Today’s interview is an incredibly exciting one from our point of view. Cait Nary’s debut Season’s Change (out in just a few days’ time on 1st February) is hands-down one of our favourite romance novels ever (Anna even said it was probably their outright favourite). This is one that you absolutely do not want to miss out on. But while we’re waiting those interminable 6 days, take a read of our interview with Cait to get yourself all the more excited! (Also I think it should be noted that Cait supports categorically the best hockey team. Anna agrees.)
And don’t forget to follow her on twitter!
Have you always known you wanted to be a writer? How old were you when you wrote your first story?
I’ve always been a creative person, so I’ve been writing stories for as long as I could hold a pencil. But I honestly never dreamed about “being a writer,” at least not in terms of being someone who writes for a living and has “New York Times Bestseller” next to their name. Instead, I sincerely love the practice of writing (not to say that it’s easy every day—it definitely isn’t!), and find so much joy in writing stories that resonate with my community.
What are your favourite genres to read and write, and are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?
Romance is my favorite for sure! I don’t know that you’ll ever see me writing anything that relies on the ability to stick to an outline or work in a lot of external plot, like SFF or mystery—I love reading in those genres, but I’ve been able to make them work for the way my brain approaches writing. But never say never, I guess.
When you close your eyes and imagine an apple, what do you see? An actual apple, a sketch of one, a blackness? Do you think that impacts your writing process?
An actual apple. And I do think that impacts my writing process—one of my strengths at the craft level is having my characters interact with and occupy space in their environments.
Which three authors would you say influenced your writing the most?
Rachel Reid for showing me you could write a hockey romance that didn’t stick to the expected genre beats (read Heated Rivalry if you haven’t already!); Pene Henson’s Into the Blue for pushing my understanding of what you could do at the craft level in sports romance; and Alexis Hall, who I think does some of the deepest and most interesting character work in the romance genre.
When you’re building your world, what do you focus on? How do you try to make it come to life?
I start with character, which is the foundation of my approach to writing. I write because I enjoy exploring the world through the filter of someone else’s lived experience, so I usually start with a character; put them in a situation; and then try to experience it the way they would, using their inputs, values, and life experiences instead of my own. I’ll know some of the information that I need to accomplish that when I go in—for example, in Season’s Change I knew Olly would be having a tough time mentally, and I wanted him to come from a very conventional hockey background—but I’ll discover a lot of the additional backstory as I go. I think that helps things feel organic and lived-in, because I’m not trying to shoehorn characters into a specific role or force them to hit certain plot marks. Other romance authors are fantastic at writing more plot-driven, beat-focused books, and I love reading them—that’s just not my personal approach.
What projects are you currently working on? Can you share any details yet?
I just turned the second book in the Trade Season series into my editor, which is exciting! Contract Season is the hockey x country music crossover I sincerely thought no one would ever let me write, plus fake dating to keep it fun. If this sounds like something you’d be into, you can add it on Goodreads.
Three songs you would put in your book’s soundtrack?
“See You Through My Eyes” by The Head and the Heart, “The Trouble with Wanting” by Joy Williams, and “1950” by King Princess.
What would be your dream project?
A sprawling, immersive, speculative, epic romance where the worldbuilding and setting become their own character, with lots of ~intrigue and ~politics and ~shocking twists. Think Outlander, but gay.
I failed to write that book so many times that now I write contemporary romance. I’d never say that contemporary romance is “easier,” but it’s a much better fit for the writing skills I’m good at (deep character work, building organic relationship arcs) and relies less heavily on the things I am currently “working to develop” (plot, external conflict, the ability to stick to an outline).
Which of your characters would you most want to fight a zombie apocalypse with?
Benji. He knows how to fight but is mellow enough that I don’t think we’d kill each other.
You’re stuck on a desert island and you’re allowed only three (LGBT) books. What are you taking?
Impossible question!! Going for a reasonable spread of genre and vibe: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards, and Thrown Off the Ice by Taylor Fitzpatrick.
You can collaborate on anything with anyone in the LGBT community: who would it be and why?
Queer hockey fandom has so many artists doing fantastic work. I’d love to do an illustrated novel like my writing pal Stephanie Hoyt is doing with her debut The Magic Between, or maybe collab on a graphic novel. But honestly, I’m kind of a control freak, so I’m not sure collabs are in my creative future!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cait lives in Virginia with her husband and a very anxious German Shepherd. Neither of them gives her too much grief when her writing alarm goes off at 5:30am. If Cait isn’t writing, trying a new muffin recipe, or running on a trail somewhere, she is probably shouting at the Philadelphia Flyers.
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