I thought it would be cool to travel all over the world and have everyone recognize me. To have a team of people help me look (and, I assumed, feel) perfect all hours of the day, same as the celebrities on my television. I’d pose for pretend photos from time to time in my room, even conduct mock interviews with myself about all my make-believe upcoming projects. The idea that I could be something other than just another boring girl from a small, upstate New York town was intriguing. For a short time, I really believed I could make it a reality.
I danced and sang and played instruments. None of it super well, but I figured everyone had to start somewhere, right? I did a little research into child talent scouts in the area. I even took headshots and wrote up a resume so I’d be ready when the time felt right. Then, puberty happened.
Between the ages of eleven and twelve, my personality changed entirely. The only thing changing more was my body. I became insular, nervous, and shy; words that no one would’ve used to describe me as a kid. I barely wanted my family to see me, let alone anyone else. This killed any dreams I had of trying to become famous faster than you can “Hollywood.” Instead, I leaned into my other love: writing, drafting novels alone in my room every year until I left for college.
Retrospectively, this was probably the right choice. I can’t imagine trying to grow up in the public eye. I don’t think I would’ve had any chance of turning out “normal,” or at least as normal as I did.
Someone who knows the celebrity life better than most is Ramona Wilder, the pop star-turned-college freshman starring in Extracurricular, the latest novel from bestselling romance author Rachel Lynn Solomon.
Ramona has spent her whole life putting on a performance, both acting on TV and singing on stage. By age twenty-six, she’s ready to step out of the spotlight and into a “normal” existence, enrolling in classes at UCLA. There, she meets Nick Navarro, a newly divorced psychology professor who despite his aching heart has a smile and kind words for everyone. Everyone, that is, except Ramona, whose presence in his intro class causes immediate commotion. While these two initially drive each other up the wall, it’s not long before they’d rather be pushed up together against it. This story is as deliciously spicy as Solomon’s previous books, but for every sex scene, there is also an emotional one as these two fragile-hearted souls learn to love and trust again.
After being a fan of her work for years, my wildest dreams came true getting to interview Rachel about her powerful connection to this book. We also spoke about her little collections, new love of travel, and our lives as ex-pats in Europe. I hope you have as much fun reading as I had speaking with her.
What do you do outside of reading and writing?
It’s a complicated question. When your hobby becomes your job, you need to get some new hobbies. That’s been an ongoing process.
Lately, I’ve gotten really into junk journaling. I save little paper scraps from everything. My husband I had to renew our visas recently and I kept our little service number. He was like, “Really?” but it’s a milestone!
Growing up, I did a lot of arts and crafts. My mom is a big crafter. She’s done every craft in the world. She had a glassblowing torch that she would just casually use. In adulthood, especially living in Amsterdam where there isn’t a lot of space, I have to find small hobbies, so I’ve done some embroidery and needlepoint.
I also just love wandering around the city. Travel has become a huge part of both my and my husband’s lives since we moved.
Oh, and I collect tiny vases and stationery.
I’m very impressed your mother has done glass blowing. I tried it in Venice and was terrified.
It’s so scary. There’s a nod to it in Extracurricular, where Nick talks about developing hobbies after his divorce. It says something like, “He even tried glassblowing, burned his hand, quit glassblowing.”
Tell me more about junk journaling.
I’ve done a lot of journaling over the years. I’ve tried every type of journal and planner to find the perfect one. I do have allegiance to certain brands. I will only use one bullet journal to track my writing projects. Nothing else can go in it.
I loved the idea of having a life scrapbook that’s not super formal. It’s very freeing, having something that’s just for yourself that doesn’t have to be perfect. It definitely takes the pressure off. I also love stickers. I’m trying not to hoard them. If it’s a sticker that’s really important, I’ll get two. But I feel like part of the joy of stickers is using them.
One of the What Happens in Amsterdam stickers is among the few I allow on my laptop.
I love that!
You mentioned the visa ticket. Do you have any other really interesting items in your junk journal?
I love getting printouts of airplane and movie tickets. I have the tickets from when we booked our one-way flight moving to Amsterdam. I recently got into hockey and went to a few Amsterdam hockey games. I saved some of the programs from that because they’re in Dutch.
I need to know more about the tiny vases. How did you get into collecting them?
There’s a shop in Amsterdam that is all about arts and crafts. They do workshops and sell a lot of local, handmade stuff. It’s one of my favorite places. It’s super colorful, so it’s really fun and inspiring to be there. I found a vase there and fell in love with it. When I was travelling, I saw another, and thought it could be a fun thing to bring back. Now, whenever I’m travelling, I’m always on the lookout. I’ve collected them in a few different countries. I have about ten. I’m obsessed.
