Super Busy March 2024
new revisions, language translations, and a shelved something
Writing Updates
I’m in developmental edits now for Swiftie 4—no official title yet, but it’s in the works—and wow, have I missed these characters (!!!), but also…wow, this book is proving to be another puzzle. Over the last several years, my books have all had short timespans. What Happens After Midnight takes place over roughly two weeks, The Summer of Broken Rules is a single week, and While We’re Young is only a day (but it won’t make you ugly-cry like One Day, I promise). I love that framework, I love the challenge of working within it. It’s fun, and it’s amazing how such a short time can be so transformative for a character.
Swiftie 4 covers ten months, and the last time I wrote a manuscript along the same lines, the first draft was over 100,000 words (I had no idea word-counts existed when I wrote Maybe Meant To Be). This time, instead of majorly overwriting, I raced through Madeline’s story to end up with a reasonable opening word-count (84,000ish). Part of this revision is further developing certain story threads, but I also have to re-jigger and cut stuff. Which is hard, I’m not going to lie. I have a big cast (it is a K.L. Walther book, after all) and a lot going on, so wish me luck!
Here’s a little snippet…
Other News
While We’re Young is officially on Goodreads! Click here to add it to your TBR!
Next Friday (3/15), I’m going to be at the New Orleans Book Festival, held at Sarah and Michael’s alma mater, Tulane University. I’m so excited (and a lot nervous). I’ll be on a panel with fellow YA author, Brittany Williams, and then doing a signing! It’s a free event, but you can register in advance here, and check out the schedule. I personally can’t wait to see Amor Towles in the flesh.
Foreign Translations
I tend to manage my expectations when it comes to my author milestones; I still can’t believe that The Summer of Broken Rules spent last summer on the New York Times bestseller list (I sobbed when my editor delivered the news), and any possibility of a film/series adaptation feels like a distant dream (I have no control over it). Another thing that never ceases to amaze me is language translations. As of now, I believe Maybe Meant To Be, The Summer of Broken Rules, and What Happens After Midnight have been/are going to be translated into sixteen languages.
May I repeat: SIXTEEN LANGUAGES!
It is so surreal to think about the fact that Sage, Nick, Luke, and Charlie will soon be in Portugal, that Meredith and Wit are in Romania, and that Lily and Tag (and Alex, we can’t forget about Alex!) will be going to Germany—among many other places. My beloved characters are now scattered across the world, in countries I dream of visiting.
I’ve been slowly collecting copies of these editions. The Portuguese translation was a special one for me, because I loved working with Miguel, the translator, and I got my copy when I attended Bienal do Livro in Rio this past September. What a wonderful and wild experience—I did a panel with Lynn Painter and signed a hundred books (each one came with a hug and a friendship bracelet)—and I hope I get invited back!
Greek was another cool find, too. C and I spent some time on Corfu this summer, and we found TSOBR immediately upon walking into a bookshop. It means so much that the owner stamped it for me. Unfortunately, I did not jot down its translation. This was the first foreign edition I’d seen in the wild, so I was a little overwhelmed!
Another favorite of mine is the Italian. C’s parents first brought home a copy from Milan. I love seeing it on their bookshelf, and I later bought another book on our own trip to Italy. My publisher decided to do a hardcover, which is gorgeous.
Another element I love is the unique touches my foreign publishers put on their translations, which I have absolutely nothing to do with—it’s all them! I have always dreamed of a map of Paqua Farm, and Poland illustrated an adorable one for their TSOBR. Complete with an illustrated family tree.
TSOBR’s cover has mostly remained the same throughout this process (I bow down to my cover artist, Monique Aimee), but there have been some new changes. Below is the Serbian TSOBR, as well as the German WHAM! The image is cut off, but its subtitle translates to: “The first night of the rest of our lives.”
I’m also really excited for the upcoming German edition of TSOBR, because they’re hopefully doing a book box whose edition includes a special greeting from me and my recent Christmas short story!
