Sunday Brunch: A Chat with Authors AR Capetta and Alexandra Leigh Young

Aurora: What was your inspiration behind your most recent novel? 

AR Capetta: Maybe because of the story itself, but this keeps wanting to be written as a list of ingredients. The inspirations include:

1 lifetime of baking

1 dozen of my favorite romcoms

A pinch of magic (I put magic in nearly everything; it is my favorite flavor)

A zesting of professional kitchen experience

A pound of love for Austin, TX—the best food city I’ve lived in! 

So much queer and trans love 

What character in this novel do you most relate to and why? 

Syd, the protagonist of The Heartbreak Bakery, was formed out of very specific pieces of my personality, my experience, my heart, and my fashion sense—though I equally relate to Vin! He’s one of the bakery owners, and I think I both purposefully and accidentally infused his life with a lot of my own. 

When I sat down to write Syd, I knew that this was a story about love and heartbreak. About how finding the right person can put your past relationships into context—and open up new and delicious potential.

Why do you feel novels with powerful and unique characters are so popular and have such a voice right now? 

I think people have always been drawn to powerful protagonists—we’re just starting to get a much wider scope from publishing of who is considered to fall into this category. And that push is coming from so many people doing this work, making this change. We’re all part of a much bigger story. 

I hope that people consider Syd (who is agender and bi) to be unique, but I also hope that people see all the ways that Syd is, well…not that unique! Syd is an ambitious, stubborn, not-always-in-touch-with-all-the-feelings person who is learning and falling in love and messing up the kitchen literally all of the time. 

Please describe the content of your latest book and what can readers expect from it. 

My tenth (!) and latest book is The Heartbreak Bakery, a romcom with a dash of magic, in which agender cupcake Syd deals with a shattering first breakup by whipping up brownies—that then breaks up everyone who eats them. Including the owners of The Proud Muffin, the bakery where Syd works. In order to save many love stories and the bakery, Syd teams up with adorable transmasc bike messenger Harley to deliver magical baked goods to lovelorn all over Austin. And in the process, Harley opens up Syd’s heart and life unexpected ways.

What’s next for you in the bookish world? 

I have some things that I can’t talk about yet—but for the next big direction, I want to lean toward the magical and fantastical elements that come up in all of my stories. 

Who is your current favorite writer? Why? 

I can tell you the last book I fell in love with: The Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood. It’s a big, imaginative high fantasy with the most delightful love story embedded in its pages. 

Any writing advice for aspiring writers?  

Yes. Joy. Is that advice? I think so, especially with the myth that books need to be written from pain. Joy is just as compelling. Finding it, keeping it…what it means to you…this emotion feels essential to romantic storytelling. And it’s just as important to look for it in your writing process! Not every day will be pure joy, but if you can get a sense for what gives you that feeling in your own creative life, never underestimate or discount it.

Up next, Alexandra Leigh Young!