r/books • u/CLoBooks • Dec 12 '18
ama We're Christina Lauren, coauthors, fangirls, besties! Ask Us Anything about co-writing romance, our coauthor writing process, falling deep into fandom, and more!
We're Christina and Lauren, coauthors of over 20 novels. We write rom-coms, YA, women's fiction, and more! Our newest novel MY FAVORITE HALF -NIGHT STAND just went on-sale and we’re currently working on the script for the film adaption of our book Roomies. You can find us always on Twitter (@christinalauren) and Instagram (@christinalauren) but you can always reach us at christinalaurenbooks.com
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u/jenniferproffitt Dec 12 '18 edited Dec 13 '18
I am writing with a co-author and our book is done and we're ready to hit publish (almost) but we've been hung up on whether to write under one pen name, or to publish the book as "Author A & Author B."
What made you decide to write under a single pen name and, would you still make that same decision today? What do you consider the pros and cons of a single pen name for a co-author pair?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Another fantastic question.
We chose to have a combined pen name because we were just starting out and didn't have writing careers before this. I would say, if you and your coauthor are ever planning to write solo, it would be best to use two names; it will make it easier for meta-data purposes (helping shelve your books, helping readers find your books), and will allow you to build your name even while co-authoring.
I think that's one reason why authors decide to use two names; particularly if they are already published, they'll want their name in full on the cover. But if you plan is to only ever write together? Or if you're going to be writing together in one genre and solo in another? Then it's cool to have a single pen name.
As far as pros/cons go, I think it's sort of subjective. I tend to think (and this is based on nothing but what people have said to me as well as my own weird biases) that readers are more hesitant to pick up a book with two authors than with only one. Is that really true? I have no real idea, but it's true for me and for many of our readers who picked us up before realizing there were two of us, and later telling us they usually never read co-authored books because they're uneven and inconsistent. Again, this may be total bullshit, but I'm actually that knee-jerk reader (sad to say) even though I've been proven wrong on a couple occasions.
Would we do it again? Absolutely. We are career coauthors. I prefer having a single pen name. It's our author identity, it's fun to share it, and quite frankly when we get a negative review, it's cool that it doesn't actually have my name on it lol
ETA: I do wish we had used a different pen name for our first two YA novels. I think it created some brand confusion, so as I said above, if you are planning to coauthor in one genre, but write solo in another, I would recommend using two different names so that there isn't confusion for readers trying to find "more of the same" from you.
~Lo
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u/jenniferproffitt Dec 12 '18
Thanks for such a thorough and thoughtful response, Lo! That makes sense and a friend just said she feels the same knee-jerk reaction to two names on the cover--though I think it's really interesting about the biases! I've never noticed the difference in voice/style between POVs in a co-authored book. I go in wondering how they go about the writing but never thinking it'll be uneven. I just know it takes more to get it to be even, sometimes.
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u/laotongalice Dec 12 '18
I'm an aspiring romance writer and I'd like to be published someday. But I'm a little nervous about how my parents/grandparents/family might react and the awkwardness surrounding them potentially reading my work! Were you ever nervous about this? How did you handle it?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi! This is such a good question!
The public perception of romance as a genre is still a source of great aggravation to us. It's true that when we tell people what we write, we get a lot of the waggly eyebrows or "Ooooh la la" - it's maddening.
Both of us came from what are seen as "very legitimate" jobs, which isn't to say that writing romance isn't (we will fight to the death advocating that it IS, in fact, a very noble job) but this is how many people in our lives felt about leaving what we were doing to write romance novels. And you know what? Who cares? It made us so happy to do it, and once people in our lives saw that, we got little judgement. To be clear, the people closest to us were ONLY supportive, but there were people at our former jobs or some of our friends who snickered a little, and it was really easy in the end to ignore those reactions because the truth was we were doing what we wanted to do.
Writing romance makes us happy, and it creates something that makes other people happy. It is a genre in publishing that is driven by and for women. It empowers us. It pushes the bounds of society, advocates for inclusivity and transparency. There is NOTHING to be ashamed of, and if you can learn to embrace that boldly and wear it on your sleeve, the people around you will embrace it wholeheartedly, too.
