1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE DEJA GLITCH
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Two L.A. strangers, Gemma, a radio producer and Jack, a TV screenwriter, are stuck in a 24-hour time loop where they have to fall in love to break out of it. The catch is, Jack can remember the whole loop, and Gemma feels like every day is the first day they’ve met. But it’s not the time loop you expect! We see the story from Gemma’s perspective as she lives the day for the “first” time, and Jack does everything to get her to remember the loop and to fall in love with him.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I love writing stories on the periphery of the entertainment industry. The glitz and glamour (and sometimes ridiculousness of) Hollywood is always fun to play with. While none of my main characters are celebrities, they work in the industry, which allows for eccentric and entertaining side characters while not directly focusing the plot on being a celebrity. Gemma has ties to the music industry, and I thought a job as a radio producer would be interesting and fun, and I love the thought of Jack being an imaginative writer given how willing he is to believe they are stuck in a time loop. Also, I live in Southern California and love bringing it to life on the page.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Of every character I’ve written to date, Gemma is probably most similar to me in real life. We are both introverted and ambitious—which is how a lot of my friends are, so yes! We would probably get along well.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Driven, kind, careful with her heart (sorry, that’s more than three!)
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Semi-spoiler? If you’ve read the book, you know that Gemma’s favorite song plays a pivotal role in the plot. The song is never specifically named other than being called a Top 40s pop hit from 15 years ago. I intentionally didn’t identify the song because I want readers to imagine whatever song they want it to be. BUT the song in my head is “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift. I chose this song because (more spoiler!) I wanted to find a rock cover of a pop song from the 2010s era to listen to for inspiration while I was drafting. In my research, I found Our Last Night’s cover of “Blank Space”, and it is so perfect that I feel like it was recorded for this book. This is a very long-winded way of saying that I learned about a new band and a new version of a song while writing this book!
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I reread, reread, reread, and edit while I draft.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Exciting ice cream flavors
9--Describe your writing space/office!
My writing spaces are anywhere in the house where I’m sitting with my laptop (usually the living room couch or propped up in bed), or the little nook I made in our dining room. There, I have a desk with my desktop computer and a towering TBR pile of books, two overstuffed bookshelves, houseplants I shouldn’t be allowed to own because I can’t keep them alive, and framed posters of my book covers that my husband gifts me for my birthday every year.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Ashley Winstead is amazing. I will read anything she writes in any genre.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
I don’t know if I can pinpoint one, but Harry Potter was a huge part of my childhood. Gone Girl really made me fall in love with thrillers, and I don’t think that twist will ever be topped. Red, White, & Royal Blue is one of my all-time favorite reads and one of few books that truly made me feel like my heart could explode.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
The day I got an email from my agent saying my debut NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH was going to second reads at Dutton, I was on vacation with my parents in a cabin on the Northern California coast. It had been really stormy the whole time we were there, but that day, the rain broke, and we saw a spectacular double rainbow out over the ocean. I ran outside in the drizzle and wind to take a picture of it, and then I got the email like an hour later. I will never forget that! For THE DÉJÀ GLITCH, my book had been under consideration with my publisher for 4 days when my agent called at 8am one morning to tell me we had an offer. I was still in my pjs, and I remember shouting into my phone and waking up my husband. It was an exciting day!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love thrillers. I love unpredictable plots that I can try to solve like a puzzle along the way.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
The Birdcage
15--What is your favorite season?
Spring, but maybe also fall or summer.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With something out of the ordinary like a trip to Disneyland or seeing a concert. And cake!
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The hype about Jury Duty is real. I binged the whole thing in one sitting and cried from laughing so hard.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican. Southern California has spoiled me for life.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Read
20--What can readers expect from you next?
My next romcom, NAME YOUR PRICE will be out with Dutton next summer! It follows a pair of broke exes in L.A.: Olivia, an entertainment writer, and Chuck, a struggling actor whose dramatic public breakup gets caught on camera, goes viral, and lands them on a reality TV gameshow where they try to win $1 million by living locked in the same house for a month. They are just desperate enough to say yes, and not quite over each other enough to keep things interesting.
To break out of a 24-hour time loop, all Jack needs is for Gemma to fall in love with him in a single day. All Gemma needs is to remember him first . . .
Gemma Peters is doing fine. She’s making a name for herself in the L.A. music biz as a radio producer. She’s got a ride-or-die best friend in Lila, and she gets to come home to Rex, her loving Labrador, every night. But ever since her rock star ex-boyfriend used her to get a record deal from her rock legend dad, she’s made a “no musicians” rule when it comes to dating that’s becoming more like a “no dating” rule, period.
So, when Gemma crashes (literally) into Jack one Thursday morning, at first she feels like fate might finally be doing her a favor. After all this guy is cute and, wait, is she imagining it, or is he staring a little too deeply into her eyes? And how does he know her name? Even harder to explain is the funny feeling of déjà vu she gets every time she looks at him. It’s not at all like Gemma to kiss a man and forget him completely, so then how can she explain the dreamlike memory of his lips on hers?
The truth is this is no ordinary Thursday. Not for them. In fact, they’ve lived this day over and over for months. And while Gemma has been totally oblivious to the time loop, Jack has been agonizingly aware of every single iteration. Luckily, Jack has a theory to bring his own personal Groundhog Day to an end. And it’s simple. Before the day is over, he just has to get Gemma to fall in love with him.
Romance Contemporary [Dutton, On Sale: August 1, 2023, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593471586 / ]
Holly James holds a PhD in psychology and has worked in both academia and the tech industry. She loves telling stories with big hearts and a touch of magic. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband and dog.
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