Love, Jill Tew | Q&A with the Author of An Ocean Apart

What was the first romance novel you read?

Does Anne of Green Gables count? I remember giggling at Anne and Gilbert’s rivals-to-lovers dynamic. A true match of equals, and I loved every second of it.

What romance are you currently reading?

I just finished The Curse of Saints by my friend Kate Dramis. (I’m late to the party, I know!) I’m also reading my friend Nia Davenport’s YA romance debut, Love Spells Trouble, and I’m kicking my feet at how cute it is!

What are your favorite tropes?

I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers of all kinds, especially when the enemies have to work together against their will. There’s just no better recipe for top-tier banter. Love triangles get a bad rap, but I almost always eat them up. Ever since early copies of An Ocean Apart dropped, people have been screaming in my DMs (positively) about Henry vs. Theo, and how it felt impossible to choose. That might be because I truly had no idea who I was going to pick until it was time to turn the book in—I was just as torn as readers!

Who’s your book crush?

Gilbert Blythe (see above!). And this is going to be a spicy take: While I wouldn’t describe Gale from The Hunger Games as my book boyfriend, I will say we don’t give him nearly enough credit for single-handedly trying to support Katniss’s family while she’s in the games. Being a teenager under that kind of pressure, watching Katniss fall for Peeta in the games, watching her almost die . . . it’s certainly enough to radicalize someone. If you have any sympathy for Gale, you might want to keep an eye on Henry in An Ocean Apart. 👀

What inspires your writing?

My dystopian stories are inspired by current events. In the case of An Ocean Apart, I was thinking a lot about the effects of unbridled industry on the environment, and how the wealthiest people in society almost never have to deal with the consequences of where their money comes from; they just hole up in their enclaves in response. The Cruisers in An Ocean Apart take to the seas when climate change disasters become unavoidable on land, which I feel like isn’t so far off from what might actually happen someday.

What’s your favorite part of writing romance?

My favorite love stories are ones where you can see one or both people breaking their own rules for the other person. So I love setting up circumstances where things seem cut-and-dried—of course I’ll never get with them. And then, one scene at a time, the characters begin waffling—oh, maybe just this once, yeah, he’s attractive but that doesn’t mean I’m into him—and as a reader, you know they’re already a lost cause.

Share with us an out-of-context quote from An Ocean Apart!

Theo seems as transfixed as I am. “What are you doing to me?” he whispers, almost to himself.

“What do you mean?”

“I should be working. I don’t get”—he swallows—“like this, with girls. I’ve always been able to stay laser-focused on my research. No distractions.”

“No distractions,” I repeat hazily as he towers over me.

“But I find you very distracting, Skye Renault.”

Describe An Ocean Apart in three emojis.

Just three? Oof, okay:

🚢💃🏾😘

Read An Ocean Apart by Jill Tew