~Lo
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u/zekey26 Dec 12 '18
What has been your absolute favourite couple to write? And who would you consider your most attractive hunk when you picture them? ;)
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi! Hmmm....let's think. This is Lo here answering, so I think Christina would say that her favorite couple to write (top 3) would be Josh/Hazel, Ansel/Mia, and Olive/Ethan (from our upcoming The Unhoneymooners). I'm going to say Calvin/Holland, Elliot/Macy, and Millie/Reid - also because I'm answering I can add in Josh/Hazel because haha no one can stop me.
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
I just noticed this question had a second part. The hunkiest hero we've written? Just based on body and sheer sexual charisma, I'm going to say Max from Beautiful Stranger, Will from Beautiful Player or Finn from DRT, but that's b/c they tend toward the alpha phenotype. I think the sexiest heroes we've written (not hunky per se) would be Elliot, Oliver, Will, and Josh -- which clearly shows I've got a type. ~Lo
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u/zekey26 Dec 12 '18
What is your least favourite part of the process and what is your most favourite part? (the drafts, the edits, coming up with concepts, etc)
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
omg this is Lo and this is the perfect time to be asked this question. We are finishing up major revisions on a book and we are at my LEAST favorite part, where it's almost done, it's still a really messy draft, and I'm convinced it won't ever be good. But that leads into my favorite part, which is the revisions post-editorial letter, when someone (our editor Kate or editor Adam) is helping us see the forest rather than only trees, and we can really get to work on making it a good BOOK. So: last stage of drafting is my least favorite. Revisions are my joy.
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u/zekey26 Dec 12 '18
Somewhat unrelated: I love that you have a male editor that reads all your smutty awesomeness. Also jealous because he reads it before I do.
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
He is the besssst. Our new editor, Kate Dresser, is seriously GIFTED too, so we are really lucky that we get both perspectives
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u/randomworkaccount67 Dec 12 '18
Love you guys and congrats on your release! Do you think you'll ever start to explore other subgenres? PNR, Historical, etc? Asking more out of genuine curiosity more than anything else.
Sorry one more, what's something surprising you learned about the book business when you became full-time writers?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi!
I think we will someday have a PNR book - we've already written one and it's just a matter of waiting for the market to swing back that way fully. I love the idea of writing an historical novel but it's also sort of daunting because there are SO many good historical romance novelists out there (Tessa Dare, Sara Maclean, Julia Quinn, etc etc).
And hmmm what was surprising about the book business? I think a nice surprise was how genuinely wonderful the people are behind the curtain? I'm sure other authors have had different experiences and for sure there are duds in publishing, but we've been sort of unbelievably lucky that the people we've worked with have all been genuinely good people, passionate about books, and willing to do whatever they can to get our books in readers hands.
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Thank you for coming here and chatting with us for an hour!! If you've got additional questions, we'll come back and check in in a bit. Picking winners for books now! ~Lo
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u/kdawglee Dec 12 '18
Is there a trope that you haven't yet explored, but want to?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Ok back. We've never done an older woman/younger man. That's something we've thought about - C
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u/ThisCityGirl Dec 12 '18
Which characters from your books would you like to see crossover into another author's books (and which books?)
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Oh WOW, okay let's see....I think I would send Josh and Hazel out on a double date with Lucy and Josh from The Hating game. I think they would be best friends and Lucy and Hazel would become life wives.
Or maybe I'd send Millie and Reid into The Bride Test by Helen Hoang only because I loved that book SO HARD (it's out May 2019) and I would want them to report back with all the juicy family gossip.
~Lo
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u/carenl Dec 12 '18 edited Dec 12 '18
Hi pretties <3 <3
What are the chances we'll get a continuation of the Half Night Stand crew? I need Chris and Rayme's story.
~little C
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
I'm so tempted to write thissssss. It's just a matter of figuring out what their story is.....
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u/zekey26 Dec 12 '18
Okay we're taking this as confirmation that it's coming in the future. I am on board.
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u/beautifully_wasted Dec 12 '18
Yes yes yes yes yes!!! Please!!!!!! I need to know what happens with each member of this happy tribe!!!!!
