Interview: Tarah DeWitt talks Savor It, Twilight and more

Tarah DeWitt is one of those authors I've heard so much about and I knew I wanted to pick up her newest release: Savor It.

While I'm a newbie to Tarah DeWitt, her books absolutely blew up, especially Funny Feelings. While that book has been talked about a ton, I was excited to start my journey with Savor It because that title is just amazing.

What's even cooler is that I was able to interview Tarah ahead of the release of Savor It and timed it perfectly to go up on release day. Basically, it's a 2-for-1 as you're able to see my thoughts on the book and then learn more about it and Tarah's thoughts, too.

I'd like to thank St. Martin's Griffin for setting this interview up and Tarah for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer our interviews so let's get to it.

Tarah DeWitt talks about her latest release, Twilight, and more.

Culturess: Savor It is such a lovely and appropriate title for this book. What made you decide on that?

Tarah DeWitt: It was a theme that kept making itself known throughout the book, really. It's the whole point behind the story, in my opinion. Sometimes we spend so much energy on a RESULT - which is something that might not ever come to fruition anyway, whether because of life interrupting our plans or maybe because our goals and feelings change along the way . . . but I think we spend so much energy focusing on the outcome of something that we often rob ourselves of the joy in getting there.

Culturess: Small-town romances are incredibly hot right now and Savor It is such an incredible one. Did you always want to write a small-town story or did these characters just come to you?

Tarah DeWitt: These characters specifically came to me. I loved the idea of juxtaposing a woman who loves her town in spite of its quirks, against a love interest who had negative experiences stacked against them. I was never opposed the idea of writing a small town, but I knew if I did it I would have to draw from personal inspiration and would have to touch on some of the less idyllic things, so giving that background to Fisher and Indy allowed me to do that. I also just have a special place in my heart for Oregon. It's delightfully weird. The PNW coast is dramatic and craggy and gorgeous, but it's also (almost) exclusively cold, constantly damp, often overcast. It's not what most automatically think of when they picture a small, coastal town.

Culturess: Sage and Fisher felt like an amazingly realistic couple and I just loved seeing them fall for each other. Were you always planning to have these two work together?

Tarah DeWitt: Yes, absolutely. I loved making them get vulnerable with one another quickly, and creating the circumstances to sort of agitate that in one another. I don't start from tropes when I start out writing a book, but seeing them turn into this version of grumpy vs. sunshine was a blast for me. I especially loved Sage cutting right through Fisher's exasperation until even he was like, "Wait, what the hell is she doing to me?"

Culturess: Each time you release a book, it feels like something utterly different from the last in the best way. How do you come up with such unique ideas for all of your romances?

Tarah DeWitt: Thank you. I won't deny that I definitely try! I have too many interests and love that romance is limitless when it comes to what "kind" of stories I get to tell. No matter where the initial inspiration comes from, I tend to build out a full character profile from the onset and I think that they help me drive a story, and them being fully fleshed out individuals helps to make those books feel unique. If certain tropes are subverted by them it makes sense, etcetera.

I feel like a sponge, constantly absorbing things and places around me. Bingeing a ton of stand-up specials made me think up Funny Feelings. My husband and I building a house together made me think about how (hilariously) awful it would be to be in forced proximity with someone you didn't like, while taking that on, thus inspiring The Co-op. Doing a road trip to Coos Bay while the New Moon soundtrack played in my car helped inspire Spunes.

Culturess: I'm a sucker for a Twilight reference and I noticed it in the synopsis. Which characters in Savor It would be Twihards?

Tarah DeWitt: Oh, so many of them. It's canon to me that the pun on the town welcome sign was inspired by Sage herself. I bet her brothers all ripped on it when they were younger, and secretly watched it by themselves. Silas, especially. I bet Silas was team Jacob.

I feel like this was such a fun interview and if anything, it made me want to go back and read more from Tarah DeWitt. Whether you're a newbie like me or have read all of her books, I feel like this interview will make you appreciate her as an author and a person even more.

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt is out now where books are sold.