I am an English professor, but I do not limit my reading to scholarly texts and profound books. I also enjoy the experience of getting lost in an engaging genre novel. There are those who disparage such stories as escapist fiction, but I do not see escapism as a bad thing. One of the reasons why people read for leisure is to escape their everyday lives for a few hours, to get swept up in the experiences of other people, and to travel (albeit vicariously) to other places and times. I have great respect for authors who provide their readers with such pleasurable escapes. Two Charlotte-area authors who excel in this type of writing are Alissa DeRogatis and Lisa Williams Kline. Both authors have new novels that are ideal for readers who are seeking summer escapes.
Alissa recently burst on Charlotte’s writing scene with her new novel titled Call It What You Want. My friends at Park Road Books told me that Alissa’s book is getting a lot of buzz among their customers this summer, so I decided to contact Alissa and ask her for more information about her novel. Here is what she sent to me:
Call It What You Want is my debut novel. Originally self-published in 2023, it was re-released under Sourcebooks Landmark on June 18, 2024. It’s a contemporary fiction novel that follows college senior Sloane Hart, who’s never had a serious relationship and doesn’t plan on it now. Sloane wants to spend her last year focusing on finding a job so that she can move to New York and pursue her dream of being a writer. When she meets her neighbor Ethan Brady, she falls for him hard and fast. Ethan doesn’t want a girlfriend, and Sloane can’t imagine her life without him. Nostalgic, heartfelt, and profoundly cathartic, Call It What You Want is an ode to almost-love stories—the kinds with no labels, no promises, and the potential to turn your entire world upside down.
As a communication major and journalism minor (and a proud UNC Charlotte alum) I’ve always loved to write, but I never had any intentions of publishing a novel until I found myself in a similar relationship to Sloane. When that relationship ended, and I was in the early stages of heartbreak, I was tired of reading happily ever afters. I wanted a book that understood me. So, I started writing Call It What You Want.
Its journey to publication is a wild one—it’s rare and my greatest accomplishment. After its initial self-published release in June 2023, it blew up on TikTok. Within two weeks, it was charting on Amazon (#1 in New Adult and College Fiction, #38 in overall books). I signed a contract with my agent at CAA in July and a two-book deal with Sourcebooks in August. Thanks to a heartbreak and a whirlwind of a summer, I’m now a full-time author. I’m currently working on my second novel, which is expected to be published in 2025.
For readers who want to know more about Alissa and her writing, please click on the following link: www.alissaderogatis.com
I first met Lisa Kline in 2017 when she gave a guest presentation to one of the creative writing classes at UNC Charlotte. At the time, I was serving as the Chair of the English Department, and she came by my office after her presentation. We talked a bit about her writing career, and she told me about her books for children and young adults. Since then, Lisa has turned to writing novels for adult readers, including her recently published work of historical romance titled Between the Sky and the Sea. I contacted Lisa and asked her for more information about this novel. Here is what she sent to me:
The discovery of the remains of the steamship Pulaski thirty-five miles off the coast of North Carolina in 2018 fascinated me. I devoured the Charlotte Observer articles about the exploration of the 1838 wreck, and then did further research. I read articles by survivors and historians that described the ship built for speed, the electrifying explosion, the loss of hundreds of lives and thousands of gold pieces. I happened to stumble upon an article from the Delaware Gazette from 1838 that described how a Mr. Ridge from New Orleans and a Miss Onslow from Savannah had survived on two floating settees. When the ship sank, they had seen each other on board, possibly felt drawn to each other, but had not been introduced. When they were rescued four days later, they were engaged. Was this story true? Some think it might have been the invention of a reporter, but it continued to fascinate me. Did they indeed marry? If so, how might their marriage have fared, forged during four such unforgettable days?
The idea took hold, and I couldn’t let go. I wrote the book during Covid, and I found the publisher, Dragonblade Publishing, on a tip from my writer friend Betsy Thorpe. Published in 2023, the book has been a book club favorite, to my delight.
I was recently thrilled to learn that Between the Sky and the Sea has been named a 2024 Next Generation Indies Award Finalist in the Romance category. Between the Sky and the Sea is in stock at The Trope Bookshop in Charlotte and can be ordered by Park Road Books and Main Street Books and of course online.
For readers who want to know more about Lisa and her writing, please click on the following link: www.lisawilliamskline.com
I thank Alissa and Lisa for providing me with information about their new novels and for providing everyone in Storied Charlotte with such entertaining and well-told stories.