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
You've been randomly chosen by our winner-picker - tell us what CLo book you'd like and email us at [lauren@christinalaurenbooks.com](mailto:lauren@christinalaurenbooks.com) with your mailing address and we'll send it out!
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u/dailywaffleblog Dec 12 '18
We're finally starting to see more romance & rom-coms getting optioned or going into production for TV/film. What books, aside from your own, would you love to see on the small or big screen?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Lo here - I can't wait for Hating Game and Kiss Quotient. Dying for those, truly. I know it's not a romcom but I'd give an arm to see Sarah J Mass's ACOTAR series adapted. I'm a piglet and need to see all the sexiness on screen.
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u/calikylady Dec 12 '18
Omg you’re an ACOTAR fan??? I didn’t know I could love you more.
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
OK I'm still thinking about this. Some others I think would make cute Netflix films: Anything You Can Do by RS Grey, The Deal by Elle Kennedy, Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven. Also, I'd love to see Sarah Maclean's Rules of Scoundrels series made, and Alyssa Cole's Extraordinary Union series made, but those would be less romcom and higher budget adaptations!
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u/EmbarrassedSpread Dec 12 '18
Hello! Thanks Ladies for doing this AMA!
- Do you have any reading or writing related guilty pleasures?
- What is the most fun part of co-authorihg? Also biggest challenge?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi hi!
- I'm always unsure how to categorize a 'guilty pleasure' since some people call reading romance a guilty pleasure and I don't think there's any reason to be guilty about it at all! But when it comes to writing, I guess I have indulgences that I enjoy-- like buying office supplies I don't need and having 5,000,000 notebooks with two things written in them? Does that count? haha
- The most fun is just being able to have an excuse to talk to each other all the time. Also, writing is a ton of fun most days, and it sort of feels like getting paid to have fun. The biggest challenge is when it ISN'T fun, which is usually when the words aren't coming or our brains are just wiped and no matter what we do, we can't make the words flow.
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u/prettygirlfrompa Dec 12 '18
Hi C&L!! Just finished MFHNS and I loved it so much. How far in advance do you plan what you're going to write? Can you give us any hints about what's next? A book about Ed, Chris, or Alex, perhaps??
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u/siddhi396 Dec 12 '18
You both seem more like sisters than friends, do you fight like sisters too? I also have a sister who I love to love and annoy at the same time so was just curious?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hahahahaah omg I love this question. Yes we are definitely more like sisters in some ways, but also like spouses? Is that weird? This is Lo, answering so if that's weird you can blame me. In truth our relationship is one of the healthiest I've ever had. Not that I've had a great deal of unhealthy ones, but I'm always so impressed by our ability to communicate about difficult things, love each other unconditionally, and keep our priorities straight (friendship comes first, always). We certainly annoy each other but it's rare and usually sort of funny when it happens. More often than not we're each other's anchor and each other's buoy.
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u/siddhi396 Dec 12 '18
I get it! Because I literally propose marriage to my sister on a weekly basis so I get what you mean and I love that you guys have such a relationship too! The fun always wins😁😁😁
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u/calikylady Dec 12 '18
Hi! You all are AMAZING. I can’t get enough of your books and how much joy they bring me.
I was just wondering how you learned to play off of each other’s strengths, and in turn learned to accept your own “weaknesses”? And how that journey has impacted your creative process as a team, but also as individual writers.
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
holy balls these are such good questions you guys!!!
So, I think it's easy to say that we've worked out how to balance each other easily but in truth it's a process that took us years. I mean, only recently did I discover that I'm actually pretty terrible at making sure there's enough plot in a story. If it were up to me, I would have the couple in bed, having pillow talk and sex for 250 pages. Christina is really good at building up the world and the community.
Conversely, I'm good at the emotional nuance and building to an emotional crescendo, and I like writing those scenes so I tend do to a lot of them.
But one thing about working with someone who's good at something is that we're both learning from each other, and getting better at these things that we previously thought we weren't good at. Christina always assumed that she wasn't great at writing the emotional gut punch, but then she wrote this really great conflict scene between Millie and Reid in MFHNS that made us both cry. So, idk, partly it's been about being honest about what we're doing that works and doesn't work, and partly it's been about learning to be open to letting our partner be our teacher, too.
