We chat with debut author Megan Murphy about Fake It Like You Mean It, which is a fake dating, enemies to lovers, and a wonderfully unique forced proximity debut romance, perfect for fans of Elena Armas’s The American Roommate Experiment and the classic rom-com Fifty First Dates.
Hi, Megan! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi!! I’m Megan, a debut romance author in Kentucky. My life largely consists of reading romance novels, cuddling with my dog and husband, and drinking Dr Pepper.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve been an avid reader my entire life, and first tried to write my own stories way back in elementary school. It was a horror written in blood-red font and my parents sat me down because they were Concerned. I found my romance home in middle school, when I co-authored a short story with my best friends based on our dramatic crushes. It won awards! (It was the only submission in its category.)
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech (this still holds up, by the way)
- The one that made you want to become an author: Just one?? Probably The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Again, just one???? This is actually cruel. PS: I Hate You by Lauren Connolly
Your debut novel, Fake It Like You Mean It, is out March 18th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Fake dating for Grandma’s sake
What can readers expect?
In Fake It Like You Mean It, readers will get to meet Elle Monroe, a big-city podcaster who comes back home to take care of her grandmother Lovie, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, until insurance can get sorted and Lovie can be placed in a permanent care facility. When she gets there—after the longest day of her life—she falls into bed, only to discover it’s occupied by Adam Wheeler, a home health nurse also there to take care of Lovie.
They butt heads almost immediately, and their different ideas for how best to handle Lovie doesn’t help matters. Neither does the fact that Lovie inexplicably thinks the two of them are madly in love. To keep her docile, they have to go along with the farce, and the house and Lovie put them in increasingly forced proximity (only one bed, anyone?).
Elle’s headstrong personality, Lovie’s delusions, and Adam’s quiet mystery combine for a totally heartfelt and endearing story that will have readers (hopefully), laughing, crying, and blushing.
Where did the inspiration for Fake It Like You Mean It come from?
This book is an ode to the people and the places that have formed me, either directly or indirectly, into the person I am still becoming.
My grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when I was in the 7th grade, and eventually my family made the decision to handle his full-time care among themselves. I wrote this book to show them I recognized and saw that sacrifice, that I appreciated the work they did to keep our family together.
Lovie’s house is based almost entirely on my grandmother’s house, from the fake grass on the front porch to the struggling flower beds out back. The kitchen is thirty years out of date and everything is brown and crumbling; it smells like stale coffee because she drinks it until bedtime. There’s a hole in the cabinetry beneath the island where I and my cousins would run through in a loop, the same way Elle mentions in the book. The laundry closet has two doors, and the bathroom is entirely pink. My grandmother has never changed anything about her house, and so much of it has been engrained in my mind as equating with her, with the stability and sense of home I always felt when I visited.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
One of my favorite moments happens right around halfway through the book. Something happens with Lovie that leaves Elle very uneasy and scared, and Adam is there to offer comfort. It’s so tender and funny and sweet, and it gives me butterflies.
And I love any scene that features Lovie. She’s such a character and her attitude and quips are just so perfectly timed.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge while writing Fake It Like You Mean It stemmed from the publishing industry itself. I hadn’t figured out how to separate my self worth from my success from my joy for the craft, and it got me in a pretty nasty headspace when I didn’t see instant, overnight success (because that totally exists in publishing).
Thankfully I have the best friends and family in all of existence, and they reminded me of the truth that (1) I didn’t suck and (2) my book didn’t suck. The only reason I didn’t give up was because of them.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Honeslty, it still feels like it’s happening to someone else. This has been my aspiration for forever—I have journal entries from elementary school where I declared I was going to be a writer. Fake It Like You Mean It was the book that found me my agent, the first book we took on submission, and it sold relatively quickly. I know that’s so, so rare in today’s publishing landscape, so I’ve really tried to soak in the joy at each stage of the process and not take anything for granted.
It’s been so sweet connecting with early readers, getting advanced copies, doing all the things that have been on my book bucket list for years. In short, it’s just a dream come true.
What’s next for you?
I’ve got endless ideas floating around in my head (spicy sports romance, bittersweet speculative romances, a romantic mystery with a stab wound or two), and all I need is time to write them.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
Ugh, so many!! The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover, The Things Gods Break by Abigail Owen, The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold by Ally Carter, The Seven O’Clock Club by Amelia Ireland, and Good Spirits by B.K. Borison, just to name a few.
