Kristina Forest: On Characters Connecting Through the Written Word
Author Kristina Forest discusses sparking romance in characters who haven’t met in person with her new romance novel, The Neighbor Favor.
Kristina Forest is an author of romance books for young adults. Her novels include I Wanna Be Where You Are, Now That I've Found You, Zyla & Kai and The Neighbor Favor. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at The New School, and she can often be found rearranging her bookshelf. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.
In this post, Kristina discusses sparking romance in characters who haven’t met in person with her new romance novel, The Neighbor Favor, her hope for readers, and more!
Name: Kristina Forest
Literary agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties
Book title: The Neighbor Favor
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin Random House
Release date: February 28, 2023
Genre/category: Romance
Previous titles: I Wanna Be Where You Are, Now That I’ve Found You, Zyla & Kai
Elevator pitch for the book: Lily, an aspiring children’s books editor, and, Nick, an adult fantasy writer, correspond with each other online but little do they know, they’re neighbors.
What prompted you to write this book?
This idea originally came to me as a trio: three books about three sisters. Lily is the youngest and I felt like her story was the best entry point to get to know everyone. I also have always loved epistolary novels, and I think there’s something special about falling for someone simply based on their use of the written word, so I wanted to write about people who meet online before they meet in person.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I first had the idea for this book sometime in 2019. But I had other contracts I needed to fulfill, so I started writing in early 2021 and it sold in summer 2021, so about two years or so.
The idea definitely changed. Originally, Lily worked in magazine publishing and Nick wrote for a popular adult cartoon television show, like Big Mouth. But I hate doing research and I knew I’d have to research those professions, and I also wanted their jobs to be more tied to each other. I worked in children’s publishing for several years, so I decided to base the story in the world of book publishing since I already knew it so well.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
The editorial schedule for adult romance is a little faster than what I’ve experienced in YA. But otherwise, there isn’t a big difference between the publishing processes. I did have to pay more attention to the way I wrote intimacy on the page because that wasn’t something I focused too much on in my YA novels.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
My first drafts are usually pretty clean because I edit as I go and do a ton of outlining before I start drafting, but the first draft of this book was a hot mess. No one has seen it, not even my agent or critique partner. Definitely not my editors!
Switching age groups (YA romance to adult romance) was a bit of learning curve, but I learned to trust myself and my vision. I also learned to embrace the fact that sometimes first drafts aren’t good, but you can always make them better in revision.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers leave my book feeling a little more hopeful about life and love, and I hope they read some of the books that Lily and Nick discuss in the novel.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Lots of writers say this, but it’s good advice: Read often and read widely.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
