We chat with author Carlyn Greenwald about the spicy sapphic romcom Director’s Cut, which takes an empathetic look at finding yourself and pursuing your passions, what it’s like to live with acute anxiety, and how mental health struggles can derail all aspects of your life.
Hi, Carlyn! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a bi Jewish author who primarily writes romance and thrillers in YA and Adult. Director’s Cut is my second solo work, where I also co-wrote a YA Contemporary with Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner last year. I’m a film school graduate, formerly worked various low level development jobs in Hollywood, and now work for a book packager. I love pop culture rabbit holes, ghost tours, and my 3-year-old chihuahua papion mix named Phoebe.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve been a huge reader since I was a little kid, and the instinct just kind of came to me somewhere around age ten or so. I wrote fanfiction (not knowing the term yet) for a few years. Then, at age 13, I saw The Dark Knight, got super emotionally effected by it, and decided to try my hand at writing my first YA thriller. From there, I experimented with a ton of different genres and age categories and I can’t imagine my life without it. At some point, my characters just started chatting and my brain started coming up with new scenarios and it just hasn’t stopped.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Kittens in the Kitchen by Lucy Daniels
- The one that made you want to become an author: Going Bovine by Libba Bray
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Your latest novel, Director’s Cut, is out June 11th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Celebrity falls for professor coworker.
What can readers expect?
It’s kind of the whole package – it’s a love story first and foremost, so the usual banter, yearning, sexual tension, spice, and HEA does happen. But on top of that, it’s a story about rediscovering your passions, about mental health and navigating relationships when you do bring baggage to the table, about the discomfort that can come with your identity change after you come out (particularly as a public figure). It’s also a love letter to Los Angeles and the entertainment industry as so many of my books are and contains a ton of musical references.
Where did the inspiration for Director’s Cut come from?
I went to USC and saw firsthand how there was this strange phenomena of celebrities coming in as visiting professors. I one day checked the course catalogue and realized that a regular professor was always assigned to work with the celebrity and thought that must be such an interesting dynamic. When I wrote Sizzle Reel, I realized that this would be the kind of dynamic Val would 100% get into and decided to write that story.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Moments wise, I am really proud of the first kiss in this book. It has this extremely specific vibe sensatorially that made it so unique and specific to this book and this book only. Beyond that, I really loved writing Val’s actor friend and fellow gay, Charlie. I love wlw and mlm solidarity and so showing what fundamental LGBTQ+ glue holds them together while contrasting the stark differences in their lives was so fun.
What do you love about writing within the romance genre?
I really love creating these pocket moments where the yearning rises to the next level. Scenes like “only one bed” or “we’re alone for the first time together how are we going to navigate this?” There’s just something so fun about characters butting up against moments where they can’t deny their attraction any longer – but are they going to act on it now or down the line?
What’s next for you?
Funny enough, my next book that’ll be out is a YA Thriller! It’s called MURDER LAND and it’s out Summer 2025 with Sourcebooks Fire. It follows a 17-year-old ride operator who has one night to discover who killed her coworker in a beloved SoCal theme park built on dark secrets. It’s an all queer cast, but given the 12-hour timeline, it’s a lot of more yearning, exes-having-to-tolerate-each-other love letter to messy queer friend groups than an outright romance.
My agent and I are also working on getting an adult thriller on submission that has a bi protagonist and a messy sapphic romance that…turns out happily albeit in a bit of an unconventional way. Even as I genre hop, I don’t think romance will ever leave my work entirely.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Please note I read extremely eclectically, so my answer ranges from SHARP OBJECTS by Gillian Flynn (I finally read that after adoring GONE GIRL like everyone else on Earth) to THE LOVERS by Rebekah Faubion to FINALLY FITZ by Marisa Kanter. In terms of most anticipated, I am so excited for COMPOUND FRACTURE, Andrew Joseph White’s next YA horror (thriller?), COME OUT COME OUT by Natalie C. Parker, and YOU’RE THE PROBLEM, IT’S YOU by Emma R. Alban.
