Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail: A swoon-worthy, laugh-out-loud queer romcom

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KT: Conversely, you have another character, similar in age, who enjoys what she does but is at a point in her life where she thinks everything she touches turns to destruction. Is this a case of two characters needing to meet each other when their own lives are somewhat derailed, whether they realize it or not? KATIE TAMOLA: One of the main characters is questioning her sexuality. How do you best navigate thoughtfully crafting such an experience? ASHLEY HERRING BLAKE: Well, Astrid’s experiences are very similar to my own. I pulled on a lot of personal experience because I was kind of a late-in-life realizer of my own sexuality. A lot of the reason why sexuality can be really confusing, especially if you end up kind of falling under the bisexual umbrella, pansexual, or anything like that, is that you’re attracted to multiple genders. So, there’s a lot of things that you can just kind of shove under the rug when you’re growing up or when you first start coming into [your] sexuality.

I already knew that Isabel was like that. And I knew that a lot of Astrid’s journey, even in Delilah’s book, with her fiancé and her marriage and all the things that she thought were gonna happen [that] didn’t end up happening, was mostly the result of Isabel and Isabel’s expectations on her. KT: This novel presents a 30-something who realizes she doesn’t really like her profession. What made you want to explore the pressures that 30-somethings might feel when it comes to their careers? KT: Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail is a quintessential enemies-to-lovers story. Do you have favorite tropes that you like to write about or enjoy reading in general? Who doesn’t love a good renovation story? Whether it’s the experts of “Queer Eye” making lifestyle improvements, Marie Kondo organizing clutter, the beloved hosts of “What Not to Wear” upgrading a wardrobe (still waiting on that reboot, TLC) or the “Property Brothers” giving a home a much-needed tuneup, we all like to watch professionals take a mess and rework, renew and restore it into something beautiful. There’s a hopefulness to renovations, too, in the idea that everything has hidden potential just waiting to be brought to light. And the main couple of Ashley Herring Blake’s Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail? Well, let’s just say they could use some touch-ups. Shondaland caught up with Blake to discuss characters figuring themselves out, prominent career and life changes, HGTV shows, and more.So, I think with Astrid, I really wanted to balance the very real, authentic way that I experienced it with her character and all the things that she’s dealing with from her mom. For Astrid — well, I think for a lot of people and for me — [she was] just dealing with compulsory heterosexuality, where you just assumed that this is what you’re supposed to be like. I wanted to balance that, though, with a lot of support. A lot of times, it can be very traumatic. We read about kids that have come out and realize [their] sexuality, but what does it really look like as an adult? And I think it can still be very harrowing if you don’t feel like there’s people around you who can see you. And while there are certain experiences where adults are going through this, and they’re not seen, and they’re not supported by family or people around them, I wanted Astrid’s experience to be a little gentler.

KT: One of the protagonists also seems to struggle with a need to please her mother, who seems impossible to satisfy. Why did you include this dynamic? AHB: Isabel, Astrid’s mom, was built in from Delilah. This is my first experience writing a series, so it was very interesting, like coming to book two thinking, “I can’t change any of these people.” [ Laughs.] They just are who they are because of how I made them in the first book.It seems like [people may ask], “Well, you’re the one creating it, author. So, can’t you just create that?” And yes, but based on the people that you have created them to be, there’s a certain way that they’re going to talk to each other, and it really is the matter of do they have that chemistry between them or not? And if they don’t, readers can tell. I’ve definitely read books where I’m like, I don’t buy that these people like each other at all.