And just like that we’re at the start of a brand new month with yet another brand new release! Out first release of March is a real treat as I got to sit down with debut novelist Juliet Izon to chat allllll things The Encore, a beautiful book that stretches across decades - and continents! We had a lovely chat so I hope you enjoy!
Juliet Izon is a New York City and Hudson Valley-based journalist and author. Her work has appeared in national newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and magazines like Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and Architectural Digest (a full archive of clips can be found here). Her first novel, The Encore, will be published by Union Square & Co./Hachette in spring 2026.
Born in University Park, MD, Juliet is a proud alumna of Sidwell Friends School and Trinity College, from which she graduated with honors in English Literature. Before becoming a freelance writer, she held editorial staff positions at Bauer Publishing, Niche Media, and Modern Luxury, where she wrote on a variety of lifestyle topics including entertainment, travel, restaurants, and design.
In her free time, you can often find her traveling the world with her husband Mike and daughter Aveline. But when she’s home, she’s probably at the theater catching a new dance performance or off-Broadway show.
The Encore: A captivating journey of love, sacrifice, and destiny playing out in the world of music.
In 2003, at the prestigious Brookfield Conservatory in Boston, a chance encounter sparks an inimitable friendship between driven pianist and singer Anna Buckley and composer wunderkind Will Pendleton. As they strive toward careers as professional musicians, their bond deepens both from shared skill and the inexplicable sense that they’re kindred souls. But soon after graduation, one night forever alters the trajectory of their lives, destroying their relationship in the process.
Twenty years later in New York, sixteen-year-old piano virtuoso Lottie Thomas is grappling with the rigors of her elite prep school and the confounding disappearance of the woman who gave her up at birth. When Lottie suddenly discovers the startling truth of her identity, the revelation catalyzes a chain of events that not only reunites Lottie with her birth parents, but forces them together on a rock tour-bus for a careening cross-country journey. It is there, trapped in these tight confines, that the three must finally reconcile with irrevocable choices from the past.
The following is an condensed transcript from the episode. Question order and number is slightly changed for ease of reading, for the full and unedited interview you can listen above!
Q1) What are three words you’d use to describe “The Encore” and what are three you’d use to describe yourself as an author?
Juliet Izon: For The Encore, I would say “propulsive”, “nostalgic”, and “heartfelt” and for me as a writer, I mean hopefully, it’s “fun”, “cinematic” I really try to pain full pictures with the words you’re reading on the page and I guess “emotional.” I wanna pull at heartstrings when I can.
Q2) If you were a plate, what kind of plate would you be?
Juliet Izon: So as you might know, when I’m not writing fiction, I’m a food and travel journalist so I have a lot of thoughts about food and plates. So if I came back in another life as I plate I would want to be this plate. I was gifted once, through work, a very tiny porcelain rectangular tray that’s from Hermes, so it’s very fancy and it’s literally just meant for eating your sushi off of I think it fits maybe six pieces. It’s very petite but it’s just so fabulous. So sometimes I will takeout sushi and plate it on my special plate so that’s the sort of plate I would like to be.
Q3) If you had to spend a year in a fictional world which would you pick and why?
Juliet Izon: That’s such a tricky one because I want to go to Hogwarts probably right? But I would also love to be in the Sally Rooney universe of Dublin or in Ireland in general so probably one of those two which are pretty opposite on the spectrum there.
Q4) Could you read the opening line/passage from your book and tell us how did you went about developing it?
Juliet Izon: Perfect I’ll read you the first three paragraphs, I think that’s a good introduction.
