Image Credit: Raegan Labat
From the moment I started reading Red, White, & Royal Blue, I knew this wasn’t going to be your quick little romantic comedy. It was an amazing story written by an incredibly talented author. The story not only tackles sexuality, but mental health, politics, and a number of other things that readers like me could make connections with. So, when the opportunity arose to get to interview Casey McQuiston, I just had to say yes! If you haven’t had the chance to pick up Casey’s wonderful book, I urge you to go buy a copy, or if you can’t, pick it up at your local library!
Hi Casey! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Oh wow, where to start? I’m from southern Louisiana, thought I currently live in northern Colorado, and I worked in journalism for most of my twenties before I became an author! I write full time now, when I’m not on the road for book stuff or for fun. I have a chaotic neutral poodle mix named Pepper, and I’m an excellent cook. I love biscuits, romcoms, and outdoor naps. I’m an aquarius!
How did Red, White and Royal Blue start? Did it happen over time, or was it something instant?
RWRB started while I was following the 2016 presidential election and reading A Woman in Charge by Carl Bernstein and The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan at the same time. I was inspired to do something inside both of those high profile yet super secret worlds, and when I had the idea that I could make a member of the first family fall in love with a member of the royal family and explore both, I instantly knew this was a book I could do.
Did you have to do any major research before writing Red, White, and Royal Blue?
Tons of research! I had to read up on the layout of the White House and the history of different rooms, look into the royal apartments in Kensington Palace, figure out royal and presidential schedules and protocol, so much more. I wanted the book to feel really rooted in history and in politics, so I threw in as much research as I could. And then of course there were all the historical love letters—I did a lot of digging and reading to find ones that I thought were beautiful and that also fit their particular circumstances and relationship. It was definitely a crash course in queer correspondence that history forgot.
You tackled a lot of major themes in the books, and if it is okay to ask, which one was the hardest for you to write about?
Honestly, the hardest needle to thread was just trying to bring through the theme of hope for the future of America without being dismissive of what created the political climate now. It’s not like a different president would magically make centuries of institutional oppression in America disappear. We’d still need to grapple with how we got here. So I wanted this book to breathe some light and hope into today’s America and also recognize how much work still needs to be done. It’s escapist and optimistic, but I also wanted that to be rounded out with some hard truths about America. Finding that balance was probably the hardest thematic layer for me.
Who was your favorite character to write?
Alex is my absolute pride and joy, and I loved every minute of writing that cocky, big-hearted, over-the-top disaster. But in terms of dialogue, I had the most fun writing Zahra. Most of my characters are generally pretty nice, so it’s incredibly fun to get to write someone who can be mean. I also love writing Ellen, because she’s such a familiar person to me as someone from the south: a straight-shooting Texas mom who doesn’t take any shit and would do anything for family.
If you had a day out on the town with Pez, what would you do?
First of all, Pez would be paying for everything. I think we’d have a gourmet brunch with top shelf mimosas before a midday skydive over an incredibly picturesque part of England. Then afternoon tea at which he would convince the maitre d to have cakes sent to our table from all the bakeries in the neighborhood so we could sample each. Then of course we finish off with champagne and karaoke and end the night on a private jet to Tokyo for breakfast.
Could you share some of your favorite current reads?
I’m currently reading and loving Magic For Liars by Sarah Gailey and The Stonewall Reader, edited by the New York Public Library. Most recently, I finished The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren and Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian—both great! And next up I’m looking forward to reading an ARC of The Pretty One by my friend Keah Brown.
What would you say to readers who might be struggling with their identities?
My best advice is to just take your time. Be honest with yourself but not hard on yourself. You don’t owe it to anyone but yourself to define who you are or figure out where you fall on any particular spectrum of identity, so never let anyone make you feel pressured or obligated to label yourself or come out before you’re ready. You still count, even if you’re the only person who knows what’s going on in your heart. We all get there in different ways and at different pieces, because we all start at different points with different baggage. You’ll figure it out.
I saw on Goodreads that you’re working on something new, could you tell us about it if you’re not bound to secrecy?
Yes! I’m working on another queer new adult romcom. This one is a lot weirder and less shiny than my first book. It’s about a girl who moves to New York to wallow in her own cynicism and solitude, only to find herself falling in love with the city and her strange new roommates and a girl in a leather jacket who’s always on her train. Except it turns out there’s a lot more to the girl on the subway than she thought—in a romcom magic time travel kind of way. I absolutely love this book. It’s so packed with history and love and queerness and found families, and it’s a ton of fun, and it’s so very, very different from RWRB. I can’t wait to share it with people.
We also reached out to fans and readers who had a few questions for Casey!
How does it feel having and writing a bi main character and being bi yourself?
From @alkemireads on Instagram
It feels amazing! I love being bi. There are so many layers and shades of it to explore, I think it has really forced me to spend more time with my own feelings and get to know myself better. There are so few bisexual leading characters in media, it feels incredible to introduce one to the world. Alex is the type of bi character I always wanted to see in the movies and books and shows that I loved: fully realized, unapologetic, explicit in his feelings, human, written with love.
What inspired you to write about a relationship between two male characters?
From @leslwc on Instagram
Honestly, it came down to the tropes I wanted to explore in the book and the demands of the plot. I knew from jump that the Prince Charming archetype was something I wanted to play with and subvert, and so that informed what the first kid in my book would be like. I think this premise could have worked with two women, but I think it would have had a different plot and a different tone and their relationship would have been received differently on the world stage.
Was there ever a draft that ended with your mains not being endgame?
From @alkemireads on Instagram
Absolutely not! Before I cut it down to the length it is now, I toyed with the idea of splitting it into two books and ending it with Alex and Henry agreeing to date in secret, with the second book following their coming out. But honestly, I didn’t even find that ending satisfying, because I didn’t want to end a queer love story in the closet, even if only temporary. Happily ever after was the only option for me.
You can find Casey on Twitter and Instagram and at her website!
