Check out our interview with Lygia Day Peñaflor, the author of "Beautiful to See You (Again)."
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
Beautiful to See You (Again) came from a perfect storm of inspirations. I’d been planning to write a then/now timeline. I also wanted to write about how difficult it can be to move forward after a tragic loss. Tia came to me as the right character to carry that type of story—a sad college dropout who’s grieving her first love. I knew that dual storylines would work really well with that concept. At the same time, I’d always wondered if I was capable of writing time travel, so I thought I would try it for Tia. It turned out that this was the perfect novel for all of these elements to come together.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
When I read about characters that reflect my own background and values, it makes me proud to see someone like me on the page. It feels validating to know that my personal experiences are worth writing about, worth contemplating, and worth sharing with the world.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
As valuable as it is to see ourselves represented in books, it’s just as important to read about characters who are different than we are, either in their background, their upbringing, or their opinions. It helps us to expand our thoughts and consider the world from different perspectives. It also enables us to experience multiple lives through stories, lives we otherwise wouldn’t be able to experience.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
In Beautiful to See You (Again), Tia struggles with the loss of her first love Natty Poole. She has dropped out of Columbia and now works as a dog walker in Manhattan. One day, while walking the dogs through Central Park, she finds a tunnel that whisks her back in time to revisit the summer she spent with Natty. She then has to decide whether to keep going back for Natty or to live in the present, where some very promising things await her—a very charming film student named Razor Ford, and an acting role in his current project.
Personally, I wanted to explore themes of grief, regret, and preoccupation with the past. Creatively, I’d been wanting to write about Tia for a long time, but I needed a fuller picture of her character before I could start writing. When I came across an Instagram reel of “A Day in the Life of a NYC Dogwalker,” I had a lightbulb moment—Tia’s character fell into place. Suddenly, I was able to imagine her daily life and was finally ready to write about her.
What can fans expect from your book?
It’s not a typical romance where love saves the day or where romance is the goal. At its core, it’s a story about grief, healing, and strength. I think that Tia, Natty, and Razor are characters that readers will truly root for and feel for. Early readers are finding this book to be an emotional read that also offers some surprises along the way.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
It’s difficult for books to be discovered in the bookish world—there are so many titles being published every season, so not every book gets attention. But I hope that over the next few months, readers who need Beautiful to See You (Again) will find it. As for myself, I miss reading fiction because I avoid it when I’m writing a novel. So, I’d like to do a lot of reading for now before I dive into writing something new. After being immersed in Tia’s story for the past few years, I need to write something fun, something light and fast paced, whatever that may be.
