Kathleen Barber is the author of Truth Be Told, which was adapted into a series on AppleTV+ by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine media company, and Follow Me. A graduate of the University of Illinois and Northwestern University School of Law, she now lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and children.

Tell us about Both Things Are True. What was the idea that sparked this story?

Both Things Are True is a second-chance romance about a yoga influencer who appears to be living a charmed life: she’s a celebrity in certain circles and engaged to a handsome, wealthy man. But when that handsome, wealthy man flees the country under allegations of fraud, her life is turned completely upside down. She moves back to Chicago to live with her sister and begin rebuilding her life, and that’s where she encounters the ex-boyfriend whom she never stopped loving. There’s still a spark there, but she believes she ruined his life once before, and she doesn’t want to be responsible for ruining it again.

A significant part of this story was inspired by the idea of change: Vanessa and Sam had an intense relationship when they were younger, and things fell apart. But years have passed, and both of them have grown and changed, and they’re getting the opportunity for a do-over—something that wouldn’t have been possible if neither of them had changed.

Vanessa is a yoga influencer starting over after public scandal. What interested you about writing a protagonist navigating the intersection of personal reinvention and social media visibility?

I’ve always been interested in influencers and the decision to share your life on the internet, and more recently, I’d started thinking about what happens if you become the Main Character on the internet. How can you live your life if you’re a collective punch line? Another part of this story was inspired by my watching the Fyre Festival documentaries back-to-back. I couldn’t get over how the organizer, who seemed to be an obvious con, so clearly viewed himself as the protagonist in the story, and I started wondering what it would be like to be the girlfriend of a guy like this. There you are, minding your own business, when your boyfriend chases some harebrained scheme and suddenly your good name is getting dragged through the mud alongside his. That’s essentially what happens to Vanessa after Jack bankrupts his crypto exchange and flees the country under fraud allegations. Vanessa’s entire career has been built on her reputation, so when she doesn’t have that any longer—and the citizens of the internet won’t let her forget it—she has to start from scratch. This puts her in a bad spot, but narratively, she needed to be shocked out of her complacency so that she could rebuild her life into something better.

What made you make the switch from writing a thriller to writing a rom-com?

A couple of years ago, I went away for a long weekend with some friends for a self-styled writing retreat. The three of them were all working on rom-coms and book club fiction, and they looked like they were having somuch fun. In contrast, I was struggling with a thriller I couldn’t quite plot and having absolutely no fun at all. I decided to set aside not only the manuscript I was working on, but the whole genre—at least for a bit—to try a rom-com, and I was surprised at how easily the story came together. I still enjoy writing thrillers (and have one coming out in 2026), but I hope to write more rom-coms as well!

What are your thoughts on switching genres and how have you navigated this departure within your publishing journey?

I was worried that readers wouldn’t follow me across genres, and although it’s too early to tell definitively, from what I’ve seen thus far, I don’t think I need to be concerned. The truth is that many of us read a variety of genres (I know I do!), and the hallmarks of my writing (like my voice) are the same no matter the genre. The experience has also shown me that writing a rom-com isn’t that different than writing a suspense novel. Readers of both genres want the same things: strong protagonists, tension, a propulsive plot, snappy dialogue.

Do you approach outlining and drafting differently depending on genre, or is your process consistent across projects?

My process is the same no matter the genre. I often start with a couple of pivotal scenes that I can really see in my mind, and then I build an outline around those. In general, I use Save the Cat! to help make sure my pacing is on track. (There’s nothing worse than reaching the midpoint and finding you’re already 60K words in!) When I’m plotting a romance, I also refer to Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes to keep my eye on the romance-specific beats. Once I start writing, I always have to go back and adjust my outline. It’s a messy process, but somehow it works.

Truth Be Told was adapted as a series for Apple TV+. What was your involvement and how did you feel about the translation from book to screen?

Having my novel adapted for the screen was a dream come true! I was not involved in the adaptation process—screenwriting is a much different craft than novel-writing, and I thought having a professional screenwriter would give the project a better chance of success. I think that paid off: Nichelle Tramble Spellman became the head screenwriter, and the show ran for three seasons. (And it was amazing!)

Watching the show was totally surreal. Those characters that had once existed only in a Word doc on my computer were on the screen! It was also interesting because the show had some major changes from the book. The most obvious was that the book’s protagonist is Josie, a woman whose father was murdered thirteen years ago, and the antagonist is Poppy, the true-crime podcast host who is reinvestigating that murder … but in the show, Poppy is the protagonist. The character of Poppy was also reconfigured to better fit Octavia Spencer, the (fantastic!) actress they cast for the role. Another big change was the ultimate resolution of Josie’s father’s murder, and I was told they changed the ending so that even people who read the book would be kept guessing. As an author, it was weird to see those changes … but it was also incredibly cool to see something so amazing inspired by my idea.

As a novelist, did watching your story become a series change the way you think about storytelling, pacing, or character arcs in your books?

A television series is a much different medium than the standalone novels that I write, but it did get me thinking a lot about how things are conveyed through actions and dialogue versus through exposition or a character’s internal thoughts. It also made me more aware of setting and thinking about how to make the setting come alive for readers on the page.

What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received? What’s the worst?

The best writing advice I’ve received (and that I often share) is to write forward without revising. I spent yearswriting and re-writing the first three chapters of Truth Be Told, and it wasn’t until I prohibited myself from revising as I went that I was able to complete a draft. I find it so much more effective to get the story out there and then revise, rather than waste time wordsmithing yesterday’s pages. After all, who knows what structural changes you’ll need to make once you’re done!

At one point, someone told me that I should avoid the word “said” because it wasn’t as descriptive as other dialogue tags, and wow, is that bad advice! I cringe when I read any drafts written during this era. So much shouting and snapping and retorting! “Said” is the best dialogue tag 99% of the time because it does what it sets out to do (lets you know who is speaking) without distracting from the dialogue itself.

What is your ideal fall writing environment? Set the scene for the perfect place to create.

I’m most productive at my desk with a cup of coffee at my side. I have a cozy chair in front of a desk that’s just the right size for my laptop, a notebook, and (of course) my mug. (It’s often cluttered with extra pens, sticky notes, and small toys my children have deposited there, but I should really clear it to be totally in the writing zone!) My desk faces a large window, so I get both natural light and fresh air. Sometimes if I’m feeling fancy, I light a candle — but all I really need is my laptop and some caffeine.

What are you working on next?

I’m putting the final touches on Sisterhood Above All, a thriller set during sorority rush that I wrote with #BamaRush TikToker Amayah Shaienne. It’s about a woman who will do anything to join the most exclusive sorority on campus, and it’s dark but so much fun! Look for it in July 2026! I’m also working on the draft of another rom-com, but I don’t have any details to share right now.

Both Things Are True by Kathleen Barber

Vanessa, a NYC yoga influencer, returns to Chicago to rebuild her life after her crypto-entrepreneur fiancé flees amid fraud allegations. There she reunites with Sam—the ex she once married on a whim in Vegas and quickly annulled—who’s now co-owner of a rising solar company. Drawn to a second chance but wary of tainting his reputation with her ex’s scandal, Vanessa must decide whether to keep her distance or turn her hard fall into a fresh start in love and life.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble