Bianca Gillam: On Harnessing the Power of the Romance Genre
In this interview, author Bianca Gillam discusses the intensely vulnerable experiences of becoming an author with her debut romance novel, Bad Publicity.
Bianca Gillam is a London-based author and armchair expert on ’80s and ’90s rom-coms whose poetry has been published in a variety of publications. She formerly worked in publishing, where she had the joy of editing a wide variety of brilliant authors; she was inspired by the books she published to write her own. Follow her on Instagram.
In this interview, Bianca discusses the intensely vulnerable experiences of becoming an author with her debut romance novel, Bad Publicity, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Bianca Gillam
Literary agent: Elizabeth Counsell
Book title: Bad Publicity
Publisher: Penguin Books
Release date: May 20, 2025
Genre/category: Romance; rom-com
Elevator pitch: Two exes. One month on book tour. What could go wrong?
What prompted you to write this book?
I was a romance book editor, working on brilliant novels every day, and really absorbing their power to uplift and heal. The idea popped into my head and I sat on it for a few months. Then one day I just started writing—I was going through some challenges in my personal life at the time, and I wanted to get it out and process it somehow, while also celebrating the genre I loved so much (and harnessing its power!).
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
Two years. And no—the idea didn’t change: I knew the story I wanted to tell, but wasn’t sure what shape it would take. The form changed as I was writing and through edits, but the fundamentals of the story remained the same.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I thought I knew what it would be like to be an author, having worked on the other side. I didn’t! It’s an intensely emotional and vulnerable process—and I wouldn’t change a single second. But it’s been a year of learning and growth. Of getting comfortable with putting myself out there.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I didn’t know how the ending would come about until I was almost there. There’s a scene where—no spoilers—they end up in a city I didn’t expect them to be. I didn’t realize they’d need to be there until quite late in the process.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope that they will see some of themselves in both Andie and Jack, and absorb the message that whether their healing is linear or not, everyone is deserving of love.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Just write! You can’t edit an empty page (advice I need to follow, sometimes!).
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
