Interview with author Chloe Liese

1 – Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Have I always wanted to be a writer? No. Have I always written? Yes. Writing is for me simply a part of how I process the world around me, so it’s a natural task. Becoming an author eventually appealed to me when I was home with young children and had recently learned I was neurodivergent; both of these realities meant 9-5 office work (which I’d done before kids) was not ideal for my mental or emotional health or my pocketbook (childcare is so expensive!). I loved reading romance but I felt a gap in inclusivity of representation in the genre, so I decided I would try to write love stories that show people like me, with chronic conditions and neurodiversities, finding romance. Once my books met with enough sales success to financially merit writing being my “job,” I made the leap to being a full-time writer.

2 – When you start a series of books – do you know in advance who the couples who will appear in the following books will be? Do you know what the plot will be?

Some aspects of the couples’ characterization and stories, I know lots; others, I know only a little. For instance, I know all the astrological signs of the Bergmans and their partners, even the ones I haven’t written yet, as well as their main tropes and overall plot arc, but for some I still haven’t decided their name or some of their core backstory. Others, I have lots of details figured out and developed.

3 – Did you write a book and decide not to publish it?

Like any writer, I have plenty of incomplete projects that may one day get developed and published, others that I never felt ready to hit publish on and that I now feel I have outgrown as a storyteller and which no longer reflect my voice or style.

4 – Is there a topic you will never write about? If so, what is it?

I like to leave my options wide open for what I’ll tackle in my storytelling!

5 – By what do you choose a cover for a book?

Like other details of my books, I daydream and visualize the covers as the characters develop for me. Each cover, the colors connect thematically to the stories and characters, and then I work with my good friend on the concept before she brings it to life!

6 – Where did you get the inspiration for the stories?

As I mentioned earlier, as a romance reader, I felt a lack in romance’s range in portraying people who feel realistic and human, and I don’t like the implicit message that sends that only certain folks who fit a very narrow idea of success, ability, or beauty can be loved and desired. I know lots of folks read romance for escapism, but I think we can both escape our reality while enjoying the gift of seeing our reality, too (especially when our more vulnerable realities are too often underrepresented in art/media/culture or only represented as unlovable, unsexed, or as a “problem” to be “overcome) as lovable, desirable, and worthy of being center stage in a love story. As someone with health issues who is also neurodivergent and who loves folks who are chronically ill, neurodivergent, and disabled, I want to affirm everyone’s worthiness to have a love story if they want one, to reflect friendship-based, familial, and romantic love for all, not just the cliched, airbrushed, oversimplified characters romance often portrays as getting a sexy happily ever after. Another aspect of my inspiration, particularly to write open door romance, is that like many I was raised in Western Christianity’s purity culture which teaches so much shame and stigma about sex, rather than healthy education about safe sex, communication, intimacy, consent, and sexual pleasure. I think this is so damaging and I want to encourage others to feel safe and unashamed to read stories that portray healthy sexuality, that portray people having vulnerable, trusting, healthy conversations about sex and also enjoying the pleasure of whatever kind of sex they and their partner consensually share. Not everyone needs that in their romance, but to me, it’s a powerful intersection of inclusive representation, to show folks who culture often desexualizes and marginalizes from love stories having both romantic love and sexual intimacy, if they want it.

7 – Who is your favorite couple you wrote about?

I don’t have a favorite couple, because I fall in love with each of them as I write, but I think there’s something adorably quirky and tenderly lovable about Ren and Frankie; while I wouldn’t call them my favorite, I would say I feel “closest” to them still, even though their story has been out of my hands for some time.

8 – How long does it take you to write one book?

That very much depends on how quickly the book “comes” to me as well as how much childcare I have. With the pandemic, my process slowed considerably. Now that my children are preparing to safely return to school, I anticipate my writing process will speed up again. Sometimes I write a draft in a few weeks, other times, it takes months.

9 – What is your favorite genre to read?

Romance! I love historical, contemporary, fantasy, and I’m starting to dip my toes into alien/monster romance and having a blast.

10 – Who are your favorite writers?

That’s tough. I admire so many writers, but a few whose craft, ethic, and storytelling I truly can’t get enough of are: Tessa Dare, Alexis Hall, Talia Hibbert, and Helen Hoang.

11- If you could turn one of your books into a movie – which book would you choose?

It would be a dream come true if I could see the Bergmans become a sibling-based series like Bridgerton is being adapted for Netflix–one season per sibling and their love interest!