We chat with author Gabrielle Korn about Yours For The Taking, which is a mesmerising story of queer love, betrayal, and chosen family, and an unflinching indictment of white, corporate feminism.
Hi, Gabrielle! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m an author, editor, and strategist. I’m originally from Long Island, and after living in New York for basically my whole life, I recently moved to LA. I worked in media for about ten years, where I did things like run Nylon Magazine as the editor-in-chief and I also worked at Netflix as the lead of LGBTQ+ strategy. These days, I freelance and write books. I have a wife who is an artist and a dog who is named Venus but only responds to Bean.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
It’s hard to pinpoint because it feels like it was always there! I remember my mom teaching me to write and read before I officially learned how to in school, and that it ignited a compulsion to tell stories. I read everything I could get my hands on, but as a child it was science fiction YA that really made me think it was something I wanted to do professionally.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Interstellar Pig by William Sleatter
- The one that made you want to become an author: A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Just one? Probably Station 11.
Your debut novel, Yours for the Taking, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Climate change sapphic utopia/dystopia.
What can readers expect?
To be very surprised at where the book takes them, I hope! I don’t want to give anything away, but a lot of the book plays with expectations in general and tries to subvert them.
Where did the inspiration for Yours for the Taking come from?
I’m not sure if we ever know where inspiration truly comes from. It was probably a combination of the nihilism in the air toward the end of the Trump presidency; the fact that women won’t have equal rights before the climate change tipping points are passed and also the fact that climate change is happening faster than we can adapt to it; books like Station 11, Exit West, Severance, The Power; the movie Deep Impact; the great girl boss reckoning; every relationship I’ve ever had; every boss I’ve ever had; the way people were texting their exes at the start of the pandemic; and probably most of all, my time in women’s media.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing the character of Orchid because she was such a puzzle to me. You think she’s one thing, and she proves to be something else entirely. I also really enjoyed writing my villain’s downfall.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It is my debut novel! But it’s my second book. My first one was an essay collection called Everybody (Else) Is Perfect, and it came out in 2021. It was a pandemic release so this is also the first time I’m getting to do in-person events, which is so exciting. The road to getting published for YFTT was — you know! As I think it often is, full of ups and downs, highs and lows, lots of hope and lots of disappointment until that magical day when your agent finds the editor who believes in your work. Once we found the perfect match for my book it became pretty dreamy and surreal, and made all the stress leading up to it so worth it. It took me about two years to write the book, one year to revise it with my editor, and then a year after that for production. So it feels like it’s been a long time!
What’s next for you?
I’m finishing up the sequel to Yours for the Taking, which is called The Shutouts, and is coming out next year. I loved writing it so much and can’t wait for people to read it.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
So many! All My Mother’s Lovers by Ilana Masad, Lesbian Love Story by Amelia Possanza, All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky, I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself by Marisa Crane, Time’s Mouth by Edan Lepucki, Mobility by Lydia Kiesling, A Long Time Dead by Samara Breger, They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey… all fairly new and very wonderful.
