We chat with author Maggie North about Rules of Second Chances, which explores the hardest relationship question of all: can true love happen twice…with the same person?
Hi, Maggie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a West Coast native now living in central Canada, where there is a disappointing lack of oceans. I love open water swimming, sewing, being relentlessly Canadian, and saving the world. My hobby, when I’m not writing, is being an anesthesiologist.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
In second grade, I wrote a story about a Pacific salmon. It was a total tear-jerker, full of near-misses with fishing nets and wild times on the fish ladder. It ended with the salmon’s death after spawning. I knew it was good when my teacher asked me if my mom wrote it. If Rules for Second Chances is any indication, I still have that taste for high drama.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
- The one that made you want to become an author: Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas
Your debut novel, Rules for Second Chances, is out June 25th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
PRIMAL SCREAM IN A BEIGE BLOUSE. Sorry for cheating, I know that’s six!
What can readers expect?
If I could describe how I want my books to feel, I would say, “Beach reads that fill your heart . . . and change your mind.” I love books that make me laugh, sob, and think—novels that strap our deepest, most universal human desires into an emotional roller coaster. So as I wrote Rules for Second Chances, I tried to find laugh-out-loud moments I could smash together with the kind of big feelings that make you swallow hard.
And I hope I nailed it with Liz and Tobin, each of whom has their own reasons for publicly humiliating themselves with an experimental self-help program that is, theoretically at least, rescuing their dysfunctional relationship. Liz, a chronically overlooked introvert, wants to be seen by the people at home and work, even if she has to blow up her whole life to do it. Tobin, an extrovert who’s become trapped in the “life of the party” role, doesn’t know how to stop pleasing people and start living his own truth. They’re opposites, yet they share the same problem: neither of them is seen for who they really are.
Where did the inspiration for Rules for Second Chances come from?
I realized I was autistic well into adulthood, which was a trip and a half. Shortly afterward, during the pandemic, I was a front line doctor aching to escape from a life that had shrunk to just the hospital and my house. I put together my new understanding of my lifelong social struggles, my desire to go back to the places I grew up in, and the pandemic boom in struggling marriages, and thought, “What if an autistic character could fix her dysfunctional marriage with a self-help manual based on improv comedy and classic romcoms?”
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Writing the improv scenes was my favorite part! They’re full of banter, tension, and a lot of push-and-pull between Liz and Tobin. It was also really fun to write a romance dynamic that completely flipped from beginning to end–the character who’s pursuing ends up being pursued. I love symmetry in books as much as I do in life!
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Bumpy! I’ve had moments of incredible good fortune, like being selected for Pitch Wars, connecting with amazing writers, and getting to work with my fantastic publishing team. I’ve also done hard time in the query trenches and had a book “die on sub” when no publishers wanted to buy it. Most writers struggle along the path to publication, and it’s crucial to share our stories so we can normalize that process.
What’s next for you?
I just turned in book two, which is an interconnected standalone with Rules. Everyone who’s read the book fell in love with a particular side character. Let’s just say he needed his own book.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
As a debut, I’ve had unparalleled early access to 2024’s best new voices, and there are so many I’m excited about! Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley, Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar, The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton, and Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb are available now. And keep an eye out for future releases like Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti, The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava, One on One by Jamie Harrow, Take Me Home by Melanie Sweeney, Unromance by Erin Connor, The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain, and Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer. On the indie side, Sarah Brenton was a 2023 debut, but I’m sneaking in The Villain Edit because it’s so subversive and incendiary.
