Rebekah Faubion: Never Stop Learning

Rebekah Faubion is the author of queer rom-coms with tons of heart and more than a little steam. She is also the author of young adult horror novel Lost Girls coming from Delacorte Press in 2026. When she isn’t writing books that make her bi soul sing, she enjoys watching anything romantic or scary (or, better yet, both), hiking in the Hollywood Hills, and reading tarot by candlelight. Follow her on Instagram.

Rebekah Faubion

Photo by Rebekah Faubion

In this interview, Rebekah discusses paying homage to classic rom-com films with her new romance novel, The Lovers, her hope for readers, and more.

Name: Rebekah Faubion
Literary agent: Katie Shea Boutillier of Donald Maass Literary
Book title: The Lovers
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Release date: September 24, 2024
Genre/category: Romance
Previous titles: I wrote books under the pen name Faith McClaren.
Elevator pitch: The Lovers is a steamy sapphic rom-com for fans of Ashley Herring Blake, in which Twin Flames get a second chance at love while working a wedding in the California desert.

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What prompted you to write this book?

Writing The Lovers really came about for two distinct reasons.

In my personal life I had been going through somewhat of a spiritual and sexual awakening, and at the same time I was actively pursuing publication for my first solo book deal. (I had previously published under a pen name with a co-author.) I had always really loved rom-coms and knew that I wanted to write one, but I hadn’t found the perfect story yet.

I was on this path to understanding my sexual identity, coming into acceptance of it, and coming out of the closet publicly, and it felt really natural to explore that experience in a deeper way by writing about a character who was going through similar things. The main character, Kit, isn’t me, and her journey is definitely not a memoir of my own life, but it has a lot of the themes from my experience in it.

I also wanted to write a novel that paid homage to the rom-com movies I grew up watching. I focused on developing a plot that was full of humor and hijinks, included silliness and some happenstance-coincidence, in the hopes that it reads like watching a classic rom-com movie.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

The Lovers started with a pitch that I sent to my agent with a lot of hopeful anticipation. I knew this story had something special, and very quickly she confirmed that hunch, as well. After that, I set about writing a synopsis and sample pages. I had previously discussed this concept with an editor at Berkley (Kristine Swartz, who eventually bought the book!), and I wanted to go back to her with it exclusively. It was a risk not to go wide, but it felt like the right move for me and this book.

Kristine fell in love with the proposal and offered on it rather quickly! But publishing timelines are long, so it’s been two years since I had the initial idea and wrote the pitch. The major change to the story came right at the beginning when I decided to incorporate Tarot as a main plot element. It shaped the book into what you’ll read now, but it wasn’t originally a part of it.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Since The Lovers sold on proposal, from the beginning, I knew that it was going to be a book on shelves. But I didn’t know anything about the publishing process—everything was kind of a surprise, in the best possible way!

Everything from my writing process to my expectations to my timelines had to become flexible because it was really important to me that I be an excellent collaborator with my team at Berkley. I had never done this before, but they had. I asked a lot of questions, and I wasn’t afraid to be honest. Professionalism that is truthful makes everything so much easier.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

Anyone who’s ever sold a book on proposal knows that the stress of the deadline is real and the threat of buckling under it is a beast. It’s scary to know you have to deliver (hopefully) on the promise you made in that polished and shiny proposal.

And writing is so messy, unruly—just not for the faint of heart. No matter how organized you are, drafting is a perfect storm.

Because I had worked so hard on the synopsis to sell it on proposal, I went into the drafting process feeling clear about the story that I was writing and how I wanted to get it on the page. But, writing The Lovers coincided with a complicated time in my life, which meant despite all the expectations I felt weighing on me, drafting it actually became this wonderful escape. In retrospect, I think this is so fitting for this book. The Lovers is very much a story of self-acceptance and a joyfully silly, sexy escape from reality, so to have that experience while I was writing the book felt a little like kismet.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I always say that my writing is first and foremost there to entertain you. I grew up using books and movies as a way to play pretend when my world wouldn’t let me be the person I wanted to be.

Once I started telling stories—first to my friends on the playground, then in my journals, and eventually as novels and screenplays—those stories made me feel hopeful that I could turn my life into something authentically, totally mine.

We’re living through a wild amount of cultural milestone moments right now, and I think that the need for a safe way to escape while not totally sticking our heads in the sand is more important than ever.

My hope is that readers not only feel seen in the queer coming out journey of the main character, or that they swoon for the romance, but that they have a hell of a good time. That they lose themselves—for just a little while—in the steamy desert setting and the promise that soulmates exist.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

I wouldn’t say I’m the most adaptable person in the world by nature, but you definitely have to learn adaptability in this industry—I know I did! When I say that, I don’t just mean in regards to deadlines or your process. Developing a certain level of adaptability with the way you see yourself as an author, the kind of work that you create or how you are looking at your brand, or even what genre you write, can be the thing that decides if you have a career in this industry or not.

That definitely doesn’t mean chase a trend or change who you are to fit into the publishing mold—actually, it’s the opposite. When you know who you are and what you’re bringing to the table regardless of genre or what you’ve done in the past, that is when you start to really make art that comes from your distinct voice.

That voice is something that’s ever evolving with you as you grow and learn—as a human being and as an author. So become adaptable and never stop learning.

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