Interview with Laura Chapman, author of THE MARRYING TYPE

02/25/2015 09:17

 

I'm thrilled to welcome my author friend

LAURA CHAPMAN

to the blog today!

 

Laura is the author of the new book

THE MARRYING TYPE

just released yesterday!

 
 

Laura and I love to do "interview swaps", and this is half of our latest one (read mine here).

We each throw in a few questions, and then both of us answer all of them.  Find our other swap here and here.

 
The Interview
 

Who is your favorite supporting character in this book?

My instinct is to say Eric Warner, but because he can kind of count as a main character I’ll go with Rhett Smyth, known simply as Smyth. He’s one of Elliot’s longtime friends, and he adds plenty of humor and heart to her world. If I ever met Smyth in a bar or at a party, I have zero doubt we’d be besties for life.

 

What was the biggest lesson you learned between writing your first book and this one?

This is a lesson every author has to learn, and it is maybe the toughest, but I realized that not every person is going to like my book or me. No matter how many times I write and re-write a scene, I will never please everyone. That doesn’t mean I write entirely for myself, but I do try to make myself happy with the results. And I think of my target audience member and wonder if she or he will like it. I should mention that while I’ve come to realize this is the truth, and I sound super Zen about it, I’m still working on accepting this. I still have first day of school moments where I panic about whether or not the other kids will like my book.

 

When do you find yourself most inspired as a writer?

This is going to sound gross, but I do a lot of thinking in the bathroom. In the shower, yes, but also during bathroom breaks. When I’m deeply engrossed in a project, I find that I can resolve just about any issue or moment of writer’s block during the one or two minutes I spend in the restroom. It’s a good thing I tend to drink a ton of coffee and water while I’m writing so I have a reason to take those breaks.

 

Where do you do most of your writing?

I’m a nomadic writer by nature, but I try to spend at least an hour or two of every writing day at my desk. I use the Pomodoro Technique at my desk, which forces me to be organized and essentially GSD (get sh*t done). In November, I followed a funny little nomadic writing pattern on Saturdays. I’d spend the first 90 minutes of my day at Starbucks, then I’d spend the next 90 minutes at Barnes & Noble, followed by 90 minutes at Panera, finishing with 90 minutes at the library. I did this about four times, and these were huge production days for me and a lot of fun. And because Caroline shared a photo of her office with me, here’s one of mine.

 

Why should everyone drop what they're doing and pick up a copy of the book this second?

Short answer: Because I love this book. Longer answer: I love this book, because it’s the story about someone getting her groove back after being knocked down repeatedly. Inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion, it’s a story about a young woman growing confidence and getting a second chance at her first great love. And with the wedding and reality TV show moments, it also lends itself to plenty of humor. I hope people will enjoy cheering for Elliot Lynch as much as I had fun telling her story.

 

Thank you so much to Caroline for featuring me on your blog. If you pick up a copy of The Marrying Type, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

 

 

Be sure to enter this Rafflecopter for your chance to win one of three novel-inspired prize packages.

 

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About the Book

Always the wedding planner, never a bride, Elliot Lynch is famous for orchestrating the splashiest weddings in Charleston, South Carolina. When her father’s sloppy management practices leave them on the brink of bankruptcy, Elliot will do whatever it takes to save the family business. When asked to appear on “The Marrying Type,” a reality TV show about the people behind the scenes as couples exchange I dos, she says yes to the invasion of privacy (and the hefty paycheck that comes with it).

 

With a camera crew capturing every detail of her life, Elliot faces her most challenging contract yet: planning a wedding where her ex is involved in every part of the process. Add in a lazy assistant, liquor-loving bridesmaid, and rival planner encroaching on her turf, and Elliot’s wedding season goes from high-end to high-stress.

 

Forced to confront her past, Elliot must live out her troubled present on national TV if she has any hope of saving her future.

 

 

Buy the Book!

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Marching Ink

 

About the Author

Laura Chapman is the author of The Marrying TypeHard Hats and Doormats, and the Autumn and Tuck series, which appear in Merry & Bright and A Kind of Mad Courage. A native Nebraskan, she loves football, Netflix marathons, and her cats, Jane and Bingley. Until she fulfills her dream of landing a British husband or becoming a Disney princess, you can find her in a bar penning her next novel.

 

 

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