Zibby Mag

Book jacket biographies don’t tell us nearly enough about the authors we love. That’s why Zibby Mag launched the Author Snapshot, giving readers an inside look at the lives and work of our favorite writers.

This week we’re featuring an amazing debut author, Genevieve Wheeler! Read below to learn about Adelaide, Genevieve’s inspiration, and more.

Order the book HERE!

What was the inspiration behind Adelaide?

Adelaide is all about a messy, toxic romance, and I think nearly everyone (especially millennial women) has experienced a relationship with someone reminiscent of a Rory Hughes—a relationship where you put them first and yourself second, where you just feel like you’ll never be enough for them (even when, ahem, you are more than enough!). Having had similar experiences myself, I was keen to explore that dynamic.

I remember having a call with my agent in early March of 2020. She asked if I had any ideas up my sleeve, and I said, “Well, I had this kind of crazy relationship last year. I’ve got a bunch of journal entries. I guess I could write about that.” A week later, the world shut down. I was in an extraordinarily privileged position—I wasn’t homeschooling small children or working round-the-clock shifts at a hospital—so I had all of this time to pour my thoughts and feelings out and string them into a novel. And thus, Adelaide was born.

What prompted you to explore the themes of grief and mental health in your novel?

Grief is such a universal experience, but, like mental health, it’s something we’re often hesitant to discuss publicly. I believe there’s so much power in sharing these experiences, though—in speaking vulnerably—and that’s what I wanted to do with Adelaide. I wanted to really crawl inside of characters’ minds as they grappled with grief and mental illness and put those hard-to-talk-about emotions into words in a raw, honest way. I also wanted to capture the nuance of mental illness, the ways in which you can be depressed without being depressing, so to speak. Adelaide is a heavy novel, but I hope it’s also balanced with light and humor, including the mentions of grief and mental health.

How long have you been writing? Have you always wanted to be an author? How does it feel to have your first novel published?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, drafting little stories for school or for my family from the time I knew how to put pen to paper. Writing a book was something I’d dreamt of doing for so much of my life, but it also felt like such a pipe dream. I didn’t know that I had a whole book in me, let alone one I could sell to editors (and to readers).

Writing and selling Adelaide felt like lightning striking—like it made its way into just the right people’s hands at just the right moment in time. Having it published has been an absolute dream come true (albeit a slightly scary one, as I just want readers to love it!).

What do you hope readers will connect with in this story?

I hope, above all else, that readers connect with the characters and feel seen by this story. I also hope—cheesy as it may sound—that this novel can serve as a reminder that it’s okay to put yourself first, and it’s okay not to be okay.

The last line of Adelaide is, “And everything is going to be okay.” I’m crossing my fingers readers will walk away knowing that’s the truth—no matter how dark or challenging any given period of your life is, things will get better. Everything is going to be okay in the end.

We are obsessed with your cover! What inspired this design?

Thank you, I’m obsessed with it as well! I’d intentionally used flowers as a motif throughout the story, and I’d always imagined them on the cover of the book. I just feel like they capture the themes of grief and growth so perfectly, so poignantly. The final cover illustration is beyond my wildest dreams, though: it’s so inventive and beautiful, and I am forever grateful to Olga Grlic, the cover designer, for bringing it to life.

Are you working on any other projects? If so, can you share what they might be?

I am! I just finished writing my second book, which is set in Paris and focuses on two best girlfriends. It’s completely different from Adelaide, but it deals with a lot of similar themes—like grief and expat adventures and romance and the power of female friendship—and I really hope it resonates with readers when it eventually hits shelves!

Genevieve Wheeler is an American writer and communications manager. Her bylines have appeared in publications like VICE, Vogue Business, Teen Vogue, Elite Daily, and POPSUGAR, with her work and words cited in The New York Times, Vox, the BBC World Service, Cheddar News, Jezebel, and beyond. She holds an MA in marketing communications from the University of Westminster in London and a BS in Advertising from Boston University. She’s currently based in London. Adelaide is her debut novel.