Charlotte Stein (My Big Fat Fake Marriage) | Forced Proximity Interview
WHO HURT YOU, cricuts, and loving weirdos
My first Charlotte Stein book was Never Sweeter, a former bully romance that lit my brain on fire. When Grumpy Met Sunshine redefined the way I perceive both epistolary elements and grumpy heroes. I’ve read her entire backlist, and I think my brain might just be a little bit on fire forever? There’s a particular brand of stream-of-consciousness anxiety-narration that Charlotte Stein has perfected that never fails to fascinate and fulfill me. It’s like jumping right into the deep end of the pool before you’ve learned to swim, but you know you’ll find a floatie soon because she’s left you plenty if you just trust the process. And I’ve read enough Charlotte Stein to entirely trust the process.
As such, after trying to find an email address for her for months, when we both started posting more regularly to Bluesky, I shot my shot and slid into her DMs, and lucky for all of us, she agreed to an interview! Her latest release is My Big Fat Fake Marriage, which came out last month!
Forced Proximity: Thanks so much for agreeing to do an interview! Please introduce yourself
Hello there, my name is Charlotte Stein, and I’ve been a published Romance author for around fifteen years now. I write primarily steamy, deeply emotional stories about weirdos and the weirdos who love them, and have a huge backlist. So happy to be here talking to you all!
How would you explain your latest book to a romance reader?
My latest book, My Big Fat Fake Marriage is the lush, sexy story of Connie, a sceptical of nice guys sassy sweetheart, and Beck, a sweet cinnamon roll of a hero, who accidentally end up faking a whole marriage when Connie tries to defend him against his horrible co-worker. They’re trapped on a writing retreat trying to maintain this charade, and of course there’s only one bed…
What’s something you wish you knew at the beginning of your writing career?
Not to self-reject. I wasted a lot of time telling myself things weren’t going to happen so it was silly to go on submission, only to find that the moment I did I got the deals I’ve always dreamt of. Which is not to say this will happen to everyone! I was very lucky, and had already built a readership. But I wish I had been braver sooner.
What has surprised you about writing professionally?
Everything about it is always a surprise! The main shock for me though is always when people know who I am and just read my books.
What’s your writing routine, if you have one? When/where/how do you find yourself at your most creative?
I’m almost completely nocturnal, so usually I start work around midnight and go through to around 9am. Then I sleep until the afternoon, and start all over again! I’m definitely at my most creative in the middle of the night, and my bed is the place where I feel most comfortable writing.
What hobbies do you have outside of work that aren’t literature-related?
Making handmade cards/journaling/crafting! I’ve been doing handmade cards for the preorders of all my latest releases, because it’s just something I love to do. Using dies and stamps, using my cricut, learning to use paints and pastes and foams…it’s so much fun.
Which of your protagonists would you most like to be forced into proximity with? Why?
Beck, most probably! He’s sweet, he’s fun as heck, and he’s absolutely gorgeous. His enthusiasm for what other people want to do and talk about alone would be such a delight to me, considering I’m a huge introvert who doesn’t like to talk about themselves at all.
How do you find new authors and books to try? Are you a casual browser, or do you have a network of trusted recommenders?
Oh, all sorts of ways! Sometimes people I trust will talk about a book and it’ll spark my interest, sometimes I’ll just see it whizz by on the timeline, sometimes I’ll find something in a deal or it’ll be adapted into a movie or show and I’ll be excited to see what the original was all about. And anything can spark my interest—covers, hooks, characters, style.
Is there a romance trope that’s an auto-read for you? What about one you’re suspicious of unless a favorite author tries it out?
Definitely fake dating is up there. I love enemies to lovers, too. I love grumpy/sunshine, I love lots of little micro tropes like who hurt you. And as for ones I’m suspicious of—I’m very of the mind that if it’s good, it’s good, regardless of what it’s about. But generally I’m not a huge fan of accidental pregnancy!
What’s a misconception about publishing that early career writers often have, and what’s the truth?
That the second you get an agent or get a deal everything is settled and sorted. Things go wrong all the time after that! But the trick is to celebrate every single win and enjoy them while they’re happening.
What else do you want readers to know about you and your work, if anything?
That I have a paranormal romance series, as well as this romcom series! How To Help A Hungry Werewolf is out right now, and upcoming is Dealing With A Desperate Demon. Accidental witches, cursed heroes, plenty of fated mates fun and horny shenanigans!
Thank you so much to Charlotte Stein for being so forthcoming and writing such wonderful books for us! Find her elsewhere online at: charlottestein.net | BlueSky | Instagram | Tik Tok | Newsletter | Twitter
Next week, I’ll be recommending books with chefs as a central character.
What should I be reading next? Let me know in the comments!
Follow me on social: Twitter | Instagram | Bluesky
Available now: my debut marriage of convenience romance Rehabbing the Billionaire! Buy your copy on Amazon, or snag it on Kindle Unlimited! Then, rate it on Goodreads to help more people discover it!