CULTURE EDITION
On the eve of publication of her debut novel, novelist and bookseller Bea Ingalls explains the young adult romcom genre Making magic BOOKS T he metaphorical stars have aligned for 27-year-old bookseller Bea Ingalls. Not only has she landed the job of her dreams at Waterstones Cambridge, she’s also on the brink of becoming a published author with only her second manuscript. “It’s a dream come true, and it’s all so surreal,” says Bea. “Ironically, I had the job interview at Waterstones the same day that I received an offer of representation from a literary agent. It was really close timing. It’s interesting to see both facets of publishing – as a bookseller and a writer. Everyone at work has been so supportive.” Bea’s novel, We Used to Be Magic , is set in New York and follows the fates of love-struck teens Ezra and Audrey. “My sister and I had planned a trip to New York for March 2020 and did a lot of research on the locations we wanted to visit,” says Bea. “I’d always wanted to write a book set in the city, but Covid-19 happened. Then I was furloughed from my job and faced with months stuck at home, so I thought that I’d just write the book anyway!” Audrey and Ezra find themselves in New York for very different reasons. “Audrey is a fashion model attending New York Fashion Week, feeling overwhelmed by the scale of everything. Ezra is returning home to the city, having just finished at boarding school, and is trying to re-enter a life from which he feels alienated. They meet by fate, and then again by coincidence, and there are all these strange little links between them that makes them wonder if maybe the universe wants this? At the same time, there are other things happening that makes their connection harder for them, which all begs the question: will fate be enough?” Bea’s lead characters appeared to her as if from nowhere. “They didn’t come fully formed, though; there’s a development process as you write,” she says. “You get to know them better the more time you spend with them. On a technical level, you have to decide on their personalities: what would a good dynamic be? How might they play off each other? The same is true of the supporting characters.”
Bea loves to write dialogue. “I’m a huge film fan, so I approach it like directing a film in my head, trying to get the action moving and keep things flowing.” Iconic New York romcom films such as The Apartment and When Harry Met Sally have influenced the story too; Ezra, for instance, is a film nerd. “He points out how there are so many movies that end with the protagonist sprinting through the city to declare their love to someone. It’s one of the classic tropes of the romcom genre.” Young adult fiction focuses heavily on feelings and the idea of yearning and obsession, set against the constraints of teenage awkwardness. “You’re not fully developed as a person and still figuring out who you are and the things you want from life,” says Bea. “The people you meet can leave a significant impression on you. It’s that age of vulnerability.” A big trend in books at the moment is ‘romantasy’: a fusion between romance and fantasy. The rise of BookTok and Bookstagram on social media is also
fostering communities where people can share the books they love and engage with authors and other readers. “I grew up in a house which had books everywhere,” says Bea. “The light-bulb moment for me was when I was writing this book and realised that there wasn’t anything else I would ever enjoy quite as much. I feel tremendously lucky.” Bea Ingalls will be in conversation with YA romcom author Cecilia Vinesse at Waterstones Cambridge on 12 February
I’m a huge film fan, so I approach it like directing a film in my head , trying to keep things flowing
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