Emma Barry
Author Interview - Emma Barry
Author of Bad Reputation
In this whip-smart workplace romance from the author of Chick Magnet, a former teen star and an accidental intimacy coordinator have a plan to fix their images—and falling in love would ruin everything.
Cole James’s reputation as Hollywood’s favorite himbo no longer suits him. His fans can’t separate the real man from the character he played on a soapy teen drama decades ago. But that’s going to change with Waverley, the hit streaming historical romance series.
Maggie Niven hates her own notoriety. Fired for directing a divisive play, Maggie takes her fight against censorship public. When Hollywood comes calling, she becomes the new intimacy coordinator for Waverley. But it’s harder than she imagined to focus on the job.
Cole isn’t what she expected—and Maggie is more than he dreamed of. As filming gets underway, the cast’s old traumas lead to real intimacy, and Cole and Maggie struggle with feelings they shouldn’t have. Having an affair on set could destroy his comeback and her new career.
The show must go on. But if Cole and Maggie want a happy ending, they’ll have to start doing things their own way.
Author Interview - Emma Barry
Author I draw inspiration from:
There's no way I can stick with one. I love the way that Kate Canterbary writes chemistry. The dynamic of In a Jam--second chance with a first love/contemporary marriage of convenience--was delightful. Ruby Lang and Kate Clayborn are two of my favorite prose stylists in romance. Each sentence of theirs is an entire meal of gorgeous, and their observations about the world are spot-on. I feel smarter after spending a few hours in their characters' heads. And how wonderful is it to have a new book from Mae Marvel (the combined effort of Ruthie Knox and Mary Ann Rivers)? Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous was witty and sexy and all around fantastic.
Author Interview - Emma Barry | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
When I'm alone in the house, it's my armchair in the living room with a cup of tea that's exactly the right temperature. But when my family is around, I either have to hide in bed or at my desk pretending to work in order to get reading done. My husband and kids have an uncanny ability to interrupt my reading at the precise moment when things get interesting. It's like the worst super hero ability ever.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Luc from Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material. If you haven't read this modern masterpiece, you need to get on that immediately. Luc is kind of a mess: he's the son of a rock star, a scandal-sheet fixture, and a fundraiser at a non-profit that tries to protect dung beetles. But he's also vulnerable and hilarious and self-deprecating. However long we had to wait for the fire department to rescue us, I know that the time would pass hilariously and it would be memorable.
Author Interview - Emma Barry | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I was reading my first ever romance novel--Loretta Chase's Lord of Scoundrels--and it reanimated some dormant part of my reader self that I thought I had lost. I had gotten several degrees in English; I was basically a professional reader. But while I love critical reading, I had forgotten how to have FUN with a story. Romance novels gave that back to me, and for the first time in my life, I wanted to write a book and not simply read them. That reading experience was magical and transformative.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
For hardbacks, they look so good on your shelf afterward, right? I love all the deluxe editions and fancy dust covers. But they're expensive and heavy and not my favorite for reading.
Paperbacks are friendly and light, and they fit in my bag. I feel like paperbacks are competing to see if I'll upgrade them to hardcover status eventually.
Ebooks are what I read the most. I love that I can read in bed without turning on the lamp, and I can never run out of books! I was at the Grand Canyon recently, and when I finished book 4 in a series, I was able to immediately get book 5--no waiting or bookstore required.
And when the narrators for an audiobook are good, it's as immersive as a movie. Plus you can read in the car. I find that audio works best for me for rereads and deeply beloved books.
The last book I read:
London Rules by Mick Herron, which is the fifth book in his Slow Horses spy-thriller series. While I've got some quibbles with the series, they're super voice-y and the character work is top notch. I don't know how Herron makes the plots so surprising but also keeps them grounded in reality. It's amazing. I would also recommend the adaptations on Apple+.
Author Interview - Emma Barry | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I write on the computer most of the time. I'm a compulsive editor at every stage of the writing process and also I have terrible handwriting, so it's easier for me to accommodate both of those bad habits on the computer. I do carry a notebook around everywhere I go just case inspiration strikes, but the last time that happened, I was on a plane, and my fountain pen erupted, spilling ink all over the page. So I'm back to typing only--or maybe I need to switch to pencil.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Aurora from Jenny Holiday's Canadian Boyfriend. I always want to be friends with Holiday's characters (Dani from Duke, Actually is another favorite), but Rory charmed me utterly. She's a ballet teacher and failed ballerina who's life is kind of a mess. At the start of the book, she's stuck with a terrible guy, she has a strained relationship with her mom, and she's recovering from an eating disorder. But she has such resilience and good humor. I love her relationship with Mike and his daughter, and how carefully she navigates a world that hasn't always been kind to her. She's very funny in a low-key way and super empathetic, and I hope I have those same qualities.
Author Interview - Emma Barry | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I'm a lecturer at a university, and I teach American literature and composition. So many of the things I care about as an author I get to promote in my classroom. I believe that writing can be a way to get to the truth not just a thing we do when we know the truth and that books are products of the culture where they sprung up that either promote the status quo or help us imagine new worlds. I used to think about my writing and my teaching as being at odds, but now, they feel like two sides of the same coin.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I love late 50s and early 60s silhouettes. All those sheath dresses and A lines, with the big hair and the bold color blocking. Trends are circular, of course (it is hilarious to me as a Millennial to watch flared jeans and brown lipstick come back in style), but I feel like you can never go wrong with mid-century modern. My friend Genevieve Turner and I wrote a space race-set series (Fly Me to the Moon) all about 60s astronauts just so that I could indulge my love for MCM design and fashion.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I cannot get a decent croissant or crepe where I live to save my life (and the only way to get an okay baguette is for me to bake it), and so I have to say Paris. I've been twice, and look, the food is amazing, the museums are to die for, and the public transportation is excellent. If I could fly anywhere for a weekend, it would be Paris. Hands down.
My signature drink:
I love a Manhattan. I can my own cherries in almond syrup (with fruit from my own trees!), and they elevate every cocktail or mocktail I add them to. Especially when it involves bourbon.
Favorite artist:
I can't get enough of boygenius, the super group with Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. I just really like sad girls with guitars; what can I say? "Ketchum, ID" is a good place to start if you don't know their work.
Number one on my bucket list:
My goal for this year has been to WANT things. I went through a long period where I kept missing my goals, and all that failure left me feeling gun shy, as if might be better not to try for things because I didn't want to be rejected again (and again and again). Eventually, I realized that limiting my ambitions wasn't protecting me--it left me feeling unfulfilled. So I've been trying to let myself be hungry again. If the worse thing I can hear is no, well, then I can live with that. Hearing "no" isn't fatal. I'm only six months in, but I've already nailed several goals, and I feel more confident. So I'm looking forward to taking more risks and to keep being hungry.
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About Emma Barry:
Author Interview - Emma Barry
Emma Barry is a teacher, novelist, recovering academic, and former political staffer. She lives with her high school sweetheart and a menagerie of pets and children in Virginia, and she occasionally finds time to read and write.
