SOMEONE JUST LIKE YOU by Meredith Schorr - Spotlight and Q & A
Jude Stark is the bane of Molly Blum's existence in Meredith Schorr's new novel, SOMEONE JUST LIKE YOU (Forever) The former neighbors and complete opposites began a rivalry in grade school that continued all the way through high school, consisting of fights, pranks, and generally one‑upping each other—until one over-the-top prank changed everything. A decade later, their siblings have forced them to collaborate on a surprise co‑wedding anniversary celebration for their parents, and soon Molly and Jude are reverting to their old tricks.
But eventually, a reluctant friendship develops…along with an unexpected spark of sexual tension. The two come to discover they have more in common than they thought, including continually dating doppelgängers of each other, raising the question why are they seeking in romantic partners what they claim to hate about each other. They finally give in to their growing feelings, but will that old competitive spirit take over, or will they finally realize being on the same team is a lot more fun?
1. Tell us about your initial publishing journey?
My dream was always to see my books in bookstores, but when I wrote my first novel in 2010, the big publishers deemed “chick lit” as dead and I couldn’t even get an agent to request my full manuscript, much less offer to represent me. I knew that there was an audience for lighthearted romance and humorous women’s fiction novels (like Bridget Jones) and so I submitted my novel to small presses that didn’t require an agent and was offered a contract. I had some success with the next few books, also published with a small press, but my dream of traditional publishing never went away. In 2018, I became determined to sign with an agent and luck was on my side because romantic comedy was hot again! Although the book that got me my agent died on submission, the next book sold in a week at auction and became my trade paperback debut, As Seen On TV.
2. Why are rom-coms so popular? I think a lot of readers want to lose themselves in a fictional story with the knowledge that no what matter conflict and turmoil the characters endure, everything will turn out all right. Many romcoms these days touch on serious and important issues but a happy ever after is guaranteed which is not the case in real life, unfortunately.
3. What makes your books unique in such a crowded field. This is a difficult question because there are so many delicious novels in the genre right now and I’m extremely grateful for the readers who give my books a chance with so much to choose from. One thing I can say is that in a publishing landscape fraught with discourse regarding the illustrated cover trend being misleading because they suggest a light/funny read when many of the books aren’t actually funny, my novels are true romcoms, meaning they deliver both the “rom” and the “com” equally (though I can’t guarantee every reader will appreciate my particular sense of humor). Many of my reviews also comment that my characters come across as real people who might actually exist in the “real world.” This pleases me because though my premises often require a slight suspension of reality, I do work hard to create two-dimensional realistic characters.
4. What is your process? It depends on my contractual obligations and how much time I have. It’s also changed a lot over the years. I typically come up with a premise and then build my characters around it. I figure out their goals and motivations and the conflicts and stakes and just start writing with a loose map of the beginning, middle, and end. However, I sold my 2024 romcom to my publisher (my option book) with only an outline and without writing a single page of the book or even giving much thought to who the characters were. It was the first time I ever wrote a detailed outline before drafting and while it was hard work, I kind of liked it! It made the drafting process much more seamless even though I strayed from the outline some and added subplots. As far as the when, I write before and after my day job and on weekends. I don’t give myself word count deadlines or anything because I am a self-editor and revise as I go. Others will argue it slows the process, but it works for me and results in cleaner first drafts.
5. Any tips for would be writers. So many! Finish the book! You can’t publish an unfinished manuscript. Hold tightly to the dream but not necessarily the manuscript if you want to publish traditionally because you don’t know which book will be “it!” Read a lot in your genre to see what is working, not working, selling. Find a community of authors who will share your joys and accomplishments and be there to get you through the rejections and the letdowns because publishing is not a linear journey.
6. Anything you'd like to add? Thank you so much for the opportunity to answer these questions. For anyone reading, I truly hope you will check out my books!
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