I love little things. It feels kind of dorky, but they bring me so much joy. I find the tiniest dried flowers to put in them, too. I feel like everything is better when it’s tiny. That’s probably the opposite of what most romance authors would say…
Speaking of keeping things small, you mentioned enjoying crafts that don’t take up a lot of room. What does that entail?
Mostly embroidery. The tinier the better. I’m always on the lookout for something small. It’s little, and yet it still takes me forever to finish. I’m not that great at prioritizing them.
What about your stationery collection? How did that get started?
I love snail mail. We went to Japan a couple years ago and brought back so much stuff. I have a little cart where I keep it.
Whenever I mail swag or ARCs, there will always be a handwritten note on whatever cute piece of paper I can find. I decorate the whole envelope in Washi tape and stickers, too. I like to send something out in the world that feels cute and fun and special.
You also like to travel. Where are some of the best places you’ve visited?
We didn’t really do any travel before we lived in Amsterdam. I actually hadn’t been to Europe before we moved here five years ago. Part of it was not having the money or the wanderlust, I guess. Maybe it was dormant. Once we got here, everything felt more accessible. We came here thinking we would use the time to travel and take advantage of living abroad because we didn’t know how long we would stay.
I loved Zurich. We’ve gone in both the winter and the summer, once when it was snowing. It felt so otherworldly. I also love Prague. It has classic, European charm. Iceland was like being on completely on a different planet. Once you start driving away from Reykjavík, there’s no one else on the road. I’ve never felt more at peace. Recently, my husband and I just did a gastronomy tour of Italy. He’s a big foodie and home cook. We visit London a lot, too.
When I lived in the U.S., the most boring thing to me was hearing about other people’s vacations. Now, I love it. When one of our friends goes on a trip, I beg them to post everything so I can get ideas or compare what they did to what we did. It’s been really exciting to explore this hidden part of myself. The more that we’re here and the more we travel, the more I itch to see other places. It’s really one of those things where as soon as it bites you, you just can’t stop. You have more of that curiosity.
How did you end up in Amsterdam?
In Winter 2021, my husband got recruited on LinkedIn for a job and started doing interviews. We were both sort of laughing about it because the idea of him interviewing for a job in Amsterdam, let alone accepting it, seemed absurd. We never thought he’d get offered the job, then he did. We were never going to accept, then it quickly morphed into this giant “what if?”
Being given this opportunity was not something we thought we’d ever pursue. But it felt like we had to do it. We have not regretted it at all. We’re super happy to be here and have this experience.
What is life like in Amsterdam? I think I saw you’re taking Dutch lessons. How’s that going?
It’s not an easy language. When you look at Dutch, a lot of the words will look very similar to English. But the sentence structure is totally different. It’s tough. Immersion is the easiest way to learn a language, but Amsterdam is a city of ex-pats. Most of our friend group is pretty international. When you’re out in the world trying to speak Dutch, if people can tell you’re speaking it with an accent, they will switch to English. Sometimes I tell them I’m practicing my Dutch and they’re happy to speak it with me.
We have a tutor who we work with once a week now. Our goal is to get permanent residence and you have to pass a language test for that. We’re not quite there. The joke among ex-pats is you say you’re going to stay for a couple years and then you blink and it’s been a decade. I assume we’re going to fall into that stereotype.
If someone only has one day in Amsterdam, what should they make sure to do?
My favorite part is wandering. Even though it’s a major city in Europe, Amsterdam is actually quite small and pretty walkable. I love the public transportation, too. I’m not a very confident cyclist, but I’m working up to it. I really like to just go for a walk, get coffee, if it’s a sunny day maybe find somewhere to sit outside along a canal and read or snack with friends.
The Negen Straatjes area in the Jordaan neighborhood is always at the top of my recommendation list. It’s going to be on every tourism guide, but when you think of Amsterdam, it’s the classic canal-fringed neighborhood. I always recommend people do a boat tour, too, but one of the smaller eight-person ones, or even rent a boat themselves. I love being on the water here. It’s really a fun vantage point.
Even when the city is packed with tourists, it always somehow feels quiet to me. I think that’s because there are no cars in the center. There’s a peacefulness and a loveliness to it that makes the city feel like a village.
Even though I’ve only been in London a short time, going back to New York feels strange, as does trying to write a book set there. Do you ever have this experience writing about the Pacific Northwest, where a lot of your novels are set?
I love setting. I think it informs character so much. I’ve never been a hug fan of “Anywhere U.S.A.” books because where you grew up absolutely influences who you are.
