Evann Normandin on The Good Parts & Speculative Romance Recs

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Can you imagine erasing your worst memory — even if it meant erasing the people in it too? Debut author Evann Normandin joins us to talk about her stunning new dual-timeline novel, The Good Parts.

In this episode, Evann shares her long road to publication, the musical that inspired her book's structure, and why she believes The Good Parts was always meant to be her debut. We also dig into her book club-ready recommendations for readers who love a powerful "what if" premise, propulsive second-chance romance, and stories that leave you thinking about what a happy ending really means.

📚 Books Mentioned

The Good Parts by Evann Normandin — Buy on Amazon | Speculative Romance, Book Club Fiction

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary/Romance, Book Club Fiction

The Measure by Nikki Erlick — Buy on Amazon | Speculative Fiction, Book Club Fiction

Every Version of You by Natalie Messier — Buy on Amazon | Second Chance Romance

⏱️ Timestamps

• [00:00] Welcome & intro to Evann Normandin
• [00:01] Evann's day job in educational publishing
• [00:02] The path to debut: earlier books that didn't sell
• [00:04] Signing with agent Michelle Wolfson & landing the book deal
• [00:05] Elevator pitch: the dual past/present timeline structure
• [00:06] How the musical The Last Five Years inspired the format
• [00:07] Plotting vs. pantsing — how much was mapped out in advance
• [00:09] The full elevator pitch: Rose, Landon, and the memory-erasing pill
• [00:10] The ethical questions that make it a great book club pick
• [00:12] Evann's reading life & recommendations begin
• [00:12] In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
• [00:14] The Measure by Nikki Erlick
• [00:15] Every Version of You by Natalie Messier
• [00:16] Where to find Evann online

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