“Right before the show starts, they cut the lights. The audience bubbles itself into a frenzy when this happens, the noise cresting like a fast moving wave that crashes at the front of the stage. The bass drum kicks in first, pushed so high in the sound mix, it feels like it emanates from deep inside your sternum. A single spotlight flashes onto the drummer who slowly starts beating out a half-time shuffle. Soon the guitarist and the bassist are illuminated too, all three communicating with nearly imperceptible signals. A strum of a power chord there, a quick twirl of the drumsticks there. They jam for a few minutes, picking up the tempo only to ease it back. The crowd is getting itchy, impatient, restless. This is what the band is aiming for. Those on the far side of the stage see her first as she readies for her entrance, igniting another round of cheers. She does her best to focus inward, takes a quick swig of water, adjusts her in-ears and exhales slowly. Sometimes she crosses herself, a vestige of a life she’s left long behind. When she finally strides onto the stage in a simple black leotard and a pair of high-waisted jeans, a deafening, febrile wall of sound rises up from the seats, striking her with a nearly physical force. She smiles, she’s home.”
It’s funny because I’m sure, you know, if you read any books on craft advice or the PubTips Subreddit you know… people will be like “don’t do prologues. Agents hate them.”… but I didn’t know any of these rules when I started. I just sort of wrote it. And I liked the idea of this moment in time, where you see Anna sort of at the height of her power.
Q5) What is one big thing you learned from the process of this book? From the writing to the editing or beyond.
Juliet Izon: Interesting. It’s funny because obviously media, meaning journalism, and publishing are very adjacent industries but they operate very differently and especially in terms of the timelines. So I would say the part that’s been maybe the most surprising to me is how long the actual production of a book takes from when you sign a deal to when you see it in stores. So for me, it’ll be a little under two years which is pretty average. I’d say anything under 18 months is considered super fast and I’m used to even when I have a long lead assignment having maybe a month, you know? So I think that took some getting used to because especially when you first get your deal, you’re so excited and you can’t wait for it to be done. And also your family, if they’re not in the industry, they’re like “what do you mean it’s May of ‘24 and your book’s not out until March of 2026? Like what’s taking so long?”… and there’s so many steps to it. But I think ultimately it makes it all the much more exciting when you finally get to hold it in your hands cause you know how many people touched your work.
Q6) Do you think you would get along with Anna and/or Lottie, were you to meet?
Juliet Izon: I wish I could hang out with them. I wish I could hang out with all three of them. That would be so fun. Well, depending on where you were in the time. I would love to pick Anna’s brain just on her creative process because she’s a singer-songwriter and she’s a wonderful musician and I would love to sort of watch her create a song from scratch. And then for Lottie, I’d love to just wander around the Upper East Side with her and see how she’s doing and meet her friends and make sure she’s okay.
Q7) If you could share a meal with any character in this series who would you pick and what kind of meal would you share?
Juliet Izon: I think it would be the most fun probably to go out with Anna and Aiden [Lottie’s adoptive uncle/guardian] and go get sushi on my sushi plate!
Q8) What’s on your shelf, what are you reading these days?
Juliet Izon: So I went on a NetGalley request spree last week and now, I’m a little stressed because some of these titles are ticking down so I have to read them quickly. But I’m really lucky as a journalist who occasional covers books that I can get approved for a decent chunk of what I’d like to read. So what I am currently reading, about a third of the way through is T. Kira Madden’s first novel called Whidbey and it’s phenomenal.
Q9) What independent bookstores would you like to highlight today?
Juliet Izon: So here in New York City, my local independent is Corner Bookstore on the Upper East Side. It’s on 93rd and Madison… which is very convenient and also dangerous. They have really wonderful displays in the windows so every time I’m dropping [my daughter] off or picking her up, they change them. It feels like every few days I always see something else I really want to read. And then in Upstate New York, I love Oblong Books. They have locations in Millerton and Rhinebeck but the Rhinebeck store is really my home store and I will actually get to do a reading there after the book comes out so I’m super excited to do that. Oblong is also who I’m doing my pre-order partnership with. So if you pre-order through Oblong the book will come signed.
Want to learn more? Check out the full episode “Juliet Izon on Getting The Band Back Together” wherever you listen to your podcasts and make sure to check out The Encore at your local bookstore or library!
And if you enjoyed this, check out my last episode, “Grace K. Shim On Writing A Book That Sparks Joy, Humor, and Acceptance”
Interesting plot! I especially love the discussion around the book's characters.
Honora — such a great interview with Juliet! Really appreciated the discussion about The Encore's characters, especially.