Interviews
Q&A with Linda Holmes
A chat with the author of Evvie Drake Starts Over
Linda Homes, author of the heartfelt Evvie Drake Starts Over, answered a few questions about her debut, romantic comedies, writing advice, and more!
This book primarily takes place in a small fishing town in Maine. Why did you choose that location for the book’s setting?
My family used to vacation in just the part of Maine where this story happens. It’s a place I really love, and a place where I haven’t seen a zillion books take place before. It’s very special to me, and every time I’ve been back as an adult, I’ve thought about setting a story in and around the towns that dot the coast. I finally found the right story, and because it relies so much on the comforting feeling that a hometown can have, it seemed just right to put it there.
What are some of your favorite rom coms and did any serve as inspiration for the book?
I love Sleepless in Seattle, no big surprise. I love While You Were Sleeping, which I saw an embarrassing number of times while it was in theaters (I was in law school at the time). The Amy Schumer/Bill Hader movie Trainwreck has a scene I really liked that involves his character being just very relaxed and straightforward about how he feels, and I realized later that it influenced some of the way I wrote this story. I’m old enough, I suppose, that I find plain talk wildly romantic.
Speaking of rom coms, this book would make a great movie. Who would you cast as Evvie and Dean in the film adaptation?
This question is so hard! I think there are people who are great at fantasy casting, and I am emphatically not one, but I will say that I have envisioned a Marvel-adjacent telling that would cast Brie Larson and Chris Evans. But I can honestly say I didn’t have anybody in mind, particularly.
Try to understand the characters. Try to make sure you know what the emotional arc is, and you’ll find the rest.
As a debut author, is there anything you wish you had known before you started writing this book? Do you have any advice to share with other first-time authors?
I didn’t know how much I would have to just keep going at times when it seemed like I had no idea what I was doing. I think there’s always part of you that wonders whether you can really do it, because a novel is a big undertaking. I think it’s very natural to stall out a couple of times, just feeling unsure that you have a middle of the book. I think a lot of people have a beginning and an end, and figuring out what the middle is catches them off-guard. That’s a time to just keep going, because you may change a lot of it later anyway. Try to understand the characters. Try to make sure you know what the emotional arc is, and you’ll find the rest.
What’s making you happy right now?
Having Evvie Drake Starts Over come out, for sure. But I would also say Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s wonderful book Fleishman is in Trouble, which deserves every bit of the praise it’s getting. I read it several months ago and instantly knew how special it was, and I’m very proud of myself for having so many people agree with me.
