About the Author: Carlyn Greenwald
What would you like readers to know about you?
Hi, I’m Carlyn Greenwald, author of queer adult romcom SIZZLE REEL and co-author of YA Contemporary TIME OUT, written with Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner. I also write thriller and fantasy in YA and adult. I’m bisexual, Jewish, and disabled, went to film school and worked various development assistant gigs in Hollywood before pivoting to working in publishing. I currently live in LA with my 2-year-old chihuahua mix Phoebe and spend my free time going to movie theaters, gaming, and aspiring to be a paranormal investigator.
What music do you listen to (if any) when you write?
The answer is utterly chaotic. I try to make playlists for my books, but they start off as complementing the vibe of the book, but end up devolving into “I was thinking about this song while writing so it’s going into the playlist” or “this character mentions this random song in the book, so it’s going in the playlist.” So I mostly just put really big general Spotify playlists on – so every book will be written to like, Halsey, BTS, Yungblud, FLETCHER, 2000s My Chemical Romance and Panic! At the Disco, various 80s power ballads, and some showtunes.
What books or authors inspired you to become a writer?
With YA, Libba Bray, Jennifer Brown, Barry Lyga, and Neal Shusterman. All totally different genres (with Libba, different genres among her career) but every one of these authors just created these super entertaining books with complex characters I rooted so hard for. But I still remember learning about absurdity and humor from LibbaBray’s books, how to write emotion and difficult topics from Jennifer Brown’s books, how to write commercial suspense from Barry Lyga, and finally mixing moral complexity and depth into speculative fiction from Neal Shusterman.
When it comes to adult, my biggest influences have been Rachel Lynn Solomon, who was the first romance author I ever read and a total titan in the genre. I’ve loved her since her YA days, and she continually blows me away with how complex and loveable her characters are mixed with how funny, steamy, and unique each book feels. I’m also a bit influenced by Stephen King – besides learning how to write suspense, I learned how to show mental discombobulation with parenthesis and to only ever write “Character said” instead of “said Character.”
About the Books: Sizzle Reel, Time Out
What is your book about for those who haven’t read it?
SIZZLE REEL follows a 24-year-old talent manager’s assistant, who, after coming out as bi, decides to “make up for lost time” by trying to date an ambiguously gay a-list actress client. It’s part romcom, part queer coming of age book, and it’s hopefully as funny as it is emotional, and my (first) love letter to Los Angeles.
TIME OUT follows the #1 ranked high school basketball player in Georgia who decides to come out at a school pep rally. When that doesn’t go well, he quits the basketball team and has to find himself, getting some help from a high school newspaper reporter.
What has been your inspiration for writing it?
SIZZLE REEL: I was also a Hollywood assistant feeling frustrated by the lack of upward mobility (I wanted to be a screenwriter, not a cinematographer) while also dealing with burgeoning sexuality questions. One of the last things I did at my last Hollywood job was attend the Crazy Rich Asians premiere with a client and I was blown away by the romcom genre and wanted to take a stab at it. So, I wrote out my existential dread and decided I’d give this character the happy ending I didn’t believe in at the time and make the story into a romcom.
TIME OUT: I know Sean and Todd came up with the idea reflecting on their own teenhoods growing up in different Chicago suburbs, where Sean was into the arts and Todd was into sports and wondered what it would’ve been like knowing each other back then. I came onto the project when it was a pilot and a book outline and really loved the way that it was a coming out story where the conflict wasn’t internal – the main character is confident in who he is from page 1, but it’s the world around him who has toshift to fit him. It felt very modern and applicable to teens today.
What was your favorite scene or part of your book to write?
SIZZLE REEL: There’s so many super ridiculous LA scenes, but I think my favorite one is the scene right before the MC and one of her LIs kiss, where they’re at a karaoke bar in a private room with the other LI and their mutual friend. It was so fun to write the anticipation of the kiss, thread in the other LI’s anguish without the MC realizing it, and then have the fourth (straight) guy just be ignored while he’s trying to play it cool with a room of queers.
TIME OUT: I really love the MC’s best friend, Amy, who’s this punk activist who hates their small town and makes that abundantly clear. There’s this scene early on where the MC and Amy work at this diner together and they just bitch to each other about the terrible clientele, who get worse after the MC comes out. It’s this wonderful moment of fun and snark amid this storm the MC goes through.
Where can your book be purchased?
Both books can be purchased at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Bookshop, and TIME OUT is also at Target.
PUBLISHER BUY LINKS:
To the Future Writer:
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to write a book?
Make sure you love the idea. Like, that there’s something in that idea that you’re obsessed with, that makes you happy to come back to day after day, revision after revision. Then, after you’ve gone through some beta readers and polished and started querying, go find another book idea that makes you feel that spark and write again. You’ll never stop having a book of your heart and it’s the only way to not only start writing, but to keep writing.
What’s next for you? Any events, upcoming pubs, etc.
My second adult book will be out summer 2024, but all I can really say about it is it’s another sapphic romcom and takes place at film school.
Event wise, I have the Summer Book Fest in Valencia, CA July 28-30th, I’m in conversation with Rachel Lynn Solomon for the publication of her newest romcom, BUSINESS OR PLEASURE, on July 9th at Books Inc in San Francisco, and a couple more events that haven’t been announced yet!
Where can we find you:
Twitter- @carlyngreenwald
Instagram- @carlyn_gee
Website- www.carlyngreenwald.com
Others- Tik Tok: carlyn_gee
What’s on your TBR list?
PLUS ONE by Kelsey Rodkey
ON THE PLUS SIDE by Jenny L Howe
JACKAL by Erin E Adams