1--What is the title of your latest release?
I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When an office misfit and general mess of a person accidentally gains access to her colleagues’ private emails and DMs, she decides to use this intel to save her job. As she’s drawn closer into her colleagues’ personal lives, her own secrets risk being exposed.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
This was easy! I knew the setting before I had a concept. I love offices because they’re so full of people who wouldn’t normally choose to spend time together—a perfect situational comedy!
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I think if we had the chance to get to know each other we would be besties, but inevitably she’d find me off-putting at first and her disdain would show in a way that would throw me, and we’d never get the chance.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Funny, thoughtful, scared
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
To not be afraid with my writing. That we really do have more in common with each other, and most weird thoughts we’ve had are understandable.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
A bit of both. I try very hard to move forward and get a draft down first, but if there’s a bigger change that I know will distract me, I will have to go back and implement it first.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I will say this: a cheese shop recently opened near me and now I have extra problems.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
It’s tiny (surprisingly so!) and packed full of my loves: books, plants, little souvenirs, and art by my child. I love it and I’m so lucky to have it!
10--Who is an author you admire?
There are so many! Off the top of my head: Rohinton Mistry; Marian Keyes; Nora Ephron; and Khaled Hosseini.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Several: There was a book I read when I was a child called: A Handful of Time by Kit Pearson. It made me fully conscious of how great books can be and turned me into a reader. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry made me want to write, and The Bell Jar unlocked something in me that made me actually start to write (I talked and thought about being a writer for years before doing it).
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.
This was such a wonderful moment! I was at lunch with newer friends and had just finished explaining to them that I was an aspiring author/the submission process, my path so far, and how challenging everything is, when one of my agents emailed that I had an editor who would like to have a call! I was so excited but tried not to be as I knew there were several hurdles to overcome in the process. The following week after speaking to a few editor’s things really started to sink in, and it was surreal and wonderful. Still is!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love most genres! General fiction/slice of life books are probably top of list; I’ve also been on a serious thriller kick (they’re just too gripping) as well as most romance/WF/Book Club Fic; Also love mystery, fantasy, and more grounded Sci-Fi.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Really tough question, but I’ve probably rewatched Office Space most often!
15--What is your favorite season?
Spring and fall are tied. I love when things are in the middle of changing, it’s beautiful.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I am very low key about birthdays now. I love eating good food with good people.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
When I was querying, I discovered The Rejection Podcast and I recently listened to the newest season. I find it so inspiring, and I love learning the backstories on some favorite movies/shows etc. I also love these shows: The Bear; Severance; Silo (I have the books on my TBR!); Only Murders in the Building; and Percy Jackson (the new one)
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Everything, truly! I love Persian dishes so much (especially homemade by someone other than me); Sushi/ramen (always); and lately I’ve been obsessed with the fried plantain and chicken at a Caribbean restaurant nearby.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I love to read, play video games, and I’ve been attempting pottery for the past year or so.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working on something I’m really excited about! It explores a very driven character; millennial isolation, and another ensemble cast that I’m falling in love with right now!
In this wildly funny and heartwarming office comedy, an admin worker accidentally gains access to her colleagues’ private emails and DMs and decides to use this intel to save her job—a laugh-till-you-cry debut novel you’ll be eager to share with your entire list of contacts, perfect for fans of Anxious People and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don’t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text color to white so no one can see. That is until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.
When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss’s favor, convince HR she’s Supershops material, and beat out the competition.
But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworkers' private worlds and realizes they are each keeping secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Eventually she will need to decide if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if that means coming clean to her colleagues.
Crackling with laugh-out-loud dialogue and relatable observations, I Hope This Finds You Well is a fresh and surprisingly tender comedy about loneliness and love beyond our computer screens. This sparkling debut novel will open your heart to the everyday eccentricities of work culture and the undeniable human connection that comes along with it.
Humor | Coming of Age [William Morrow, On Sale: May 21, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780063320369 / eISBN: 9780063320383]
Natalie Sue is a Canadian author of Iranian and British descent. She spent her formative years moving around western Canada with a brief stint in Scotland, where she discovered her passion for storytelling as a means of connection and reading as a means of comfort. When she’s not writing, she enjoys bingeing great and terrible TV, attempting pottery, and procuring houseplants. She lives in Calgary with her husband, daughter, and dog. I Hope This Finds You Well is her debut novel.
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