into romance with Kate Bromley: author interview
1) You mention becoming inspired to be a romance writer yourself from all the romance novels you’ve read (and the collection you’ve acquired). Do you remember the first time you picked up a romance novel and which book it was?
KB: The first time I picked up a romance novel was during the summer before I started college. I was constantly watching romantic movies in my free time, and one day my mom told me I should go with her to the library because there was a genre of books I would probably like. I think after going through high school where you’re constantly being told what to read, I almost didn’t realize that there were books out there that I would have fun reading – books that were all about romance, love, and that centered around relationships. So, I went to the library with her that day and was promptly shown to the romance section. I picked up Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey and it was love at first read. I devoured every romance novel I could find after that, first historical then contemporary, and I haven’t looked back since.
2) Your books tend to have exciting international locations. Here for the Drama is set in London, and Ciao For Now is set in Italy. What draws you to write about these far away places? What is your research process like to bring these different cities and countries to life?
KB: I think I’ve been drawn to setting my novels in international destinations because I just love escapist reads. I love to get swept away while writing and reading, so why not get swept away to gorgeous, far away cities? I’ve been lucky enough to travel to both London and Italy twice, so I was able to bring my real-life experiences to the books I wrote. And whenever I needed to add a drop more detail or if I wanted to refresh I memory, I’d watch walking tours of the city I was writing about on YouTube so I could reacquaint myself with the sights and sounds.
3) Besides a happily ever after, what is your key ingredient for crafting a totally swoon-worthy romance?
KB: For me, my favorite ingredient in any of my novels is the dialogue. I’m a little obsessed with it. I think two characters going back and forth and verbally sparring with each other is so delicious, which is why I always try to take extra care to make sure my dialogue is as snappy, fun, and realistic as possible. I also think that dialogue helps so many parts of a novel to shine – the chemistry between the characters, the relationships they build, and the ways readers then connect with them. Plus, as so often happens in life, from talking and laughter comes love – so having sparkling dialogue between leading characters is crucial to creating a believable, tender love story.
4) In your first two books, your main characters are a romance novelist and a playwright. What was it like to divert away from writing about writers with this latest novel?
KB: Overall, it was a really nice change – though, admittedly, I did make Violet’s love interest a TV writer, so I did manage to sneak a writer into the story. But not having the main character herself be a writer was both exciting and challenging. Exciting because by having my main character be an aspiring fashion designer, I was able to immerse myself in a world that was so different from my daily life.
I consider myself the opposite of a fashionable person (sweatpants and sweaters are my best friends), but I’ve always been fascinated by fashion design. I’ve watched every design show under the sun and my nonna was a seamstress, so I have these incredibly vivid memories of visiting her in the bridal salon where she worked as I grew up and hearing the buzz of the sewing machines. She taught me the basics of sewing and it always amazed me how she could make dresses and costumes for us. I also have a friend who’s a designer, so I was able to pick her brain a lot. But even with all of that and months and months of research, writing about fashion design was still incredibly difficult because making a garment from start to finish is such a complex and intricate process. It’s such a difficult art and I have limitless respect and admiration for designers. 
5) In Ciao For Now, your main character, Violet, is taking a major gamble with her career to chase her lifelong dream of working in fashion. Do you have any advice for people who are considering taking a risk to chase their creative dreams?
KB: My advice would be for everyone to pursue those dreams and to do so at any speed. There’s no time limit or age you hit where you’re no longer able to go after what you want. That’s the idea that Violet is challenging, both to others and to herself, and I think that concept is so important to remember. You get to choose the life you want to live, so if you have any creative dreams then you should absolutely chase them.
6) The pressure of the sophomore novel and the impact that can have on the writing process is often discussed, but how does that evolve with your third book? Did you find there to be more or less pressure?
KB: That is such a great question! In a way, I think I felt more pressure on this third book than I did with my second. With my second novel, I was riding the high of having my debut novel out in the world, and I really just wrote the book I wanted to read. The idea for my second book came together relatively quickly and writing it was a fun, breezy process. But with Ciao For Now, the research/outlining phase took so much longer than Here for the Drama. And on top of that, when I was actually writing Ciao For Now, I was right at the end of my pregnancy and then had a newborn baby. I was so exhausted and sleep deprived that I genuinely don’t remember finishing it and editing it, which is why I’m so thrilled that Ciao For Now came out as wonderfully as it did. I’m truly beyond proud it and couldn’t be happier with the final product.
7) Ciao For Now is out in the world on June 6th, so for readers who are sure to want even more to read from you, can you give any hints about what you’re working on next?
KB: I can’t say much, but what I can say is that I’m hard at work on my fourth dreamy summer rom-com. Stay tuned!
5) In Ciao For Now, your main character, Violet, is taking a major gamble with her career to chase her lifelong dream of working in fashion. Do you have any advice for people who are considering taking a risk to chase their creative dreams?
KB: My advice would be for everyone to pursue those dreams and to do so at any speed. There’s no time limit or age you hit where you’re no longer able to go after what you want. That’s the idea that Violet is challenging, both to others and to herself, and I think that concept is so important to remember. You get to choose the life you want to live, so if you have any creative dreams then you should absolutely chase them.
6) The pressure of the sophomore novel and the impact that can have on the writing process is often discussed, but how does that evolve with your third book? Did you find there to be more or less pressure?
KB: That is such a great question! In a way, I think I felt more pressure on this third book than I did with my second. With my second novel, I was riding the high of having my debut novel out in the world, and I really just wrote the book I wanted to read. The idea for my second book came together relatively quickly and writing it was a fun, breezy process. But with Ciao For Now, the research/outlining phase took so much longer than Here for the Drama. And on top of that, when I was actually writing Ciao For Now, I was right at the end of my pregnancy and then had a newborn baby. I was so exhausted and sleep deprived that I genuinely don’t remember finishing it and editing it, which is why I’m so thrilled that Ciao For Now came out as wonderfully as it did. I’m truly beyond proud it and couldn’t be happier with the final product.
7) Ciao For Now is out in the world on June 6th, so for readers who are sure to want even more to read from you, can you give any hints about what you’re working on next?
KB: I can’t say much, but what I can say is that I’m hard at work on my fourth dreamy summer rom-com. Stay tuned!
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