Brianne’s classic, romantic stories are rooted in her knowledge of filmmaking, theater productions, and costuming, as well as an appreciation for zippy, sassy dialogue that would have made Kate Hepburn proud. Brianne visited with us to share what she’s up to these days, and her latest projects.

What’s new in your writing world since last we talked? At the time, you were in the process of releasing Single Indemnity (book 2 in the Phoenix Pictures series).

I have quite a few updates actually! I’ve released another full-length novel, plus two novellas, since Single Indemnity. The full-length, A Kiss to Build a Grudge On, rounded out my Phoenix Pictures series, and I really enjoyed bringing two characters into the spotlight who had been in supporting roles in the previous books.

And then I branched out a bit with my two novellas. While technically set in the same overall universe of late-1940s Hollywood, I gave these whimsical romances a supernatural, fairy-tale inspired twist. Sea Creatures Prefer Redheads has lots of nods to movies like Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Shape of Water, and even The Little Mermaid! And for My Favorite Leopard, I took plenty of inspiration from the screwball classic Bringing Up Baby, along with a hint of the creepy noir Cat People.

How has your writing process evolved? Is there anything you’ve changed now that you have more writing experience under your belt?

Some things feel like they’ve gotten easier the more I write, but then it’s still challenging in other ways! Every story feels like a new experience, and sometimes the plots come easily, while others have needed more trial-and-error. With life and work events in the last couple of years, I also feel like my process has evolved a bit.

I’ve always been a combination of plotter and pants-er, but while I used to lean heavier on pants-ing, with my last couple of projects, I’m making more detailed outlines than I used to. I still change some things as I work and as I get to know my characters better, but my mind is finding it helpful lately to have more of a road map!

You’ve worked on a several novels and novellas at this point. What are the most important things you try to keep in mind as you write (and finish!) a story?

For me, focusing on the characters is really important. And since I write primarily romance, it’s key to make sure the relationship and connection between my main characters is believable, and at the forefront of the story.

I’m also better learning how to “let go” when things aren’t working—sometimes I’ll have a plot point or a scene that I really want to include, but it just doesn’t serve the characters or the overall story as well as it should, and it’s gotten easier for me to recognize when that’s the case.

Are you planning more stories in the Phoenix Pictures world? It’s a cool world, for sure.

Technically, the main Phoenix Pictures series is finished, though I don’t think I’ll ever completely let it go! I do have one more novella planned in the supernatural spin-off series, which I’m hoping to write next year. And my goal is to set more of my books/series in the same overall universe, so you’ll see the occasional Phoenix Pictures reference or cameo appearance pop up in future books. I feel like I could include Max’s famous cheesecake as an Easter-egg in every book!

How do you bring in the right touches of historical background to flesh out the story world you’ve created?

I absolutely loved setting my books in 1940s Hollywood, and it actually didn’t take as much active research as I expected. I grew up watching classic movies, and I have years of TCM fun-facts stored in the back of my mind, so other than doing some research to confirm and back up what I remembered, a lot of the groundwork was already there! This setting felt like a really natural fit for me.

If you weren’t writing in the Phoenix Pictures world, what type of books, genre, series would you delve into?

I plan to continue writing romance for sure, and as I mentioned, I’d like to keep up a shared overall universe in my books. I’m actually working on the first book of a brand-new series right now. This series will also be set in late-1940s Los Angeles, but it centers around the world of department stores and fashion, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with that new research. I got to spend a day at the FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising) Museum’s archives in LA last year, poring over magazines from that time period, and it was a blast!

What do you love most about writing in your chosen genre?

I love the sense of hope I get from romance. There are so many different paths to love and partnership, and I really enjoy exploring the many ways my characters can find their happy endings. I also feel like we all need some moments of uplift lately to recharge our batteries and get us through everything going on. Creating these stories helps keep me going, and I hope that readers can find some joy in what I’m writing!

How do you balance finding time to write with the other things in your life—family, friends, work, etc.?

It’s definitely not easy sometimes. I’d love to be able to focus more of my time on writing, but planning ahead helps sometimes, especially when other work gets busy. Being in the middle of drafting mode on my current work-in-progress, I’ve been trying to schedule myself some specific writing time every week. But my family and friends have been incredibly supportive of my writing, which always inspires me to keep going with it!

Share a little bit about your upcoming work in progress.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m deep in the drafting process of my next work. I’m nearing the final third of the story, and I’m really enjoying spending time with my main characters. Not only is this book the kick-off to a new series, but it’s also the first holiday book I’ve written. It takes place at a house party, over the course of the week leading up to Christmas, and centers on a vivacious department store heiress and a seemingly square greeting card artist. To avoid their families’ matchmaking efforts, they team up to pretend to be enemies, but of course, in grand romance tradition, they have to hide their growing, real feelings for each other. (Spoiler alert, they don’t succeed!) I’m happy with the progress I’m making with these two, and really excited to share their story with readers next year. And of course, to get Michele’s fantastic editing feedback on it!

Where can readers find you?

I’m on Twitter and Instagram a lot, @BooksbyBrianne in both places. And a full list of all my books and where to find them can be found on my website, www.briannegillen.com. You can also sign up for my newsletter updates here.