Black Romance & USA Today Bestselling Author Kristina Forest x Main Chapter

USA Today Bestselling Author Kristina Forest is talking all about her new romance, The Summer Girlfriend. The new release follows Noelle Lewis who agrees to be the fake girlfriend of Jeremiah Smith II, the heir of a successful sweets company.  His family comes together at Heart Beach, New Jersey each summer, and he needs a companion after lying about having a partner. 

Forest and Main Chapter host Brianna Rose talk about the inspiration behind the novel and what makes it a great summer read. They also touch on components of the book, including the importance of libraries and showcasing Black love. The duo also bond over their favorite authors, tropes and bookish opinions. If this episode does not convice you read The Summer Girlfriend if you have't already, we don't know what will! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:35

We talked all about the product developing the talk, the integration behind it, writing the characters. And we also just talk about other books we love, black love in general. It's such a great conversation. I had so much fun talking with her. So I truly hope that is reflected in the episode you're about to hear. And let's go ahead and get started with the interview. So, as I said, I read The Summer Girlfriend. I thought it was such the perfect summer read. It was such like a love letter to summer, of course. So, what was that first spark, that first inspiration that got you into writing The Summer Girlfriend?

SPEAKER_00 1:11

So it came in pieces, which sometimes happens. Um, I was actually in the middle of writing, well, I was in the early process of beginning to write something else. It was a romance, but it was a very different kind of book. Um, and years ago, I, you know, I have a, you know, the notes app in my phone where I keep all my different ideas. And years ago, I had this idea about a book about a woman who um gets paid to do these gigs to be a fake girlfriend. Like she will go with you to like your work dinner party, she'll come with you to like a wedding or whatever, she'll pretend to be your girlfriend. And it's like this like funny, quirky side gig that she has. And then um I saw I just had like this idea that she then gets asked to be the wedding date for this man who wants his family not to like her so they can stop asking him to what's going on with his love life or whatever. And so that was an idea that I had. I think it was called um Soon to Be Ex-girlfriend or something like that. I had, you know, just had that idea. And then I sat on it for a few years because I was working on other books, and then um I really wanted to write a summer romance, and I wanted it to feature black characters, obviously, and um, I wanted it to take place in New Jersey, and I wanted it to be that big, fun, beachy beach read. Um, and then I was thinking, okay, I really want this setting, I want this kind of story, but what what's the plot? So I went looking through my notes app and then I saw the idea about this like woman who pretends to be a girlfriend, and I was like, ooh, what about that? And then the title, The Summer Girlfriend, just came to me, and I was like, Oh, okay. So then I just went from there and built out that idea, but I was really because I was trying I was trying to be intentional about writing um a beach read, a beach beachy romance featuring black characters, and then I had this other idea that I had thought of years ago. So I just married the two, and that's that's where the offering came from.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

That's so fun that they kind of came married together. And I love that you use your notes app because I also live by my notes app, and there's so many times where I think, should I be using something more formal or official? But the notes app gets the job done. So I'm happy to hear that we have that. It got so so convenient. And what I loved about like this book and dedication is that it took place in New Jersey. The dedication even says for the Jersey girls, and you're a Jersey girl yourself. Was there any parts of your life or living in Jersey that specifically influence details in your book?

SPEAKER_00 4:04

Well, for sure. Heart Beach is fictional, and Heart Beach is actually inspired by Bruce's Beach, which was a beach in California. Um, but uh the going to Wildwood mostly is where we went every summer, which is Wildwood Beach in New Jersey. Family, friends, that's where we went all the time. Uh my parents go to Ocean City mostly now. And um now I live in Jersey City, which, you know, right outside of New York. So we mostly go to Asgray Park or Long Branch, but you know, just going to the beach, the Jersey Shore every summer, that's something that's been part of my life, my whole life. And um so, so just those various beaches that I've been to, definitely if it's the boardwalk, you know, the food on the boardwalk, the rides, and all that stuff. That's inspired by actual beaches that I've been to. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:57

