march madness (highly-anticipated book releases version)
plus, a Q&A with Carola Lovering, author of BYE, BABY
happy, happy sunday from a very cheery (warmth! sunshine!!) new york city. last week, I shared how I did ALL the things, ate out for practically every meal, and ran my social battery to the ground doing so. this week was the anecdote to that in every way. I said “yes” to less, stayed home more, and loved every second. part of what kept me joyously home was the addictive quality of my latest read, BYE, BABY. I’m thrilled that we’ll be talking more about the upcoming release in today’s author interview with the one and only Carola Lovering, but first, let’s take a minute to gush over the epic march release schedule we all have to look forward to this month!
there are so many new books hitting shelves in the weeks to come—I’m kind of freaking out about it. I’ve linked previous sunday series’ guest, Maddie McGee’s post above because she really does this breakdown best (if you’re already following Maddie on IG and craving more of her stellar insights, she pens
here on Substack too). some of the standouts on her list for me include:BYE, BABY by Carola Lovering (out March 5th)
NEVER BEEN BETTER by Leanne Toshiko Simpson (out March 5th)
IF YOU CAN’T TAKE THE HEAT by Geraldine DeRuiter (out March 12th)
SELLING THE DREAM by Jane Marie (out March 12th)
EXPIRATION DATES by Rebecca Serle (out March 19th)
LIKE HAPPINESS by Ursula Villarreal-Moura (out March 26th)
I’m also excited that next week marks International Women’s Day! to celebrate, I’m putting together an absolutely BONKERS book giveaway with my friend and fellow Substacker,
. we’ll be celebrating about a dozen of our favorite female authors—nearly all of whom have been featured in the sunday series. it’ll go live on our feeds mid-week, and you’ll need to be following along with both of us on IG (as well as subscribed here) to be eligible. if we’re not already connected, you can find me on Insta over at @curatedbykayla and my fellow Kayla (ha!) at @kaylakleinman.not to give *too* much away, but one of the books in our giveaway stack will be the one and only GOOD MATERIAL by Dolly Alderton. I had the chance to go to see Dolly live last night at Symphony Space and it was an absolute treat. she spoke about her creative process, what it was like doing research to write from the male perspective, how heartbreak has fueled her storytelling, and of course, the power of female friendship. I’ve shared a brief clip from the stage below—enjoy! xKD
meet Carola Lovering
you’d be hard pressed to find a single woman in her twenties or thirties who can’t (painfully) relate to Carola Lovering’s debut, TELL ME LIES, which tells the searing story of a toxic situationship. with its adaption into a series by Hulu, Lovering’s work has sparked endless conversations about the many versions of “Stephen” who haunt us, often long after they leave our orbit.
luckily for those enamoured by TELL ME LIES, Lovering has continued to produce thought-provoking work about toxic relationships (a favorite of mine is her third book, TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE). so when I saw last year that her four novel, BYE, BABY was set to release in march, I knew we had to connect for the sunday series! BYE, BABY is actually our march pick for West Village Book Club, so expect a whole lot more chatter around this beloved author both here and over on our WVBC account—but first, let’s dive into our Q&A!
Kayla Douglas: Carola, tell us a bit about your background and the path that led you to becoming a writer.
Carola Lovering: I was an English major in college. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my career post-graduation, but I’d always loved writing and reading, so I decided to apply for jobs in publishing. I didn’t get any of them. I finally got a job as an assistant at a PR agency and worked in PR for a few years in my early twenties. I didn’t love it; I wanted to be doing something more creative. I decided I would try to pivot to the copywriting department of my agency; in order to do that, I was told I needed to build a writing portfolio. I wrote several articles and listicles for publications like Thought Catalog, Elite Daily, and MindBodyGreen.
Around the same time, I was personally struggling with a “break up” that wasn’t a real break up because the person had never technically been my boyfriend. It was a toxic, on-off relationship/situationship I’d been in throughout college and for a bit after, and it was finally over. I was heartbroken, confused, devastated, angry—all the feels. One of my close friends from college knew I was trying to build up my writing portfolio, and she suggested I write something about my toxic relationship as a way of processing it. I took her advice. I started writing short stories/vignettes loosely based on my experience, and I’d never felt such inspiration in my life. I pretty quickly decided I wanted to expand on these smaller pieces of writing and turn them into a book—it just felt right, like this was a story I had to tell. That was the beginning of Tell Me Lies and my career as an author!
KD: What were the seeds of inspiration behind your latest, BYE, BABY, set to release March 5th?
