Dear FabFitFun,

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to you all and tell you how thrilled I am to have my new novel, In Five Years, be FabFitFun’s inaugural book club pick.

So, hi! My name is Rebecca Serle, and I’ve been writing since I can remember. If I could have dinner with any five people living or dead, Nora Ephron would definitely make the list. I write New York stories, inspired by movies like When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail. I recently moved to Los Angeles. I am a super, duper big fan of bathrobes. OK, I think that about covers it on my end. Now I’ll tell you a little bit about In Five Years…

It’s the story of Dannie Kohan, a corporate lawyer living in New York City who knows exactly what she wants for her life. We meet her on the day of a big job interview at the firm where she’s wanted to work forever. She nails the interview and gets engaged to her boyfriend that night to boot. Everything is unfolding precisely according to the plan. That is, until she falls asleep that night, wakes up, and lives exactly sixty minutes — from 10:59 to 11:59 — five years in the future. She finds herself in an apartment she’s never seen before, and with a man (!) she’s never met before. Let’s just say it’s a shocking hour. She’s relieved to wake up once more in her regular life and eventually decides it must have been a dream. Until four and a half years later, when she once again meets the man from her long-ago vision.

I’ve heard it said that all authors are predominantly interested in exploring one theme over and over again. For me, I’ve always been fascinated by the dialogue surrounding fate versus free will. How much is in our control, and how much will happen regardless of what we choose to do? In my last novel, The Dinner List, I explored the idea that you could go back in time and relitigate the past. This book is about the fantasy of the future and how, even if we can see what’s coming, we can’t see what it will mean.

It’s also a story for best friends, and Dannie and Bella’s friendship is (without giving too much away) at the very heart of In Five Years. The friendships I have in my own life are nothing short of magical, and I wanted to pay tribute to that kind of female friendship in this book.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to have been chosen by FabFitFun as their very first Book Club pick and to experience the story once more alongside all of you. This is such a gracious, dynamic, engaged and thoughtful community, and I’m proud to be a part of the family that you have created.

Speak soon!

Big love,
Rebecca