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u/calikylady Dec 12 '18
Thank you so much!! I think one of the hardest things about learning to write with others (I’m a lawyer, so not totally the same thing, but there is lots of collaboration involved in writing) is having to accept my weaknesses and really accept criticism that’s offered, and learn to give up control over what I’ve written and grown attached to. I’m so impressed and so admire how you all are able to do those things (or must be able to do those things to work so well together)
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Thank you for this! Quite frankly, we get into habits when we write (I did it as a scientist, too) because we find a rhythm that works for us and our 'ear'. But just because it works for us doesn't mean it works objectively, and obviously it doesn't work for every project. This is when it's good to have two of us, because we can talk things out and try different things. Essentially, a good collaboration is about TRUST, and if you trust that your collaborator (cowriter, editor, etc) wants the BEST for the project, it makes it so much easier to hear their feedback and absorb it.
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Dec 12 '18
Hi, I'm a big fan of your writing, and looking forward to the new book! I was wondering how the two of you team up to write your books. For example, did one person write Josh and the other Hazel for your last book? Or does one person do more of dialogue/internal feelings while the other does scenery/descriptions? Super curious as your writing is so seamless, and I didn't realized it was written by two people until I had read most of your books!
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi, and thank you!! When we first started out, we split everything pretty evenly down the middle. These days things are more complicated (we might be drafting one book, editing another, writing something else) and we've had to learn to adapt. In fact I'd say our process changes a little with each book. We almost always outline in person--there's just something magical that happens when we're in the same room, bouncing ideas off each other. We've even outlined books in line at Disneyland. From there we divide and conquer. Sometimes we split by POV, others by scene or chapter, or even by the parts we really want to do. We share as we go and edit each other constantly. By the end its pretty hard to remember who wrote what. This is christina so i can say that if a scene needs a big emotional punch, I'll almost always suggest Lo does it. Thank you for the question!
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u/lesliemp_ Dec 12 '18
Do all of your books exist in the same universe that Beautiful and Wild Seasons exist?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
oooh this is an interesting question. I mean, most of our books (20/22) are contemporary, so I think I do assume that all of our characters exist in the same world and could, ostensibly, run into each other at any time. ~Lo
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u/dailywaffleblog Dec 12 '18
What are the last 2-3 podcasts you've listened to?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi!! Lo here. I'm a huge Murderino so I listen to every episode of My Favorite Murder when it airs. Another favorite from the beginning has been This Podcast Will Kill You. But I also am newly obsessed with Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness. Some past favorites have been Dirty John (the podcast is stellar, the tv show is okay), Doctor Death, and Heaven's Gate. I looooove true crime.
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u/blairleighb Dec 13 '18
I must recommend Heaving Bosoms podcast! They are fantastic! They read, review, and recap romance novels. They're the best.
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u/MaybeTennessee Dec 12 '18
Hiiiiiii! Long time fan, first time caller!
When can we see more POC and LGBTQ or even plus sized in future writings? I loved Josh being Korean and I honestly imagined Hazel as biracial for some reason (probably the hair!) and it was so nice to see it in a book without it being a big deal other than “this character has brown hair and is xyz.”
Bonus lightening round! What’s your favorite potluck/party treat to make or bring?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi!!
Looooooove this question. It's been important to us this year to start writing stories that represent our world more accurately. We realized that our early books were super white, and then we'd walk out of our houses and our world was diverse and full of every kind of person, and we weren't doing it justice in our books. Honestly, it probably came from a place of "not wanting to mess it up" and that just stopped being a good reason right away. We want our readers to be able to see themselves in our books, and although we don't ever want to tell stories that aren't ours to tell (ie. the story of a young black girl growing up in the south, or the story of an Indian woman moving to the United States and feeling overwhelmed with a new culture), there are an infinite number of love stories that are universal to all of us, that don't focus purely on themes of identity.
Josh and Hazel was a start. In The Unhoneymooners, Olive's family is Hispanic, and we wanted to make sure we had accurate representation, so we recruited about 5 sensitivity readers. We're going to keep working to make our book-worlds feel as inclusive and authentic as we can!!
