We chat with author Kat Mackenzie about Experiments in Offline Dating, which is a sharp-witted enemies-to-lovers romcom about a podcaster who embarks on a matchmaking tour of Ireland and gets trapped with a grump who pushes all of her buttons.
Hi, Kat! Welcome back! What have you been up to since we last spoke for the release of Work In Progress?
So very much authoring! This is a new career for me, and I have been swept up in a whirlwind of traveling for research, writing, editing (so much editing!), going on book cruises, doing events at indie book shops across the country, making oodles of new bookish friends, trying and failing to create content for social media (which invariably leaves me feeling like an ancient, Victorian spirit cursed to wander the internet unseen!), and editing. Did I mention editing?
Your latest novel, Experiments in Offline Dating, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Snarky, adventurous, only one air-mattress!
What can readers expect?
This is a comedy-forward, enemies-to-lovers romcom that travels across Ireland and makes mischievous use of the matchmaking trope and the beautiful scenery.
Where did the inspiration for Experiments in Offline Dating come from?
That’s an easy one! Ireland has an annual Matchmaking Festival that has been going on for generations, and I thought it was just too good an opportunity for a romcom writer to ignore. The only possible option was to go there myself, spend time at the festival, drink the Guiness, and have my match made by the local matchmaker.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing my matchmaker Jackie. He’s a warm, open-hearted man with a glittering smile who is full of mischief. The way he positively enrages our grumpy MMC, Tadhg, was decadently delightful dialogue to write!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I discovered that it’s easier for me to make a character’s inner voice funny when the character is grumpy. Maya, on the other hand, tends to go with the flow. It took more acrobatics on my part to bring the humour out in her dialogue with Tadhg. I had to rework the two characters, tweaking as I went, to get them to spark off of each other the way that I needed them to. They were reluctant to comply.
What are some of the key lessons you learned from working on your published debut that helped with Experiments in Offline Dating?
I think that the very best lesson is that in trad publishing there is very little control over what happens to your book once it’s published, and how much information authors receive about numbers and sales, etc. It took me a little while to learn not to fixate on things that I couldn’t change. Be patient, focus on your next project, and go with the flow.
Even more importantly, however, is the community that can be found within writing and publishing for those who want it. I have reached for these people at every turn, and do my best to bring people together whenever possible. These new friends are the very best thing about being an author. They are my family – holding me up when times are tough, brainstorming with me when the plot is riddled with holes, and celebrating with me when the times are good. It’s hard to remember an era of my life when I was without them.
What’s next for you?
I’ve written a very comedy-forward, witchy, cozy romantasy that I’m super excited about! There may also be another travel romcom after my trip to Italy this September. I will be eating all of the food and drinking all of the wine, just in case!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
First and foremost, the real-life Irish matchmaker, Willie Daly, whom I befriended, and who was my inspiration for my own fictional matchmaker, has written a truly gorgeous collection of tales from his life called The Last Matchmaker. The book is lyrical, nostalgic, and a work of beauty. Everyone should run out to read it immediately!
So so many others! Lessons in Falling by Christy Schilig, The Ties That Bind Us by Deidra Duncan, The Great Outdoors by Kayla Olsen, Safe Haven by Lily Parker, The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston, Hunted by the Fae King’s Shadow by Shaylin Gandhi, Beneath Still Waters by Linny Mack, Romance in a Bookshop by Poppy Alexander, The Breakup Bookshop by Breea Keenan, Glad you Came by Chloe Ford, Hunter’s Treasure by Olivia Jackson, The One and Only Vivian Stone by Melissa O’Connor, and the upcoming hilarious offering in the Demonmart series by D.M. Guay.
