Get ready to learn more about the book Finding Rory in this discussion with sapphic author Charlie Geoffrey.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Charlie Geoffrey about Finding Rory, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the England category in the 2026 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Finding Rory?
I felt the need to tell the story of a woman who is finding her butch identity as well as embracing her birth gender. Considering the changing attitudes outside the LGBTQ+ community about what a woman is and how she should look, I felt this was a story that needs to be told right now.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
Rory is based on me except she goes to the gym whereas I just think about it and hope for results! Her journey is very similar to mine and heavily influenced by my own experiences. In a previous job, I was told that I needed to be more feminine in the way I presented myself. I didn’t realise how sad that made me feel and how it affected my life. Once I started to present myself to the world as I wanted and how I felt suited me, I was so much happier. It was lovely to be able to include a lot of those experiences in the book. I even made her a lawyer as I studied Law once and had thought about making that my career.
What inspired the idea for Finding Rory?
I was in a theatre one night and realised that everyones eyes were on the stage providing a weird sort of privacy even though you are surrounded by people. I remember looking over to the private boxes and wondering what it would be like to be sat in one of those with someone you were attracted to but not yet dating.The scene with Gemma and Rory at the beginning of the book stemmed from that. I went home and wrote the first opera scene almost immediately and the rest followed. I always wanted Rory to be butch and thought it would be great to see her journey to that point. So many books have an ‘established’ butch character as I wanted to see how she got there and the challenges she faced.
What was the biggest challenge writing this book?
Fighting my cat for access to my keyboard. He was very old as I wrote this and just wanted attention and cuddles. It was a delicate balancing act.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
Honestly, it just popped into my head one night and that was that. I wish it was always that easy.
What is your favorite line from your book?
“You own your own place in the world and don’t need to ask permission or apologise for existing as who you are.”
What is your writing process like?
I am definitely a pantser! I’d love to plot but within 500 words my characters have decided that they want to do something different and I’ve already ignored the plan several times, so there’s no point plotting. I usually know where the story is going in my head and have a few key scenes that I want to include. Sometime’s they make it to the final book and sometimes they don’t.
Where do you usually write, and what do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
I usually write at my desk and I like to have instrumental classical music in the background.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
I’d love to spend a day with Jae and talk books and storks! She is not only one of my favourite authors, but a huge advocate for our community. I adore how she crafts her books and stories and would really enjoy spending time with her and finding out how she works and her processes. I also have german ancestry so it would be a bonus to travel to Germany and spend time in my great grandfathers country and learn more about that part of my family. I may have to brush up on my GCSE German thought, it’s been a few years since i properly studied it! Fortunately, Jae has impeccable english so she could help me out with that!
What’s your favorite writing snack or drink?
I drink black coffee so not much of a recipe. That’s my absolute essential.
Do you have a pet who helps/hinders your typing?
I had an old cat who used to bother me incessantly. He was 20 years old when I wrote ‘Finding Rory” and I had to work round him. He had a heating pad on a chair for when I wrote and then tucked into my arms when I was editing. He was a frightfully superior cat and very particular about his environment and absolutely ruled the house and the dogs. He passed away a month or so after Rory was released and we enjoyed some lovely cuddles in his lest few weeks. It’s odd now writing without him.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing, and by whom?
I can’t remember who told me this but it’s great advice not only for writing but life in general, and that is to not judge the first chapter of your book with the middle chapter of someone else’s. It very easy as a new author to compare your writing to that of someone who has been writing for years and getting disheartened. But every author has a first book and most people will say it’s not their best work. But with each book and story you write you get better and your writing improves.
Have you ever hated one of your characters?
I don’t hate her, but I really don’t like Darcy and her attitude. She was Rory’s Ex Fiancee in ‘Finding Rory’. She is a lesbian who thinks that being a lesbian means only being with Femme women and doesn’t support Rory in her journey to embrace the Butch part of her personality. It’s absolutely fine that she would struggle with Rory’s change, after all none of us can choose who we are attracted to, but she doesn’t support Rory at all and completely dismisses her struggles and feelings. Gemma also questions their relationship, but is far more supportive of Rory which is a great basis for a romantic partnership. Darcy has a very narrow view of the world and dismisses anyone who doesn’t fit in with her views. There are still a lot of people who confuse sexuality and Gender. Just because a woman likes to dress in more masculine clothing and likes to present herself in a way that is more masculine, doesn’t detract from the fact that she is still a woman. There are many people like Darcy in the world at the moment, trying to tell us what a woman is and what she must look like so I felt she was an important part of the story. I am sure most of us who present more butch / masculine have come up against attitudes like Darcy’s and honestly, it’s exhausting at times.
What type of books do you enjoy reading the most?
I pretty much only read Sapphic Romance. I am a sucker for a happy ever after and to see a couple falling in love is just lovely. I also read to escape whatever is going on in life and with the state of the world at the moment, I like nothing more than diving in to a romance world where I know that everything is going to be ok and that the couple will get together in the end and that all will be well.
What books did you grow up reading?
When I was younger I read a lot. Partly because I am an only child and party because if I was reading then no one would ask me to write and as I’m dyslexic, my writing is pretty rubbish. At home I used to love Enid Blyton and tales of the Secret Seven and Famous Five, not to mention Malory Towers! I would often imagine myself going off on adventures just like those characters. When I was a teenager, I used to visit my Grandmother a lot with my mum. While mum was helping Nan out , i would tuck myself away and work through her Mills and Boon collection. I used to love reading about romance, but it never felt quite right to me because I never saw myself in the stories. I think this has really shaped my writing in that I want to create characters that reflect me and my life and the people I know and love.
What books have you read more than once in your life?
I rarely re-read a book, but I love re-listening to Audiobooks. I have a handful of favourites that I use to fall asleep to. I find that the familiarity of a story and narrator I know helps to calm my head so I can fall asleep better. If I’m having a tough time, like when we lost our cat recently, I find re-listening to favourite audiobooks to be a great comfort, very much like snuggling into a favourite blanket.
