Lindsey Kelk’s new rom-com standalone, In Case You Missed It, is a laugh-out-loud read about nostalgia and second chances, but even more about finding the beauty in the life in front of you.
We had the pleasure of chatting to Lindsey about her new release, what she’s watching during COVID, book recommendations, and more.
Hi, Lindsey! Tell us a bit about yourself!
Hi! I’m an author, originally from the UK and am now living in LA, after a six-year-stint in NYC. I have two cats, one husband and when I’m not writing, I co-host two podcasts, Full Coverage which is all about beauty and Tights and Fights, which is all about pro-wrestling. I love wrestling. In another life, I’m dropping elbows off the top of a twenty-foot cage and loving it.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
It sounds so clichéd but I truly don’t remember a time when I didn’t write. As soon as I was able to put pen to paper, I started writing stories and before that, I was playing them. I always had a very active imagination. My first ‘book’ was about a superhero teddy bear, called Tellina, who had a witch nemesis but retired when she had triplets. There’s a chance I peaked at the age of six.
In Case You Missed It is out today! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Relatable, warm, laugh out loud
What inspired you to write In Case You Missed It?
The idea of ‘the grass is always greener’ is something that I think about a lot. I think at certain points in our lives, the past always looks a bit more attractive than the present, a bit less work and a little more reassuring. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. I love writing stories about the tipping points in people’s lives, the moments when they have to make decisions about who they are, big ones and littles ones, and that was really the jumping off point for ICYMI. Ros is a character whose life hasn’t gone entirely according to plan and she has to figure out who she’s going to be while everyone around her motors on with their own lives, falling in love, having babies, getting caught up in big careers. Will she dive into the future or take hide away in her past? WHO CAN SAY? Well, I can, because I wrote it.
Were there any challenges you faced while writing?
Dorothy Parker said, ‘I hate writing, I love having written’ and that’s about as accurate a quote I can give you for this book without sobbing hysterically. I love being a writer but some stories are just harder to wrench out of yourself than others – this was one of them! Mostly because it was the most honest book I’ve written with a lot of the themes and even some of the plot points coming from my real life. That said, it’s the book I’m most proud of, three am writing sessions and all.
Without spoiling too much, is there a favourite moment that you really enjoyed writing in In Cased You Missed It?
There are moments that made me laugh – the roller disco, the sushi incident, anything involving the shed – but my favourite moment is one of the quieter scenes, when Ros and her mum have a heart to heart about her love life. It’s one of those conversations you wish had happened in real life and I hope it help reaches someone who needs to hear it.
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Just write. It’s the best advice I was ever given and even though it sounds kind of obvious, the only way to become a better writer is to write. The more you flex the muscle, the stronger it will become. One of the most important things in writing is to have a clear, authentic voice and that only improves with experience. Don’t wait for someone to give you permission or tell you what to do, it has to come from the heart and it has to be for you.
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?
Screaming into a pillow while watching re-watching every episode of Schitt’s Creek fourteen times a day? Honestly, I’m just trying to be kind to myself and that’s not really a natural state for me to be in! I’m re-reading and re-watching a lot of stuff which is like mental comfort food, Frasier, Schitt’s Creek and The Simpsons have been high up on my watch list, and I’m working my way back through the Charlaine Harris Southern Vampire Mysteries in between all my other reads. Also, I get to vote in the US election for the first time this year which is very exciting and knowing I can at least do that one little thing to change things does help when you wake up and want to scream until your eyes explode.
Lastly, what are you currently reading and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I’ve read roughly one million books this year and I would happily recommend about 900,000 of them but my favourites have been Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, All Adults Here by Emma Straub and Coming Undone by Terri White. The last book I finished was Midnight Sun and I don’t think I can, in good conscience, recommend that to anyone.
