Check out our interview with Erica Hendry, the author of "Let's Not Go Overboard Here."
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
As both a lifelong pop culture fan and mystery enthusiast, I wanted to write a story where a reality TV obsessive uses her passions to solve a crime. I’m very tickled by the idea of how effective online sleuths are at dissecting the latest reality TV drama, and wanted to imagine a world in which those skillsets were put to use solving an actual mystery.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
I look back at my favorite books from growing up, and for some of them, I have to have an asterisk in my mind because of how they treated queer people and relationships. Reading With Pride means creating a future where we can get rid of those asterisks. It means that all of us can enjoy the books we love without having to sacrifice any parts of ourselves or do any mental gymnastics.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
In my opinion, reading is the purest, most potent form of connection there is. When everyone is represented on the page, it provides an opportunity for people to feel seen, and for readers to gain empathy and understanding about experiences different from their own. When you showcase a diverse, multifaceted world, you create space for people to feel valid and valuable. Everyone deserves to read books that make them feel good about being themselves, whatever that looks like.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
"Let’s Not Go Overboard Here" tells the story of Melanie Hoffman, a pop culture obsessive who has spent the last year and a half in a reality TV-soaked grief stupor following the death of her best friend Ari. To get her out of her funk, Mel’s friend Vish invites her along on a glamorous yacht trip in Greece to celebrate his company’s IPO. Between Mel’s job forcing her to take time off and the fact that she’s a Below Deck superfan, Mel agrees to go on the yacht trip. Pretty soon after setting foot on board, Mel becomes convinced that one of her fellow passengers, Freya, has been murdered. She throws herself into investigating Freya’s disappearance, using her pop culture rabbit hole brain to try to crack the case, but it’s unclear if something actually nefarious has happened to Freya, or if Mel is just spiraling out because of her grief.
I decided to write this story because I too am a reality TV diehard, and I’ve often thought that the people who break down the latest pop culture scandals on TikTok and Reddit would be great at solving a mystery. This book was my opportunity to explore that!
What can fans expect from your book?
They can expect humor, raw emotion, a narrator who is slightly off her rocker, and TONS of pop culture references.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
I am always writing, so hopefully you’ll be hearing more from me soon!
