Emma R. Alban
Novelist Emma Alban’s first book explores sapphic romance in a period setting
MELISSA WHITLER | Contributing Writer
editor@dallasvoice.com
Are you looking for a new read? Kick off the year with a sapphic romance from debut novelist Emma Alban. Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend hits shelves Jan. 9, and is perfect for fans of Bridgerton and The Parent Trap.
The novel follows two debutants: Gwen, who’s on her fourth season, and Beth, who is on her first. The pair meet unexpectedly at one of the opening balls, and bond over their mutual disinterest in finding a husband. So they hatch a plan to get their single parents together in order to prolong their single statuses.
But things do not go according to plan.
Writer Emma Alban sat down with Dallas Voice to discuss her upcoming novel as well as her path to becoming an author.
Dallas Voice: Whan did you first know you wanted to become an author? Emma Alban: I was 13 when I realized I could be a person who could write a book. I was really into fanfiction as a young adult, but I hadn’t thought about writing original stories. Even when I was young, I always knew I wanted to write something and have it shared with the world. I was fortunate enough that people liked my screenplays, and now I’m able to branch out into novels. But writing is my favorite thing to do, and I’m always going to write.
How did you come up with the idea for Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend? I had been writing historical romances for a couple of years and came up with this idea in the summer of 2021. I was trying to figure out an idea about an Earl and a Dutchess coming together, and then I had the thought, what if they both had daughters? What if it wasn’t the parents’ story but rather a kind of lesbian parent trap. That was the big moment I realized that’s what I was missing in the story, and I went from there.
The title is reminiscent of a lyric from Taylor Swift’s song “Dress.” Is that where you got the idea? Definitely! I wanted something evocative and that harkened to Taylor Swift for the title. This ended up matching the story perfectly. I’m always listening to music, even when I write. For this project I listened to a lot of Vitamin String Quartet. It put me in the Victorian season and lends energy and excitement.
What do you want readers to take away from the book? Firstly, I hope people read this book and enjoy it. I want people to feel seen in the characters, both queer and straight. And see that queer people have always been here, have always found love. These kinds of stories were happening alongside the traditional marriages, we just don’t get to hear them as often.
Where do you draw inspiration for your stories? It’s a mix of life and media. Coming up with this idea, I knew all the tropes and setting and world-building that I would need to do. I absolutely love historical romance, and I love getting to build worlds that are inclusive and just as interesting as traditional stories — but with queer perspectives. The period historical genre is where I really sit with writing.
Once I come up with the basic story, I do research to make sure it was possible. I’ve learned a lot about the season events that happen, what was it really like to go to these events, how they dressed and talked.
Has it been a big adjustment for you switching from screenwriting to novels? It has been an adjustment. You get so much closer to characters with prose and see the world through their eyes. I had to really put myself in their place and ask what it looks like to each of them. But that also allows more space to play, to go in depth and include asides and tangents.
As a screenwriter, were you affected by the SAG-AFTRA strike last year? Thankfully I have a full-time job and was working on book two over the summer, so I was not really financially affected. Still, it was a very difficult summer and fall, and so many friends were affected. I’m very grateful people are back at work. I was able to picket a few times and got to run a romance raffle at the picket as well. I’m so incredibly grateful for all the sacrifices made to fight for screen writing as a career.
What’s next for you in 2024? Well, my second novel, titled You’re the Problem It’s You, comes out in August of this year. It continues right after the first book and follows Beth and Gwen’s cousins in the following season. I would love to see these books adapted into TV or film. And of course, I plan to continue writing.
What advice do you have for young aspiring authors? Write what you want to write, what’s close to your heart. Tell the stories you want to tell, then worry about what will sell. Don’t start off trying to match the market. Write some every day, and, little by little, you’ll get there. And there is always an element of luck that you can’t control. Just keep pushing, and eventually the luck finds you.
To order Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend and find more information on Emma Alban, go to EmmaRAlban.com.
