Indie Support Sunday: Megan Becker
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
You know how someone is meant to be a writer when they tell you a story about how they’ve been doing it since the second grade. That’s how Megan Becker starts this interview and I love that she was so compelled to write, not even quizzes and tests could stop her from making that happen! While she might have started with a piece of speculative fiction, reading one romance novel is all it took to change her stride. Now, we’re the lucky ones who get to read her very own romance novels.
Her Mates & Dates series has two books out right now with a third coming soon, and she’s only getting started. Megan’s stories might be more of ajar door to closed door in terms of spice, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in tension and excitement. In fact, like a lot of us, she lets the story dictate the kind of direction it’s going to take.
All of Megan’s books can be found in Kindle Unlimited!
BEING AN AUTHOR
Who or what inspired you to write?
I’ve loved writing since I was in second grade. My third grade teacher saw that I was writing poems on the backs of my tests and quizzes and gave me a journal to write in instead so I could hold on to all my work. That was a catalyst for me—this first moment when someone believed in my work and encouraged me. And then I just kept going, for me, because it was something I loved!
Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?
Life is short, and I didn’t want to wait years for someone to maybe decide my book was “good enough”. I’ve had this dream to publish a book for thirty years, and I wanted to make it happen! Plus, I didn’t want to lose any sort of creative control over my work. It’s great, but it’s also realllllllly hard. But I love it.
If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?
How much time do you have? 😂Bridge To Terabithia (my favorite book from childhood)The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (my favorite book now!)I also really loved The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Great writing and super twisty!
What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?
If you write, you’re a writer. Be proud!
Write, write, write. A crappy first draft is something you can work with.
Build real, authentic, good relationships with other writers, indie bookstores, influencers, and more. Champion their work and support them.
Check your ego at the door. You will feel like the best writer in the world and thirty seconds later feel like no one cares about your work. It’s hard. It sucks. And it’s perfectly normal.
Read, read, read.
ROMANCE AS A GENRE
Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?
The first book I wrote was speculative fiction, full of conspiracies. Super dark stuff. After one round of edits, I visited a new bookstore near me and they recommended Book Lovers by Emily Henry, which had just come out. It was the first romance novel I ever read, and after reading it I abandoned my other book and wrote Coffee Dates. What I love about the genre is that it’s light and happy but can also tell so many stories about other relationships and self discovery, while giving a great romance.
If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?
I really want to figure out how to write a cozy murder mystery.
What are your most and least favorite tropes?
Forced proximity and only one bed tropes are my favorites! I’m not a huge fan of the surprise pregnancy trope.
What are some tropes you want to write in the future?
I have an idea for a workplace romance, and I’d really like to write a second chance romance, too.
If you write closed door romance, why did you choose that and what are your favorite ways to build tension between the characters?
I write a mix of open and closed door (or door ajar/door nearly-closed) romance. It’s important to me to tell the story the way it needs to be told. Coffee Dates was a slow burn, so there was tension in the will-they-won’t-they factor. Ship Mates flings the door open and stumbles in, drunk and giggly. It just felt like it needed to be spicier, because the characters are much more intense and flirty.
YOUR BOOKS
What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?
I love Broadway! Every time I go to NYC, I think I’m going to run into someone famous (it’s never happened). I had the thought, What if someone bumped into their favorite celebrity in a coffee shop? Writing Coffee Dates felt like writing a daydream because everything flowed really easily.
Ship Mates was a title I knew I wanted to use, so I was trying to fit a story to the title. I love cruising, and I figured a ship would be a great setting for a forced proximity trope! But I couldn’t just have two people go on a cruise together… or be able to avoid each other if they had gone separately. I needed something that would really force them to spend time interacting with each other, which is how the pen pal grandma idea developed.
Can you briefly tell me about your books?
Coffee Dates is a slow burn, strangers-to-friends-to-lovers book. NYC setting, , roommates, celebrity romance. Super sweet (but kind of tortured?) MMC. A coffee shop meet cute. Dancing in the rain. swoon
If you want more spice and a faster pace, Ship Mates is for you. Terrible ocean puns, “meddling matriarchs” who try to play matchmaker, and banter (OMG the BANTER!) all await.
Band Mates is a great romance, but also a story about friendship and a little bit about grief. The FMC, Mia, has had a crush on her best friend’s brother since they were teenagers… and now she’s staying in his guest room for two months. There are so many feels in this one, and it’s funny but also at times poetic, and I love it.
Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?
I love all of them, but Sawyer Dawson (Ship Mates) is the dream MMC. I’m obsessed.
If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?
In Coffee Dates I’d cast Emma Roberts as Hillary and Aaron Tveit (without the beard) as Dalton. Sydney Sweeney would make an excellent Samantha.
Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?
Important elements? Yes. I want to include relationships beyond the romantic one, as well as some kind of self discovery. So you might see characters examine friendships or familial relationships, too.
Unimportant elements? YES. Kayaks will always make an appearance, as will my family’s “word of the year” for the past four years.
What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?
Sure! Out on May 13 is Band Mates, also part of the Mates & Dates collection. It uses a lot of flashbacks and the best friend’s brother trope. I LOVE this one! I’m also working on book 4! It’s festive and cute—think fake dating with fireside hot cocoa and only one bed.
When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?
I actually embedded my hope in Coffee Dates, in something Hillary says. In high school I had this teacher who asked our class, ‘Did you ever finish a book so good that when you were done, you just wanted to touch it?’ Basically, have you ever read a book that was special or made you feel things so deeply that you just needed to hold it when you finished it? I want to create that for my readers.
AUTHOR’S CHOICE
Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks
Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense
Single or Dual POV
Standalones, series or standalones in a series
Open door, ajar door or closed door romances
Music or silence when writing
Plotter, pantser or plantser
Water, tea, coffee or….wine?
Cold or warm weather
Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?
Illustrated or photo cover?
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