Welcome, and today I’m talking with Ilana Long who is here on Coffee Time Romance to tell us about her Romantic Comedy, Pickleballers. But Ilana is not only a writer. She’s also a stand up comedian, a singer, an actor, a teacher, a sportswoman and passionate pickleballer, so take it away, Ilana. Tell us more.

Let’s begin with Pickleballers: what makes this sport something you’d like to share with romance readers?

Pickleball is loaded with humor and friendship. I’ve met so many friends I would never have met under other circumstances. The sport is so fun and low-pressure that many people are making pickleball a first date and also meeting people on the courts. I hear that story from players all the time.

How did you make the leap from stand up comedy to writing?

I love having control over writing. Stand-up can be stressful—getting gigs, practicing, memorizing. I’ve always enjoyed writing comedy—since high school and college, where I wrote humorous articles, and when my twins were born, I wrote a yet-to-be-published funny “momoir.” Writing PICKLEBALLERS and PICKLE PERFECT (coming October 2025) was a natural progression.

Is writing comedy easier or more difficult than writing comedy for a live audience? In what way is it different?

It’s both easier and harder (how’s that for hedging my bets?) Easier in that there isn’t the stress of needing the laugh to know it’s funny, and harder because you don’t hear the laugh to validate that it’s funny.

Working in front of a live audience is both a frightening and heady experience. Do you get the same kick from writing, or do you appreciate the lack of stress?

Writing doesn’t provoke that same adrenaline rush as being on stage, but it’s a more sustainable high.

Do you make yourself laugh when you’re writing?

Absolutely. Sometimes I’ll re-read a passage I wrote just so I can laugh again. And if I haven’t read that passage in a while, I don’t necessarily remember writing it, so it seems more surprisingly funny to me. That happened to me recently when I re-read the hatchback seatbelt scene in Pickleballers, and the scene with the drink dispenser in Pickle Perfect.

Do you sometimes laugh out loud when you’re in public (walking down the street or in the supermarket) and thinking about a comedy routine? Do people look at you strangely?

Here’s what happens to me when I tell my kids a joke that occurs to me: They don’t laugh, but I do! And my daughter will say, “Mom. You can’t laugh at your own jokes.”

Are you a disciplined creator with a schedule or do you have to be in the mood?

I wish I were more disciplined. I’m a bit of a multitasker and easily distracted. What was the question?

You’ve lived in many places. Does what you’ve experienced in other countries appear in your work?

Yes! In fact, my next novel, a romantic comedy PICKLE PERFECT is set in Costa Rica, where I lived with my family for five years while teaching high school English and Drama at International Schools. There, we had many adventures including whitewater rafting, rappelling, ziplining, playing pickleball, and hiking in the jungle…all of which make an appearance in my next novel.

Did you have to do research?

I did learn a lot about the history of pickleball. It began in 1965 on Bainbridge Island where most of the novel is set. I visited the original courts! And also, a substory in the novel centers around the Japanese Exclusion Act during WWII, so I visited the memorial and learned a lot about that. Also, I played hours and hours and hours of pickleball. For research, of course.

Any advice for aspiring authors?

Persistence! I sent about 134 letters to agents before finding one, and I wrote two other novels before Pickleballers resonated with publishers. Keep working at it. Be flexible. Take suggestions as help, not as personal critique.

How about some advice for aspiring comedians?

Persistence! Ha! Also, for female comics, hang in there. You can develop your own style. There is a lot of comedy out there that works for guys, but I’m loving the women who are building their sets out of dating and marriage, periods and menopause, motherhood and womanhood in general — because there is so little of it out there in a male-dominated profession.

What is your next book?

PICKLE PERFECT. Coming October 28, 2025: A second chance at love crashes one woman’s tropical pickleball vacation and serves up an adorkably swoony romantic comedy. It’s such a fun story. You can pre-order on my website or at Penguin Random House, where you can also find Pickleballers.

Links

Website |  Instagram | Tiktok | eMail