[1] Following her studies, Newman moved to New York City to pursue an acting career, but was unsuccessful.
[3][4] After two years, Newman returned to her parents' home in Phoenix and worked at Changing Hands, an independent bookshop, until 2011.
[1][3] She worked at Virgin America and Alaska Airlines until she was furloughed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
[6] The film rights for the novel were sold to Universal and Working Title for $1.5 million, with Newman set to write the script.
[9] A bidding war for the movie rights to the novel took place in March, with figures such as Nicole Kidman, Alfonso Cuarón and Steven Spielberg expressing interest.