1--What is the title of your latest release?
PASSION PROJECT
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When prickly Bennet moves to NYC to escape personal tragedy, she collides head-first into a human golden retriever set on dragging her out of her funk with a series of adventures around NYC to find her passion—but when Bennet discovers the passion she’s trying to find might be him, she must overcome her grief or lose him forever.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I knew from the start that this book would be a New York book. I have always been drawn New York City—in fact, the first time my family took a trip to New York, my mom claims that I stepped out of the car and said, “I’m home.” So, naturally, I’m very inspired by New York. It’s a character in and of itself and provides such a rich tapestry for characters to interact with.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I think Bennet and I would have a killer wine and pizza night. Truthfully, we both tend to be a bit anxious, so I think our hangout would be a long night of us nodding our heads and saying “exactly” over and over again until we ran out of wine.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Resilient, funny, and compassionate.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned that I can write books!
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I try to wait until I’m fully done—I need to see the whole picture before I start messing with things. That being said, sometimes I will clean up yesterday’s writing session on a line level so I can look myself in the mirror at night.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Those who know me know this answer already…for better or for worse, I could eat several pounds of nerds gummy clusters in a shockingly short amount of time and I have no shame over it.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I wrote PASSION PROJECT on my front porch in a rocking chair, but since then I have become a bit pickier with my writing setup. My desk at home has two monitors, a keyboard and mouse, and I use a heating pad on my lap while playing vibey music in my noise cancelling headphones. Sometimes, if I feel like being among other people, I venture out to work in a coffee shop or bookstore, and I find the change of scenery really nice!
10--Who is an author you admire?
I genuinely admire all authors, especially authors who write in different genres from myself. Mystery and thriller authors astonish me—the way they put together clues and red herrings to make for an exciting ride without giving away twists and turns is so intimidating! I also admire fantasy writers for all the massive amounts of creativity that goes into world building, magic systems, and full governments! It’s really incredible and extremely admirable.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry changed my life because it was the first true blue rom-com I ever read. I closed the back cover on it and I knew immediately that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to make people feel how I felt reading that book, and for the first time, I had 20/20 vision on the medium by which I wanted to do it. I always felt like a writer, but I never committed to a story. It’s like reading People We Meet on Vacation screwed the lightbulb in all the way, and I finally had permission to execute.
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.
I actually was sitting in my therapist’s office mid-session when my agent called me. I knew that it could potentially be an offer call, so I pulled my phone out of my pocket even though I normally would ignore during a session. I asked my therapist if she thought I should answer it—to which she said YES. We decided that if it was good news, I’d have someone to celebrate with, and if it was bad news, I’d be in the right place to talk about it. So I answered the phone and got the best news ever—all witnessed by my therapist. It’s natural, considering PASSION PROJECT deals with mental health pretty explicitly, that I would get the news this way. As you can imagine, it was my easiest therapy session ever. After my appointment, I walked myself into town and bought a couple of books from my imprint at my local indie, a bagel sandwich, and called all my friends and family.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Romance! Romance! Romance! I love romance! I also will read a lot of women’s fiction, historical fiction, and fantasy! But it’s even better if there’s kissing!
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Pride and Prejudice (2005). Honorable mentions to Coco, Little Women (Gerwig), Tick, Tick…Boom!, and Mamma Mia (both one and two).
15--What is your favorite season?
I’m going to give a bit of a cheat answer here, but my favorite days of each year weather wise, are the first day when the season starts to change. When, after a long winter, the sky clears and the sun peaks out. Or after a long hot summer, the first leaf falls, and the air starts to shift. The first snowfall, the first 75 degree day in the summer—those are the best seasonal days to me, because they are so novel yet so predictable, and I cherish them every time.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
For the past couple of years, I’ve been celebrating my birthday by getting a new tattoo. I’ve gotten my zodiac sign (Taurus), my favorite Taylor Swift lyrics (from The Lakes), and a raven for my childhood dog who passed away a couple years back. Those who have read PASSION PROJECT might know that the raven tattoo is also a small easter egg to one of the scenes in the book! I missed my last birthday, but I hope to resume the tradition this year.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Humor Me by Cat Shook, The Wedding People by Alison Espach, Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
This is a very difficult question to answer as someone who takes food very seriously! I love Italian food, Ramen, dumplings, tacos, any kind of soup and sandwich combo… and any shape you can make a potato into, I’m signed up for.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Perhaps I’m taking inspiration from my own book lately, but I’ve really enjoyed getting up and getting out around New York on my own little passion project dates. If I have a free moment, usually you can find me at a coffee shop or bookstore, or spending the day at a museum or little shops. I’ve also been known to buy spontaneous theatre tickets or to take myself on a dinner date for Spaghetti al Limone and a negroni. I also nap a lot! Maybe too much!
20--What can readers expect from you next?
Readers can expect me to continue to write stories about sad girls finding their happy endings!
A Novel
If your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Bennet Taylor is failing miserably . . . with a big emphasis on the miserable. Where’s that zest she keeps hearing about? She’s a temp worker in New York City with no direction, no future, and no social life. And at the painful center of this listlessness is grief over the death of her first love.
When Bennet runs into Henry Adams just hours after standing him up for a first date, she makes an alcohol-fueled confession: She’s not ready to date. In fact, it’s been years since she felt passion for something. Not even pottery, or organized sports—not anything. Rather than leaving her to ruminate, Henry jumps at the opportunity for adventure: Bennet needs to find a passion for life, and Henry will help her find it. Every Saturday, they’ll try something new in New York City. As friends, of course.
As their “passion project” continues, the pair tackle everything from carpentry to tattooing to rappelling off skyscrapers, and Bennet feels her guarded exterior ebbing away. But as secrets surface, Bennet has to decide what she wants, and if she’s truly ready to move on. With emotional resonance and sparkling banter, Passion Project is a fun, flirty, thoughtful story of finding a spark—and igniting happiness.
Romance Comedy | Women's Fiction [Penguin Books, On Sale: April 8, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780143138563 / eISBN: 9780593512647]
London Sperry is a New York based author of romantic comedies full of heart, humor, and hope. A lover of storytelling, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from The Pennsylvania State University before finding her true passion for writing. Passion Project is her first novel.
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