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| photo: Sophie Davidson | |
Rosie Storey grew up on a farm in the south of England. She left her corporate career to finish her debut novel. She holds a Master's in Creative Writing, lives in East London, and works as a writing coach. Dandelion Is Dead (Berkley Books, January 13, 2026) is a modern love story about grief, the courage it takes to live again after loss, and finding hope in the most unexpected places.
Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:
A grieving woman replies to a message on her dead sister's dating app. When she meets the man, chemistry is undeniable and her lies spiral.
On your nightstand now:
I have a varied pile of books by my bed, to ensure I have something to pick up depending on my mood and exhaustion level. I've just bought Flesh by David Szalay because it won the Booker Prize, but also because I like writing male characters and I'm interested in men's stories. There's Alone by Daniel Schreiber, which is a nonfiction examination of loneliness. And my friend Jessica Boston's book for when I need a moment's calm: Homecoming Meditations. I could go on.
Favorite book when you were a child:
I used to listen to the cassette tape of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox every night in bed. I can still sing the ditty about the mean farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean.
Your top five authors:
I'm devoted to Lorrie Moore. She's so smart, witty, and insightful. I have a line from one of her novels as the epigraph in my book.
Similarly, when I read Miranda July, I feel like I'm hanging out with my funnest friend. Anything could happen. I adore her sense of play on the page.
Wendy Cope taught me that poetry doesn't have to be pretentious. It can sound like our own silly thoughts and still be touching and unforgettable.
And I'm going to bend the rules and give you two musicians instead of authors. The lyrics of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen have been as influential to me as any novelist. "A Case of You" and "Bird on the Wire" still devastate me after more than 30 years of listening.
Book you've faked reading:
I don't think I've faked reading a book. I give up on books though; life is too short to finish a book that isn't for me.
Book you're an evangelist for:
Self-Help by Lorrie Moore. I go back to it constantly. "How to Become a Writer" and "How to Be an Other Woman" are two of my favourite short stories in this collection.
Book you've bought for the cover:
Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill. I'm a sucker for an intriguing photograph on a cover. My copy has a black-and-white picture of a girl looking bored at a party. I couldn't take my eyes off it. That, plus the title: sold.
Book you hid from your parents:
Talking of bad behaviour... Jilly Cooper, Riders. We didn't really have sex ed at my school, so we turned to Jilly.
Book that changed your life:
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I read it in that transition between childhood and adulthood, around the time when some men start to look at girls differently. I had an early sense of feminism and fairness and fight, and that book helped shape it.
Favorite line from a book:
So hard to choose, but the most enduring is probably "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum" from The Handmaid's Tale, which means "Don't let the bastards grind you down." In fact, my male protagonist says it in my novel--that's a little Easter egg for you.
Five books you'll never part with:
Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux. Like much of Ernaux's writing, it's a memoir, set in Paris. I took this slim book with me whilst I was in Paris for a love affair of my own and now it's scrawled in notes. I like writing in my books and turning them into diaries.
A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore. My novel's epigraph is from this one, so I'll always be attached.
Rapture by Carol Ann Duffy. A poetry collection telling the story of a relationship from start to finish. One of my best friends gave it to me when we were roommates, many years ago.
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. As a female writer trying to make her way through life without the support of anyone else, this book has been a companion. Such courage, insight, and foresight.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I covet this book not only for what it is but in respect to Plath herself; her lyricism, her sensitivity, and her struggle.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
I reread constantly because my memory is terrible. But perhaps I would go back to the books that ignited something in me as a young woman, like The Handmaid's Tale or George Orwell's 1984.
One thing you want readers to feel when they read your book:
Hope!