Perfect for fans of “Fleabag,” with winking narration and bitingly observant humour, Pretending is an emotionally authentic take on #MeToo narratives and explores the pain and frustration of dating men in an era when stories about assault are a daily occurrence.
We had the chance to sit down with Holly and ask her some questions about her new release, book recommendations, the best and worst writing advice she’s received, and more!
Hi, Holly! Tell us a bit about yourself!
Hello and hi. Lovely to meet you. I’m Holly, and I’m an author living in the UK. I’m very passionate about feminism and mental health, and how the two interlink. I write comedy novels that I hope teach my readers some important things while they’re too busy laughing to notice.
With the current state of the world, what are you doing to cope with the changes we’ve had to make with our day-to-day?
I took in a cat in the first week of London locking down and it has transformed my life. I’m also one of *those* people who meditates, and have been so grateful for it throughout this year. It’s all been bloody hard though, hasn’t it? I allow myself at least five minutes each day to just despair at how hard it all is.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
Like so many other authors, I was lucky to have an amazing English teacher at school, who encouraged me to write and believe my writing didn’t totally suck. Since I was a kid, I always had a notebook on the go, filling it with terrible existential poetry, first chapters of never-finished ‘novels’, and then angsty diary entries about all the boys in school who didn’t fancy me. Putting ink to page is how I’ve made sense of the world. I can’t not do it.
Your new novel, Pretending, is out November 17th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Very dark rom-com about #MeToo
Now tell us a little more! What can readers expect?
I wanted to use the generic frameworks of a romantic comedy to tell the truth about what dating is really like for so many women. The #MeToo movement has opened up people’s eyes to the huge levels of trauma experienced by women around the world, but I hadn’t seen a story about how this trauma plays out in the dating world. So Pretending is about a survivor called April, who is fed up of getting dumped whenever she reveals her vulnerability to men. In order to finally feel powerful, she starts pretending to be ‘Gretel’ i.e. the perfect ‘cool girl’. And, of course, the first guy Gretel dates falls helplessly in love with her. It’s (hopefully) a very funny book, but it doesn’t shy away from the dark subject matter. I hope as many guys read it as women, as they need to know the reality of who they’re sitting across the table from every one in five Tindr dates.
What inspired you to write this novel?
I spent five years working for a charity that helps survivors of sexual assault, and the job changed me profoundly. I wanted to write a romance novel where women could truly see themselves in the page. The real, broken, vulnerable, scared, insecure parts of them that they’re terrified aren’t worthy of love, and help them realise they are they are they are!
What do you hope readers will take away from reading Pretending?
I hope they find the book enjoyable! It is a comedy after all. But I also hope they come away having learned more about the lifelong impact of trauma, and the lengths so many women go to to hide it in order to be deemed romantically acceptable by men.
This is your thirteenth published novel. What are a couple of the most important lessons you have learned since Soulmates published in 2013?
This is my first book I’ve had published in the US and I’m thrilled, but, yes, I’ve been writing in the UK for a long time. The most important things I’ve learned are:
- Writing a novel never gets easier
- Once published, the story isn’t yours anymore
- Always have another project started by the time the book comes out.
What is the best and the worst advice you have received when it comes to writing and being an author?
The best? Every single page of ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King. I think I’ve read that book more than the actual bible, and I went to a seriously religious high school. He says something in there that fifty per cent of your writing time should be spent reading, which I believe implicitly.
The worst?
“If it’s not coming easily, then maybe this isn’t the project you should be writing.”
If I followed this advice, I’d never have finished a novel. Yes, you need to write the story your heart is urging you to tell, but you WILL get bored of this story around the 30k word mark. It goes from being exciting and enjoyable, to sludgy and dull. This is when the work really kicks in. Finishing a novel is a mental marathon and this is the wall you must blast past. Try to hold on to that initial thrill you felt when you first had the idea, and power on through.
What’s next for you?
I’m actually having two US debuts in one year, and my YA debut ‘It Only Happens In The Movies’ is being published in December, so that’s hugely exciting. I’m currently writing my next adult novel which looks at the power dynamics in female friendships over time. It’s very early days, but I’m having fun with it.
Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I’m hugely late to the party, but Girl, Woman, Other is a total joy, and I’ve been guzzling it down.
