DEBUT SPOTLIGHT: EDEN APPIAH-KUBI
Today, I’m beyond pleased to feature Eden Appiah-Kubi, debut author of THE BENNET WOMEN, a contemporary romance inspired by Pride and Prejudice, centering an ambitious and joyful Black engineering student named EJ—the “Elizabeth” of this story and the RA of a women’s dorm at a prestigious private college. THE BENNET WOMEN has all the cozy fall vibes. Reading Eden’s novel brought many fond memories of my own years at college, and I loved all the diversity and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity among her characters. This novel would be a wonderful gift for the romance-lover in your life who is just getting ready to go to college, as many of the themes will resonate with new adult readers and older readers alike. I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing THE BENNET WOMEN early, thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Montlake Romance. If you’d like to see my full review, you can do so here
THE FULL SYNOPSIS
In this delightfully modern spin on Pride and Prejudice, love is a goal, marriage is a distant option, and self-discovery is a sure thing.
Welcome to Bennet House, the only all-women’s dorm at prestigious Longbourn University, home to three close friends who are about to have an eventful year. EJ is an ambitious Black engineering student. Her best friend, Jamie, is a newly out trans woman studying French and theatre. Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major with guy trouble. For them, Bennet House is more than a residence—it’s an oasis of feminism, femininity, and enlightenment. But as great as Longbourn is for academics, EJ knows it can be a wretched place to find love.
Yet the fall season is young and brimming with surprising possibilities. Jamie’s prospect is Lee Gregory, son of a Hollywood producer and a gentleman so charming he practically sparkles. That leaves EJ with Lee’s arrogant best friend, Will. For Jamie’s sake, EJ must put up with the disagreeable, distressingly handsome, not quite famous TV actor for as long as she can.
What of it? EJ has her eyes on a bigger prize, anyway: launching a spectacular engineering career in the “real world” she’s been hearing so much about. But what happens when all their lives become entwined in ways no one could have predicted—and EJ finds herself drawn to a man who’s not exactly a perfect fit for the future she has planned?
“Funny, poignant, and wickedly clever—I’ll be hunting for everything Eden Appiah-Kubi writes from here on out.” —Courtney Milan, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
And now for our interview…
Paulette: I enjoyed reading The Bennet Women so much, Eden! Can you tell us a little bit about your debut novel and what inspired the story?
Eden: The Bennet Women is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set on an elite Massachusetts college campus. My novel follows best friends EJ and Jamie through their senior year. EJ is an ambitious Black engineering student trying to find the best way to launch her career while Jamie is navigating her first year on campus as an out trans woman. Things get interesting for the friends at the school’s Fall Formal where Jamie sparks a romance with the handsome (and wealthy) Lee. To support her friend’s new relationship EJ must put up with Lee’s best friend, Will Pak—a wealthy C-List actor who’s on campus for unclear reasons.
This story has an origin story! Back in 2007, I decided to start taking my fiction more seriously and joined a writing group. It was one that met in members' houses. The host was always responsible for providing dinner—I think the food was to make sure everybody turned up. (We were mostly in our 20s.) Every meeting started with a short writing exercise chosen by the host. One fateful evening, the prompt was to rewrite a famous scene from classic literature. I immediately thought of the proposal scene from Pride and Prejudice.
My hero and heroine have always been EJ and Will. She’s always been a middle-class Black RA; he’s always been obnoxious, rich, and Asian American. At the time I was two years out of college and remembering how much a small college campus could feel like an English village. The writing just flowed.
Paulette: I love that back story! Longbourn’s campus really does feel like a small English village. I was drawn to the atmosphere you created so quickly. It’s really clever how you spun the themes in P&P and made them your own. EJ is such a compelling heroine and I loved all of her friends as well.
Can you tell us a little more about your writing process and how it’s changed since you first began writing?
Eden: Process…what’s a process? (j/k) I can say the first draft of this novel was written mostly during my long commute on the Metro—but that was before I had a baby (I should say “kid,” she’s 5 now). As life changes, I had to adjust. Now, I try to write every day--even if it's a paragraph. I write chronologically so if I’ve drafted something that doesn’t fit that point in the story—or if I don't know what I want to do with it-- I paste it in a document called "This Goes Somewhere." That’s where my writing scraps stay until I need them. Finally, I think I do my best work when I’m in a critique group or have some sort of accountability partner. It helps me really look at my craft--plus it gives me deadlines. I need a deadline. I think it’s the former aspiring journalist in me.