To my readers across the globe, thank you for embracing my books! I’m flattered and incredibly honored. <3
Reader Questions
What’s your creative process like?
I had fun talking about this and the way it’s changed back in my December installment! Check it out here.
How was Josh and Leda’s wedding?
Fantastic! It was a small-ish destination wedding out in Montana, and a bunch of Ames faculty members—including the DeLucas, Epstein-Foxes, and Penny Bickford—made the trip. Naturally, Bunker Hill officiated the ceremony. Josh tapped Tag as his best man, and Lily painted quick little portraits of all the guests during the reception. Alex might’ve rekindled his romance with Anthony DeLuca, too.
TSOBR is my favorite book ever, do you have any book suggestions that are similar?
For YA, I know a lot of my readers love Lynn Painter’s books and Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy. I’ve also heard that Carley Fortune’s adult romance Every Summer After has similar vibes. I haven’t read it yet, but I trust you guys! My personal recommendation is a YA romance called Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland. It’s such a hidden beach read gem! (And I hope to write an ACK-set book someday).
What careers do you see your characters going into post-college?
I love this question! MMTB: Luke is an FBI agent specializing in white collar crime while Charlie is an orthopedic surgeon. Sage is a pediatric nurse practitioner and Nick plays in the NHL. WHAM: Tag returns to Ames as an English teacher (ironic, since he’s no poet and he knows it!) and Leda is his mentor. Lily, meanwhile, is self-employed as a successful invitation/stationery artist. TSOBR: You’ll find out what Wit and Meredith do in Swiftie 4.
Which song are you MOST anticipating on The Tortured Poets Department?
Every. Damn. Song.
Do you ever get bored or tired when writing? If so, what do you do to get back into it?
Why, yes! Yes, I do! And it depends. If it’s a book I love, I close my laptop for the rest of the day to go on a walk, read, watch something, paint (by numbers), or spend time with family/friends. Sometimes I don’t write for a few days, maybe even a week if I’m not on a deadline. Usually that does the trick and I feel recharged and ready to go again. But if I find the manuscript itself boring, or leading to nowhere, I reevaluate whether or not I want to continue it. I’ve abandoned drafts before to brainstorm and write bright, new, shiny, book-of-my-heart projects. I never delete those discarded drafts, though, because you never know; I just move them to a folder labeled “maybe some other time.”
What is one book that you wish you could read for the first time again?
A Court of Mist and Fury by our queen SJM. My mind had never been so blown by a twist. I covet my first edition.
Can you give us a sneak peak of your next book?
My Bookshelf
I’ve officially finished Divine Rivals! It was a little tough to get into at first (probably because I was only reading a chapter at a time), but once I finally sat down and read for a while, Iris and Roman and their story stole my heart. I got sucked in and absolutely loved it. Where can I get an Alouette typewriter?!
I also was lucky and received an ARC of Elin Hilderbrand’s final Nantucket novel, Swan Song. Elin is a huge inspiration of mine; she has mastered the small town island beach read. I’ve read all thirty of her books. Was this one my favorite? No, but were there tears at the end? 100%.
Because I am once again on a deadline (slow reader alert), I’m going to start sharing some of my favorite books so you don’t have to hear “I’m still reading XYZ” every month. Today’s niche subgenre is…
Teen Kaethe’s Top YA
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (this couple is my original YA fantasy OTP)
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (this is a companion to Anna and the French Kiss and I adore it)
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (my queen of YA historical fiction)
The Luxe by Anna Godbersen (historical Gossip Girl because I’m not sure how historically accurate it actually is, but the series is addicting)
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (this contemporary gives me all the feels!)
I first read these books as a teenager, and have continued to read them into adulthood. Their pages have been flipped so many times that my copies are no longer in pristine shape. They are very “loved.”
My Playlist
All instrumental this time! I usually write in silence, but every now and again, I love listening to scores. I sometimes match them to specific scenes.
