We chat with author Jessie Rosen about All The Signs, which is a colourful, dreamy adventure about a die-hard skeptic who sets off on a mission to prove her horoscope wrong.
Hi, Jessie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello Nerd Daily readers! I’m Jessie Rosen, an LA-based but NJ-bred writer, currently of novels. My 20-year career writing has been a winding road of formats, genres and cities. It all started in NYC with a blog (20-Nothings.com, honored to be a TIME Top 25 Blog), which I kept from 2007-2017. That led to freelance magazine work, then a shift into plays. Film and TV soon lured me to LA where I pursued TV writing and development and also launched a storytelling show (Sunday Night Sex Talks, honored to have been featured on The Bachelorette!). I’d long dreampt of turning one very special idea into a novel, which became my 2024 debut The Heirloom and offered me the chance to write my sophomore novel, All The Signs. I now live on the east side of Los Angeles with my sweet husband and cuddly mutt. When I’m not head-down in my laptop I love to travel (both abroad and to visit family back east), shop vintage (clothes and home décor), host dinner parties (I do the vision, my husband does the cooking), and read (right now: All The Life Can Afford by my Putnam books sibling Emily Everett). And since I think it’s relevant, I’m a Leo Sun with a Leo Rising Sign and Moon in Cancer 😉
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
According to my mother I wrote my first “book” when I was three years old, and it was an allegory?! Whether or not those details are 100% accurate, I have always loved writing, storytelling and gobbling up both whether in book, TV or film format. My earliest memory of falling in love with fiction is being read The Secret Garden before bedtime as a child. I’ve been hunting fort that garden ever since – literally and metaphorically. The first time I got completely obsessed with a writing project of my own was a 7th grade Language Arts assignment (thank you Mrs. Carol Lokitz). It’s wild to realize this, but I do not remember a time in my life that I wasn’t actively working on a writing or storytelling project of my own.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: on my own, the children’s picture book Five Minutes’ Peace by Jill Murphy, which I just read to my young nieces!
- The one that made you want to become an author: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. It was the first book where I remember noticing the author photo on the back and thinking, one woman wrote this?! You can do that?!
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I’ll never stop thinking about Little Women. And not just because I’m the writer in a family of four girls.
Your latest novel, All The Signs, is out May 6th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Astrology and travel prompt Leah’s transformation. (Sorry, I’m not counting the “and”)
What can readers expect?
With All The Signs I was excited to pack all my favorite tropes into a book that is ultimately about the thing I’m always most fascinated to explore: self-discovery. Leah Lockhart is my skeptical STEM heroine who believes her life is set, but a curious case of vertigo rocks that confidence. Things boil over when an astrologer suggested her illness is caused by the ignoring cosmos: she’s living out of alignment with her astrological birth chart. Stubborn Leah is not having it, so she sets out on a very mathematical mission to prove it wrong by finding her exact astrological matches in the world, her Star Twins. Readers can expect a page-turning, mission-based plot involving Leah’s search for these twins (around the world!) but also a friends-to-lovers romance and family drama plot alongside. I promise all the dots – or I should probably say stars! – connect in the end, which I hope leaves every single reader wanting to know a little more about who they were meant to be.
Where did the inspiration for All The Signs come from?
I actually took on the project of finding my own Star Twins during a really challenging time in my life. I was looking for answers about who I supposed to be and figured my cosmic matches might have the answer. Unlike my heroine, I was already curious and compelled by astrology. This project lead to so much personal growth, but I wanted to expand my own experience with a fictional story that wove some of my real life details with deeper and more diverse ideas. So this novel started as more of a memoir project and expanded.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
One of Leah’s Star Twins ends up living in Istanbul, Turkey, and I absolutely loved diving into my memories of a trip there to paint a picture of her experience. This twin comes from a very different background than my heroine, so it was also fun to have them spar (in a sexy way 😉 ) over their belief systems, cultural experiences and dreams for the future. But my favorite moment of their time together is when they see a performance of the famous Whirling Dervishes. It’s something I experienced during my own trip and remember as if it happened yesterday.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
This was the most challenging experience of my writing career. I think that’s due in large part to the time pressure of completing the manuscript and all edit rounds in one year, but I know it’s said the sophomore novel is infamously difficult no matter how much time you have. I was so anxious about delivering something that lived up to my debut while also nailing this completely different, heavily researched story. I dug deep into my tool box of writing tricks, confidence boosters, anxiety salves…you name it. The real way that I overcame the many challenges was by finding my path to total focus. That meant stepping away from social media, priotizing rest and health, developing a consistent writing schedule and finding the right places to get the work done. These are lessons I’ll keep with me for the rest of my life, so the pain had true gain.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently developing a third novel that has me completely obsessed (always a good sign), but I’ve also recently launched a Substack (Bravery by Jessie Rosen), which has been such a joy. Writing in my former blog style is getting me back in touch with that version of my voice, but the community of fellow writers and generous readers is the true gift.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
Summer reading turn on my love for rom-coms so that means Annabel Monaghan’s latest It’s A Love Story will be in my beach tote. My TBR stack also includes a few books that I missed while I was writing my own like Big Swiss & Bright Young Women. But it may also finally be time for me to become an ACOTAR fangirl.
