In the Margins with Joss Richard
"It's Different This Time" author Joss Richard talks her new book, her journey to becoming a published author, and the power of fangirls.
Last year I, like many of you, read and fell in love with It’s Different This Time by Joss Richards. It was her debut, a beautifully autumn-tinged second-chance romance that features some of my favorite things—namely, Broadway musicals, NYC fine dining, friends-to-lovers, a really beautiful brownstone, and mutual pining.
Now she’s back with her second book, a How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days-esque fake-dating rom-com between a sex columnist and a news reporter. Lucy is a sex columnist who’s insistent that you don’t need a partner to feel fulfilled—until her editor points out that the majority of their audience is coupled up, and gently suggests Lucy try out a new angle.
Enter Marshall Oakley, the new senior news writer. Marshall needs a date to his ex’s wedding, so Lucy devises a plan to fake a relationship—she gets to write about finding “the one” (and the fallout from their inevitable breakup) and he gets a no-strings-attached date to prove to his family, friends, and ex that he’s totally moved on. What could go wrong?
I got the chance to chat with Joss about her new book, her writing process, fandom communities, and how she went from writing for fun to becoming a published author. Enjoy!
LC: When did you first get the idea or spark of inspiration that turned into LET’S KISS AND TELL?
JR: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is my comfort watch romcom. I’ve seen it more times than I can even count at this point. When coming up with an idea for my second novel I was thinking of what love stories I really enjoy - HTLAG was one of the first ones I thought of. Then I asked myself why do I love this movie? It’s the power imbalance, the workplace romance, the hijinks, and having two people date each other, but not really date each other. With those ingredients I came up with Let’s Kiss and Tell!
LC: Do you tend to write in order, or are you more loose with structure and sequence when you’re drafting?
JR: I write in chronological order! Because outlining is something I struggle with, I need to go through the motions with my characters and know exactly what they’re thinking in order to dictate how they feel in the next chapter. I envy those who can write out of sequence.
LC: Were there any plot points (without sharing spoilers!) that changed dramatically from your first draft, or did everything stay roughly the same?
JR: Oh gosh, in the very early drafts (before I even gave a draft to my editor) there were logistics about the fake dating that changed, like why they both needed to enter this relationship in the first place. While I love reading fake dating, it turns out writing it is harder than you’d think. To justify why two people who work under the same company would decide to enter a fake relationship is tough and I needed to make it as believable as possible that both Lucy and Marsh saw this relationship as the best option for both of them.
LC: How did you first get into writing?
JR: I used to write Sound of Music and Mary Poppins fanfiction at the age of 12 haha. I never told anyone and never used my real name. It was something just for me. I stopped creative writing for fun in high school and didn’t pick it back up until the pandemic.
Editor’s Note: I freaking love this anecdote. I also used to write a lot of fanfiction when I was a pre-teen. And no, I will never elaborate. :)
LC: You talk a lot about the power of fangirls and fandom in bookish communities. As someone who also grew up writing and reading fanfiction and basically came of age on Tumblr, I really love this perspective. How do you feel this has influenced your writing and career thus far?
JR: Oh my god, I will defend fangirl behavior until the day I die. I’m a fangirl through and through from fanfiction, to Tumblr, to the video edits I made on Windows Movie Maker then posted to YouTube back in the day. The feeling of community you find when you enter a fandom is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I’ve made some of the dearest friendships through fandom with people in completely other cities and states.
“A fandom is a place to be unapologetically and authentically yourself and that comes out when there is art you admire and want to celebrate that with other people.”
A fandom is a place to be unapologetically and authentically yourself and that comes out when there is art you admire and want to celebrate that with other people. Being myself through those years of my life is something I grew to own and try to take that with me through everything I do - whether it be writing or engaging with readers.
LC: I have a lot of aspiring published authors in my audience (myself included!) who are always curious about other writers’ publishing stories. What was your querying, submission, and publishing journey like for your debut novel?
JR: I’m in a bit of a unique situation because I wrote my debut, It’s Different This Time with no intention of publishing it. It was something I wrote for myself, because I hadn’t done that in more than a decade. It wasn’t until I finished and had my husband read it, he encouraged me to try and do something with the book. I quite literally had to google “how to publish a book?”.
Once I decided that I wanted to pursue traditional publishing I wrote down a list of agents I wanted to query. About 3-4 months later I signed with my agent who I adore, and then after a round of notes we went into submission. I had my editor call right before Thanksgiving 2024 and got my deal for It’s Different This Time officially in January 2025, it came out Sept 2025. This a fast turnaround for publishing and I think there were a few factors - the fact that it was a seasonal book and that my agent helped get it into the best possible shape before submitting it to editors.
LC: Do you feel like there are pieces of yourself in your characters at all? I’m always so intrigued by how fiction writers do or do not relate to their characters.
Absolutely. I wouldn’t say I entirely relate to any one character I’ve written, but there are definitely pieces of me in all my FMCs and my MMCs, even side characters. But they’re also mixes of people I’ve met in my lifetime; maybe not directly but mannerisms, opinions, etc.
Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on next?
I just turned in my draft of my next book! I’ll be able to share more soon, but I promise it will have the voice, heart, and realness of It’s Different This Time and Let’s Kiss and Tell!
Rapid Fire
What’s the first book you remember falling in love with?
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie
What’s one book you recommend to absolutely everyone?
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
What are you reading right now?
Embrace by Bal Khabra
Which do you prefer: paperback, hardcover, ebook, or audiobook?
Paperback all the way! I love my trophies!
Let’s Kiss and Tell is available for preorder now, and out everywhere books are sold on August 11th! Thank you so much, Joss, for joining us!
Parenthetical is for the women who dog-ear pages, rewatch the same rom-coms every season, and want their ordinary Tuesdays to feel a little more magical. Paid subscribers get the full Well-Designed Life curriculum, plus Debut Diaries — the unfiltered behind-the-scenes peek at writing (and querying) my first novel.
 | A guest post by
|
I enjoyed reading this interview. How to Lose a Guy is my favourite rom-com movie and it's inspired by that movie, say no more, I'm sold and adding Let's Kiss and Tell to my TBR immediately.
Okay I'm sold, adding Let's Kiss and Tell to my list immediately! The How to Lose a Guy DNA has me hooked already. And I loved hearing that she wrote her debut with zero intention of publishing, then literally googled "how to publish a book." There's something so encouraging about that :) Great interview!!