Epilogue - Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)
Natasha - Martin Phipps (War & Peace)
Can You Hear The Music - Ludwig Göransson (Oppenheimer)
Agape - Nicholas Britell (If Beale Street Could Talk). I wrote the ending of What Happens After Midnight to this track, the very last scene. It has always sung Lily and Tag to me.
Cambridge, 1963 - Jóhann Jóhannsson (The Theory of Everything). All I see is Charlie racing back to his house after he and Luke finally kiss in Maybe Meant To Be. He’s on top of the world.
Bonus Content
Luke had a phone pressed to his ear. “No, Bec, it’s nothing like TV,” I heard him say in a hushed voice. “There’s actually legit schoolwork and rules here.”
- Maybe Meant To Be
Here’s one for the Luke and Charlie lovers! This is an excerpt from Crush Me, my shelved Bexley School #2 manuscript. Our narrator is Becca Morrissey, Luke’s younger sister, and the book follows her during her senior year at Bexley. She’s a fierce lacrosse player and fun at parties, and while she lives only on my laptop, her character has helped develop a few of my other leading ladies, so I am grateful to her. Please enjoy this snippet of these lovestruck idiots as college juniors…
The third week in October, I was excused from Friday and Saturday classes—it was finally time for my trip to UVA. “Now remember,” Mr. Kovac, my college counselor, said in his office Thursday afternoon, “it’s important to ask yourself questions like: Can I see myself walking around campus every day? Do I like how big/small the classes are? Are there clubs and activities I’d like join? That type of stuff.”
“Right,” I nodded, trying to hold in a laugh. We both knew this was just a formality; everyone knew I’d committed to Maryland, Mr. Kovac most of all. His specialty in Bexley’s college counseling office was recruited athletes. The plan was to submit my application next week.
My train pulled into Charlottesville around lunchtime on Friday, right on schedule. Luke was going to pick me up, and then we’d go back to his off-campus apartment. Skipping class, he’d texted me last night with a thumbs-up emoji. Don’t want to be late.
But my brother was nowhere to be found once I made it into to the station’s lobby, my backpack and overpacked duffle banging everybody. I didn’t get too worried, though—seeing the next-best person standing across the waiting area. He spotted me, too. “Bec!”
I grinned—it was impossible not to when Charlie Carmichael smiled at you. He looked like a Disney prince come to life, tall with reddish-gold hair and shining blue eyes. Today he was wearing a navy quarter-zip with corduroys and a pair of olive-colored desert boots. Classic Charlie, I thought to myself. He was super preppy.
“How was the ride?” he asked after we hugged, slinging my duffle over his shoulder.
“Productive,” I said. “I slept the whole way.”
Charlie laughed. “Sounds like someone else we know.”
“Yeah, speaking of him…” I said as we headed for the exit. “What happened? I thought he was skipping today.”
“Well, that was the plan,” Charlie told me. “Until about an hour ago.” We passed through the automatic doors, out onto the street. “He has to write these online discussion posts for this class, and after posting his in the forum, he checked out the others…”
“Uh-oh,” I shook my head, able to guess where this was going.
“And apparently,” Charlie continued, “Piper-something had a few points he didn’t agree with.” He motioned for us to turn left. “So he felt he had to go to class today to challenge them.”
“Yikes,” I sucked in a breath through my teeth. “I could never be in a class with him.”
We stopped at the end of the block. “Yeah, me either,” Charlie said, but I knew he wasn’t serious; his head wasn’t exactly filled with rocks. He’d been valedictorian of his and Luke’s class at Bexley, and now was pre-med, wanting to be an orthopedic surgeon.
It was a bit of a walk to the apartment, but UVA’s campus—or “Grounds,” as they called it—was on the way. It was so very autumn, with the stately brick buildings and soaring white columns and red and orange leaves falling from the trees. Perfect for a postcard. “Hey, Carmichael,” someone said as we passed the famous Rotunda. Charlie gave the guy a nod, and they exchanged a fist bump.
Luke was home when we got there. Charlie unlocked the door and I followed him down the narrow entryway that opened up into the kitchen, where my brother was making a sandwich at the small island. I grinned.
