Author Dahlia Adler recently spoke with Ready Chapter 1 all about her new novel, Going Bicoastal, along with some valuable writing and publishing tips. Thank you so much for joining us, Dahlia!
Dahlia Adler (she/her) is an editor by day, a freelance writer by night, and an author and anthologist at every spare moment in between. She is the founder of LGBTQReads.com; her novels include Kids’ Indie Next picks Cool for the Summer, Home Field Advantage, and Going Bicoastal; and she is the editor of the anthologies His Hideous Heart, That Way Madness Lies, At Midnight, and, with Jennifer Iacopelli, Out of Our League (forthcoming from Feiwel & Friends). Dahlia lives in New York with her family and an obscene number of books
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your new novel, Going Bicoastal?
We’re both bi, Jewish, and heavily into music, food, cute redheads, sexy forearms, and Edgar Allan Poe puns.
What did your journey to publication look like for your debut novel?
My debut novel was the third I’d ever finished writing and the second one I’d queried for real. I ended up getting selected for a pitch contest with it, signed with an agent from there, and then proceeded to sub to thirty publishers before signing with the last one, Spencer Hill Press, which was very small but had a fantastic editor. So, ten months on sub, but honestly worth it.
In addition to being an author, you are also an editor. Considering both of these roles, do you have any advice for writers currently trying to get their first book published?
Well I am an editor, but not in traditional publishing; I actually edit interactive fiction for a new platform that allows writers without coding backgrounds or art skills to create visual novels. But that does tie in to a piece of advice I would give, which is to stretch your writing muscles in different ways and explore different paths! Persistence and dedication are definitely big parts of getting your first book published–sometimes it’ll mean letting go of something you love because it’s not the time–but I also believe that sometimes you need to take a break and try something new to prevent yourself from being burned out beyond repair. If I hadn’t self-published a romance after my debut, when I couldn’t stand traditional publishing for a while, I don’t know that I’d still be here.
Is there a genre outside of your usual realm you’d love to eventually write a book in?
I have a trio of…I guess you’d call them sort of YA romantic suspense/thrillers (where the emphasis in that phrasing lies depends on which book) that I’d love to publish someday. I’ve written a draft of book 1, some pieces of book 2, and a “query” of book 3, but I definitely hope to someday finish them all.
Which part of a book is your favorite to write?
When the couple finally gets together. Every time.
Do you have any other fun writing projects on the horizon? If so, could you tell us about them?
Remember how I said my debut, Behind the Scenes, was the second book I ever seriously queried? I’m currently rewriting the first, My Name is Everett, which is slated for 2024 with Wednesday Books. Persistence, dedication, and knowing when to let go are key, but so’s knowing when you finally possess the skill to pick something back up and do it right.
I also have a few other things in various states of progress, from a Sapphic adult romance set in Iceland to the aforementioned romantic thrillers to a Chanukah rom-com novella to an m/f NA romance set in culinary school. And, of course, I have a short story in an anthology coming out in January 2024–”Volley Girl” in Out of Our League, a collection of stories about girls in sports, which I coedited with the wonderful Jennifer Iacopelli.
Can you provide links to any websites or social channels you’d like readers to follow?
My website is DahliaAdler.com, and I’m @MissDahlELama on both Twitter and Instagram, and @DahliaAdler on TikTok!
Author photo credit: Maggie Hall
