What is the title of your latest release?
OVERDUE
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
While on a break with her longtime boyfriend, a librarian realizes their relationship isn’t the only thing in her life that needs to change.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
My novel takes place in a library and an independent bookstore that are located in a small city in the mountains of North Carolina. I’ve worked as a librarian and a bookseller, and I live in a small city in the mountains of North Carolina. Writing this story was a homecoming.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely.
What are three words that describe your love interest?
Prickly. Solitary. Patient.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned so much about hot-air balloon navigation that I’ve tricked several people close to me into believing I’ve actually taken flight in one.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I revise as I draft.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Fancy, mail-order, dairy-free cheeses. The stuff sold in most grocery stores is pretty bad!
Describe your writing space/office:
My office is a bold color that would make most people shudder, but I find it soothing: lime green. And I write on a pink desk that’s facing a wall. I don’t keep many objects on the desk—and none on the wall—because I’m easily distracted. I work in silence, though occasionally I need help focusing and use binaural beats. I keep my phone hidden.
Who is an author you admire?
John Green and Hank Green have used both their influence and their affluence to make the world a better place. I enjoy their books, too, but I can’t think of anything more admirable than the years of astounding work that they have accomplished outside of publishing.
Is there a book that changed your life?
Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary had probably the biggest influence on my romantic work. The first two books in the series were published when I was a teenager, and though it’s difficult to imagine now, her voice was like nothing else on the market at that time. I read those novels again and again, so there’s no doubt they imprinted heavily on my authorial DNA.
Tell us about when you got “the call” (when you found out your book was going to be published).
This is a bit embarrassing because I don’t remember. I’m such a slow writer that this book went under contract all the way back in 2018. I do, however, remember being thrilled to be working on a full-length novel with Sara Goodman. She also edited my short story anthologies and several of Rainbow Rowell’s books. (I love Rainbow’s books!) I’ve been fortunate to work exclusively with brilliant editors in my career, and it was exciting getting to learn from Sara. I love being edited, and I love revising. I love tinkering, tinkering, tinkering to make a story better.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I read widely, but there are always several contemporary fiction titles on my nightstand.
What’s your favorite movie?
My favorite movie is quite dark and nasty, so I’ll mention a lighter one that better matches the tone of my new novel: You’ve Got Mail. It’s charming and romantic, of course, but what makes it satisfying is that the protagonist faces realistic struggles throughout—and even loses a major battle. That sadness and acceptance of change are what make the happy ending feel so earned. People often forget that when they discuss Nora Ephron; they only remember that soufflé feeling. But like a soufflé, her films are very carefully crafted. (I also have to mention that The Shop Around the Corner, which it’s based on, is the superior Jimmy Stewart Christmas movie.)
What is your favorite season?
Autumn. I would happily exchange the four seasons for three autumns and one winter.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I’m a deeply introverted homebody, so I always want to be at home with my husband. No guests, no fuss. Just a comforting meal and a good movie.
What’s a recent TV show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Here are two intelligent, thoughtful, sweet, and funny films (released this year!) that not enough people have seen yet: The Ballad of Wallis Island and Sorry, Baby.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican
What do you do when you have free time?
I enjoy a quiet life. I’m always reading, of course. I watch tons of movies and do renovation projects around my house. I take walks. Meditate. Bake and cook.
What can readers expect from you next?
Something completely different!
Is it time to renew love or start a new chapter?
Ingrid Dahl, a cheerful twenty-nine-year-old librarian in the cozy mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina, has been happily dating her college boyfriend, Cory, for eleven years without ever discussing marriage. But when Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement to a woman she’s only been dating for two years, Ingrid and Cory feel pressured to consider their future. Neither has ever been with anybody else, so they make an unconventional decision. They'll take a one-month break to date other people, then they'll reunite and move toward marriage. Ingrid even has someone in mind: her charmingly grumpy coworker, Macon Nowakowski, on whom she’s secretly crushed for years. But plans go awry, and when the month ends, Ingrid and Cory realize they’re not ready to resume their relationship—and Ingrid’s harmless crush on Macon has turned into something much more complicated.
Overdue is a beautiful, slow-burn romance full of lust and longing about new beginnings and finding your way.
Romance | Women's Fiction Contemporary [St. Martin's Press, On Sale: October 7, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250313461 / eISBN: 9781250313485]
Stephanie Perkins has always worked with books--first as a bookseller, then as a librarian, and now as a novelist. She and her husband live in the mountains of North Carolina. Every room of their house is painted a different color of the rainbow.
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