Author Interview with Felicia Choate about "On Second Thought"

We're sitting down for an interview with author Felicia Choate to talk about her debut book "On Second Thought". Besides featuring her in this edition of our author interviews, we have been so lucky to have met her earlier on in her writing career, when she was still working on her debut novel, and her energy and love for books is simply contagious. Her debut has already been published, but we still want to celebrate her and her work in this interview with you––it's exactly what this powerhouse of an author deserves.

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself! Who are you, how did you get into writing, which work of

yours are you most proud of?

A: I have always loved books and always been a reader. Some of my fondest memories are

visiting the school library or the local library. I would go and get a stack of books and finish them in

a weekend, to return again. I used to write little books as a child from folded sheets of paper and

draw out illustrations. I love looking back at them now, they’re so cute. I have a few WIPs,

including a followup to my debut On Second Thought and a standalone, both contemporary

romance and am working on a few children's books and a fantasy series. I would have to say though

that my debut is my favorite and what I am most proud of. It was my first “real” book and I poured

myself into it and the process of writing and it challenged me in a whole new way.

Q: What’s the book about? Tell us where the story takes us.

A: The book revolves around the FMC, Joslynn AKA Josie and Elijah, AKA Eli. Josie is stuck

in this pattern of people pleasing and has lost herself and all of that comes crashing down when she

is dumped. From there, she starts discovering more about herself and her mental state and is

struggling with it for a little while. Eli’s world is a complete contrast. He’s confident, well liked,

easy going. When they meet, it’s a clash and they can never seem to meet under the right

circumstances until they are essentially required to spend time together. The story is a discovery of

who we are, who we can be and a reminder that everyone is dealing with something. I love the title

because I almost called it Second Chances, and that’s what it feels like. Not only a second chance

on love, but for Josie and Eli, in their own way, they go through their own second chances in

different perspectives.

Q: What are the most important themes you wanted to get out into the world with this

book? Did you struggle to incorporate them into the writing?

A: Mental health was at the forefront and this was a large part of Josie’s thought patterns.

Anxiety, irrational thoughts at times and just a generalized feeling of being lost are all central to

her. I think we as a society think that pain, hurt, rock bottom, feeling our emotions is bad, but it’s a

reminder of being human and the beauty in rebuilding and recovery. I don’t think I struggled but at

a point, I hit a bit of a wall because I wanted to do the character and her journey justice and I didn’t

want such a heavy theme to come off as cheesy or rushed. I also really didn’t want her to come off

as whiny, but real. I thought I would struggle with writing a male’s perspective, I hadn’t done that

before, but Eli was one one of my favorite characters to write.

Q: How long did it take you to write this book? Did you grow in your writing during this

time?

A: I started this book in early 2025. I think the idea and key concepts had been floating around

for sometime and one day I just finally sat down and put it down on paper and wrote out some lines

and thoughts down and built from there. I told myself I was going to publish in 2025, but it got

tough at one point and became a chore and frustrating so I put it down until I felt like the book was calling to me again and I was ready. When I picked it up once more, it came easier again and I

finished it relatively quickly, but I don't think I touched it for 6 months! I think at that time, I

allowed myself to read more, dig into new authors and made more time for self care and that was a

crucial period.

Q: The usual question is, of course, why people should read your book. We’ll get to that

later, but why would you read your book, if you hadn’t written it?

A: I’m a sucker for a pretty cover, and I love the cover so much. An amazing artist named Alicia

did it and it was a joy working with her and seeing the book visually come to life in stages. Aside

from that, I love the opening lines, I love the snippets of songs that open each chapter and the

playlist, there’s witty banter and a lot of “omg seriously?!” moments from the main characters.

Q: So… Why should people read your book?

A: I am the worst at marketing questions! People should read my book because I write

characters that could be actual people in your life. They’re raw, they’re messy, they’re fallible and

silly. This is one of the main things that I hear from readers is that they really can relate to Josie and

that the love story in the book feels tangible and attainable. There’s also a wide range of emotion in

the book. Some people have banded together over hatred of one or two of the characters and it’s

really fun and interesting to watch that happen!

Q: Are there any characters that you wrote parts of yourself into? Or did you detach

yourself from the story to write from an entirely different perspective?

A: haha… So many people have asked if I’m the girl on the cover because she has brown hair

and is holding a dog, and I sure do love puppies! But no, parts of the story in the initial beginning I

think were loosely based on events from the world around and other people but from there, the story

morphed and moved away from those events and took on its own life. Isn’t there a saying, every

story has a little bit of truth? I think that’s true but I’m really proud of what the book became in its

own right.

Q: Are there any scenes or plot points you cut out because they just didn’t work?

A: There were definitely scenes and conversations between characters that I cut out. I originally

was going to write more spice in the book, but limited it. When I wrote it for these characters, it just

didn’t feel right. It felt forced with the type of rawness I was trying to capture with their healing.

Q: Where did you draw inspiration from, when you were looking for outside inspiration?

Did you do a lot of research? Did you look for pictures with the right vibe?

A: I typically use Pexel and will find photos of people for inspiration and places and vibes and

make a mood board. I also use a notecard system that is color coded, so like blue note cards are

personality aspects, red and yellow are plot holes, danger, or red flags in characters that I want to

highlight in the book. White is general information, etc. Green are things that I think of and

definitely want to include in a book, like a funny moment or awkward date or something. For this

specifically, I researched a lot of small towns in America and a lot of medical information, which I

ended up not including so the book was more readable and not overwhelming with terminology.

Q: Did you have alpha/beta readers? If so, what was the advice or comment that stuck out

most to you, and helped you develop your story better?

A: I did not and that is something that I really wish I had done, but I did release chapters and

scenes to close family and friends and get their feedback. My sister is also an avid reader, so she

was giving feedback from day 1.

Q: Are there any easter eggs in your story, or things that you’d only see if you read the

book a second time?

A: There are subtle and not so subtle aspects that make their way from the beginning of the book

to later and the end as well as to book two. Some were intentional, some not!

Q: Rapid fire word association. One word (yes, you’re allowed more for titles) to describe

your book for different topics. Here we go. 1: song, 2: different book, 3: color, 4: meal or food,

5: weather type, 6: environment (forest, cinema, kitchen, etc.), 7: mood.

A:

1. I’m Only Human by RagNBone Man.

2. Archer’s Voice

3. Orange!

4. wine

5. fall

6. hospital

7. butterflies (Is that a feeling? lol)

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about you or your book?

A: Just so thankful to have been able for the opportunity to write it. It’s opened my eyes to the

writing world, reignited this passion of mine and allowed me to connect with so many people and

talk about books!

Q: Lastly, where can people find you and your book?

A: On my website feliciachoate.net I offer it along with other bookish handmade gifts, some

related to the book, some related to fairytales, tropes and story concepts. It’s also available in

paperback on Amazon along with reviews and on Kindle Unlimited. I’m also on Goodreads if

anyone wants to follow, review and suggest books to me there. :)

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