Yeah, my mom's a Philly girl and she grew up. My mom too. Oh my god, jerseys. And so when I was telling her about it, she was like, Well, what beach? I was like, I don't think it's a real beach, but it's definitely inspired by Jersey because she spent summers going to Wildwood, Jersey, all the things you were saying. So I feel like this book, she's really, really going to love it. And I live in California now, so I'll have to check out the beach you mentioned because I haven't been there yet.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Well, it's so Bruce's beach many, many, many, many years ago was a beach that was founded by a black couple.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

And it they turned it into a resort destination, and a lot of other black people brought property across the shoreline, but then the land was seized by the state. Oh wow, and it they were saying that they wanted to turn it into a park, and they never did that until like the 50s. And so for many, many, many years, this land just sat unused, and the family just got it back maybe like three years ago, but the land hadn't intended to, so there wasn't much that they could do with it. Um, and I just kept thinking, well, what if that land was never taken away from this family? And that so that couple, the Bruce couple, uh in real life inspired the couple who bought the land, the initial land for Heart Beach in the summer girlfriends.

SPEAKER_02 6:20

Got it. I'm so sad that they didn't have their land, but I'm happy they eventually got it back. I'll definitely have to look into it because I'm all about exploring California more because I've only been out here since going to school and did graduating. But I really wanted to talk about Noelle because she was such a hustler, you know, she had hidden gems, she had brilobesti, she had a goal and she really set it for herself. When you were writing her character, what was the main thing you wanted people to take away?

SPEAKER_00 6:50

Oh, that's a good question. I guess when it came to Noelle, but I mostly she's really throughout this book, she's in her soft girl era. Because, like you said, at the beginning of the book, she has all these different side jobs and she's working really, really hard. And then she finds herself in this position where she's getting paid to hang out because it's the first time in her adult life that she is able to rest. And I think that particularly for black women, we aren't always allowed that opportunity to rest or think that we have the opportunity to do it. And I'm just thinking of what Noel's, is she 27, 28? Yeah, she's 27.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

Okay, if I remember correctly, I think she's 27.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Yeah, she's 27. And so, like when I was that age, I I mean still doing it now just in a different way, but like definitely when I was in my 20s, I was hustling. I never just had one job. I worked, I was interning, I was in grad school, then I was working and publishing and tutoring in the evenings and writing and doing all these different things. And you know, you get tired very fast, and but you have to tell yourself you have to keep going. And um, she has this goal to go to finish her education because she wants to be a librarian. And um I just I guess what I want people to take away from her is that um everyone deserves rest, especially when they worked as hard as she has. Um, but I wanted her to see that she deserves that rest and she deserves that second chance at finishing her degree and and you know making positive decisions to move forward with her life.

SPEAKER_02 8:42

Yeah, yeah. I really resonated with Noel because as I said, she's 27 and I'm 25. I definitely feel like I spent a lot of the last few years hustling. I think in 2024, I had like five jobs I put under like my taxes, and then I was working like 12 to sometimes 20 hour days, just even last year. So I really appreciate that she got to be in this soft girl era. And I really like how she also showed that you're never too late to kind of go after your end goal of what you want. Because I feel like sometimes people are like, oh, if you're above 21, your life is over. But she was 27 and she's going back to school and she's going to become a librarian. So I really, really loved her and I really loved her chemistry with Jeremiah, who I also wanted to talk about. Cause I feel a lot of times with your male leads, they always have some type of kind of like emotional baggage they have to come front. I remember like, yeah, I remember like in a neighbor favor, it was his relationship with his dad. And in this book, it's kind of like his last conversation with his grandfather. I'm curious, when you're developing your male leads, do you kind of do it in tandem while you're developing your female leads, or do you write your female lead first and kind of get your male character integrated into them?