CL: I had been wanting to write a book that centers on a complicated/toxic female friendship for a while. The plot of Bye, Baby is very much fiction (thankfully I’ve never been involved in a kidnapping) but the emotions in the book are very real to me—particularly the nuanced pain of drifting apart from a lifelong friend you thought you’d be close with forever. I’m thirty-five, and a shift has occurred in this decade that I’ve been paying close attention to, that I’ve come to believe is relatively universal: our thirties are a period in life when certain friendships change or simply stop sticking, and just like in a romantic breakup, it’s often more painful for one person than the other. This shift is at the heart of Bye, Baby, and the reason for it is something I’ve explored in the book’s pages. There are also themes of motherhood (I’m a newish mom to two little kids!) and social media—I’m interested in how social media influences our relationships and perceptions of other people, particularly in ways that are misleading.
KD: Setting dictates so much of a story's tone – what can readers expect from a setting perspective in BYE, BABY?
CL: Bye, Baby is primarily set in New York City. Expect Manhattan vibes—Billie lives in the West Village and Cassie in Gramercy Park—and a scene or two out in the Hamptons. In the flashback chapters, settings include Billie and Cassie’s Hudson Valley hometown of Red Hook, NY, and Boston during their college years.
KD: BYE, BABY marks your fourth book. How (if at all) has your creative process evolved as your journey as a writer has taken shape?
CL: My creative process has evolved drastically. Each book has been a different writing process, because my life has looked different each time. With Tell Me Lies, I worked on the book at night and on weekends because I had a 9-5 job. I didn’t know what I was doing; I had no specific process and the whole thing was a big leap of faith. When I started working on Too Good to Be True, my schedule opened up—I was able to leave my 9-5, I taught yoga part-time and did not yet have children; I could essentially write at whatever point in the day inspiration struck. Drafting Can’t Look Away was different because my daily schedule was wide open—it was the pandemic and I had given up teaching yoga—but, I was pregnant with my first baby, so his due date was my self-assigned deadline. I just had no idea what my life would look like once I had a baby; an anxious part of me worried I’d lose all productivity.
Bye, Baby is the first book I drafted as a mom, and luckily, I found my way. But it’s hard! Exhaustion goes hand-in-hand with being a mother to young children, and exhaustion can be a creativity-killer. The biggest change in process for me is that now I have to write during the windows of time when we have childcare. If I don’t do it then, it’s not going to get done at all; I can’t stay up late and write like I used to, and I’m not a morning person—I’m not one of those authors who can get up at 5am and write before the kids wake up. The key for me at this stage is being way more disciplined and sacred with my time. There are many days when I have to force myself to be creative and get the words on the page—sometimes it’s like pulling teeth, but it’s worth it. I’m so grateful for my career.
KD: Many readers will be familiar with your debut, TELL ME LIES, which was adapted by Hulu. What can you tell us about how your book will continue to inspire the forthcoming second season?
CL: I honestly don’t know! Truly, I texted one of the producers a couple weeks ago and said, “I’m so excited, I have no idea what’s going to happen this season.” What I can pretty safely predict is that the steamy, toxic, will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic between Lucy and Stephen will carry on in season two, along with Lucy’s emotional journey that is prevalent in the book.
KD: With so many book babies, we know you can't pick a favorite. Of your four novels, is there a common theme or message you're aiming to convey to readers?
CL: I’m drawn to writing about the nuances of complex and toxic relationships. I think it’s because these kinds of relationships (whether romantic or platonic) are ones that I’ve personally experienced and have spent a lot of time contemplating. Most of us have, to some degree, been in unhealthy situations with friends or romantic partners who we know aren’t good for us. This creates a lot of resulting shame and confusion. I hope a message in my books is this: you can learn to choose yourself. You can free yourself from negative dynamics that are holding you back. You can become empowered to identify healthy love and connection and not settle for anything less.
KD: Tell us about the most recent work of fiction that left you with a book hangover.
CL: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s long, but I treasured every page. The writing, the voice, and the story are all exceptional. I have a soft spot for coming-of-age stories; parts reminded me of The Catcher in the Rye, which I wrote my college thesis on and might be my favorite book ever. Demon is sad and beautiful and educational and hopeful, so raw and human. I recommend it to everyone.
KD: What book on your TBR are you most excited to pick up?
CL: So many! I’ve heard the new Dolly Alderton (Good Material) is fantastic—I can’t wait to go grab it. I also loved Katherine Faulkner’s debut and am eager to read her latest, The Other Mothers.
KD: The Sunday Series was conceptualized as a love letter to my favorite day of the week. If we were with you in Connecticut on Sunday, where would you take us to spend the afternoon?
CL: I’m such a homebody on Sundays—I feel like I usually don’t leave my house! But for visitors, we’d grab a delicious lunch at Rosie in New Canaan (I live in Darien, but New Canaan is close), then pop next door to Elm Street Books. Next, we’d drive over to Weed Beach and play some paddle tennis—the courts have a gorgeous view of Long Island Sound. Last stop, a late afternoon cocktail at Rowayton Seafood.
KD: Where can readers preorder BYE, BABY?
CL: Anywhere books are sold. If readers would like a signed copy, my local indie Barrett Bookstore is offering signed/personalized preorders on their website; those will ship out on or before the March 5th pub date.