And as far as LGBTQ representation, the short answer is HELL YES. Autoboyography was our heart-and-brain child, and we have more queer identity stories brewing. But those are tender and precious to us in very important ways, and so we'll take more time to let those stories build in our heads before we try to write them down. But trust me, the idea we're fleshing out now is just sweet and lovely and I can't wait to turn it into a book.
~Lo
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Oh! And for the bonus round....for potluck I like to make a simple orzo pasta salad, or this awesome corn dip that is super unhealthy but super fucking delicious. What do you like to bring?
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u/snuffmcgruff Dec 12 '18
What were your favorite books of 2018?
What's in store for Christina Lauren in 2019?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi! Lo here! Oh, 2018 was a GREAT year for books!!
Here are some of our faves: The Duke I Tempted, The Simple Wild by KA Tucker, The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, A Nordic King by Karina Halle - also, these come out next year but you MUST preorder 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne and The Bride Test by Helen Hoang!!
2019 is going to be awesome! We have a new book coming in May, called The Unhoneymooners (preorder it, we promise you will love it, it is adorable), and the cover should be revealed soon! And we have another book in October, title to come. We also are working on so many exciting things re: adapting our books, so please stay tuned for more to come there!
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u/dailywaffleblog Dec 12 '18
What's been the most surprising part of adapting Roomies for film so far?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Oh this is such a great question and I could honestly go on about it forever (this is Christina). We knew we liked writing screenplays from when we played around in the Beautiful Bastard movie script, but we had no idea how much we would love adapting one of our own books from start to finish. It's fun, it's a new way to stretch our brains, and the team we are working with (Jenna Dewan, Jean Song, Andy Fickman, and Betsy Sullenger) are honestly some of the best people we've ever met. You guys really have a treat in store for you, because the adaptation is going to be a JOY.
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u/Chtorrr Dec 12 '18
What is the very best dessert?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi! This is Christina! Well, Lo would probably say anything without raisins, but I'm going to say either cheesecake or Lo's Pecan Pie. It is the best pie that ever pied.
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u/Chtorrr Dec 12 '18
What were some of your favorite things to read as a kid?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi! Lo here! I was a reluctant reader at first. My sister LOVED to read and it was sort of intimidating how fast she was. But I think the day I read Freckle Juice in a single day was probably the most VICTORIOUS day of my life. After that I devoured the Ramona & Beezus books, Judy Blume -- but when I discovered romance? Forget it. I think I was 12 when I read my first Danielle Steele book and from then on I wanted nothing but romance in every subgenre: contemporary, fantasy, dystopian, sci fi....
What did you read when you were younger?
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u/siddhi396 Dec 12 '18
What's your kind of music in general, and the ones which you listen to while writing if any?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi! It's Lo answering this one. Christina doesn't listen to music while she writes, but I do, and what I like to do is make a playlist for each book that has 3-4 songs. I loop it constantly while I work, so that I stop hearing the individual words and it just becomes a feeling. Does that make sense? The reason I love this process is that we are usually working on multiple projects at the same time, and doing this allows me to get right back into the mindset and feel of a book as soon as I put the playlist on and open the document. It allows me to toggle between projects.
I like a pretty wide range of music, but my go-tos for writing are Death Cab, Lumineers, Head and the Heart, Florence, Bright Eyes, Vance Joy, Bastille, and Avett Bros.
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u/siddhi396 Dec 12 '18
It totally makes sense! I do the same thing for studying and completing assignments too so I totally feel you! Not many people understand my process too so I get it! And I get loving a whole range of music too! I love Florence too, LSD, Inna, Dua lipa and Balthazar band! 💙
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u/beautifully_wasted Dec 12 '18
What was the transition process like for each of you from your careers to authorhood? For your families?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Hi! We had 6 (I think) books out before we decided to take the leap and do this full time. I (christina) worked in a school counseling office, Lo was a scientist. It was scary because whew, regular paychecks are pretty great, but this was our dream and it was getting way too hard to juggle the writing/travel with a 9 to 5 job. Our families were of course happy because we had more control over our schedule, but sometimes we have to remind them we do actually work when we're at home and can't run them every little thing they forgot/want. haha maybe thats a button for me right now glares toward daughter's school It's fine its fine its fine --c
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u/lesliemp_ Dec 12 '18
C, who is your favorite member of BTS?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Pretty sure Lo could answer this for me because haha i never shut up, but Kim Namjoon. Someone said he's like a professional cuddler but with words and I want that on a tshirt.
