Latest / Main Chapter / SEASON 2 OPENER: Mindy's Book Studio Author Elba Luz x Main Chapter

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SEASON 2 OPENER: Mindy's Book Studio Author Elba Luz x Main Chapter · Main Chapter

• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I will have the timestamps right here if you haven't read the book already and want to skip through some of the things we talk about because the ending is given away a little bit.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: But feel free to watch the full thing.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: Let's go ahead and get to it.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I hope you enjoy the interview.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Elba, welcome to main chapter.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: I am so excited to have you, as I've said before.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: And before we get started talking about the plot, I understand that this is your adult romance debut.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: You've written YA before.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: What was it like transitioning to adult romance?
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: What surprised you the most?
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think what surprised me the most is maybe the freedom of it.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: I have two YAs and a third coming down the line.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I wrote it a little bit younger.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: I like had just kind of graduated college.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so like it still was above the age group I was writing, but I felt like I had so many stories to tell for like that age group.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so then I was like, well, I'm an adult now.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um like a full-fledged adult.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, a lot of things in my life are different.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so I wanted to be writing stories that felt a little bit more true to that.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so it is really different, like being in the mind of an adult and like trying to make sure like Lucy is like near 30, but she's not.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: So like that kind of bridge between like you're still a young adult, but you're becoming an adult, and like the the the the contents are a lot different, like there's adult content, your issues are a lot more expansive.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like a teen, you're you're scared of like having bad grades or like disappointing your parents, and as an adult, you're trying to survive, like you're your issues kind of skyrocket.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so that was really important to me to make sure I was doing correctly and like the stakes were a lot higher because like her that her life, her house, her her dreams, all these things are significant, they're on the line.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: So it was a little bit different from being like, Oh, am I gonna get a good grade or oh like I might lose my house?
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's so different because when you're reading YA teens, they're figuring out who they want to be in the world, but they're preparing for a different stage of life.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like, oh, what college do I want to go to?
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: What do I want to study?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: And when you're adult and in your 20s, you're just like really in the thick of it and trying to lay this true, true foundation of your life.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I understand that writing them can probably be such a different experience, but you're making such a big splash with your adult debut, Mindy Kayling's book studio.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: That's amazing.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: Congratulations.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: So much.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'm still like, you know me, you know my name, you know who I am, that's crazy.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: The book starts out with like a note from her raving about the book, and then I read in your acknowledgement.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a mixture of shock, but also like a god complex.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: Because I'm like, I know it's a good book, and as you should, it's a it's a great book.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: But walk me through what is it like being part of this book studio now?
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's really interesting, it's amazing.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like, to be honest, it's just so I just feel so supportive to have such an amazing like team.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because it's not just Mindy, it's so many people behind the scenes helping with marketing and publicity and my editor, but having such a big name and a woman of color who's so established and like known not just for like acting, but she writes so many phenomenal shows.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like a writer who I admire and respect telling me that like they love my book and they love my writing, I think I'm just kind of in awe, and like having her support obviously means it's reaching so many people that I would never reach on my own, and I'm just so grateful.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes I still I'm someone who until things are happening, I don't believe it, because I can I'm like, oh, something could take it away from you, or it's not real.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, even when Mindy wanted the book, and even when we signed the contract, and even when we made the announcement, I was like, This is all fake, and so I still have that feeling.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I think come August when it's officially out, maybe I'll be like, Well, this is my life.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm still like in awe, but like just having her be able to just reach so many people um with her platform is just I'm so incredibly grateful and it's so fun.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Mindy Kaylin's like a comedic genius, so it's like telling her that she finds your humor funny.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: I would talk about that for the rest.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like you might like it exactly.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: You created this, like you're the book.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: And when I was reading a book, I was like, this reads like similar to like how I feel like a Mindy Kaling sit combo.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like, never have I ever obviously like YA, but like the same like chaos and fun romance of it.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like, oh, I could totally see why she loves this book.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: But we've talked about the foundation.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: I really want to talk about the plot.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a professional wedding record.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: I've read Girlfriend for Hire, Friend for Hire, but I've never seen Wedding Wrecker for Hire.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: So what was that inspiration?
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: What gave you that idea?
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: I think for me, it I love like those like Y2K rom-coms, like the really classic, like wedding planner, made in Manhattan, How to Um Lose a Guy 10 10 Days, one of my all-time favorite movies of all time.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I kind of was I finished my contracts for my YA and I knew I wanted to go to adult.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, what should I write?
