Power Moves is a high-stakes office romance and follows Camilla ‘Millsy’ Hatton, a workaholic with a campaign trail to manage and an office enemy Archie Cohen.
Good Reading caught up with Leesa to chat about her latest romance.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Camilla ‘Millsy’ Hatton is a perfectly content workaholic. She’s the woman in charge of media for the state’s education minister, and every day is a frantic mix of deadlines and damage control. But it’s all worth it when there’s an election to win.
The only thing standing in her way is Archie Cohen. Back when they were at university together, he was a stone-faced jock. Now, he’s the nation’s favourite political journalist – aka her work nemesis – and it seems he’ll stop at nothing to take down Millsy’s boss with his damning headlines.
In their tangled web of media and politics, Millsy and Archie are used to high stakes and high drama. But when their game of cat-and-mouse starts heating up, there’s suddenly more to lose than ever before. Millsy starts to wonder: has she been doctoring the truth for so long she’s forgotten what it looks like?
**********
MEET LEESA RONALD
What inspired Power Moves?
I wanted to write a romcom with a backdrop of media and politics because I knew there would be so many opportunities for conflict and mind games. There’s also a lot of dark comedy in that world; it was fun to satirise.
Did you draw on any real-life experiences or observations in politics, journalism or media when conceiving Millsy and Archie?
Absolutely. I’m a media nerd – I love the strategy behind crisis communications and as a Pollyanna-ish citizen of the world, I believe the fourth estate plays a really important role in society. I’ve worked adjacent to news media and politics for ages, so I gleefully drew on that experience to bring Millsy’s and Archie’s stories to life.
What was the most challenging or rewarding part of writing Millsy’s character arc?
It’s tempting in romcoms to want to resolve every character flaw and tie everything up in a neat bow, so it was challenging but rewarding to resist that to an extent. The end result (I hope!) is characters that feel layered and messy, but heart-warmingly real. Millsy’s evolving relationship with her family was also a joy to write.
The book is set in the high-stakes world of politics and media. How much research did you do into political campaigns?
As someone who never has enough time in the day, I dislike the idea of committing too many hours to research. Luckily, I already knew a fair bit about media and politics before starting this book, however I did go down some very entertaining and esoteric Reddit rabbit holes. My social media algorithm went a bit weird for a while.
Wha
t does your writing routine look like? Do you have any habits or rituals that help you get in the zone?
As of a few months ago, I have six precious hours a week dedicated to writing (Friday school hours). I also write most evenings if I don’t have other work/family/life commitments. On my sacred writing days, I always go to a café after school drop-off and smash out as much as I can before I need lunch and head home. I find it always harder to write at home because I get distracted with boring stuff (laundry) and delicious stuff (snacks). Sometimes I light a candle but that’s mainly for vibes rather than anything useful.
What lessons from your first book helped when writing Power Moves?
When I first submitted Special Delivery, I got a return email from a publisher that led with, “What a romp!”. That’s now the lens through which I assess my work. If it’s not a romp, I don’t want to write it. I wasn’t conscious of it at the time, but writing Special Delivery helped me clarify my author voice. Basically, I aspire to write ambitious smart-girl romcoms that make people laugh and then make them think.
Knowing the editing process also helped the second time around. With Special Delivery I thought the publishers were going to fix the manuscript for me after I submitted it. I didn’t realise they’d enlist me to do the work!
What’s your favourite romance trope? Why?
I love enemies-to-lovers because there are so many opportunities for banter (a la Book Lovers by Emily Henry) and the pay-off at the end is so much more satisfying after they’ve had to overcome so many internal and external obstacles. I find second-chance romances also rip my heart out (in a good way!) and I also adore Mhairi McFarlane’s Who’s That Girl which is an excellent normie-meets-celeb story.
Can you tell us about any other projects you’re working on?
My third romcom should be out for Christmas next year. It’s a globetrotting sports romance and I’m cracking myself up writing it. (I used to work in professional sports, so again, I am focusing on topics that require minimal investment of research time!) I’m also trying to write an Andy Griffiths-style middle-grade book with my eight-year-old son. We basically throw around ideas as if we’re in a writers’ room until they become so hilarious and ridiculous that I have to commit the words to the screen. The working title is: The Most Stressed Mum in the World (And Her Annoying Kid).
No prizes for guessing the inspiration!
**********
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leesa Ronald is the author of Special Delivery, a rom-com debut published by Allen & Unwin.
She grew up on a farm in Central West NSW and used schoolwork as an excuse to avoid sheepwork. Luckily, her parents indulged her ‘commitment’ to her studies, which sparked her lifelong love of words and an enduring fear of hard labour.
After studying Media & Communications at the University of Sydney, Leesa worked in magazines before pivoting to corporate communications.
She now works and lives in Orange, NSW, with her family.
0 Comments