Rachael Lippincott
Author Rachael Lippincott talks about her newest book, which sends its protagonist back in time to find herself
MELISSA WHITLER | Dallas Voice Intern
editor@dallasvoice.com
Bestselling author Rachael Lippincott’s new sapphic romance, Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh, comes out in August, and the author spoke recently with Dallas Voice about her writing, inspiration and family.
DALLAS VOICE: First off, can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming book? RACHAEL LIPPINCOTT: Of course! The novel is a sapphic romance that takes a twist on the regency era classic. Audrey Cameron is facing a lack of inspiration and hasn’t been able to put herself out there both in love and in her art. After being waitlisted at her dream art school, she needs to come up with a new portfolio, and the deadline is coming up fast. When a local customer of her family’s convenience store offers her help, she doesn’t think it’ll mean being transported back to 1812. There she meets Lucy Sinclair, who is facing her own regency era problems. Lucy is being courted by the most unpleasant man, but her father expects her to marry him because he is rich. The two women work together to try and send Audrey back while also learning what it is their hearts truly want.
That sounds so exciting! The plot reminds me of people’s sapphic analysis of Taylor Swift’s song “Ivy.” What was your Inspiration for the book? My wife’s comfort movie is Pride and Prejudice, and during her pregnancy we watched it a lot. I fell in love with it again and got a little obsessed. There was also some inspiration from Bridgerton, as I always find myself wondering what if this story was sapphic. Amusing interactions, I thought about the possibility of two girls from different times and what they could teach each other. I wanted them to find commonality and connect, even though they live very different lives.
As for the setting, Pittsburgh is where I went to college and where I live with my family now. I love the city and loved getting to write about it and bring it to life for people. And I love writing YA because it is such a huge, pivotal time. You’re really figuring out the rest of life and how to be your own person, which is fun to write and explore in your characters.
How do you get your story from an idea to an actual book? What is your writing process? With every new project, it begins with a struggle to find the right story to tell. I went through a lot of ideas, toying with the concept of someone being sent back in time. I started with Audrey’s POV, and the character really came to life.
Since writing for me is very voice based, finding the right character is very important. I’m also a big outliner, and, after doing that, all the different scenes started to connect well. I have to know the ending to know what everything is working towards, and I really love writing endings.
After that, there were some classic scenes that had to be included, like a rain confession. And what really makes the whole thing shine is my editor. She is absolutely the best, and I’m always excited to get her notes back. It really is amazing to work with a team of people that care about your story and making it the best it can be.
Was it different for you writing a historical novel, since most of your other work is solidly contemporary? It was very fun and different from my previous works. With this book I had to figure out how to blend historical fiction with contemporary and make it cohesive. I had to do a good amount of research on the time period, but it was fun deep diving into it. I was a history minor in college, and my mom is a U.S. history teacher, so it’s something I grew up with and find really interesting.
I know some of your earlier works have been more collaborative, was it different writing this one on your own? Writing with my wife, Alyson Derrick, was different than working with my first two collaborations. With both, you’re building off of another person’s idea, having back and forth collaboration. With Alyson, there was a higher level of comfort and intimacy in the process that came from us being so close. It was fun to bounce ideas off each other, and we had lots of opportunities to talk about the book.
Even when writing with others, though, an outline keeps me on track.
It seems like there are a lot of personal aspects incorporated into the story. How does your own life impact your writing? I think there are parts of me in all the characters I write. Since I write from a first person POV, there is an element of stepping into the character to write, and I end up including small parts of my life. I used to co-own a food truck, and one of the characters, Mr. Montgomery, is based off an old regular.
Being a parent has also changed my perspective some. It’s absolutely incredible being a parent and watching her grow up, but it has changed my writing a little. I have to be a lot more focused when I sit down to write, and I wonder if she’ll like the stories I’m telling.
Do you think your daughter will ever read your books when she’s older? I don’t know honestly. She adores books now, and I hope it’ll be cool that her mom is an author when she’s a teenager. I am excited to see what she likes to read as she gets older.
One last question. What has been your experience as a queer author? I’m so inspired by other LGBTQ authors, and it is so exciting to see all the different kinds of LGBTQ books coming out now. I grew up loving to read, and it would have been amazing to have the kinds of stories I and others have written back then. There’s something so special about writing characters who are figuring out their sexuality and exploring. It’s also very fun getting to see readers’ responses.
TikTok has really been instrumental in meeting and connecting with people, both other authors and readers. One special thing about being an author now is the fact that we can really build a community and support others over the internet. It’s really cool to connect over excitement about the same things, such as Pride or shared identities.
Rachael Lippincott’s new book, Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh, hits shelves Aug. 29.