SPEAKER_00 9:54

As usual, I start with the woman and then I start. Yeah, I start with the woman and then I build him around her, but I also make it, I'm also intentional about giving him his own emotional journey and what what are his internal goals and external goals, and what are the things that he thinks are keeping him from attaining evil or most of those things. Um somebody else pointed that out to me before that the guys that I write always have these like emotional things they have to overcome. Um maybe except for the lovelier, because Angel was pretty uh self-aware of you know, he had already gone through different things and was like, okay, I I've like survived that. Um, but I yeah, I I he's he's built around Noelle, you know, so they how they compliment each other with their different personal drama.

SPEAKER_02 10:54

Did you have like a favorite scene when you were writing them together?

SPEAKER_00 10:59

I have so many. I have to say that I did not experience any writer's block while I was writing The Summer Girlfriend, which is like unheard of. But I think it's for a couple reasons. It's because I loved the setting so much. I've I personally loved the idea of being at this beach house and at this beach. And um, I think that I the idea of the two of them being in cahoots together, and you know, no, but they're just like telling this massive lie, and only the two of them know. So it like creates this like secret that you know, could you know that they connect over. Um, it was just really fun for me, even though you know they both have their different uh issues that they're dealing with. Um so when I say so overall I enjoyed writing both of them, but my favorite scene is probably the scene where they first like their first full-length conversation uh where they're walking around the bookstore because they just it I didn't I don't write insta love, but they do have an instant connection of wow, I really like this person.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

Um, I felt like that was important to establish very early on to make it plausible that he would ask her to be his fake girlfriend and that she would agree because otherwise they'd be like, no. Yeah. And so I had to quickly establish that these are people who have a vibe, like they meet and they really get along. And I really enjoyed writing that scene between the two of them when she's like, He looks really familiar, but I don't know why. And she realizes why. So that was that was fun to read.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

I know I was so giddy at that part. I was like waiting for the light bulb to go off in her head, especially when she got the credit card and saw the Smith last night. Like, come on, girl, connect the dots. But at the same time, I don't know if I would also connect the back of a cookie box to someone standing. Exactly. And of course, this is a black romance story. And as a black romance reader, I feel like those stories are sometimes really hard to find. They're out there, but you have to dig for them. It's actually been like a 2026 goal for myself to read more black romance stories and black romance authors. Yeah. And I was wondering, what does writing about black love mean to you?

SPEAKER_00 13:22

Yeah, I will say that um in the indie romance space, black romance is it's so so many. So I would absolutely encourage you to look there because I think that um they're just like it's a plethora, like there's so so much to read in the indie space. The trad space, the traditional publishing space is what is really far behind. Yeah. Um, and so that's that's what's unfortunate, um, that definitely needs to catch up. Um, but sorry, that was the clutter.

SPEAKER_02 13:57

Like, like, like what does like writing about black love mean to you?

SPEAKER_00 14:00

Um I guess it just I'm just writing what I want to see, you know, writing, thinking about my grandparents, thinking about my parents, me and my husband, my friends, their partners, you know, it's just uh writing about life. It's you know, I I think that um it's definitely I think my personal goal, and it's just who I am as a person and what I'm interested in, and what I gravitate toward is uh, you know, my stories tend to be warm and heartfelt. And someone recently told me, thank you for writing stories about whimsical black women. Oh my gosh. You know what? I guess that is true. Um, you know, so that that's sort of my brand, it's my vibe. And I I think that um I take that very seriously that I write these stories in this particular way because I know that there are a lot of uh black women who want to see those stories just the way that I do. And I guess what I always say is that I'm a part of my own audience, you know, like how you're saying you're always looking for black romance. I'm always looking for the next black romance novel that I'm going to love. And, you know, I'm right there with the rest of y'all, like where I want to read the books too, and I'm always looking for recommendations. And so I just feel really uh grateful to be a part of the community, not only as someone who creates the art, creates art for the community, but who consumes it as well.

SPEAKER_02 15:35

Um yeah, yeah, you're so right that there are a lot of black authors in the indie space. That's where I'm discovering a lot. Yeah. I also love that you said that you write about whimsical black that perfectly leads into my next question is that your books are so warm and whimsical, but they're also like unapologetically black. Like I don't feel like I'm being hit over the head with like racism and historical trauma, but I'm still reading a black love. So when you're writing about your characters and the black experience, like what is the most important thing for you to convey in your books?