When I'm doing my best writing, it feels like I'm just sitting down with my characters and taking dictation. Whether that’s happening in a notebook or on a laptop, that connection to my characters is what keeps me going.
Paulette: That’s such a wonderful feeling—when the character’s voice is so fully formed and real that they are almost like a living person whispering in your ear. And I totally hear you on deadlines and having critique partners! I need that kind of accountability as well. My main critique partner and I often draft together, trading chapters as we go, so we won’t fall off the wagon. It’s so helpful, especially since drafting is my least favorite part of the process.
How about you? Do you have a favorite and least favorite aspect of writing?
Eden: My favorite is when I read a section back and realize I conveyed everything I wanted without weighing the scene down: dialogue, surroundings, mood, pacing. When you can practically hear the harmony on the page.
The worst part is when no one likes my favorite idea but me. My first draft of The Bennet Women was third person omniscient with footnotes. I still think it was funnier, but I don't think it would have ever gotten published. I did a massive rewrite after the first round of submissions all had problems with the voice.
Even though I miss my footnotes, I do think the best version of this novel came out on September 1st.
Paulette: Wow! I can just imagine all the work involved in taking the entire novel out of omniscient POV. But I have to agree. I can’t imagine The Bennet Women being any better than it is! It’s fresh and unique compared to many P&P retellings, and all of the character POVs you included add so much richness to the story—the voices are all so distinct.
And yes! Congrats! It’s your debut week! How are you celebrating this major milestone?
Eden: With food! It’s still our favorite luxury. I’ve pretty much celebrated every big step with a nice meal. Of course weren’t eating inside restaurants last year, so my husband and I celebrated with the nicest takeout we could find and a scenic drive.
Paulette: I hear you! Good food is life and I plan on doing the same thing when it’s my debut week! Even with the pandemic, I’ve tried to celebrate every step along the way, even in small ways—because this is truly my dream-come-true and it takes a lot of hard work and good luck to get here. Debuting is definitely not without its stresses, though. What have been some of the more challenging aspects of your debut year?
Eden: I got my offer in August of 2020. It was the bright spot of a hard year—but even the excitement of a book deal couldn’t alleviate the stress and difficulty of last eighteen months. Plus, the deal itself brought its own pressure. I signed a two-book deal with only one completed manuscript. In the best of times book two was going to be a struggle, but I just could. not. write. Thankfully, my publisher was understanding, but the stress of making no progress write really got to me until I finally talked to my agent.
Paulette: Yes. The pressure to follow up your first act with something just as good or even better than your debut is real, especially under contract. Even though I only have a single book contract, drafting my second book was hard—my attention was a bit scattered this year with the pandemic. It was a really great call for you to ask for more time. If I had any advice to give to new authors negotiating multi-book deals, I would say that would be the biggest thing: ask for more time. I see a lot of my friends struggling with this sort of thing, and those deadlines come up fast. That’s why it’s so important to have an understanding publisher and a supportive agent on your side to be your advocate! I’m so glad that things are going well with book two and I can’t wait to see what you write next.
As a final question— is there any advice you’d like to share with emerging writers, especially those going into their debut year?
Eden: FIND YOUR COMMUNITY. The difference between this being a year of terror and a year of joy is the 2021 Debuts Facebook group, my group chat of fellow Amazon authors, and my mentorship through the DV Debut program. To find your community, I recommend trying out the groups, showing up to agency Happy Hours, and dipping a toe into Instagram (the bookish parts are pretty nice).
Paulette: Community really is everything when you’re debuting—and I’m so glad you’re a part of mine! And yes to Instagram, which is by far the prettiest and most welcoming platform out there when it comes to book stuff! Thanks again for taking the time to chat with me, Eden!
You can purchase The Bennet Women here in eBook, print, or audio formats, or request it from your local independent bookstore.
Eden Appiah-Kubi fell in love with classic novels in fourth grade, when her mom read her Jane Eyre, chapter-by-chapter, as a bedtime story. She’s an alumna of a small New England university with a weird mascot (Go Jumbos!), and a former Peace Corps volunteer. Eden developed her fiction writing through years in a small Washington, DC critique group. Today she works as a Librarian and lives in the DC suburbs with her husband and hilarious daughter. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.