Love and Survival

When Lily Braun-Arnold ’26 arrived on campus in the fall of 2022, she came with one extra thing on her first-year to-do list—negotiate a book deal. That book, The Last Bookstore on Earth, released in January, became an instant New York Times best seller as well as a Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Pick.

Set in a world that has already been decimated by catastrophic storms, it follows 17-year-old Liz, who has been living in the crumbling abandoned bookstore where she used to work when Maeve sneaks in looking for a place to stay. The two form an uneasy alliance, eventually fall in love, and struggle to survive as another storm threatens to finish off the world for good this time. Kirkus Reviews writes, “This stellar debut is filled with cynical and witty characters who are exploring the nature of and need for human connection.”

New Jersey native Braun-Arnold, who has a twin sister, decided to write a book during the pandemic lockdown. She was 15 at the time. Prior to completing The Last Bookstore on Earth, she had written two admittedly “horrible” novels—all before graduating from high school.

Along with great reviews, The Last Bookstore on Earth has received quite a lot of media attention, with Braun-Arnold doing several interviews and TV appearances, including on CBS News. Here she talks about how it all happened and where she hopes to go from here.

Talk about the two other books you wrote before The Last Bookstore on Earth, and why that one was different.
“They were totally different in terms of characters and plot, but they were all apocalyptic because that’s what I am obsessed with. I think the themes that I was talking about were very similar in each of them, because I think the apocalypse lends itself to certain themes of fear of the future, uncertainty, and community. So that carried through, but the first two were horrible and should never see the light of day. [The Last Bookstore on Earth worked in a way that the other ones didn’t. I think that was because of the bookstore. It added another element that made it a little bit more tangible for people.”

What made you attempt to write the first book?
“I always thought one day I would write books, and it would be so fun and cool—but I never actually did it. Because of COVID, I suddenly had this abundance of time, so every day I would sit and write, forcing myself to hit a certain word count every day. At first, I wrote 2,000 words a day.”

Describe how it felt at the beginning?
“I was convinced that it was going to be smooth sailing. I was like, ‘I'm going to sit down and words are just going to flow from my fingertips and everything’s going to be wonderful.’ I got about two pages in, and I was like, ‘This stinks!’ It was a little bit of a come-down. But also, I wrote and rewrote my first sentence probably 700 times. And that’s something I still do. I’m working on the next book, and I rewrote that first page about 700 times, just going in.

Did you set out to write a YA book specifically or did you just write a book that you wanted to read?
“I think it was a combination of both. I was reading a lot of YA, and that was what I was familiar with.”

Who read your first works? 
“My parents, who are always very supportive, had to read those first two books that were hot messes, and they sort of plastered on a smile and said, ‘It’s great,’ which I appreciate them for. I also had a friend who read the first thing I wrote. She’s like, ‘It’s fantastic.’ She was lying through her teeth.”

How did you find a publisher? 
“I wrote a query letter to about 30 agents who were looking for YA books or books set in a near future dystopia. I had been at Smith for two weeks, when an agent emailed me that she wanted to meet with me. We scheduled a Zoom, which ended up being on Mountain Day. She wanted me to do some revisions and resubmit it. I spent a month working on that. I sent it back to her and she ended up offering representation. I signed with her in December of my first year, did edits that spring and summer, and then in October, during fall break, we went out to publishers. Three days later, I was in Chapin House when I got a call that we had an offer on the book. I took all my meetings in my dorm room; it was a crazy whirlwind experience.”

The book is getting a lot of media attention. 
“The publishers have been very excited about this book from the beginning, which I’m very grateful for.”

Have the movie rights sold?
“Not yet—Hollywood, call me.”

Could you see yourself doing a screenplay or would you leave that to somebody else?
“I don’t think I know enough about screenwriting, but I’d love to help.”

Is there anything in the book that you wish you had done differently?
“I was 17 when I wrote it, so I think there are some places where my age shows. It’s been three years. I hope my writing has improved a bit, but I don’t think there’s anything I regret. I’m very proud of the book. Do I think it’s perfect? No. Do I think it’s a hot mess and shouldn’t be out there? No.”

How do you feel about doing publicity for the book? 
“Doing events is great, but I’m not the biggest fan of social media. I love talking to people. I was on CBS New York, which was exciting, and the coordinator was a Smithie! For social media, I’m doing a lot of TikTok. It feels a little bit more organic, because you can make jokes, and it’s a little more personal. Instagram feels a little bit more corporate and rigid to me.”

I know you love all things apocalyptic. What are some of your favorite books in the genre?
“This is my favorite question. Okay. Books: Station 11; Dry, which is a YA book; Electric Kingdom, which is by an author named David Arnold; and I’m currently reading the Silo series.”

Movies and TV?
“I love The 100, it is the best/worst show. Severance, The Last of Us, Fallout.”

Music?
“I love Woodkid. His music is cinematic, and his first album, The Golden Age, is one of my favorite albums of all time—very apocalyptic. Also, Fleurie’s Love and War. And then I love listening to music from the 40s, 50, and 60s. I think some of that feels slightly apocalyptic in some ways—I feel like it could score an apocalyptic story.”

What would you like people to know about The Last Bookstore on Earth?
“There have been people who have been very surprised by it as it takes a more optimistic approach than most apocalyptic stories—a little more slice-of-life perspective. There are no zombies banging on the door. If you think that you don’t like apocalyptic media, maybe try it. Most people can find something in the book that they can latch onto. The apocalypse has always meant so much to me, as corny as it sounds—I just hope that others can find the same comfort in it that I have.”