Author Emma Lord has dazzled readers with her personality that shines through on the pages, her love of desserts, and most of all, her lovable and New York Times bestselling young adult romance books. Emma’s new book, The Getaway List, was released earlier this year. We got to chat with Emma to learn more about her books and the inspiration behind them and the characters. 

Emma said she began to write her books during the pandemic, and has quickly risen to the top of the young adult genre. Most of her stories so far have been retellings of older stories in a contemporary lens. 

“I love romance and dessert hence all of the major themes of all of these books.”

Her debut novel, Tweet Cute, was listed on Cosmopolitan’s list of the 100 Best YA Novels of All Time and is based on the romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail. Her next book, You Have a Match was featured as the Winter 2021 YA Pick for Reese’s Book Club and was a NYT bestseller, based on The Parent Trap. When You Get the Chance was inspired by Mamma Mia! and Begin Again has similarities to Legally Blonde. While The Getaway List and her next book to be published later this year, The Break-Up Pact, aren’t based on a specific story, Emma said she would love to retell more old stories in the future. 

“It is fun that people have some sort of expectation going in and then get to enjoy the twist.” 

In The Getaway List, Riley moves to New York after her high school graduation, where her childhood best friend Tom lives, hoping to get in touch with her adventurous self. Tom and Riley are co-creators of The Getaway List, a list of all the adventures they’ve wanted to do since he moved away. When Riley arrives in the city, their reconnection is effortless except for one unexpected complication. But as she and Tom work through items on The Getaway List, she learns that the biggest adventure is not one you take, but one you feel in your heart. 

Emma said she put a lot of thought into the items that were included on the list in the book, and many of them came from her own experiences and things she enjoys doing in New York City. 

“It was a blend of things I did when I first moved to the City and things that I had either done or wanted to do with friends.”

The Getaway List has a friend to lovers trope and Emma said she has often written about enemies to lovers but loved experimenting with something new. 

“Getting to write the friends to lovers trope, to me that is like peak romance.”

To have had such a positive response to all her works so far, Emma said it has been exciting and unexpected.

“Only recently have I started to get to go out and meet people at library events and signing events and that is just a very exciting shift to get to talk to people in person and nerd out about bakeries.”

Thank you, Emma, for chatting with Young Entertainment. Follow her on her Instagram at @dilemmalord. Her newest novel, The Break Up Pact, will be released this August. Watch the rest of the video where we ask her more about her favorite tropes, the inspiration behind her characters, the possibility of seeing her books on the big screen one day, and her favorite type of cake.

Consider this: 

• Incorporate your own interests and passions into your work! This makes everything that much more personable and relatable.
• Don’t be afraid to take themes and ideas from other authors and creators. This can help you construct your own narrative.