Chelsea Curto: I’ve Always Been a Weather Nerd
In this interview, author Chelsea Curto discusses combining her love of weather and storytelling in hew new romance novel, In Stormy Weather.
Chelsea Curto is the USA TODAY-bestselling author of banter-filled romance novels that highlight strong women and the men obsessed with them. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time between the Northeast and Florida while daydreaming about what book she’s going to read next. Follow her on TikTok and Instagram
In this interview, Chelsea discusses combining her love of weather and storytelling in hew new romance novel, In Stormy Weather, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Chelsea Curto
Literary agent: Caitlin Mahony, WME
Book title: In Stormy Weather
Publisher: Atria
Release date: July 14, 2026
Genre/category: Romance
Previous titles: Face Off, Power Play
Elevator pitch: Two rival meteorologists are forced to spend the summer in Florida covering natural disasters, but dislike turns to longing as they put aside their differences and work together.
What prompted you to write this book?
I’ve always been a weather nerd. Growing up in Florida, hurricanes and afternoon thunderstorms were a part of life. Back in 2004, we had four tornadoes hit Florida in six weeks, including Charley, which came through my small town of Winter Park. I remember going outside during the eye and seeing these massive oak trees blocking the road. Power was out for days in the thick of August’s heat and humidity. I was so captivated by how powerful weather could be, and after that I was hooked. I track every hurricane that comes across the Atlantic. I watch to see what threat they’ll pose to land.
Back in 2022, I was at home in Florida while Hurricane Ian hit the state. While watching the media coverage unfold, I saw moments of kindness and love in the midst of destruction. It got me thinking, what about a romance book with two meteorologists? I hadn’t seen any stories like that on the market, and it was a way to fuse my love of storytelling with weather, and here we are.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I wrote the first draft of In Stormy Weather from late-2022, early-2023. Back then it was an entirely different story. It was single POV, dual timeline, and second chance. Over time, my writing evolved, as did the story. I showed two people the earliest draft of the novel, and after incorporating their feedback and editing notes, I started to make tweaks and changes. Single POV went to dual POV, because I love writing male main characters and being in their head. Dual timeline went to a single, present-day timeline to help with readability. And that second chance trope? It got replaced with rivals-to-lovers (but he’s obsessed with her), and it makes the story so much more complete.
I told my agent about ISW back in 2024, and we went on submission with it in 2025. After going to auction, we landed at Atria, and I’m so thrilled that almost four years after this story started to come to life, it will be in the hands of readers across the world!
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
As someone who has self-published 15 novels, moving to the traditional publishing space has been a learning curve, but one I’m grateful for. The biggest difference has been the timeline and learning that traditional publishing moves a lot slower than self-publishing. If I wanted to write a book in the next month and release it on Amazon as a self-published title, I could. With traditional publishing, there is more waiting. I finished writing In Stormy Weather back in the fall of 2025, and it’s been finished for a while before it publishes.
The best surprise in this publishing process is the amount of support you get in the traditional publishing space. From my agent, Caitlin, to my editor, Emilia, and my marketing and publicity team at Atria, Megan and Zakiya, you have so many people in your corner. I never feel alone, and their hard work has been such a key component in the excitement for In Stormy Weather. I’m so lucky to be working with them!
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I did a lot of research for In Stormy Weather. While I love weather, it’s a casual hobby. I’m not a scientist. I understand weather patterns, but I’m not an expert on wind shear and hurricane development. Because I knew I was writing a female protagonist who had a PhD in atmospheric science and a male protagonist who is the senior meteorologist at ABC News, getting information correct was a big concern of mine. I poured over the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. I studied graphs and data from the National Hurricane Center. I wanted to make sure the science was there, but not as a dominating factor. For as much as I enjoy tracking storms, most people don’t. The last thing I wanted was for In Stormy Weather to feel too hard to follow or for readers to lose sight of romance being the core component of the book. I’m so proud of how it turned out, and I think it’s the perfect blend of tension and love between two nerds who geek out over tornados.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
Joy. As an adult, I’ve learned it can be so hard to find pockets of joy when you’re dealing with outside stressors, and I truly want my books to feel like an escape. I want readers to laugh. I want readers to swoon. I want them to remember why romance books are so important—because they bring us happiness. Because they show families that are formed not by blood, but through love. Being able to tell stories and share them with readers is truly the greatest gift I’ve ever been given. At the end of the day, if I can offer even the smallest glimmer of hope and excitement in a world that often feels so overpowering, I’ll know I’ve done my job well.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Write the story you want to write, because the genre needs it. I wanted to tell a story about two meteorologists falling in love, so I did. I didn’t care that, at the time when I first started writing In Stormy Weather, there weren’t any other books like it out there. If you’re passionate about it, if you love it, your readers will too. While I’m proud of everything I’ve published, because writing is hard, my most successful books have been the ones that hold a special place in my heart … and that comes through in the writing too.
I’d also say never give up, never stop betting on yourself, and know that everything will happen exactly when it’s supposed to happen. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve self-published 15 books. In Stormy Weather is the 16th book I’ve written, and it’s my first traditionally published book that will be available in bookstores. It took me four years to get here. There were so many days when I wanted to throw in the towel because I felt like I wasn’t doing something right. I felt like I hadn’t found my readers, but I see where I am now, and I’m so proud that I kept showing up.