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: I want to have that feel of just like romance but fun and depth.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so I started watching like all of those movies again.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, what makes those so special is that you get a lot of depth, like the stakes are really high, but it's always the wackiest premise.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, how to lose the guy in 10 days, they're both like literally trying to lose each other and and freak each other out.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and like wedding planner, like she's trying to sabotage this, like what it's just like they have the most outrageous premises, but the love between them is very grounded and real.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so I wanted that.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted a really wacky premise, but with a really just solid romance and like found family and a cast of characters to help you feel like no matter how wacky this idea is, it's very real.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like it to them, this story is very real to them.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I love the idea of a wedding gone wrong, and so I started playing with the idea of like, what if someone was making all the weddings go wrong?
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and she obviously would have to have like a good reason.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: And so Lucy came to mind, this book came to mind, and of course, like how how do you meet like your love interests?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Well, of course, he needs help with to ruin the wedding, and obviously, we can't have Anders getting his own wedding ruined because that's not very love interesty.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so we have to ruin his sister's wedding, and so it's a bunch of like hijinks, fake girlfriend, it's so fun, and so like I really was inspired in particular with how to ruin a how to ruin a wedding, how to lose a guy in 10 days, and also anything and everything that J Lo has ever started.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: She is my rom-com queen, and so I got inspired by a lot of her movies.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I need to watch more J Lo movies.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: I was actually saw her, she was a surprise performance at Obsessed Fest, which was like Amazon Prime's like festival, and they were like, oh, surprise musical guests at the end of the day, and people thought it would be this small artist, and then J Lo just came out and I was like at the front.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: It was absolutely insane.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: But now I feel like I have to go watch her movies because I'm very familiar with her as an artist and performer, but not that rom-com side, and she does have that whole career to her.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: I prefer, I love her.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: I always say that that's my titi, that that's my aunt.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but her movies, I think you should start with Maid in Manhattan, then the planner, and then I think everything else would just come into play.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I have like a summer like list of movies I want to get into, so I'm gonna I'm gonna add those two because I need to remember that J Lo does have a rom-com career, and we need to appreciate it.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: And so, speaking of Lucy and her chaos, we see like she's in her mid-late 20s, and you're she's I feel like she was like 27 or around that age, and like at the age where you're like you're supposed to have things figured out, but she doesn't really, and it's all about this figuring out her life path, what she meant to do.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I read that you started as an astrophysicist and then switched to publishing.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: Very two different careers.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I was wondering, did your life inspire Lucy's at all?
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: A little bit.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: I I try and like stay clear that a lot of authors self-insert, and I think it's impossible not to.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I that idea of like spending your life believing that it's going to be one way and then it not working out and you having to pivot, like that very much was me.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: I was a late bloomer.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so my life, I really thought I could be an astrophysicist and I I couldn't handle it.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um to it sound my friends like to call me comet mama or failed astrophysicists because it sounds so mysterious, but really I couldn't handle the math.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I had to swap um majors because I studied it initially in university, and so that was like a big blow to me because my entire life I thought that would be my dream.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so I was just like, what else, what else is out there?
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: And it was my passion.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: I love stories, I love books, I love writing, and and so it was really difficult to actually get into this field.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's kind of what Lucy is going through.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: She was a marketer, she stood there for a while, and then it kind of was taken from her in a different way, but still she thought she would live a solid kind of life, and then she found her passion with dogs in the shelter, and so like it is loosely inspired by like that late bloomer sense of like, what do you do?
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm an adult.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone, and especially everyone else around you having their life kind of together, knowing what they're doing, already having a career, already having partners, and you're just like, Oh, I hope no one realizes I'm left behind.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: I found Lucy really relatable because I'm 25, and just this year, right before I started my podcast, the entertainment outlet I was working for basically shut down.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: My whole team was laid off.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm in like this era of fun employment and exploring my interests, like this podcast, but like, what do I do next?
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: Do I go back to journalism?
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: I did marketing for a little bit.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: Do I go back to marketing?
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: So seeing someone around my age and figuring out her path was so refreshing and lovely to see.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: And then on another note, I also have to say I totally relate to your astrophysicist with the math.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: I went to school for communication, so very different, but I tried to do astronomy as my science GE, thinking it would be like a fun little course.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like, oh, let me get my science credit with astronomy.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I like dropped out of the class one weekend.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, I can't do all this math.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: It was it was definitely a surprise.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: I totally we're like, we're here, we're here.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: I totally understand.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, I thought this class was gonna be about stars.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: Why am I why am I calculating?
