Interview with Sarah Ready, Author of The Fall in Love Checklist

What can you tell us about your new release, The Fall in Love Checklist?

The Fall in Love Checklist is The Bucket List meets rom com. It’s a delightful contemporary romance about a woman who makes a list of all the things she’s ever wanted to do and does them – every last one! I wanted to write a story about real world women, their struggles and their courage. The Fall in Love Checklist has romance, friendship, family, and humor.

The inspiration for the story came more than a decade ago when my sister in law had breast cancer. During treatment she mentioned the women who would sit together and knit and chat while going through chemo. This single image took flight and became the inspiration behind the book. While The Fall in Love Checklist is a romance between Dany and Jack, it’s also a romance between Dany and “the girls”, the women she meets at chemo. Their friendship is what sustains Dany and this book!

I had so much fun writing this book. It’s fast-paced and there are so many laugh out loud scenes. I truly fell in love with all the characters and I know you will too.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I grew up in a large family. When I was little I would spend hours entertaining my siblings with made up stories – horror stories, fantasies, science fiction, romances, anything that kept their attention. I was nine I wrote down my first story and won my State’s young author competition. The award was a trip to a writer’s conference where authors and story tellers filled my head with dreams of writing. After that, I was hooked.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

This is probably the hardest question you can ask a lover of books. I’ve read thousands and thousands of books and can’t give a top five or a top ten or even a top one hundred! That’s because books change. They have a different meaning, a different feeling based on when you read them, who you are when you read them, and what your life experiences have been. A book I read ten years ago means something completely different to me today. I’ll amend my statement, books don’t change, we do. Every book I read, I get something from. Based on that, the best book I’ve read is often the book I’m currently reading.

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

Well…if I’m allowed to invite anyone in time, I’d interview C.S. Lewis! My grandparents went to England when I was little and brought back a beautiful boxed set of the Narnia series. I’d never heard of Narnia. It was magic! I read those paperbacks over and over until they were falling apart. I’d like to ask C.S. Lewis how his life experiences influenced his writing and whether he had any other ideas for Narnia (more books) that he never wrote down.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

I love all of it. Telling a story is like the night before Christmas, the expectation and excitement are intoxicating – typing “The End” is like unwrapping the first gift. It’s a joy.

What is a typical day like for you?

I write first thing in the morning for as many hours as possible. After that, I take my puppy for a long walk and plot out the upcoming scenes. In the afternoon I write again for as many hours as possible. After that I do research, read, or work on other projects.

What scene from The Fall in Love Checklist was your favorite to write?

There is a scene in a dive bar involving a mechanical bull that was a riot to write. It makes me laugh just thinking of it.

I don’t want to go into spoiler territory, but there was also a scene where Dany finally dances which was very emotional to write and will probably (okay 100%) make you cry.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Give as much joy, laugher and love as possible to the world – they’re free to give and come from an endless supply.

Sarah Ready is the author of the new book The Fall in Love Checklist.

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