Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Talia Hibbert

Talia Hibbert is an author who loves writing about diverse, romantic love stories. She writes characters that are relatable, make a lot of mistakes along the way, and become better people because of it. Talia excels at creating characters that feel like people you might meet.

Here’s what Talia Hibbert’s most recent book, Act Your Age, Eve Brown, is about: Eve’s life has always been a mess, but after her recklessness ruined a wedding, her parents have had enough. It’s time for Eve to grow up…but, she’s not exactly sure how that will happen. On the other hand, Jacob Wayne has his life together. He’s in control and is a bed and breakfast owner. But, when a purple-haired woman comes to him to interview for an open chef position, he doesn’t sugarcoat things with her. He tells her the truth: “there’s no chance in hell she’s getting the job.” She hits him with her car, which she claims was an accident, though Jacob isn’t too sure, and now his arm is broken. What’s worse is the purple-haired woman, Eve, is attempting to help. The longer Jacob’s forced to let Eve help him out, the less irritated he becomes with her. Bubbly Eve is able to break through his cold exterior. Their animosity is slowly starting to turn into something else entirely. This is one you don’t want to miss!

Act Your Age, Eve Brown, recently became a New York Times bestseller! Pop Culturalist got the opportunity to chat with Talia about the Brown Sisters trilogy, and Talia shares her writing advice! She also discusses the importance of body positivity, family, and swoon-worthy romances in her books.

PC: Hi, Talia and welcome to Pop Culturalist! Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself that your readers might not know?
Talia: I’m the worst person to answer this question because I’m genuinely quite dull. Maybe that’s a fun fact about me: I don’t get out much. Reading is perhaps my only hobby. Oh, and I have been known to play a game of Animal Crossing!

PC: Which Brown sister do you resonate with the most: Eve, Dani, or Chloe?
Talia: Definitely Chloe! She’s an awkward homebody, and I appreciate that.

PC: Who or what inspires you to write diverse romance books?
Talia: I enjoy writing books that show people like me and my loved ones as normal, because we are.

PC: Did you always know that the Brown Sisters trilogy would be three parts? What inspired you to write it?
Talia: I wanted to write a rom-com, and I thought living with chronic pain was an underrated source of dark comedy. So, I created Chloe, and part of crafting her personality was realizing that she’d be an older sister. That inspired me to create her younger sisters, Dani and Eve, and from that moment I knew they needed their own stories.

PC: Which character was the easiest and the hardest to write?
Talia: Chloe was the easiest to write because she’s the most like me. Dani was the hardest because I have the least in common with her!

PC: Do you have any writing advice for writers?
Talia: Keep reading, keep learning, keep practicing. Writing is a skill, and figuring out which stories speak to you is also a skill. You can hone both!

PC: Can you tell us about any upcoming projects?
Talia: I certainly can. First up, I’m working on an Austen-inspired series of contemporary rom-coms called Skybriar. It’s a spinoff of the Brown Sisters series, and the first book is Pride and Prejudice with a family pub and a few ducks thrown in. I’m also working on my first YA novel, which is about ex-besties turned academic rivals arguing in the Scottish wilderness.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Tea or coffee?
Talia: Tea! I hate coffee.

PC: Are you a plotter, a pantser, or a plantser (combination)?
Talia: It depends on the book, but overall, ‘plantser’ fits me best.

PC: Do you have any writing essentials?
Talia: A quiet, private space!

PC: Standalones or series?
Talia: Weirdly enough, I have no preference.

PC: What is one thing that you hope readers will take away after reading your books?
Talia: That they deserve to be loved.

Make sure to pick up a copy of Act Your Age, Eve Brown, and follow Talia Hibbert on Twitter and Instagram.