rachel Lynn Solomon