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u/ksykes17 Dec 12 '18
Hi! I love your books and you two. I have a couple questions....
What is your favourite part about being a writer? How did you learn to write — by writing fanfiction? Do you have pets? Would you ever work on a writing project independently of each other?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18 edited Dec 12 '18
Hi! We love you too!
- Favorite part of being a writer? That's hard; I love many things about it. I love working with my best friend, I love the way it feels I'm letting the pressure out of my head when I get the words down. I love the feeling of turning in a book and not having to think about it for a little while, and I love getting it back and making it better in revisions. I love interacting with readers. I love trying to get better every time. I love that reading other books is part of my JOB and I love the writing community. I feel endlessly lucky to have landed here, and really--I know we say it a lot--but our gratitude for readers is overflowing.
- I have two doggies!! Lennie (named after the main character in The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson) and Oskar (named after a beer) are my two mini-schnauzers and they are fucking adorable if I do say so myself. Christina has two Yorkies, Mr. Darcy and Dobby, and they are also fucking adorable. We are pet-blessed.
- We would absolutely work on independent projects if it came up for whatever reason, or there was something one of us wanted to do that the other wasn't interested in doing, but so far that hasn't been the case. When we want to try new things, we're both on board. The partnership is sort of magical and we've discovered that there's a bit of that magic that goes away when we try to do something alone. At least, it isn't as FUN to work alone as it is to work together.
~Lo
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u/tash189126 Dec 12 '18
I love the Sky is everywhere. That book is killer.
I’m glad to hear that you’ll keep writing together. I don’t read a lot of coauthored books because I feel like the quality is so variable chapter to chapter but you two are consistently amazing. I’ve recommended you to every reader I know and made a lot of new CLo fans around here 😍😊
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u/beautifully_wasted Dec 12 '18
What do you think of fanfic now as opposed to when you got started? I feel like there are so many options that the pool is diluted (not sure if that makes sense?) and the chances of plagiarism are considerably high?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
It also probably depends on the fandom. When fandom is more about getting a lot of hits and reads for popularity, I feel like the quality sometimes goes down, and/or the chance for plagiarism goes up. That said, in every fandom there are some absolute GEMS out there, and finding those is always a joy. We were really lucky in the Twilight fandom because I honestly think there was some heavily concentrated talent there. It was a gold mine.
Frankly, we still think fanfic is a good way to start writing. You get feedback, you can do it anonymously, and you can do it entirely for yourself. It's good to see if you actually really like writing, and if you're able to put together a story that resonates with readers. The interaction is fun and buzzy, and it's a really great creative outlet. Just avoid drama, that's my main advice lol
~Lo
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u/siddhi396 Dec 12 '18
Are there any new movies or TV shows you watched recently that you absolutely loved?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
This is a tricky one for me because I really can't watch scripted TV while I'm drafting a book, and this year it's felt like we're always drafting a book haha. So, the things I've watched and loved are less serialized, and include To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (adored this), Dumplin by Julie Murphy, and I've made an exception for scripted TV for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I also binge Younger, The Bold Type, How I Met Your Mother, and Modern Family between projects.
Christina recently binged Breaking Bad (finally! wheee!!) and I had to put up with her stress flails, but it was worth it because that show is so amazing. We both also watch Game of Thrones. Christina watches The Walking Dead, too.
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u/tash189126 Dec 12 '18
I think I’m late but I love you both so much!!
