Carry Me Home
by Anna Cove
Released: May 14, 2026
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Why this book and why now?
I’ve been trying to write a friends-to-lovers book for years–I think I have at least 3 attempts on my hard drive! I love this trope. When I was deciding what story to tell about Kell, the mayor of this town I’ve made up, her love interest, Leela, appeared to me. This was my chance! It felt right for Kell. It took over a year to get right but was the first time I actually finished a best friends-to-lovers romance arc… and I am still totally in love with these two.
What is a significant way your book has changed since either the first draft or the way you thought it would turn out when you first had the inspiration?
Omgosh so much. The first chapter didn’t exist in the first draft. Originally, Leela and Kell didn’t meet up until chapter 5 or something like that. I needed to get them together earlier, to see the spark between them. Chapter 1 is now one of my favorites. I love that initial spark between them–the chemistry was instantly there, and that’s not always the case for my leads.
Would you and your main character(s) get along?
I think I would be *terrified* of Kell. That kind of larger-than-life, bombastic personality makes me want to melt into the wall. (Or did, when I was younger. I can handle it better now.) With Kell, in particular, most of that bombast is a front that she uses as a defense mechanism. Leela is one of the only people who can see past that. As for Leela, I think I’d get along great with her–she was inspired by some of my dear friends.
Did any real-life events or personal experiences influence the story?
Yes! There is so much of me–little pieces–in this book. I grew up in a small mill town in the northeast where there was (mild spoiler) a fire. Recently, there was also a fire in my current hometown. Both times, what stayed with me, was the way people show up for one another when everything is burning. There’s something deeply human in that.
There are many, many internal emotional experiences that went into the book, as well–like the awkwardness of running into past significant others in one’s hometown, or the way one’s brain can read significance into small touches, or the stories we tell ourselves. Though this book isn’t externally *my* story, its emotions are true to what I’ve experienced.
What TV show would your main character(s) most likely binge watch and why?
One of my characters actually does go on a TV binge at some point in the book. Leela, who hasn’t spent a lot of time watching TV, has to catch up on all the great sapphic television! I think she likes Motherland: Fort Salem best. She’s never been into alternate history retellings, but she’s doing her own personal alternate history retelling over the course of the book. She would love the worldbuilding of this show and would find inspiration in all the strong women.
What 3 things would your main character want with them if they got stranded away from civilization, and why?
Kell would quickly go feral if she were stranded away from civilization. I’m not sure anything she took with her would help. Her whole life revolves around people. She certainly wouldn’t be able to focus on books. If she couldn’t have her friends with her, she might bring… let’s see. This is hard! I think she would bring a knife to whittle with or to otherwise keep her hands busy, maybe an ax for firewood and building shelter? And her pocket watch. It belonged to her father’s father and has sentimental value. Then she would curse herself for bringing that instead of a flint.
Which character was the most fun to write, and which was the hardest?
Kell was the most fun to write because she is soooo unlike me and I loved diving into her psychology. Leela was the hardest. It took a few tries to get her motivations straight. Kell had always been in love with Leela–that was easy to write–but it was harder to find what it would take to get Leela past just thinking of Kell as a friend…
What song does your character put on to start your book launch party?
Kell would put on “Dancing Queen” ironically, insisting she hates it, but then she would sing every single word. She would get extra ridiculous and performative in the third verse to cover the fact that it hit a little too close to home.
If your book had a scent, what would it smell like?
It would smell like fall–like wood smoke and decaying leaves, I think. And chai! It would smell like chai as well.
Do you outline your books in detail, or do you prefer to discover the story as you write?
I would love nothing more than to outline my books and stick to an outline and write 4 books a year. But I’ve learned over 20+ books that I am just not that kind of writer. Generally, before I start writing, I do some character work to figure out who these people are, I do some chemistry testing between them to make sure they work as a couple, and I have a few key scenes in mind. Then, as I go, I look forward in quarters and try to plot them out to the best of my ability. I almost never stick with what I’ve outlines, though, so I do a lot of zooming out to see the bigger picture, zooming in to get the details right, and then rewriting to make it all fit together.
Do you have any writing rituals or habits?
My favorite spot to write is in the woods near my house. There’s this bend in the stream where a bunch of roots have created a nest of sorts. Whenever I start to feel like I’ve been indoors too long, I go to my writing nest. I’ve written out there in all four seasons and have seen so much cool wildlife. There’s something special about going to the same spot in the woods, and I can almost instantly get in the groove when I’m out there.