SPEAKER_00 16:12

You know, to be honest, I don't know if I'm necessarily thinking of it from that perspective. And so I guess subconsciously what I'm trying to do is just write love the way that I see it around me in real life, um, and just the normalization of it. I don't think that I and I think I and I don't want to speak for all black women, it's writers at large, but I think that a lot of the time, majority of us are just, you know, writing people who look like us, and you know, that's just you know, nor it's it and in in in the end, we are we are contributing to and contributing to normalizing the black experience.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

Yeah, I find that so amazing. And I can't wait to see kind of like how the indie space and the also traditional space continue to evolve over the next couple of years because there are so many Black romance authors and black romance stories that deserve to be highlighted. Another really important part of your book is libraries. Noelle wants to be a librarian. She talks about how libraries really helped her in really hard parts of her life. And I was wondering what libraries mean to you personally?

SPEAKER_00 17:26

I love the library. I write at the library a lot of the time because the library near me is so nice. And um I and it's free. That's the beautiful thing about libraries, is that they are a free resource to the community and all the different kinds of programming that libraries offer. Um I my favorite thing to do is borrow a book from the library if it's like one of my most anticipated ones, and I read it and then if I really like it, I buy it. But if you know, it's just I just also love encouraging people to use their libraries. I think that, you know, my grandmother, she instilled that in my brothers and me. Um, she was a teacher, and so she would take us to the library during the summer and make sure we got all of our summer reading assignments. Um, and you know, she would just take us there also to, you know, for fun. And um, I think that it's it's the best way to discover because everything is free. So you can, you know, bring home as many books as you want. And I think that that's just it's just a really wonderful resource. And I'm always encouraging my friends and you know, take your kids to the library, use your library because you know they're there for a reason, and librarians are some of the kindest people that I've interacted with, and especially children's librarians who um are helping to foster in the youth and make sure that they are educated and knowledgeable about various different things. And so I think a lot of libraries are under attack right now. And um, especially, you know, the current administration is keeps trying to take away funding for our libraries and you know, an uneducated public is a public that can't fight for itself, and so that's why I think that it's always very, very important to continue to fight for libraries and to continue to want to become librarians, you know, just it's just such a an important part of communities.

SPEAKER_02 19:32

Yeah, I feel like your love for libraries really comes through in the books, and I agree with everything you said. I always find it interesting when I'm on social media and I see people who don't realize how much work it takes to be a librarian and how much really goes into libraries, and they're so essential and important for our communities. One of the library scenes that I loved is when Noelle first went in while her mom was in the hospital, and the librarian recommends her a book that's described as two rival co-workers who are fighting for the same promotion. And I was wondering, was this a nod to the hating game by Folly Thorner? I was like, this sounds familiar. I just watched the adaptation for it the next, like the for the first time a couple of weeks ago. So it was like top of mind for me. But I thought I thought that was so funny.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

I was yeah, I was thinking about the hating game when I wrote that.

SPEAKER_02 20:22

Okay. I had to, I had to ask, and I was wondering, are there any romance novels or romance novelists that you really love or influence your own writing?

SPEAKER_00 20:32

Sure. Um, I love Helen Holong. I think, you know, reading The Kids Quotient honestly was the book that made me, you know, seeing a woman of color write this story about people of color falling in love. I was that's the first time that I was like, oh, okay, I can really do this too. Um, I also really love Beverly Jenkins. Uh, of course, writes historical romance. And I so I started reading his, I started reading romance many years ago through historical romance. So the majority of the authors who really inspired my career were Beverly Jenkins, Lisa Claytis, Tessa Dare, Laura Kinfell, all of the historical romance authors that I was reading. Um, but Helen Hawong definitely was a big influence. Also, Britt Bennett, who writes um literary fiction. Um, The Mothers and uh The Vanishing Calf are two of my favorite books. So I was also very inspired by her, too. Because I think that she writes about the African American experience for like kind of like millennials. Because the books that she, you know, the ages of the characters that she was writing about were kind of like around my age. I'm 30. How old am I? I'm 33. I'm 33. And so that the time that her the books were out, like the characters were like around my age. Um, and so she's also an author who is fire feet, even though she's not romance.

SPEAKER_02 21:55

I haven't read any of her books, so I'll have to definitely check her out. I love what you said. Helen Huang. Before we start this interview, I kind of talked about how the neighbor favor was part of my resurgence for love of reading. And what actually started that like period of my life was the kiss quotient by Helen Huong. One of my friends had recommended to me in college. I like picked it up for just the beach read and absolutely got obsessed with the series and then just obsessed with reading all over again. So oh my gosh, I could talk about that book all day. Um we talk about books, but Noelle also really likes the film Brown Sugar. It's mentioned a couple times in the book. Is that one of your favorite films as well?

SPEAKER_00 22:36

It is. I watched that movie so many times when I was younger. Like it used to always be on HBO. And so this is but when before HBO was like it used to be part of a regular cable package. Um, and I just feel like it was on TV all the time. And I love Sonia Lee Finn, and I love Tay Diggs too in the movie. Um, and so it's just, I think, a perfect rom-com. I think it's just a perfect movie.

SPEAKER_02 23:07

I'm sad to say that I haven't seen we haven't seen it.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

Oh my gosh, you have.

SPEAKER_02 23:11

But you're really inspiring me reading about it and not hearing you talk about it, that I'll have to add it to my my summer movie list. I have a list of movies that I really want to get through this summer. So it's got it's gotta add to the list. So we talked about Noelle and Jeremiah for a bit, but I do want to go back to them because they did have such amazing chemistry. And one thing I really do kind of like about your spicy scenes is that they're so passionate, but I feel like they're not like in my face overdone. Like it's just enough for me. And I was like, if you're comfortable talking about intimate scenes, what do you think is the key to having a successful chapter like that?

SPEAKER_00 23:49

I think that what's most important about intimacy scenes is um that they feel one that that that they they come because really intimacy scenes are being used as a plot device. It's they're being used as a way to show how the characters are bringing all of their different thoughts and emotions about themselves and about each other to that experience, and it's it's really a way to progress them forward. And um I think that what makes those scenes work is the all the work that happens prior to um them deciding to get intimate. Um and I so I think that's really just what those shines show is just how and a different way that they are relating to each other based on all the things that we have learned about them through the various chapters leading up to that. And then once that happens, they can't go back, you know. It's like that's sort of like you reach the point of no return. So then what happens now? It's still really, I think, when it's done. And I think most romance authors are do use it this way, is like it's a way to show you how the characters are then going to move forward.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

Right, right. I think the lead up is so important because I think we since we knew so much of what their relationship and chemistry was like outside the bedroom, it made those scenes like that much more like realistic and enjoyable. You're so great at writing kind of like romantic tension. And I felt like there was definitely a little bit of tension between Amara and Danny. I was wondering, is that teasing the second book in this series? And is there anything you you can you can tease and let us know?

SPEAKER_00 25:35

Um, I can say that the next book is about them, and that is all I can say.

SPEAKER_02 25:42

Okay, okay, I'll take it. I'll take that. And then, of course, in this book, there is fake dating. And I feel like there's also a little bit of fake dating in the partner plot because they are married, but they do kind of have to play along with this husband and wife narrative. Is that your favorite trope to write?

