Jeffrey Reads — reading just one more chapter since the crib

20 Questions is a Q&A interview series with authors, musicians, and everyone in between, celebrating experiences both shared and individual in the messy game of being human.

“Storytelling is not only my passion, but also a privilege, and knowing I brought a reader some measure of joy is what propels me forward.” Brooke Beyfuss is a freelance writer who lives in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, with her husband, daughter, an incredibly hyperactive dog, and three cats. She graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in psychology and comparative literature and has written extensively on some wonderfully wild topics. Her debut novel After We Were Stolen was featured in Bustle magazine, presented at the 2022 Kansas Book Festival, and selected as a Fall ’22 Hoopla Book Club pick. Her sophomore novel, Before You Found Me, will hit shelves everywhere tomorrow. Brooke joins me for a new edition of 20 Questions to discuss all things books, creative drives, and what readers can expect in her new novel, as well as what’s coming next.

Where is your favorite place in the world to be?

Hands-down, my favorite place to be is home, specifically in bed under my merino wool blanket. I’ve been lucky enough to do some traveling, and I’ve been to some incredible places, but at the end of the day, I crave my own bed more than anything else.

Favorite book of all-time?

It would have to be a toss-up between A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I tore through both of them, and then I hated myself for not taking my time and savoring every word.

What is your earliest memory of wanting to be a writer?

I was fourteen and in the middle of a bout of insomnia — something that still plagues me today. But during that particular stretch of sleepless nights, I kept getting a strange image of two people in the middle of a field, running from a tornado. I didn’t know who they were or why they were out there, but they visited me often, and I couldn’t get them out of my mind. I began wondering about their connection to one another, and I’d jot down pages and pages of notes about what they told me. That was the beginning of what would become Before You Found Me.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

I’m an extrovert with an oversharing problem, which is probably the worst kind!

Biggest pet peeve?

I have no answer for why this bothers me so much, but I hate it when people drive with their hands hanging out the car window. Maybe I was traumatized by a hand-hanging driver as a child, but seeing fingers flapping in the breeze is the closest I ever get to feeling homicidal.

Favorite holiday?

Halloween! The whole season is such a vibe, and I am a serious costume maker. My daughter and I usually start brainstorming costume ideas in August, and I start sewing in September. Most recently I made Lydia’s red wedding dress from Beetlejuice and a very glam take on Ursula from The Little Mermaid.

The last series you binge-watched?

Does binge-listening count? I am so behind on television, and there are so many series I want to devour, but my current WIP has kept me too busy to indulge. But I listen to a ton of limited series podcasts, my latest faves being Scamanda and Blind Plea.

How would you characterize your latest novel Before You Found Me?

It certainly tackles a lot of heavy issues, but at its heart, it’s a love story. There are moments of extreme trauma, grief, and fear, but the reader will also explore the birth of a family that slowly builds to a beautiful end. The characters have been with me forever, so I’m very hopeful readers will connect with them.

Most expensive thing you’ve shamelessly splurged on?

My kitchen! After living with a very outdated kitchen for twelve years, my husband and I finally decided to do a full remodel, and we had that kitchen stripped to beams and boards and replaced everything from floor to ceiling. We got rid of every appliance, every dish, every fork, and every pan and went on a massive shopping spree to replace everything. It cost way more than even the down payment on my house had, and it was worth every penny!

The last book you finished?

I don’t get a ton of reading time while I’m in the middle of a project, but I recently had the pleasure of reading Don’t Forget the Girl by Rebecca McKanna, which I HIGHLY recommend!

Which authors would you say have influenced you the most?

I’d have to give this one to Judy Blume! Her books carried me through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, and I love her no-holds-barred approach to honest storytelling. I recently watched a documentary about her life, and it made me realize what a huge impact her work has had on my own aspirations to be a writer and pen raw, real books that spark powerful discussions.

How would you describe the importance of storytelling, especially in an age of isolation?

So much of the media we consume now is fast — we view videos on a tiny screen and absorb information in short snips and snaps. Reading is a commitment of time, energy, and emotion, and for me it’s an honor to see someone spend their precious time on one of my books. Because of that, I feel a big responsibility to thoroughly research my topics and create complex and compelling characters. Storytelling is not only my passion, but also a privilege, and knowing I brought a reader some measure of joy is what propels me forward.

Best book you’ve read in the past year?

I read books for all ages, and my favorite in the last year would have to be Frankie and Bug by Gayle Forman. It’s a middle-grade book that seems like a run-of-the mill summer adventure story, but it explores some hard-hitting themes, and Forman did it so beautifully it left me in happy tears.

One movie that will always make you cry?

Train to Busan. I did not expect to be in full-on heaving sobs at the end of a zombie movie, yet there I was. I don’t know if I could handle a rewatch, it absolutely destroyed me.

Favorite quote of all time?

“Write like everyone you know is dead.”

Favorite song to get your blood moving?

I was a 90’s kid, which is evident by the fact that I listen to “Blister in the Sun” pretty much every morning.

You’re stuck on a long flight. Which world-famous celebrity would you want sitting next to you and why?

Olivia Colman! She has such a sweet, calming air about her — ideal for a long flight — and she’s absolutely hilarious to boot. She’s number one on my “celebrities I would like to hug” list.

As a writer and an artist, what would you say is the best way to rest or decompress?

Definitely by completely stepping away from your work. Unplug everything and don’t even think about it. I’ve had nights where I denied myself rest to hit a writing goal, and it’s never a good idea. I have to force myself to take breaks, I feel tremendous guilt for doing so, but I can’t deny that coming back from a night out with friends or getting a great night’s sleep gives me the freshest eyes possible when I return to my writing.

One thing that kept you sane during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Baking. My niece was born days before lockdown — aside from the day she was born, I didn’t see her until she was five months old. I hated that I couldn’t be there for her newborn days and offer support to my sister, so I started baking things and doing surprise drop-offs. My first offering was a loaf of banana bread for my sister and her husband with a note that said, “To a pair of pand-EPIC new parents!” My husband and I expanded the operation and started dropping baked goods on the doorsteps of pretty much everyone we knew. The baking kept us busy, and the drop-offs got us out of the house.

What can we expect to see next from you?

I am a few thousand words away from finishing my third novel, and I am SO excited about it! It’s the story of a young girl named Beatrice whose life is ripped apart when her older sister goes missing and the grandmother who was raising them becomes a dangerous hoarder. Twenty years later her grandmother dies, leaving the house, and the hoard, to Beatrice who is pregnant, going through a divorce, and desperate for money. Her excavation of the house leads to new information about her sister, and she becomes obsessed with solving the cold case now twenty years old.

Follow Brooke Beyfuss on Instagram and buy her sophomore novel Before You Found Me tomorrow wherever books are sold.

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