We chat with author Anabelle Stehl about Levels of Love, which is a rivals-to-lovers forced proximity romance set in the competitive gaming world, featuring a sticker sheet to design your own cozy bookstore under the front cover and gorgeous stenciled edges.
Hi, Anabelle! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m Anabelle, and I live in Hamburg, Germany. I love traveling, writing, reading, video games, and dancing. I also have a habit of picking up far too many new hobbies, love anything green, and I’m a huge musical theatre nerd.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Probably as soon as I could talk. I used to make up elaborate stories in our neighborhood, like telling everyone we had seven cats—even though we actually had two guinea pigs. I guess it took me a while to learn the difference between lying and storytelling, haha.
I’ve always loved creating stories, whether in books, during pen-and-paper role-playing sessions, or through online role-playing games. My mom read to me a lot, so I guess that sparked my interest in stories very early on.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and Mats and the Magic Pebbles by Marcus Pfister.
- The one that made you want to become an author: A German children’s book. I was absolutely determined to become an author by the age of six. I was a weird kid.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. (drop book 3, Pat!)
Your latest novel, Levels of Love, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Empowering. Nerdy. Feminist. Girlhood. Green flags.
What can readers expect?
A wholesome, empowering romance as well as a story about women in the gaming industry. And don’t worry—you definitely don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy it! If you do love video games however, you will find a lot of easter eggs.
Where did the inspiration for Levels of Love come from?
I’d always wanted to write a romance set in the world of video games. After becoming completely obsessed with Stardew Valley—my favorite cozy game—I finally found the perfect setting: an indie game studio developing a cozy game inspired by Stardew Valley. But instead of building a farm, players get to build a bookstore. We even released a mini game called “Novel Haven” on steam (I recommend reading the books before playing J)
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Definitely Nataly! She’s Lara’s best friend and the protagonist of the second book in the series. She was such a joy to write because she’s incredibly quick-witted and constantly gets herself into trouble thanks to her big mouth.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Funny enough, the Novel Haven series just kind of fell into place. I usually love writing the beginning of a book, but I tend to hit a wall around the midpoint. With these three books, though? Nothing. The stories flowed naturally, and I genuinely enjoyed every minute of writing and editing them.
What’s next for you?
I’m staying in the gaming world for a little while longer. I’m currently working on a new trilogy set in the world of esports. It’s basically a sports romance—but with competitive gaming instead. I’m having SO much fun writing it!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
I really enjoyed Slewfoot by Brom (dark witchy folklore), Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (a classic that I gotta admit I only picked up because it inspired Taylor Swift’s tolerate it) and pretty much everything by Emily Henry!
I should probably focus on reading my TBR pile first, but I’m really looking forward to new books by Anna McPartlin, Ali Hazelwood, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and lots of German authors such as Miriam Georg.
