New author interview alert! Can you believe who we got the chance to interview? Because we still can’t stop fangirling! It’s none other than the lovely Rachel Lynn Solomon, the author of The Ex Talk, We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This, and most notably, Today Tonight Tomorrow!
If you’ve ever been on BookTok, you’ll recognize Today Tonight Tomorrow instantly. An academic rivals-to-lovers romance spanning over a single day, this book holds a very special place in our heart. So you can imagine our excitement when we heard about its sequel, Past Present Future, coming out June 4th!
Be sure to read our in-depth review of Past Present Future here! In the meantime, we’ll share with you our exclusive interview with Rachel Lynn Solomon as she talks about writing her sequel, characters, and all things Past Present Future.
Welcome to The Honey POP! We’re super excited to chat with you today. To get things started, what are three fun facts you’d like to share with your readers?
Thank you for having me! My fun facts are: I played in an all-girl punk rock band in high school (so many angsty songs), I have potter’s thumbs, and I was once part of a group that broke a Guinness World Record for the most natural redheads in one place.
Past Present Future
Congratulations on the release of your new novel, Past Present Future! We’re sure so many fans are looking forward to the sequel to Rowan and Neil’s story. Can you compare writing the second book to the first?
The first book was a bit of a fever dream—Rowan and Neil have been so vivid to me since the moment I first put them to paper. Past Present Future was a little trickier, largely because I made so many throwaway decisions back when I drafted Today Tonight Tomorrow in 2017 that were suddenly important! The sequel is dual POV and also a more serious book, so it took me a while to get back in that headspace when I’ve been so used to writing romantic comedies. This one is still a romance, absolutely—but less comedy than book one.
What was one of your favorite memories while writing the sequel?
Keeping it a secret! I wanted to wait to announce the book until it was completely done, meaning it had gone to copy edits, and I couldn’t make any changes. It was important to me to write it for myself first, without any other voices, and it made the surprise announcement all the more exciting!
The new characters we see in Past Present Future are all so relatable and lovable. Did you make significant changes to the cast as you were writing?
Thank you so much! I knew from the beginning that I wanted to give Neil a roommate who was his complete opposite, and he became one of my favorite characters: Skyler, a feminist himbo with a heart of gold. Rowan’s professor is another favorite. At first I thought she would have some stern, cliché creative writing professor, but it was much more satisfying to write someone who becomes a mentor figure for her.
Rowan And Neil
While Today Tonight Tomorrow has the excitement of one last hurrah in the summer following senior year, Past Present Future is more of a reality check once the freshman year of college starts. How did you choose the different ways that Rowan and Neil’s relationship would be tested?
I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want temptation or cheating to play a role—one, because it felt cliché, and two, because it didn’t seem in character for either of them. Rather, the conflict in their relationship stems from the frustration of physical distance and the various emotional challenges of freshman year. It’s such a natural period of growth, and they have to learn how to grow alongside each other while also growing their relationship.
What are your favorite things about Rowan and Neil? How much of yourself do you see in each character?
I love Rowan’s optimism, largely because my anxiety often means I don’t quite have the same perspective on the world, so it’s always been great to escape into her head. Neil’s nerdiness and earnestness are my favorite qualities, for sure, along with how deeply he loves Rowan. It’s hard not to put some of myself into every character I write, but ultimately I think they’re both much braver than I was at eighteen/nineteen.
We can definitely relate to Rowan’s creative block and impostor syndrome during her writing class. What would you say to writers who are also having trouble finding their voice?
Honestly, the same thing her professor tells her: to write badly. I hear from a lot of young writers who get stuck on perfectionism and wanting the book to look beautiful from the beginning. But no first draft is beautiful—definitely not mine. If you give yourself permission to write an absolute mess of a first draft, you end up with something vaguely book-shaped—and then you can edit and revise. For me, writing is rewriting!
Common Themes
Long distance relationships after high school is very relatable to a lot of graduating seniors. What do you think is the most important takeaway from Past Present Future?
I hadn’t read many books featuring long-distance relationships, and while I wasn’t in one, I think there’s a lot of value in showing teen readers what a healthy relationship looks like. The vast majority of romance doesn’t show how to navigate being in a relationship—which makes sense, because romance is often all about the tension and buildup. So my main goal with Past Present Future was for these characters to model a relationship that might stumble a bit, but that is also full of communication, care, and genuine appreciation and admiration for the other person.
Much like your previous novels, you create a space to discuss mental health and depression, like how Neil develops symptoms of depression his first year. How easy or difficult was it writing these scenes?
It’s always a challenge to write about mental illness without getting stuck in some of my old routines or thought patterns, but I knew from the beginning that Neil would be grappling with a lot of unresolved trauma due to his father’s incarceration. I’m so committed to writing positive portrayals of therapy and medication, but it doesn’t mean that every character starts the book with a full understanding of their mental health. I often write these plotlines piecemeal to keep my own brain healthy, layering and layering until the final product feels (hopefully) as authentic as possible.
We’ve read that yearning is also a common theme across all your books. How much of that draws inspiration from real life?
Probably more than I’d like to admit, haha! I think it’s more from my teen years and early twenties, though, and I hope it’s a relatable emotion—that time is so filled with longing and that’s what draws me to it as an author.
Looking Ahead
We’ll be making our own scavenger hunt in our review of Past Present Future, and one of the clues is “our favorite Rowan x Neil moment.” What scene would you pick?
I really love the epilogue! Also the scene in chapter 11 when they’re back in Seattle for winter break, cuddling on the couch watching Star Wars. A very soft moment.
The ending gave us so much hope for Rowan and Neil’s future. Even though you didn’t initially plan on a sequel, do you think there is any chance of a third book featuring their adult lives?
I’m really happy with how this book ends, so at the moment, most likely not! While, of course, life will throw challenges at them later on, I don’t know if I could bring myself to create more struggle for them after they went through so much in this book. That said, I could see myself revisiting them through short stories or bonus content!
My main goal with Past Present Future was for these characters to model a relationship that might stumble a bit, but that is also full of communication, care, and genuine appreciation and admiration for the other person.
Rachel Lynn Solomon
Are you working on anything else at the moment? Can you give us any hints about your next project?
I’m working on my next adult romance, which takes place in Amsterdam! I moved here three years ago, and I’ve been so eager to write about the experience. I can’t wait to share more a little later this year.
You can order a copy of Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon here!
We loved interviewing Rachel Lynn Solomon on her latest book, Past Present Future! What was your favorite part? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
Interested in reading more bookish interviews? You’re in luck! Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!
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