Sarah Hogle: On Writing from the Heart
Sarah Hogle is a mom of three who enjoys trashy TV and provoking her husband for attention. Her dream is to live in a falling-apart castle in a forest that is probably cursed. She is also the author of You Deserve Each Other, Twice Shy, and Just Like Magic. Follow her on Instagram.
Sarah Hogle
Photo by Marcus Hogle
In this interview, Sarah discusses how she combined all of her interests in her new romance novel, Old Flames and New Fortunes, her advice for other writers, and more!
Name: Sarah Hogle
Literary agent: Taylor Haggerty
Book title: Old Flames and New Fortunes
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Release date: April 2, 2024
Genre/category: Romance
Previous titles: Just Like Magic, Twice Shy, You Deserve Each Other
Elevator pitch: Magical florist Romina is swept up in a fake-dating scheme with the soon-to-be-stepbrother of her high school sweetheart, Alex. Her pride is in mortal danger if she reveals the truth, and so is her heart if she risks giving their love a second chance—but walking away from Alex again feels just as impossible.
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What prompted you to write this book?
Old Flames and New Fortunes is a jumble of my interests: floriography, magic, tight-knit small towns, local folklore, second chance romance, the cozy cottagecore aesthetic, and the fake-dating trope but with a twist. I wanted to explore what it would be like if the fake dating really was fake and intended to make the ex (and true love interest) jealous. Turns out, it’s quite fun! I had a grand old evil time writing about Alex King slowly losing it while the woman he still loved was pretending to date someone else.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
Oh gosh, this story has sat in my head for a long time. I wrote the first draft about six years ago, and it’s definitely undergone some major evolutions since then. Originally, the heroine had a different name (Zelda, which is now the character’s sister’s name), and her sister was witchy, but she wasn’t witchy herself. They worked in a bookstore called Spellbound, but I changed that to a shop called The Magick Happens, which sells paranormal/fantasy books along with candles and floral arrangements that magically affect one’s love life. Just like with chocolate, there’s no such thing as too much magic, and the more I added, the better I liked the story.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Yes! The original draft was very lightly magical; the characters dabbled a little bit in tarot but they didn’t identify as witches, and they didn’t practice witchcraft. The only magic was really in the town’s legend of love magic. While working on a revision, I thought, What could I do to make this even more fun for me? If I could be totally self-indulgent, how might I choose to rewrite this? I upped the magical factor and idyllic coziness and immediately loved it so much more. Moonville truly does feel like a home to me. I wish the Tempest sisters were real, and that I could visit their shop!
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers will laugh. I hope they’ll fall in love with this world and want to revisit it again and again. I hope Romina and Alex’s story becomes a comfort book to many.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
It’s such a common piece of advice, but sincerely, with all my heart: Write the book you’d want to read! Create it tailor-made to your own tastes, and base plot/character decisions on what you personally think would be the most fun to write, forgetting all about trends or which tropes seem popular at the moment. If you aren’t having a blast and writing from your heart, then what’s the point?
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