Meet Rena Sapon-White and Ella Schaefer

My hearts, our friend Des DeVivo introduced me to Rena Sapon-White who in then introduced me to Ella Schaefer. I cannot wait for you to meet this fun and funny writing team. In fact, please make a plan to meet us on Instagram Live this afternoon! We’ll be (virtually) hanging out at 4 p.m. Pacific time.

These two are rewriting the rules of romance, one Zoom call at a time. Operating from Los Angeles and Albuquerque, the duo first joined forces writing and producing made-for-TV rom-coms. During these collaborations, they discovered a shared commitment to telling more inclusive love stories. Beyond spearheading their queer rom-com revolution, Rena and Ella are passionate about the environment, animal rescue, the healing power of comedy, and Chappell Roan.

JEN: Rena and Ella, I’m so glad you agreed to this interview. Tell me your origin story.

ELLA: My mom was always supportive of my artistic pursuits, being a visual artist herself. I don’t know when exactly the bug got me, but I’ve been creating ever since I can remember.

RENA: Shoutout to my mom Sari as well! She’s a writer and artist and was also the very first reader of The Christmas Pic. She has always been my biggest cheerleader, willing to support even the most random of side-quests in my creative life.

JEN: Hat tip to our moms! What else do you do? How have you been able to incorporate your other jobs in your writing?

ELLA: Aside from screenwriting, I am also a photographer and take headshots for actors and businesspeople.

RENA: I’m a producer, and I also work as a script doctor and development exec-for-hire. Everything in my life has always revolved around storytelling, just in different mediums.

JEN: That’s such a common theme in these interviews! So many of us either come to novel writing through our storytelling work (I teach journalism, for example) or discover other storytelling jobs through writing novels. I know you live in LA and NM respectively. But where are you from? How does your home affect your work? 

ELLA: I come from a small town called Niceville (yes, real place).

JEN: Oh, I know it’s a real place! I grew up near there. Mary Esther even wound up in my first novel, Holland, My Heart. Small world!

ELLA: We actually just talked with their LGBTQIA+ book club who read our book for Christmas! So glad to see representation in my hometown like that; it was rare to see growing up.

RENA: I moved around a lot growing up, which included living in conservative small-town Oregon and Prague, Czechia. Being both queer and the perpetual new kid taught me early on how to navigate life from the margins. Rather than fight this outsider status, I learned to embrace it. That experience of standing slightly apart became a gift, opening my eyes to the complexity of human experience and sparking a deep curiosity about others' stories. This drew me to fiction writing, where exploring different lives and perspectives is at the heart of the craft.

JEN: Beautifully said, Rena. And, I can relate. It’s almost like you’re a writer or something. [laughs] What's your favorite genre?  

ELLA: Romcoms romcoms romcoms RENA: Also romcoms.

JEN: Ha, ha! Okay. Same. Who are your favorite authors?

RENA: Some of my favorite romance writers are Elle Kennedy, Sarina Bowen, Neve Wilder, and Eden Finley. When I’m reading other genres, I love Haruki Murakami, Carolyn Parkhurst, Milan Kundera, Manuel Puig, and Miranda July.

JEN: I love that you work over Zoom. When you get to work together in person, what does your routine look like? Describe a typical day creating. 

ELLA: Wake up super early, kick my partner out of the house, open up my laptop and write until Rena has her coffee.

RENA: Wake up super late, make Ella do the fancy Chemex pour-over thingy, and then doom-scroll on TikTok until the caffeine jitters kick in and I can write.

JEN: Weirdly, I can relate to both. Do you work best with music or without? 

ELLA: It must be SILENT while I write. But also I am currently in a MUNA hole once again.

RENA: I work best with music, and I spend way too much time making playlists and figuring out the perfect album to soundtrack me as I write specific chapters.

JEN: Keep going. What's your favorite snack or beverage while working?

ELLA: I love a lime Bubly and guac if I’m making Rena do the typing that day.

RENA: Black coffee, followed by an iced coffee drink, followed by an espresso in the afternoon. If my hands aren’t shaking, it’s not time to write!

JEN: [laughs] Maybe that’s part of my problem lately. I wonder if a caffeine overload would help me reorganize my work in progress. Where do you get the ideas for your stories? What inspires you?

ELLA: I usually just smoke weed and say things.

RENA: I smoke weed and listen to what Ella has to say.

JEN: Ha! I love it. What sort of themes do you most enjoy tackling in your work?

ELLA: I love a complicated female main character who maybe isn’t super likable right off the bat… Maybe I relate?!

JEN: Well, I find you extremely likable. But that is also my favorite type of female lead. How does writing energize or exhaust you?

RENA: Working together is always creatively energizing! Sometimes we get stuck on our own, but coming together to problem solve usually gets us back in the groove.

JEN: I love that. I’m so glad you found each other. And I’m so glad you agreed to do this interview. Parting question: Share some advice for aspiring writers. What advice would you give to your younger self?

ELLA: Just keep going. And younger self: start writing more sooner what are you waiting for lol

RENA: Collaboration is a delicate and rare energy to foster and then master. Don’t give up – your perfect creative counterpart is busy taking headshots in Niceville, Florida, you just gotta find each other!

JEN: What's coming next? Do you have any planned releases or works in progress?

RENA: We have a couple books planned for next year, including another in the Harmony Springs universe. The other is based on an idea we’ve had floating around for a while, which we finally cracked while road tripping in New Mexico this winter. More on that soon.

JEN: We’ll watch your social media for that news!

Thanks for reading this far, my hearts. And please plan to join us this evening. In the meantime, go buy The Christmas Pic and find these lovelies on their website, Instagram, TikTok, and Threads.

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