We chat with Serena Kaylor about her debut novel Long Story Short, which is a YA rom-com about a homeschooled math genius who finds herself out of her element at a theater summer camp and learns that life—and love—can’t be lived by the (text)book.
Hi, Serena! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi, I’m Serena! I’m a neurodiverse, absent-minded, chaotically-colored, thirty-something-year-old, critical care PA who spends her days in a trauma ICU, and her nights writing about people arguing and kissing. I’m as earnest and ridiculous as that sentence I just typed out, and these questions always throw me off balance. I’m North Carolina born-and-bred, and most nights you’ll find me sitting outside under sparkly lights, with a chilled glass of wine, and listening to the frogs sing. My closet consists of only statement pieces. I have two dogs that are named after Norse Gods and they couldn’t deserve those names less. I think I might use commas too much, but at this point I’m afraid it’s too late to ask.
How has the first half of 2022 been for you?
A little bit of a whirlwind! I’m writing my next two books, prepping for the launch of LONG STORY SHORT, working full-time in medicine, and still trying to cosplay as a normal person who sleeps enough and sees their friends and family.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
My sister and I were always making up stories when we were kids, but when I was in high school I got more serious about creating my own work. I wrote a bunch of terrible love poetry, mostly about this kid with an unfortunate bowl cut that I was convinced had unexpected depths. Then I naturally moved into Pride and Prejudice fanfiction and have been writing enemies-to-lovers ever since.
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!
The first (or at least the one I remember reading the most as a child) was RONIA THE ROBBER’S DAUGHTER by Astrid Lingren. The book that made me want to become an author was probably ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Carson Levine, and the one I just finished and have been thinking about nonstop is SOME MISTAKES WERE MADE by Kristin Dwyer.
Your debut novel, Long Story Short, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Endearing, whimsical, hilarious (I hope), swoony, and triumphant
What can readers expect?
To find a lost girl, who is too smart for her own good, and who is truly just trying her best. To see her make friends who might as well be family. To read parts that give secondhand embarrassment almost as bad as season one of The Office. To see love grow in the most begrudging soil, and be the stronger for it.
Where did the inspiration for Long Story Short come from?
A little bit from myself. Although I do not see the world the exact same way as Beatrice, it was a bit of a love letter to anyone who has ever felt themselves on the outside looking in. I wanted her to be completely unmoored in a place unlike anywhere she’d ever let herself be before, and I wanted to see her struggle, but also shine.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
Imposter syndrome is just so real. I feel like eighty-five percent of my energy is just spent trying to get out of my own way….that, and trying to concentrate with an extremely ND brain. Routines are my best friend, because I’ve realized that I’m not someone able to casually sit down and write just anywhere. It has to be morning, before I’ve had too much stimulation, and I require regular exercise and medication. It was a long process to figure out what worked for me, but that was the first step in trying to move towards writing professionally, because taking five years to write each book might be a little long.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really enjoyed throwing Beatrice out of her comfort zone, and writing her through the fallout. I also loved writing literally anything to do with Nolan, who has my entire heart.
What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It has been a mixture of luck, dogged persistence, and the willingness to read/write the same book five thousand times. LONG STORY SHORT is the first book I’ve ever written, although there have been enough versions of it that I should count them as separate books. I finished it in 2018, and wasn’t really sure how to navigate the publishing process, or even if I had anything that was worth trying to publish. A friend suggested this twitter-based writing competition called Author Mentor Match, where they pair fledgling writers with agented/published authors and they work together to prepare a book for query. I didn’t think they would ever pick me, but I submitted about thirty minutes before the deadline on a whim. The incredible Sophie Gonzales somehow selected me and this book, and we beat it into shape over the next year, and I went out on query in January of 2020. I signed with my dream agent about three weeks later, and then we were editing again, and out on submission to publishing houses. I was obsessed with the idea of being published by Wednesday Books, and the universe decided to make up for making me look like a giraffe for all of middle school, and gifted me this one thing. Now here we are, days from my publishing date, and I still can’t believe I’m here.
What’s next for you?
I am currently writing two different YA romcoms (thank you, ADHD), and I’m having so much fun with them! I’m not sure how much I am able to say, but you can usually expect strong and flawed protagonists, neurodiverse characters, relationshps that are begrudgingly romantic, and pages full of sentences that at least I find funny.
Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers?
This is my favorite topic right now! Below are a selection of books I am obsessed with and books I know I will be obsessed with as soon as I can get my grabby hands on them (and there are so many other books that I know I am going to miss because my brain is mashed potatoes from work): NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER by Sophie Gonzales, A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY by Brian Kennedy, BEASTS OF RUIN by Ayana Gray, THE LOOPHOLE by Naz Kutub, RIGHT WHERE I LEFT YOU by Julian Winters, IN THE EVENT OF LOVE by Courtney Kae, BLOODMARKED by Tracy Deonn, SOME MISTAKES WERE MADE by Kristin Dwyer, SEOULMATES by Susan Lee, BOYS I KNOW by Anna Gracia, EVERY VARIABLE OF US by Charles Bush, ALL THAT’S LEFT IN THE WORLD by Erik Brown, and so many other books that I haven’t had a chance to read yet!