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: What's happening here?
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: This is too much, but well, same twins.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: Twins, twins.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, all worked out for the best.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: We're in good entertainment, publishing, communications.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: A lot, a lot more fun than than math.
• 12:58
  unknown: It is.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, and so Lucy really goes through these humbling moments.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: She wrecks the wrong wedding pretty early in the book, and then when her scheming with Anders comes to light towards the end, not trying to completely spoil it, it's like in a pretty like embarrassing, out there, oh crap way.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know if it's like because I'm an empath, but I get secondhand embarrassment, even when it comes to fictional characters, where I have to physically put like the book down and prep myself for the next few pages, and that happened twice for me with Lucy.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm wondering on the other side, as the author, what is it like when you're writing your character in such compromising situations?
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's painful.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: I too am an empath.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm someone like if I see someone fall like in front of me, I act like I didn't see it because I'm just like, if that was me, I'd want to die.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want anyone to acknowledge it.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, I feel everything very strongly.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: But I don't remember where I saw this advice.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, somewhere, but I remember an author talking about how like we fail as authors when you don't put your characters in compromising situations, when you don't challenge them, and when you don't force them to like be embarrassed because like you feel like nervous for them.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so with this book in particular, I was just like, she's gonna be humiliated a lot.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just like by nature of her job.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but the way I wrote her is that even though she goes those through these experiences, it's not that she's not embarrassed and she's not humiliated, she's just so brave that she continues to strive and and move forward throughout the embarrassment.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's such an important quality for people to have.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because for me, like I'm the most embarrassing, like if I'm bear embarrassed, you you'd be lucky if you see me again in your life.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like I will move states, I just can't handle it.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: And so having to do it with a character honestly is a little nerve-wracking, but sometimes I feel more confident because I'm writing someone how they move from those situations.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, oh, well, Lucy could do it, I could do it, and other people can do it.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, it's both nerve-wracking, but also kind of like therapy for me, maybe.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's fun.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like I learned from book characters, so maybe I can take on Lucy's resilient.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: Well, never feel second-hand embarrassment again.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: Because Lucy was able to do all this and she she still made it out.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: He all doesn't stop.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: And through all her embarrassment, we have Anders, who's this rock.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: He's very forgiving, he's very patient.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: We rarely see him lose his cool.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: Why did you want to shape his character the way it is?
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: Anders, it's so funny.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: This book had like three different drafts, and Anders was the main change in each one.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: Because for me, Lucy came so easily, and I knew exactly what she was and what she wanted and how her story would end.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: But every time I paired her with someone, they didn't really fit the bill.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember who gave me this advice, not me directly, but Emily Henry gave this advice in general.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: And she was saying that whatever love interests that you have has to be only for your partner.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like you can never put that male lead with any other woman in any other book because it's specifically for that character.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so, with that in mind, I needed someone to be a little calm.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: We know Lucy's a bit of a hyperactive mess, she really is.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and she kind of is always putting her foot in her mouth.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: And Anders comes from a family of women, and so he just has a lot more patience and empathy.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I think Lucy has lacked empathy from a lot of people throughout her whole life, and so giving her someone who can see her for these flaws, even as they're happening in front of him, it's not that it's not affecting him, but he values her feelings and her emotions so much that he's going to be her rock and be there for her.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I think she just needed someone really steady.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, not that he's like without flaws, I think what I love about Anders is that his flaw is kind of that he's trying to be flawless and that he kind of is always trying to be the hero and he's always trying to save everyone, and it is that cliche like when you're trying to save everyone, someone's gonna fall through the cracks, and most of the time it's you, yourself, and the things that you want.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so I just wanted someone really steady and really charming, um, because Lucy does like to be swept off her feet, and so you get little cracks of him, like when he's drinking and stuff, or he's like he slips up a little bit, but I think Anders is like the greenest flag, she definitely needed the greenest flag ever.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but in the first drafts, he actually it was enemies to lovers.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: Oh wow, yeah.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: Anders was very different, and then it was more like rivals to lovers, and that was like, actually, no, he's the greatest person ever.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just kind of like friends to lovers now, but he he did change quite a bit.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's so and just after reading Anders in the book, I'm trying to like picture him being like an enemy to lover type thing, and that's just not who he is.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: No, I'm my age.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: I remember what during during edits, there were so many notes, but there was one, and she was just like, Oh, but who's gonna like him?
