Q&A: Emily Harding, Author of ‘How Freaking Romantic’

We chat with author Emily Harding about How Freaking Romantic, which is a sharply funny solo debut about an aspiring lawyer is forced to work alongside the opposing counsel in her best friend’s divorce case, which leads to the biggest irreconcilable difference of all: love.

Hi, Emily! Welcome back! How have you been since we last spoke for the release of Elizabeth of East Hampton?

Busy! But in the best possible way so I’m not complaining.

Your latest novel, How Freaking Romantic, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Female rage can be sexy.

What can readers expect?

At its most basic, How Freaking Romantic is an enemies-to-lovers story, but one with a bit more depth to it than just that. The novel follows Bea as she tries to navigate her final year of law school while stuck in the middle of her best friend’s messy divorce. Things get even messier when she finds out she must work alongside Nathan, the attorney for her best friend’s soon-to-be ex-husband. While Bea’s feelings toward Nathan become more complicated, so do the dynamics in her already strained friend group, and soon she’s forced to decide whose happiness to focus on: everyone else’s or her own.

Where did the inspiration for How Freaking Romantic come from?

While Audrey and I were writing Emma of 83rd Street (a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma), we did a lot of research into Austen’s inspiration around the novel and her thoughts while writing it. One quote stuck out to me so much that I taped it to my computer: “I’m going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” And, eventually, I started to consider what that heroine would look like today. That’s how Bea was born.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I loved writing the interactions between Bea and Nathan. One of the core themes to the book is how romance is found in the small details, in showing up and being there, and hitting that balance between them, while staying true to their characters was such a joy.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

From the start, I felt like I knew Bea, but putting her down on paper and properly encapsulating this character that was so fully-developed in my head was a challenge. It’s easy to write men who are abrasive and closed off—in many cases, those characteristics actually work to make them more appealing. But when you apply them to women, we’re not given nearly as much grace. I wanted to explore that a bit, but also not take her character so far that she became a caricature of an angry woman. Finding that nuance took time, but I’m really happy with where she ended up.

This is your solo debut! What was the shift like going from co-authoring to solo?

It’s funny, I don’t feel like it was too much of a shift? Obviously, the process was more insular, but Audrey and I still talk almost every day and are always bouncing ideas off each other. I also had a really trusted group of beta readers that helped me shape the story along the way.  Regardless of whether you’re working by yourself or with a partner, I’ve learned that collaboration is integral to the creative process. You could be the best writer in the world, but your work will always be better if you allow other people to critique it, ask questions, and make you think outside your own brain.

What’s next for you?

Audrey and I have the third installment of our For The Love Of Austen series coming out this fall: Anne of Avenue A. It’s a modern adaptation of Persuasion that takes place in Manhattan’s East Village and we love it so much. I can’t wait for readers to get their hands on it.

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?

I just finished Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen, and loved it so much. It’s a speculative novel about what happens when Harriet Tubman arrives in modern-day New York intent on making a hip hop album about her life, but really it’s about so much more. Highly recommend it. I also just picked up V.E. Schwab’s latest Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, so I’m looking forward to starting that, and cannot wait for Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum which comes out on July 29th.

Will you be picking up How Freaking Romantic? Tell us in the comments below!