The Light We Lost mixes with a touch of Daisy Jones and the Six in this novel of first love, passion, and the power of choice–and how we cannot escape the people we are meant to be.
We chat with author Jill Santopolo about her new release, Everything After, book recommendations, writing, and more!
Hi, Jill Tell us a bit about yourself!
Hi to you, too. About me: I’m a writer, an editor, and a brand new mom (my daughter is three months old). I wrote children’s fiction for years, until a broken heart gave me the idea for a book for adults, which became The Light We Lost. I found that I loved writing for and about adults, so have been doing that since 2017, while editing children’s books. I lived in New York City for two decades, and recently moved to Washington, DC with my family. I’ve been enjoying my new city a lot, but have a feeling I’ll always be a New Yorker at heart—which is perhaps why I keep setting my books there.
After the chaos that was 2020, have you set any goals for this year? If so, how are they going so far?
I love making lists and having goals, so I’ve always got some, even if they’re small (like: “do the laundry this weekend” or “take the baby on a walk today” or “bake cookies and mail them to my sisters”). As far as larger goals, my main ones this year are to start running again (I’ve given myself a date of March 28—my birthday—as the start date for that goal) and to write a draft of my next book (I have about 20 pages so far). So I guess I’m doing okay? But who knows what 2021 will throw our way…
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
- First Book I Remember Reading: Rain Makes Applesauce by Julian Scheer
- Book That Made Me Want to Become an Author: Something Queer is Going On by Elizabeth Levy
- Book I Can’t Stop Thinking About: Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman
When did you first discover your love for writing?
This may sound silly, but I promise it’s true: I wrote my first book when I was three years old. I actually dictated it to my mom, and I still have it today. It’s called Stacy The Cat and is about a “fat cat who sat on a mat.” I’m pretty sure I was inspired by Dr. Seuss. But I don’t remember that experience myself.
From the time I can remember, though, I was always coming up with stories. I wrote all through elementary, middle, and high school. The first story I remember writing is called Something Queer in the Auditorium, and I wrote it as fan fiction (though I didn’t know that term at the time) after reading Elizabeth Levy’s Something Queer series in first grade. I always loved reading books and telling stories and was fortunate enough to have a small independent bookstore in the town I grew up in called The Rabbit Hill. The store has since closed, but they brought tons of children’s authors for visits, and it made me realize that people wrote book, and that perhaps one day I could write books too.
Your new novel, Everything After, releases on March 9th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Ooh, this is a hard one. How about: Secrets Unearthed, Pain Becomes Hope.
What can readers expect?
This is the story of Emily, a psychologist who lives in New York City, who is happily married and hoping to have a child soon. But a secret from her past affects her present, and that, paired with a miscarriage that rocks her marriage, makes her rethink the choices she made and the path she’s on. To me it’s a story about how our past selves are always part of us, whether we choose to acknowledge them or not.
Where did the inspiration for Everything After come from?
I started writing this book when my husband and I were engaged, and I was thinking a lot about how when people get married, two people become one but remain two. And that made me wonder what would happen if secrets kept from a spouse emerged at a later point, when a relationship was already I shaky ground. I also had a number of friends who, over the course of a few years, had miscarriages, and one of the things they told me was how alone they felt, so I wanted to write a story that would make women who experienced that feel less alone. I also loved playing music and singing as a kid, and that made its way into this book, too.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you overcome them?
I chose to give the characters professions that I didn’t know very much about—psychology, medicine, and music. So while I did research, I knew I wanted to make sure that I used terminology and created situations that would feel real to people who worked in those fields. But I didn’t necessarily have people I could turn to, so I reached out to friends to see if they knew people who could help out. This was during the beginning of the pandemic, so a lot of people were overwhelmed with figuring out remote life and work and all of that. But luckily, I did find people who were able to read and talk, which I’m so grateful for.
If it’s not too spoilery, were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
A couple of the characters in the book write music, and I really enjoyed writing their song lyrics and eventually their songs. (You can hear them in the audiobook.)
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
This is such an interesting question! I think the best advice I got was to put your heart on the page because readers respond to emotion. I’ve found that to be true—and that when I do that, it makes for a deeper story. The worst is probably to think about who you’d market the book to before you write it. I do think there’s a time and a place to think about that, but I think it’s after you put your heart on the page.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a new book (the one I have about 20 pages of) tentatively called Jupiter and Juno, which takes place in Italy in 1946 and New York City in 2019. It’s my first attempt at a tiny bit of historical fiction, and I’m really enjoying the research aspect of it.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I always have book recommendations! Some books I’ve read and loved recently are:
- Paris Never Leaves You (which I mentioned above)
- The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano by Donna Freitas
- By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate
- Little Pieces of Me by Alison Hammer
- Blush by Jamie Brenner
- You Were Here by Gian Sardar
Awaiting its arrival tomorrow! Both audio and hardcover