Love's a Disaster. The Book is Knott.

Welcome to Andrew Knott’s new rom-com Love’s a Disaster, the rom-com that roms and coms more than any other.

What happens when you propose, and she says no? What’s worse, what if she bolts instead of giving you an answer? Can you ever come back from that crushing humiliation? And then, what if there is a peacock involved??

Welcome to Andrew Knott’s new rom-com Love’s a Disaster, the rom-com that roms and coms more than any other.

Andrew is legitimately one of the funniest dad writers that I know. Now, that’s one thing to say, and another thing to show. So here you go. Head down the Andrew Knott rabbit hole.

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I first met Andrew at a conference. He was quiet. The guy who hangs out in the corner, and makes small talk but doesn’t seek it out. We chatted, and then I went to the hotel and pulled up some of the stuff he wrote.

The next morning, I practically tackled him. My extrovert self said we were now best friends 4Ever, and I carved our initials into a tree. So, when I got a chance to read Love’s a Disaster before everyone else, I jumped at it, and of course, I wasn’t disappointed.

Love’s a Disaster tells the story of Caleb. A nice enough young chap that falls in love like the young tend to do. However, when he proposes to Sadie at a punk rock concert, everything goes wrong. His heart gets broken and he tries to move on. He thinks he does, but then Sadie shows back up in his life. And she has a child.

And also, again, there is a peacock that gets world famous.

I got a chance to sit down with Andrew to talk to him about where this book comes from, the process of writing it, and his experience with peacocks.

Question:

Is Shannon your favorite dad writer?

Andrew: He hasn’t left me alone for years, and if I say no, I’m afraid he will show up to my house. So yes.

Question: Will Shannon show up at your house anyway?

Andrew: Probably.

Question:

You’re spreading your wings and moving into fiction writing. Where did the idea for Love’s a Disaster come from?

Andrew:

The premise has been in my mind for years. It comes from a Green Day message board where a guy proposed to his girlfriend during a song. For whatever reason, that post stuck with me for years. I thought it would make a great story. So, I sat on it for decades, raised kids, and eventually came back to this classic rom-com set-up. But how can I twist it, bring in the family elements and parenting that I normally write about? And then I wanted to add the complicated relationships.

Question:

What draws you to those complicated relationships? We’ve got Caleb who is heartbroken. Sadie is mysterious. What’s the draw?

Andrew:

Sadie is this very sarcastic person with this punk rock aesthetic. But we find out that her parents are these very stereotypical suburban parents that are 100% supportive. They dote on her. That juxtaposition strikes me as funny. Those people in your life that are so different from you.

For Caleb, his mom is his opposite. Not to give anything away, but to explore through Caleb’s eyes the things that have been lost. I like the unexpected and different people and personalities mixing together.

Question:

Ok, explain the peacock. I love the peacock.

Andrew:

The peacock offers a chance for humor that helps you come down from the more serious parts. Plus, there are peacocks around where I live. During the pandemic, there was a public park where peacocks just hung out.

In Love’s a Disaster, Sadie’s parents have adopted a wild peacock that wanders around in the neighborhood. They set up an Instagram account for him, and Sadie is mortified by this in the beginning. But her parents go full-on into it, with different situations and captions.

Question:

Do you know any famous peacocks in real life?

Andrew: Not in real life, but there are peacocks down here that really roam the neighborhoods.

Question:

Wait, really?

Andrew:

Yup. My wife’s family feeds a peacock. Leaves out bowls of food and stuff.

Question:

I didn’t expect that. Are there peacock laws that I need to know? If I brought one home, is that cool?

Andrew:

I have no idea.

Question:

The relationship between Sadie’s daughter and Caleb. It’s a big part of the story, and you don’t typically see a dynamic like that. As an at-home dad, I’m around kids all day. However, I get the stink eye a lot for it when I’m out and about. So, I love to see this wholesome thing happening. How did you come up with that plotline?

Andrew:

Scarlett is 12 when she and Sadie move back to Caleb’s hometown. She gets interested in sword fighting. So, she joins a group that meets up at the park to practice it and roleplay. It just so happens to be the group that Caleb runs. He’s big into sword fighting. Caleb becomes a role model to Scarlett, who isn’t aware of Sadie and Caleb’s past.

I wanted Scarlett to be the catalyst to reach Act II and re-introduce Sadie and Caleb.

Question:

In the beginning of the book, Caleb gets destroyed. The heartbreak is palpable. Did you have someone in mind when you wrote that part? I mean, ouch, man.

Andrew:

Ha, no. But it happens so often in real life. I was so focused on the story and plot that it seemed almost natural as I wrote the story. The challenge was writing the emotions in those scenes. That was most of my notes in my first draft. What were they feeling here?

Question:

It’s the ultimate rejection that I think every guy feels right in the chest. Even if it doesn’t happen, we are always afraid it will happen.

Andrew:

Yeah, I had to really feel that out as I got into more drafts to bring everything out. And then I had to carry that feeling throughout the entirety of the book.

Love’s a Disaster hits shelves on May 21^st, this week! It’s a wonderful read that takes you through these really heartbreaking moments, but with the humor that adds a bit of a band-aid to the pain. It’s a great read on the beach or just when you want to dive into the world of a guy who just wants to be loved, a girl that is trying, and a peacock with more followers that me.