If rom-coms are your thing, then check out "The Lovers" by Rebekah Faubion that includes silliness and hijinks, steam, and deep feelings.
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
The inspiration for "The Lovers" felt fated. I had the idea for a rom-com about a girl who had been raised on rom-com movies, and whose parents were the perfect rom-com couple. I knew she was trying to fit in the ingénue mold she had inadvertently idealized for herself because of that, but what she really needed was to find the courage to leave that behind and live her authentic identity as a queer woman. At the same time as I was marinating this idea, I was falling in love with tarot, and thought it would be such a fun job to give this character. The rest fell into place as I started to think about who her perfect soulmate would be and where this love story would take place.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
Choosing stories that joyfully represent the spectrum of gender and sexual identity, and shouting about them in the face of prejudice.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
Because the human experience is not a homogeny. Growing up, I didn’t get to see stories about being a bisexual woman, and I often wonder what my experience of coming out would have been if I there had been more representation readily available. I think we need stories that reflect the vastness of the human experience, not just because it’s the truth, but because it can help us understand ourselves and the world we live in.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
"The Lovers" is a rom-com about two bisexual women who received a tarot reading as teenagers that told them they were Twin Flames — Soulmates who were destined to fall apart, but who would one day find their way back to each other. Ten years after they had a falling out, they reconnect at a wedding that they are both working in Joshua Tree National Park and sparks fly.
This book is simultaneously a deeply poignant coming out story, steamy love story, and humorous rom-com written in the style of all my fave rom-coms of the 90s. Like the main character Kit, I came out later in life, and I wanted to write something that felt true to that experience.
What can fans expect from your book?
To have fun! The thing I want most is that my readers find an escape between the pages of the book. There is a lot of silliness and hijinks, some steam, and some deep feelings, and I hope they find it all very entertaining.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
I have another queer romance coming out next year from Berkley (can’t say anything about it yet!) and then in 2026 I am debuting with my first YA horror novel from Delacorte.
