We chat with author Rachel Runya Katz about Whenever You’re Ready, which explores family, friendship, and the kind of first love that could last a lifetime―if only you are willing to take a chance.
Hi, Rachel! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Thank you for having me! I’m the author of Thank You for Sharing and Whenever You’re Ready and I’m from the Pacific Northwest. When I’m not reading, writing, or working, I’m taking care of my houseplants, my cat, and reluctantly going on outdoor adventures with my partner (that I always end up enjoying).
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
The first time I visited my parents after I got my book deal, my mom handed me some hole punched sheets of paper tied together with yarn. The front said “My First Book by Rachel Katz” and it was a short story collection that I dictated to my mother over several months in 1999. In the first (and in my opinon, best) story, a mean man threw my Barbies in the mud, and then a spider monster attacked the south classroom. Have no fear, according to my three-year-old self, I recovered the Barbies and killed the spider monster with my gun.
In all seriousness, I’ve thought since childhood that one of the greatest of life’s pleasures is getting absorbed in a book. I wasn’t close in age to any of my siblings, so I spent a lot of time making up stories to entertain myself. I wrote many short stories in high school and college, but the first book I ever tried to write was Thank You for Sharing.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: If we’re talking chapter books, it was probably one of the Magic Treehouse series. The first book I remember falling deeply in love with and repeatedly re-reading is The Phantom Tollbooth.
- The one that made you want to become an author: I read so many contemporary romances in January and February of 2021, and each one played a role. Two that come to mind are The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory and The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Summertime Punchline by Betty Corrello. She is truly one of the funniest in the game right now.
Your latest novel, Whenever You’re Ready, is out September 10th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Sad, sexy, hopeful, intense, funny
What can readers expect?
Some semi-estranged-friends-to-lovers pining, healing through grief and generational trauma, horny slow burn, and a healthy dose of gallows humor.
Where did the inspiration for Whenever You’re Ready come from?
I go into more detail in the author’s note at the end of the book, but the southern Jewish history road trip that Nia, Jade, and Jonah go on is inspired by one I took in real life. I’m always interested in exploring multicultural identity, and writing Black characters who have to contend with their white-assimilated Jewish ancestors in the American South was a way for me to process that trip and explore the intersections of these identities.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing the birthday letters from Michal. She’s such a pivotal character, but she’s already dead in the present timeline and we never get her POV in the narration in the past. Writing the letters let me flesh her out and make her voice and humor more present.
This is your second published novel! Were there any key lessons learned between writing the two?
I wrote my first novel without a clear plan, and ended up having to do a lot of revision to make the plot tighter. I’ve since learned out to craft a pitch and an outline. For WYR, I wrote a very detailed outline, but I found that to be restrictive when writing—it took me a while to find the fun again. The sweet spot for me is to have a pitch and minimal outline, which is what I did for my third book.
What do you love about the romance genre?
Character, character, character! And I supposed the happy ending—I love knowing that however painful it is along the way, everything will be alright in the end.
What’s next for you?
Nothing that’s been announced yet, but I can tell you that the publishing industry hasn’t gotten rid of me yet.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I started A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Nielson and while I had to pause to finish drafting and get through my blurb queue, I can’t wait to get back to it. Here’s where I get to do the annoying author thing and talk about books I have early access to: I’m currently reading and loving If I Dig You by Colby Wilkens – lovely prose and delicious tension. I’ve got Betty Corello’s 32 Days in May, and TJ Alexander’s A Gentleman’s Gentleman both loaded on my kindle and I couldn’t be more excited.