SPEAKER_00 26:00

No, I wouldn't say it's my favorite. I think my favorite trope is marriage of convenience. Um, so I I think it was fun though. It was fun. I I I wouldn't say it's it's my I don't think fake dating is my favorite because there's it's what I love it. Like I love all the tropes, but it's definitely like not my top three. I would say my top three are marriage of convenience. I love that in whatever subgenre, sci-fi, historical, whatever. I love marriage of convenience. I also love epistolary, so like letter writing, email writing, any kind of anonymous correspondence. I love those are probably my top two. Um fake dating is always fun though. Um, but it was fun to write, especially between Noel and Jeremiah, because I think a lot of the like in the partner plot with their fake dating or their fake marriage, they have a lot of like angst or like uh negative feelings, not necessarily about each other, but about their breakup. And so they are trying to like they're being forced to be in this marriage, even though they have a lot of history that they have not unpacked. And it's so that felt like a little angsty. Like this, this is a person who broke my heart. Now I have to look at him every day. Whereas in I almost forgot the name of this book, Summer Girlfriend. This is what happens to me. You have too many. Um, and the summer girlfriend, they don't have that kind of history, so it's just it was just fun, it was a lot more the right writing process was it was a little bit uh lighter because it's just the two of them being like, Oh, I really like this other person, but I'm not supposed to, you know, and so it was just a little bit lighter when I was writing.

SPEAKER_02 27:57

Of course. Well, fake dating is my favorite. There's fake dating, I'm nine out of ten times going to pick up the book. So I had to ask, we have a couple of minutes left. So I have two more questions. You just talked about all the tropes that you love. Is there a trope that you don't like and don't feel like you could ever tackle? Very popular here on main chapter. The pregnancy trope is a very hot take. People don't like writing about pregnancy, accidental pregnancy, but is there any trope that you're just like, I'm never doing it hands off?

SPEAKER_00 28:26

So I am of the mindset that anything can be done well. And so I totally understand how people feel about like a secret baby or uh accidental pregnancy. Um, I absolutely 100% understand why that those make people anxious. Um, but then you read a really good one and you're like, wow. Like I think about like Ready or Not by Kira Ba Stone or um Out on a Limb by Hannah Baum Young. Those are two accidental pregnancy romance novels that I think I really love. They're like excellent. Um and so I guess my my thing is sort of like you know, you don't know until you read each other really well. Cause I used to think that way about second chance. Like, what's the point of dating somebody, you know? And then I read some really good second chance romances and I was like, oh, actually, you know, and then I wrote one. So I was like, oh, actually, you know, this makes sense. Um, and so I don't know if there's anything I wouldn't write. I would say for right now, I probably wouldn't write accidental pregnancy only because I've never been pregnant before, and I wouldn't want to write that experience if I haven't read it yet.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

Yeah, I feel like pregnancy is hard for me to read because there are people my age having babies, but I'm on the mindset where I'm like, no baby, not now. I don't want one. And so when I read about them, it's hard for me to really get into it. But I have read a couple where it is done well. So I agree that even if it's not your trope, there are other things. I love how you're like, you second chance, you were nervous to write it, but then you tried it and it worked out. Because I had a writer a few weeks ago and it was Friends of the Lovers, where she was like, Friends of Lovers makes no sense to me. She wrote a Friends of the Lovers and it worked out. Yeah. Of course. So my last question is you're going on a book tour this summer, which is so exciting. Is there anything that you're really looking forward to or want people to know?

SPEAKER_00 30:20

Uh, I'm just really looking forward to being able to talk to people about something new, you know, because I was working on the some uh the Green Sisters for the last handful of years. And so, you know, I'm excited to meet people in person and have them, you know, meet a whole new family.

SPEAKER_02 30:40

So that's gonna be so fun. I'm jealous of going to the Rip Bodice in Brooklyn. I go to one here in LA all the time, the OG, but I haven't been to the New York one yet. And it's not, it's on my bucket list.

SPEAKER_00 30:53

Yeah, I love that story.

SPEAKER_02 30:55

Yeah, so it's so great. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you enjoyed that. Be sure to read The Summer Girlfriend if you haven't already, and look out for Christina Forrest's other works. If you didn't hear me 10 times during the interview, I absolutely love her writing style and think you all will as well. Also, be sure to like and subscribe so we can continue growing. I hope you all have a great week, my book butterflies. I'll see you next time.