Q&A: Beth Reekles, Author of ‘Do You Ship It’
We chat with author Beth Reekles about Do You Ship It, which is a fandom-centric romcom about self-confidence and the power of finding the people who just get you, perfect for fans of Holly Bourne, Jenny Han, and Lynn Painter.
Hi, Beth! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! Well, I’m an author (probably best known for my YA series The Kissing Booth, which was turned into a Netflix trilogy!) and I’m a total nerd. I love writing fanfic, picking up new hobbies like crochet or learning languages, and I currently live in South Wales!\
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I was always the kid at school who would write pages and pages of a creative writing exercise, and when my parents gave me an old laptop for homework when I was 11, I started writing more and more. When I was 15, in 2010, I discovered story-sharing platform Wattpad and began posting my work on there – that’s how The Kissing Booth originally started and how I got my publishing deal! I’ve just never stopped!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Cat Mummy by Jacqueline Wilson
- The one that made you want to become an author: Seeing books in shops and thinking ‘how cool would it be if *I* could do that?!’
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Bea Fitzgerald’s The End Crowns All
Your latest novel, Do You Ship It, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Fandom, friendship, first love and self-expression!
What can readers expect?
DYSI follows hopeless romantic Cerys on her quest to become the perfect girlfriend – by showing her crush, fandom-obsessed Jake that she’s also the perfect fangirl! She just has to make sure that his cosplaying, convention-going new bestie Max doesn’t spoil her plan. It’s chock-full of fandom references and is a coming of age story about first love, friendships, and learning to let yourself love things!
Where did the inspiration for Do You Ship It come from?
I was definitely the weird kid at school (and still am!) and I was deep into SuperWhoLock era tumblr haha! I write a lot of fanfic and it was so much fun to explore that through the lens of Cerys – who’s actually pretty sceptical of fandom at the start!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I think my favourite part was creating the ‘Of Wrath And Rune’ show for the main fandom in the book – and then having Cerys write fanfic about it to process some of her feelings! I especially loved using all the typical fanfic tropes like ‘Oh. Oh,’ or referring to green eyes as ‘shining emerald orbs’!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
DYSI was my 15th published book, but each one still comes with challenges! I had a really tight deadline for the first draft, which was a little bit stressful, but for me the hard work always comes in editing. I really wanted to make sure that Cerys’s perception of fandom began as kind of judgemental (as that was something I often experienced from people!) but with her coming to embrace her weird kid, fangirl status as she finds a true appreciation for both the fandom and herself.
What’s next for you?
I have another adult romcom (THE LAYOVER) coming out in June this year, and I’ve just handed in the first draft of my next YA romcom book – so stay tuned for that! I’m also working on a cosy romantasy/witchy romcom that I’m keeping my fingers crossed about!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
Ooh, so many! A couple at the top of my list are Lucy Vine’s The Book Boyfriend, Jean Menzies’s Lady of the Lake, and Jennifer Saint’s Hera!
Will you be picking up Do You Ship It? Tell us in the comments below!
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