June 2024

I'm in New York State/of mind

Jun 30, 2024

Can you BELIEVE we’re halfway through the year? I’m writing to you from a family holiday in New York, so this month I hope you can forgive me for not rambling at my usual length. Hope you're well and thank you for reading!

Clare x

Events

A couple of fun ones coming up in Sydney!

On Wednesday July 24 I’ll be in conversation with Amy Barry at the launch of Marrying off Morgan McBride (part of her McBrides of Montana series which I’ve raved about on the pod). And - get this - we’ll be at Dendy Cinema in Newtown because our chat will be followed by a screening of the film Calamity Jane! Tickets from $12.

On Thursday August 29, I’ll join some of my favourite people (Karina May, Penelope Janu, Amy Hutton and Claudine Tinellis) for a chat at Double Bay Library about my favourite topic: Enough Trope? A Panel of Romantics (Tickets $10).

Writing

June was a good writing month! I’ve been trying to get down 5000 words each week and have been successfully hitting that goal … though this final week is the real test! On that note, there’s no new essay this month but you might like to revisit the archive on:

That Rom Com Pod

We rounded out the second season of That Rom Com Pod with a New York-themed episode! I’m particularly proud of this conversation with Melanie Saward, whose forthcoming rom-com Love Unleashed I’ve raved about in previous newsletters.

We also released a bonus episode, an AMA with Karina and I talking about our writing journeys and the stories behind the stories. Thanks to all the lovely listeners who sent us questions! We chatted for so long we had to split it into two episodes, so there will be another bonus ep in July.

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, follow on Instagram, or sign up on Substack to recieve an email newsletter when each new episode drops, including links to all the books, movies and articles we discuss.

Reading

New Zealand writer Emily Perkins did a round of festival appearances in recent months - I was blown away by her at Newcastle Writers’ Festival, where her latest book Lioness had sold out before I could get my hands on it. But eventually I did get hold of it, and savoured every page. The book won a major literary prize in NZ so it’s hardly a secret but I’ve been recommending it a lot and it feels like everyone has been reading it. It feels very timely with its middle-aged protagonist Therese questioning everything after her older, property-developer husband Trevor is accused of corruption. I saw someone on instagram describe it as like Succession from the point of view of the second wife. The writing is sharp and delicious, as likely to make you laugh out loud as gut-punch you within any given paragraph.

The Wedding Forecast is rom-com perfection and I was lucky to get the chance to read an early copy. Nina Kenwood has written outstanding rom-coms for YA/new adult audiences, and in this, her first adult rom-com, it’s safe to say she’s knocked it out of the park with a sweet and gentle read that still has great stakes and heat.

Nina has a gift for wringing romance from the relatable, writing endearing heroines with full lives and anxious inner monologues. Author Anna has just turned 30 and broken up with her long term partner, and her story takes place against the backdrop of housing insecurity and the vague financial and fertility anxieties that thrum through your 30s. Nina writes great men, great friends, and really great mums. The book’s title refers to a psychic’s prophesy that the love of Anna’s life will be named Patrick — and guess what the name of the photographer is at her best friend’s wedding?

The Wedding Forecast playfully references lots of tropes but never feels engineered. The twists of the plot feel organic, none more so that Anna's lightning bolt chemistry and connection with New York-based actor Mac, who's all wrong on paper but maybe just right. There's a dreamy interlude in New York... a chaotic, drama-filled wedding... and depictions of author life (realistic) and bookstore life (romantic). I could list hundreds of reasons, quote dozens of lines, but really it's the whole vibe of the thing - the warm and fuzzy we're always chasing. This is a book you’ll want to hug to your chest but also pass on to your bestie immediately after finishing (or better yet, read at the same time so it can take over your group chat). Released September 3 from Text Publishing.

Listening

When I say Nada Surf chances are you will think of the 1996 slacker anthem ‘Popular’, but this NYC band has been steadily releasing albums for 30 years. Their 2020 record Never Not Together is an absolute gem and we’ve been revisiting it a lot lately, after the band dropped a couple of new singles this year in advance of a new album coming in September, Moon Mirror.

And Before Sunrise/Sunset strike again: I’ve also loved listening to Caroline O’Donoghue discover these gorgeous films on Continental Garbage.

Watching

Not sure how Serendipity (2001, Stan) passed me by, but I watched it for the first time recently and found it an important inclusion in the classic rom-com pantheon. I was a bit rattled while watching by how closely it echoes some elements of the story I’ve been writing, but I swear I’ve never seen it. There are lots of fabulous New York moments, John Cusack at his most charming and a funny supporting cast (Eugene Levy, Molly Shannon, Jeremy Piven — who I never expected to enjoy) and tantalising moments of fate and missed connections. This interview with director Peter Chelsom for the film’s 20th anniversary is interesting on the film’s context (Jennifer Anniston auditioning, Harvey Weinstein demanding a late scene addition, removing the twin towers from the skyline for a post 9/11 release) and has some of his photos from the shoot.

Maybe everyone else already knew about this? But we started the first season of Barry (2018, Binge) and it has me looking forward to nights on the couch. Bill Hader plays the titular burnt-out hitman who accidentally takes an acting class while scoping a target in LA, and decides to pursue acting. The show has a unique tone, oddly wholesome despite the flashes of violence, and Hader is compelling and hot in a way I’d never noticed before (I had always found him merely compelling and goofy).

Imbibing

One icy glass of this Campari and rum punch (Smitten Kitchen) was the perfect tranquiliser after 20-odd hours of transit from Sydney to New York! It’s very summery and festive — perhaps a good distraction for those of you shivering through under-insulated Australian winter? Sorry.