In a totally non-creepy way, I kind of thought Luke was the most adorable person on the planet. Forever thin, he liked to wear jeans with sweatshirts, and backwards baseball hats over his floppy jet-black hair. Right now he had in his Air Pods, and was still wearing his backpack. It made me think of when we were in elementary school. Luke would come home, get a snack, eat it, and then ditch the backpack.
Charlie and I watched him for a few beats—he was absentmindedly bopping along to whatever song was playing, completely oblivious. “What a dork,” I whispered.
“Watch this,” Charlie whispered back, before grabbing a heavy MCAT study book from the counter and lofting it into the air. It hit the floor with a loud smack.
Luke literally jumped. “Holy shit,” he ripped his Air Pods out. “If you do that one more time, I’m seriously going to have a heart attack.”
Charlie beamed. “And I’m confident I’ll be able to revive you.”
My brother rolled his eyes, then came over and pulled me into a hug. “Thank you for coming,” he said quietly. “I don’t know how much longer I can be alone with him.”
I laughed and hugged him tighter. This was Luke and Charlie’s first year living together, after two years of pretending they didn’t. “Yeah, Mom, his room’s great,” I remembered my older sister saying last winter, after she went to visit Luke for a few days. “Except none of his stuff is there, and his roommate looked shocked to see him.”
(Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Charlie had a single two dorms away).
“Oh man, did you make Angry Sauce?” Charlie asked after Luke and I broke apart, checking out the sandwich setup. He dipped his pinkie into a small glass bowl filled with a creamy orange something.
“Of course,” Luke nodded, reaching up to adjust his tortoiseshell glasses. “I know what you like.”
Charlie sighed. “I love you.”
Luke smirked. “That’s very cool.”
“What’s Angry Sauce?” I asked, hopping up on one of the island’s aluminum stools. From the virtual tour Luke had given me via FaceTime right after moving in, I knew this was no crappy college apartment. “How much is your rent?” I’d asked, and all Luke said was: “Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael like C to be comfortable.”
Not to sugarcoat it, but Charlie’s family were the Carmichaels, as in the “Carmichael Science Center” Carmichaels. Like, Bexley royalty.
“Luke invented it last month,” Charlie answered, slathering sauce on a piece of bread. “It’s mayo mixed with sriracha, sour cream, and Tabasco. Super spicy. It also tastes great drizzled over—”
My phone chiming cut him off, and I looked to see a text from Sean: You there?
Crap, I thought. Sean had walked with me to the train station this morning, and I’d promised to text him when I got here.
Yup! I wrote, and added a smiley face before hitting SEND.
He got right back: Was the train late or something?
No, I typed, biting my lip. I just got distracted…
Haha, his next message read, of course you did.
“Is that Clarke?” Charlie asked after I told Sean I’d text him later. I looked up to find a plate in front of me—my very own roast beef sandwich with Angry Sauce.
“Yeah,” I nodded, joking, “He gets kinda clingy sometimes.”
“Wow, I can’t imagine what that’s like,” Luke deadpanned, and cut his eyes towards Charlie, who was now eating his sandwich with only one hand so the other could play with my brother’s sweatshirt strings. “Not a clue.”
Charlie laughed. “That’s because I’m not the clingy one.” He crooked an arm around Luke’s neck and looked at me. “This guy was in rare form last weekend. We were at this party, and all he did was—”
Luke clamped a hand over Charlie’s mouth. “Okay, no, you promised not to tell anyone.”
I rolled my eyes. “Get a room.”
“We’re sick of rooms,” Charlie said after Luke removed his hand, a twinkle in his eye. “That’s why we got this apartment!”
As always, feel free to drop a comment below with questions or anything you’d like to see in future installments!
I should probably get back to editing now.
Cheers,
Kaethe
First of all, absolutely adore Charlie and Luke. And literally every other character.
I’m so curious, after the ending of WHAM, where Leda stands up for Tag and whatnot: does Tag ever have a good relationship with his parents. Or does he completely cut them out. How is that dynamic?