Author Name: Renée Carlino
Book Title: This Used to Be Us
Book Genre: Women’s Fiction
Release Date: July 9, 2024
Publisher: Dial Press
Welcome, Renée! How would you describe This Used to be Us?
This Used to Be Us is a modern marriage story, written from dual perspectives that follows Danielle and Alex through a divorce after 22 years together. They decide to get a nesting apartment to share while swapping days with the children at the family home. The shared apartment, away from the family home is where Danielle and Alex, on their own, begin to reflect on the last two decades –– why they fell in love, and why the marriage fell apart. As Danielle and Alex get to know their autonomous selves again, life still has some curve balls to throw their way. Did I mention I love making readers cry? 😉 Hopefully it’s a cathartic journey for readers, reminding us all the importance of loving our people well.
What sparked the idea for this book?
I had read Mating in Captivity by Esther Perell and Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff around the same time. While I was reading those two books, I was thinking a lot about how there are two sides to every love story and every breakup. Also, a close friend was going through a divorce where her and her ex decided to get a nesting apartment. It provided some interesting experiences for the both of them.
How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do any research?
It took me about a year to write the book. It was the first book that I had completed before I sold it since my debut novel twelve books ago. It allowed me to take my time and really explore the themes of love and care in a long-term relationship even after divorce.
What drew you to writing women’s fiction?
I had been writing new adult contemporary romance for a long time and wanted to write characters who were more my age, and experiencing the events many of my friends were going through.
What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?
My favorite part about writing is the actual daily writing itself. I always tell aspiring writers that you have to love the act of writing and want to do it with the knowledge that potentially no one will ever read it. I think it’s important to recognize that you have to be a writer before you try to be an author. The most challenging part is trying to sell the idea to another person, be it an agent or editor. Novelists can be long-winded. Sometimes it’s hard to rein me back in.
Any words of wisdom you give your pre-published writer self (or to a new writer)?
Write every day and write in a genre you enjoy reading.
What are your interests outside of writing and reading?
I love yoga, the beach, and hanging out with my two teenage sons.
Are you working on a new project? Please tell us about it.
I am working on a new project. I’m adapting THIS USED TO BE US for the screen and I am also working on another novel. Details coming soon.
Where can readers find you?
I will be at Book Bonanza in Grapevine Texas this June. https://www.thebookwormbox.com/book-bonanza
Thank you, Renée! This Used to be Us is out today.
This Used to be Us
After twenty-two years together, Danielle and Alex are getting a divorce. Once fiercely in love, they can barely stand the sound of each other’s voice. Instead of shuttling the kids between two broken homes, Alex and Dani decide to share a nesting apartment while swapping days with their two teenage boys at the family home.
In the apartment, Dani and Alex, on their own, begin to reflect on the last two decades—why they fell in love and why the marriage fell, spectacularly, apart. With the newfound space and time, they are given a chance to rediscover their autonomous selves again. They both get back in the dating pool. Dani finds major success at work as a showrunner on her own TV project, while Alex faces the challenges of a new relationship.
Author bio:
Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and the bestselling author of Sweet Thing, Nowhere But Here, After the Rain, Before We Were Strangers, Swear on This Life, and Wish You Were Here, which was optioned for film with Julia Stiles directing. She lives in San Diego with her two sons.