#5 Rachel Lynn Solomon: Pop Stars, Slutty Little Earrings, and Emotionally Mature Men

The Everygirl Book Club hosts an interview with author Rachel Lynn Solomon ahead of her novel Extracurricular, about former pop star Ramona Wilder starting college and developing chemistry with her psychology professor, Nick, while trying to escape a toxic, objectifying career and heal from an emotionally abusive mother. Solomon discusses the books that made her want to write (especially Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries), her chaotic “Mad Libs” drafting process across YA and adult, and why adult romance allows broader life questions and more explicit content while still modeling healthy desire, consent, and communication for teens. She explains her draw to entertainment settings, researching authentic Los Angeles details, crafting a charged meet-cute, and balancing the professor-student power dynamic by giving Ramona agency.

00:00 Meet Rachel Lynn Solomon

02:46 Drafting Process

03:55 YA Versus Adult Romance

06:23 Fanfic Reader Origins

09:47 Why Entertainment Settings

14:10 Writing Extracurricular

23:53 Strangers And Meet Cutes

28:17 Fame Persona vs Person

30:40 Balancing Pop and Trauma

34:04 Girlhood and Fandom

39:12 Parasocial Loneliness

44:23 Tropes as Marketing

50:22 Therapy is Sexy

53:10 Book Recs and Farewell

Books Mentioned

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Business Or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Isn't It Obvious? by Rachel Runya Katz

Fifty Shades Of Grey by E. L. James

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Warriors Series by Erin Hunter

The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O'Clover

If Not You by Ellen O'Clover

Just a Highland Fling by Naina Kumar

Musicians/Artists Mentioned

Taylor Swift

Olivia Rodrigo

Charli XCX

The Smiths

The Cure

One Direction

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