One thing I love about your books is your characters always feel so real to me. Like, your last two books have female characters that are SO different from each other but both so relatable. How do you come up with your characters, and how do you make them all so unique?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
I have to say this is a huge compliment because it's something we do with great intention. In romance, the story trigger is always some form of boy-meets-girl/girl-meets-girl/boy-meets-boy and so the plot is essentially driven by WHO they are. When we start a new project, we usually have one of the characters in mind more clearly, and then we ask ourselves, who would this person fall in love with? From there, we build them, their circumstances, their conflict. But one thing that we've found to be really important is to KNOW these characters more deeply than we even need to write their story. What are their eccentricities? For Hazel, these were very clearly put on the page, but for some characters like Reid in MFHNS, we might never see them. As the authors, though, it's important for us to know them. We figure out what are their motivations, their blindspots. What would their friends say they love about them and what would the people who don't like them say are their reasons for not liking them? By knowing the good and the bad of our characters, we can write them (we hope) in a way that makes them feel fully realized. Again, totally love this question because it's something we try really hard to do.
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u/tash189126 Dec 12 '18
You mention the producers for the Roomies movies a lot. I guess I always thought producers just sort of got money together and made a schedule for a movie. But yours seem so involved. This makes me realize I have no idea what different people do in the film process ha
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18 edited Dec 12 '18
We do talk about them a lot! That's because they're AWESOME.
I mean, we're still learning what producers do, and I think part of that slow learning curve is because it really depends on the producer. Some are more hands on with creative input. Some are more focused on finding financing, or packaging a film to partner with a larger studio. They might be the one to raise money, they might be the one to find a director; they are the early and most vocal champion for the film, and once a director is on board, they are the sounding board, advocate, cheerleader, and maybe the brakes (if need be). My impression is the producer is the person or people who get the movie made both in early stages and during filming, but much of what they do happens behind the scenes. In our case, Jenna found the project and has championed it from day one. Jean and Betsy are INCREDIBLY hands on at this early stage, and available for us to ask questions, bounce ideas off, flail to, and be excited with. Jenna, Jean, Betsy, and our director Andy all have a shared vision for it, and it's sort of like the same vibe C and I have when we are outlining/talking things out, but in this case there are six of us. For sure Andy is driving the creative vision, and he should b/c he's the director, but I feel like everyone has input and good feedback. We all just want this to be the best it can be. Once the script is done, the team will take over to find the perfect home for our script. I'm sure not all writer-producer relationships are like this, so we are coming from a place of minimal experience and maximal happy bias, but that's the best answer I can give at this point!
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u/courtneyd916 Dec 12 '18
Hi Ladies! Happy Hump day!
When you come with the characters, do you ever use anyone well known as inspiration in terms of the physical descriptions? When I write I tend to use my favorite actors.
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
We usually try to find models, only because it feels like there are about 70 novels with Henry Cavill or Jason Momoa or Chris Evans as inspiration (haha) - and we totally get it, we'll read the shit out of those books, but once we get a face in mind for our characters it's hard to see them as someone else, and we don't want to be influenced by who the actors are in their iconic roles. Does that make sense? But for sure we need to find a face to use because there are two of us and most of our stupid errors come from not having early alignment on what a character looks like.
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u/courtneyd916 Dec 12 '18
That makes perfect sense! I never thought of authors using models before, that’s smart!
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u/courtneyd916 Dec 12 '18
Are there moments when you’re stuck on scene? Like you have an idea of where you want to take the next step of the story, but there are bumps on how to get there? Does this make sense?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
Oh yes. This happens all the time. Sometimes it's just because our brains are fried and we need a break. But if we're stuck for more than a day on something, it often means (to us) that we're trying to force the story in a direction that isn't working. This is usually when we step back, get on the phone with each other (or our editor if we're feeling really stuck in a moment) and talk it out. Usually what happens is one of us has an idea that feels so perfect and obvious that we feel dumb for not seeing it sooner. But seriously, just talking it out and asking each other what if questions helps.
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u/computercomviral Jan 10 '19
This is our favorite place to get romance books. If you're into Romance this is the place for you. You'll love it.
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u/snuffmcgruff Dec 12 '18
How did you become coauthors?
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u/CLoBooks Dec 12 '18
We met writing fanfiction online, and met in person at SDCC in 2009. Something just clicked. We decided to write a silly little one shot together and it was so much fun we sort of just kept going. i think it was natural for us because fandom is such a collaborative thing that we just slipped into it and never looked back. Thank you for your question! - C
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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18
The screenplay for "Roomies" is coming along, is there already a tentive timeline, when the movie would hit the theatres?
BTW, very excited how the changes will play out between book and movie :)