Forced Proximity Interview | Kate Clayborn (The Other Side of Disappearing)

On road trips, secret babies, embracing embroidery, and more!

Kate Clayborn was the first author I read the entire backlist of when I began my romance deep-dive back in 2022. Her Chance of a Lifetime trilogy blooded me, raised me, sent me to college, and are who I return to most frequently when I need a pep talk and a little bit of comfort. Her 2023 release, Georgie, All Along, was my favorite book of that year. And her latest release, The Other Side of Disappearing, won an instant place in my heart as soon as I learned it would be a road trip romance and secured its place there permanently when I finally got to read it in March.

I’m so thrilled to have gotten to chat with Kate (thanks to Kristin Dwyer for connecting us) and I hope my Forced Proximity readers enjoy our conversation as much as I did!

Forced Proximity: Thanks so much for agreeing to an interview! Please introduce yourself via what kind of road-tripper you are.

Kate Clayborn: I'm a Virgo, so all my road trip habits probably relate to that -- I like to move efficiently; I pack snacks from home; I've got podcasts and playlists at the ready. Sometimes I've even got phone calls scheduled to help pass the time. Am I the most fun person to be on a road trip with? It depends on if you think being organized is fun, lol.

What’s something you wish you knew at the beginning of your writing career?

That any writing advice I'd be given about routines or word counts or speed in general would be well-intentioned but maybe not super-helpful without more context -- what a writer's home life is like, whether they have a job other than writing, what personal obligations they have, what their health is like, what physical space they write in, etc. Something that's been really important for me over time is to accept that a person's individual circumstances play a huge role in how writing goes on any given day. That's true for most things, of course, but I think sometimes when we talk about writing on social media platforms, we forget about those circumstances. 

What’s your writing routine, if you have one? When/where/how do you find yourself at your most creative?

Right now, when I'm in a busy season at my day job, my routine is pretty much...whenever I can spare about thirty minutes or so! When I do have periods of time that I can devote more fully to writing, I generally write with a candle burning, music on, and a twenty-minute timer running -- I try to really focus for those twenty minutes, then take a short break, then start again. As I get to the last quarter of a book I'm drafting, I generally don't bother with the timer -- I'm so in the story that I can write for a long time without interruption. This is sort of a dull answer, but I think I'm most creative when I'm well-rested -- when I've had enough good sleep, and when I've been taking care of myself in other ways, like getting outside, being with people I love, reading and watching and listening to things that inspire me.

What hobbies do you have outside of work that aren’t literature-related?

During the pandemic I learned how to do embroidery, and I love that! It's very meditative for me, and I love to make special things for friends and family. 

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?

I do really love a marriage-in-trouble romance, and when I see one that has this as a central trope, I'm always interested in checking it out! Like a lot of people, I can be wary of a secret baby plot, but I think a beautiful thing about the genre is that there are so many authors who are capable of making even a somewhat unpopular trope work -- I've read many secret baby books that I've ended up loving! 

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Find more from Kate on her… website | Instagram |

kate, lately

And make sure to pick up her latest, a road trip true crime podcast romance, The Other Side of Disappearing, if you haven’t already!

You can now read my own debut romance Rehabbing the Billionaire! Buy your copy on Amazon, or snag it on Kindle Unlimited!