Chatting About Rom-Coms with Author Allison Raskin
"Just because one person rejects you, it doesn’t mean you have to give up on the life you want."
I'm thrilled to sit down with author Allison Raskin to chat about her latest novel, Save the Date. Known for her sharp wit and relatable storytelling, her new book has the perfect blend of humor, heart, and the kind of romantic complications most of us can relate to! It’s a perfect beach read.
Whether you're already a fan of Allison's work or discovering her for the first time, you're in for a treat as we dive into the inspiration behind Save the Date, her writing process, and making the best of a broken engagement. Our conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Anna: Why write a rom-com? Why now?
Allison: I have always loudly loved rom-coms. And I have written a few as feature scripts before. But I didn’t venture into the rom-com book world until I had the right story to tell. SAVE THE DATE is loosely based off my own broken engagement. The idea came from a joke my dad made back in 2020 about finding a new groom in time for my wedding date. I knew this was not a good idea for me to do in real life, but, oh man, would it be fun to turn into a novel. I feel so lucky that I got to explore what I’ve referred to as a “multi-verse version” of my life. I’m also extremely grateful to have the opportunity to write another rom-com that will (hopefully) come out next year. Romance readers are voracious, and I am so excited to be part of this genre.
Anna: Did any characters surprise you by developing in unexpected ways during the writing of the novel?
Allison: Emma’s sister, Jackie, had more of her own arc than I had originally planned. I really enjoyed fleshing her out and leaning into her skills as a social media whiz. She became very central to the story.
Anna: What research did you do to ensure the authenticity of the wedding planning and relationship elements in the book?
Allison: Honestly, the only research I did was planning one (and a half) weddings for myself. I sold the book two months before I got married, so I had just been through the process when I finished the manuscript. In terms of the relationship elements, I pulled from my own experiences, previous research I did for my two non-fiction books and parts of what I learned while getting my master’s in psychology. So, in some ways, I didn’t have to do any research for this one. But in other ways, I was preparing for it for years!
Anna: How did you balance humor and the more serious emotional moments in your storytelling?
Allison: I am a big proponent of always infusing humor in my writing because I find it more reflective of reality. Life is made up of moments of hardship followed by a dark joke or ridiculous situation. If we can toggle back and forth as people in the real world, I think we can do it as readers too. Plus, it is a lot easier to talk about tough topics when we don’t take ourselves so seriously.
Anna: Are there any wedding, dating or relationship tropes you deliberately wanted to challenge or subvert in this book?
Allison: Emma is much more focused on getting married than planning a wedding. So much so in fact, that her dad takes over planning the big day so she can focus on finding a husband. The details of the wedding itself are rather negligible, which might be unexpected in a book called “Save The Date.”
“I tried to challenge the idea that everyone has to follow
the same pre-approved path when finding their life-partners.”
- Allison Raskin, author of SAVE THE DATE
Anna: What do you hope readers will take away from "Save the Date"?
Allison: Part of what I wanted to do with this book was explore some big ideas around love and marriage in Western society. I tried to challenge the idea that everyone has to follow the same pre-approved path when finding their life-partners. The length of time you know someone isn’t the most important factor when making your decision. At the same time, I wanted to push back against the idea that marriage in and if itself makes you “safe.” But ultimately, my biggest goal was showing people that just because one person rejects you, it doesn’t mean you have to give up on the life you want.
Anna: Which scene in the book was the most challenging to write?
Allison: I had never written explicit sex scenes before! And, spoiler alert, I still haven’t really. SAVE THE DATE is what’s referred to as a closed-door romance where most of the spicy stuff takes place off the page. But I still needed to write a good amount of sexual tension and the lead up to their romp, which definitely pushed me in a new direction. I tried not to judge myself and follow what felt right for the characters and tone. That said, I did giggle a bit.
Anna: Are there any Easter eggs or subtle details in the book that you're particularly excited for readers to discover?
Allison: Not Easter eggs per say, but I do have a fun relationship with my current audience where they know a lot about me through my other work. This book is filled with some details and stories that are completely made up and some that are (very) close to the truth. I hope it will be fun for them to try to decipher which is which!
Thanks, Allison! Pick up her book anywhere books are sold.
You can find me:
Sharing friendship hot takes with my local Fox 29 news anchors on their show, The Ladies Room
Dropping knowledge about money troubles in friendships for Philadelphia Magazine
The challenges of modern friendships in The Independent
Until next time!
Your buddy,
Anna
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