Answers With: Author Kerry Winfrey
Nora Ephron, Moonstruck, and Katherine Heiney's Early Morning Riser, just to name a few.
Answers With is a new monthly series featuring the best kind of people, book people! I’ll be talking with readers I admire, from authors to booksellers and bookstagramers, all about where they find answers — in the pages, a movie, song, comfort watch, or dessert. This series is free for now, but if you like, consider pledging a subscription — and supporting the interviewees work!
I can remember the exact moment a friend recommended Kerry Winfrey’s Waiting for Tom Hanks. “I think you’ll like this,” she said, handing me a promotional bookmark from an event with Kerry. I knew immediately this book, with America’s sweetheart named in the title, was for me. The book read like a love letter to Columbus and Tom Hanks, all with my idea of a perfect meet-cute. I was hooked. Fast-forward to working my way through her books, subscribing to her hilarious newsletter
(for the movie recaps we should absolutely be asking for), and following her on Instagram. The point is, I’m picking up what she’s laying down and I couldn’t be more excited to have Kerry as the first interviewee for this series!
Read on for where Kerry turns for answers, the book she recommends the most, her comfort watches, the recipe she’s making several times this season, and find out if you might be kindred spirits with her.
Where do you turn to most for answers? Books, movies, pie?
I often find myself turning to movies. Of course I love books and often find answers for all life’s questions in them, but I think it’s the distance that helps me enjoy movies in a less complicated way. I write books but I certainly don’t make films, so they’re a little more mysterious to me and I can often focus more on them without thinking about the inside baseball stuff that can distract me from books. And I find that even when I’m not trying to find movies that are directly applicable to my life, it sometimes happens on its own, like magic!
What’s your go-to comfort watch?
I have a few! A big one for me is You’ve Got Mail. It’s the perfect blend of sharpness, coziness, humor, and hope. I find myself watching the first third of The Worst Person in the World all the time—the end of the film really makes me cry, so I don’t usually make it that far. And, like so many people, I really do find Gilmore Girls a great rewatch! I definitely don’t watch it every year, mostly because I don’t spend a ton of time rewatching anything, even my favorites, but sometimes a specific Gilmore Girls episode is all that will do.
Is there a particular lyric, or a quote from a movie, TV or book quote that runs through your mind often or has become part of your unique Kerry language?
The first thing that came to mind is a weird one, so bear with me. There are so many parts of Katherine Heiny’s Early Morning Riser that are forever imprinted on my mind, but there’s this one particular line that I say all the time. The main character’s child will say, “she don’t like it,” when someone doesn’t like something. As in, “Patrice, she don’t like it.” It’s such a tiny part of the book but I can’t stop saying it. “Kerry, she don’t like it,” I’ll mutter to myself when something displeases me. It feels like poetry. I think it’s that it perfectly captures that nonsense way of speaking small children have, where their sayings can become part of your family language. Anyway, I say this around my family so much that they’re just used to it. I wonder if Katherine Heiny even remembers writing this line.
We also like to shout “JOHNNY HAS HIS HAND! JOHNNY HAS HIS BRIDE!” from Nic Cage’s Moonstruck monologue a lot.
I know we’re both fans of Nora Ephron and Tom Hanks. For you, what is it about that era of rom coms?
The thing about Nora Ephron is that her rom-coms were sweet, but they had teeth. She somehow combined so many different tones in a way that they all became one Nora tone. Sometimes I feel like no one else can do it, but occasionally I’ll read a really good romance and get that little zing. She combined sadness and sharpness and sweetness in a way that’s difficult to do.
I always enjoy the pop culture references in your books, do you have a favorite? Or is there one you're still holding out hoping to incorporate?
Oh man, this is such a hard question because I’m pretty into all the pop culture references I incorporate. After rewatching Moonstruck recently, I feel like it’s going to have to wind up in a book in some way.
How has writing changed you as a reader?
This is a good question! I know I said earlier that I sometimes find it easier to watch movies than read books, but mostly I think that being a writer helps me enjoy books more. It can be fun to think about why someone chose that particular word, or why they used that point of view, or what they were trying to accomplish with the structure. Of course you can think about those things when you’re strictly a reader, but I think they stick out more when you’re attempting your own writing.
What’s your reading routine or some of your reading habits?
I wish I had more of a routine! I’m usually just trying to fit as much reading into my day as I can, although I do love reading before I fall asleep—I prefer reading physical books, but my Kindle is perfect for this since I don’t need to use a bedside lamp and keep my husband awake. I do, however, love reading outside. I try to get some “reading outside” time in most days.
What’s the book you recommend the most?
I’m always recommending Katherine Heiny’s Early Morning Riser, but only to a certain type of person. If you need a ton of plot, it’s not for you. But if you, like me, enjoy getting absorbed in the small details of another person’s life and marveling at the beauty and pain of everyday life, then you will love it. I also recommend Catherine Newman to most people. Honestly, if Sandwich doesn’t make you laugh out loud and have a few hysterical sobs, then we are not kindred spirits (you are, however, probably more mentally stable than me). My ideal books make me laugh and cry, and both of these books do that.
Favorite book this year?
I’ve read so many good books this year that I can’t choose one, so here are a few! Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin, Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (especially recommended in audio!), The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savas, and James by Percival Everett.
What’s your dream theme party? The food? The decorations? The costumes?
My ideal party is one where I get drawn into a long, gossipy conversation with someone in the kitchen while everyone else is occupied with something more obviously “fun” that I don’t really enjoy (long board games, karaoke, etc.). That being said, I would love to have a Moonstruck-themed dinner party. Italian food, the Moonstruck soundtrack, someone dressed up as Nic Cage in a dingy white tank top…the party plans itself.
Do you have a favorite fall recipe?
Smitten Kitchen’s pumpkin bread! I’ve already made it once this year and will probably make it several more times. It always turns out great (I also make it as muffins, and sometimes in a donut pan).
Kerry Winfrey is the author of the romantic comedies WAITING FOR TOM HANKS, NOT LIKE THE MOVIES, VERY SINCERELY YOURS, JUST ANOTHER LOVE SONG, and FAKING CHRISTMAS, all published by Berkley. She’s also the author of two YA novels. She lives with her family in the middle of Ohio.
Connect with Kerry: On Instagram and through her newsletter .
I hope you enjoyed this interview and a huge thanks to Kerry for sharing her answers!