It does feel like there’s a slight disconnect. I spent thirty years of my life in the Pacific Northwest, but it’s changed so much in the past five years. Every time I go back, there’s something different. The “you can’t go home again” cliché exists for a reason. Every time you go home, it’s not the place you remember. Sometimes that is a little jarring and it does make certain emotions come up.
I used to think I could only write books about places I had lived, but I don’t want to spend my whole career writing stories set in Seattle. Extracurricular takes place all in L.A. My next YA takes place in Europe. And my next adult book is a Pacific Northwest book, but it’s a fictional small town. So I’m glad I’ve been able to broaden my range. It’s freeing to not confine myself to a single setting anymore.
What about writing for a primarily U.S.-based audience while being elsewhere. Do you like the degree of separation?
Yes and no. The perk is I can get in almost a full workday without anything coming up in my inbox, so there’s no distractions. But then I end up checking my phone throughout the evening.
I definitely get a lot of FOMO with big book festivals or other romance events. I miss being able to attend book events as a reader. I really wish I could be there supporting my friends at their events, too, because when I go back and do events, they’re all for me. I miss having that other side of it.
Let’s talk about Extracurricular. I remember at your New York event last year, you told a great story about how you got the idea for the book from a list of anti-romance tropes.
I saw it on Reddit. It included things like “too many beds” and “lovers to enemies.” There was one that said, “He loves everyone but you,” and I thought it was really fun.
The other major inspiration was seeing Olivia Rodrigo perform in Amsterdam. On her Instagram, she posted about being on a boat on the canal. I also happened to be on a boat that day and wondered if I’d passed her and had no idea. It got me thinking: what degree of anonymity could she have walking around in a city like Amsterdam? What is the relationship you have to celebrity when you are really popular, but not massively noticeable like Taylor Swift?
It made me curious what would happen if someone left that celebrity life behind and decided to retire at a pretty young age. I wondered what they would do and my first thought was going back to school.
This is your eleventh novel. Has it gotten easier?
This was the easiest and most fun book I have written possibly ever, definitely in a while. I think part of it was that when I got the idea, these characters came to me so fully fleshed. I knew it was the next book I wanted to write. I actually moved around my schedule so that I could write this first.
It’s also my first book in third person, which made it feel like a new and exciting challenge. There’s a different way you write in third person. When writing about a celebrity, it felt like the right choice. It gives a slight bit of distance and enables you to have a different sense of humor. Of all my books, I’m the most proud of the writing in this one. I’ve had so much fun with it. I’ve read it for fun more than one time since I finished. It’s really special to me.
I love that your last book had a slutty little pair of glasses on your MMC, and now you’ve got a slutty little earring.
I love a micro attraction: something the character can be obsessed with that maybe isn’t super obvious. I tend to write a lot of characters with glasses just because I have glasses, but with the earring, I was thinking about certain heroes who have gold chains. I didn’t want to do that because I’ve seen it a lot, but an earring felt fun.
What are you most excited about as this novel releases?
I always want to know everything when a book publishes. For me, because it’s a business, I like having as much information as possible because then I feel like I can make the best decisions for myself in the future. I’ve definitely developed a thick skin.
On the surface, this book has a very forbidden love concept. It’s a student-professor romance where the student is a former pop star and the professor is this kind of sunshine, golden retriever hiding his vulnerability and pain after divorce. They can’t resist each other, even though at first they also kind of hate each other. That all sounds very sexy and smutty. And that’s obviously all in the book. But there’s a lot beyond the surface in terms of trauma and healing. Their relationship is extremely tender, these two people who have been through a lot of trauma and are able to see that and give each other the space to heal; to become this soft, safe space for the other. The characters feel very real to me. Writing about them made me emotional.
I wanted the cover to feel kind of dreamy and intimate because that’s how the book really feels to me. The age gap and the forbidden relationship will maybe draw people in, but the surprise of the book having a lot of softness is something I’d love for readers to see, too.
Rachel Lynn Solomon is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Talk, Weather Girl, and other romantic comedies for teens and adults. Originally from Seattle, she’s currently navigating expat life in Amsterdam, where she can often be found exploring the city, collecting stationery, and working up the courage to knit her first sweater.
I’ve been having a lot of fun reading Natalie Reilly’s I Say This With Love, where the former editor gives the hottest pop culture takes. Her recent piece about Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley’s separation is particularly good.
Sneakers and summer dresses have never been a combination I understood, that is until I got shin splints trying to catch a train. Now, I’ve invested in a pair of On Cloud 6 Coast slip-ons. Hopefully I can manage to be on time, look good, and feel comfortable all at once.
I’ll admit, my feelings about both weddings and the Washington Post (owned by Jeff Bezos) are complicated. But I did love this article about the rise in chic, courthouse weddings. Anything that promises the end of insane bridal culture is a friend of mine.
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