Katie Holt

Katie Holt is a New York City resident but a Tennessee native. She studied English with a concentration in creative writing at NYU and fought with every professor to prove that romance novels were worthy of their time. She’s a Nora Ephron fanatic, Swiftie, and warm chocolate chip cookie enthusiast.

Holt is also the author of her highly-acclaimed debut Not in My Book.

Her new novel is The Last Page.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

In the past, I’ve had trouble naming my novels, but this one was extremely easy. From the minute I got the idea, I knew that The Last Page would be named after the store. The store is as much of a character as anyone else. The store is pivotal in the romance—Ella and Henry would’ve never even met without the store. They need to band together to save the bookstore, but along the way they fall in love.

Originally, though, I had named the bookstore in the novel The Next Page, but my brilliant editor had the idea to name it after Taylor Swift’s song New Year’s Day. She sings, “Don’t read the last page, I’ll stay when it’s hard or it’s wrong or we’re making mistakes.” I love this song and do think it summarizes the thesis of the book well. It’s not easy at all to save an indie bookstore, but both of them do their best and put their heart into it.

What's in a name?

I named Carmella (Ella) after my mom, Carmen. In the book, Ella is fierce, strong, and doesn’t let anyone tell her what to do. She forges her own path and refuses to stray from it. My mom is the exact same way. I would follow that woman into the darkest dark and know that everything would be okay.

Whereas Henry, honestly, I just thought it was a hot name.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your novel?

I think she’d be delighted! I drew from my experiences as a bookseller at The Strand when writing The Last Page. As a teen, two of my biggest dreams were working at The Strand and writing romance novels. To combine it in one fell swoop…I think she’d probably passed out.

But, as a teen, I really wanted to write young adult novels. I hadn’t really discovered adult romance and didn’t know that side of the genre really existed. She’s be certainly surprised that this was the route I chose.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

The beginning is definitely more difficult and changes the most. My favorite thing about romance novels is the happily ever after. There’s a guarantee that these characters are going to be together for forever. I don’t always know how they’ll get there, but I know that they will.

When I start a new novel, I often think: why does the story need to start here? What are my characters dissatisfied with? What’s changing in their lives? I write linearly so it can be difficult at first to weave these pieces together. And as I start writing, I’m getting to know the characters better, too. Initially, I wanted Ella to be a very grumpy heroine with a chip on her shoulder. But about a fourth of the way through, I knew that she was too passionate about her family and friends to ever have that kind of attitude.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

Totally! I love to romanticize my life in my books. Like I said, I was a bookseller at The Strand for some time (albeit I didn’t fall in love with an ex-football playing, sensitive nerd with hot glasses…). There are a lot of stories from my time there that I included in the book: Bill Clinton really did come in and look through the C’s in American History and there truly was a naked man that ran through the store that no one could catch.

I’m also passionate about bringing forward Peruvian representation. As a kid, I felt like I never saw it in media and it frustrated me to no end. I love my culture and for forever, I will write about Peruvian characters and culture.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

Certainly music and movies. I’m such a fan of Nora Ephron. When Harry Met Sally is one of my favorite movies of all time and it’s how I fell in love with New York. She made New York feel like a character and that you were standing right there in Katz’s or the Met alongside them. I work hard to try to capture that same feeling in my books and include real places in the city that I love.

I have to listen to music when I write. I can’t sit in silence otherwise my mind will wander. I’ll usually craft a playlist that features mostly Taylor Swift and captures the vibe of the book. I also like to think a lot about if a character would or wouldn’t relate to a song I’m listening to.

Visit Katie Holt's website.

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--Marshal Zeringue