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: He's so mean.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, You're right.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no, he was truly so I liked it.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: I like enemies to lovers, but like he Anders, who he is now is perfect for the story, but maybe I'll do like an alternate universe where Anders was like a little bit more angsty.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like in the special edition, like release of bonus chapters of the original job, they'll put them on your website because I'll I'll be sad for those.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: I love a good enemies to lovers, but now I'm like very fascinated what he originally looked like.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: And you talked about like all your favorite rom-coms.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: I know you just said that your male protagonist has to fit in your book specifically, but were there any male leads from the movies that you love that pulled inspiration for Anders?
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: I think not all of the movies I like kind of fit the bill.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: I did really like, I'm forgetting his name.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever watched How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days?
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: I have, yes.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: What is his name?
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: I can't remember, it's okay.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: I can't remember.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_01: I just played by Matthew McConaughey.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: Who is literally the dreamy, let's just call him Matthew, yeah.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: The dreamest dream of men.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: I really liked.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: So now that I tell you, now that you read it, you'll you'll see Anders a bit in him.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: But like when she's being so wild, and literally he you can tell he wants to lose his mind, and he never does.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: That patience goes has gone to Anders, but also like that oh no, I've you're you're a little crazy, but I actually kind of like it.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: Also, when to Anders, and so I did get a lot of inspiration from him.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: He is one of the dreamiest.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: I think that movie is like 10 out of 10 classic love interests, like parent, like no one in my mind can ever top Matthew McConaughey in that movie, and so Anders has a lot of inspo from him.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: I do play like a lot of video games, um, and there's this there's this video game called Dragon Age, and there is a character in there who kind of takes a little bit.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: I I took a little bit for Anders, and he's just like a really patient, like everything you throw at him, he's kind of like, yeah, whatever, that's my wife.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: She can do what she wants.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so maybe those two heavily influence them.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: I do not play any video games, so I cannot unfortunately ask a follow-up question about Dragon.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: But I just interviewed an author a couple months ago, and she was like a hardcore gamer and talked about how gaming needs more representation in romance.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm sure she will love that answer.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so one thing I also want to talk about Andrews is he really distinguishes himself calling Lucy her full name Lucinda.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel like traditionally, when people say their full name, it's like a very serious, like, oh, I'm mad at you situation or a very tense situation.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: But he uses it very casually.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: So what made you decide to use Lucinda in like a casual romantic sense rather than these like high-stakes moments that are in the book?
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, actually, thank you so much for noticing that.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: I really that was more like a me thing because for me, Lucy's called Lucy by everyone, and one of Lucy's insecurities is that like she doesn't have it put together, she doesn't feel like other people look at her seriously and like her life isn't kind of like where she wants to be.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so like that shortening is just like very, really casual.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like, okay, Lucy, like just like everyone can refer to her as her friend, but for me, Anders calls her Lucinda because it's so much like more.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and he sees her as like the way that she wants to be seen, but she doesn't really know he sees her like that in the beginning.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: He sees her as a strong woman, someone who's been through a lot and who's who's still so bright, someone who deserves so much respect that she doesn't think.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, it was just a really small thing, but I'm so happy that you noticed because it was just really his respect and and adoration for her to be like, this was your given name.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: I want to call you that.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: This is what your family named you.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, thank you for noticing.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, of course.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, my name is like Brianna, but most people call me Bri.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: And even like when my friends call me like Brianna randomly, it almost like freaks me out.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_01: So I always like would think, like, oh, like my like.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Future partner like boyfriend was calling me Brianna High would respond to that.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I wanted to kind of see the mindset about it.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: So now maybe I'm gonna make my future boyfriend call Brianna instead of Brie.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then one of my favorite scenes between Lucinda and then Andrews is when he's sick and she takes care of him.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like it's a bond between like Puerto Rico and Latino and Black Hassels that Vicks Vapor Rub is the magical dual-all.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: My mom rubs it into my feet every time that I am sick.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I was I loved that moment.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_01: But I was wondering what is personally your favorite scene between them?
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: That is I go through two scenes that I always say are my favorite, which is the Vic scene, which is I think so personal to me because I grew up in that.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like any illness, you're like bum no Vicks, it's like you're fixed, you're done, it's on your feet, it and the sickness leaves your feet.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so like her rubbing it into Anders.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: I think that was the most like emotionally powerful moment in the book.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: But actually, now that I'm being, if I'm being honest, it's them at the pool table when she's sober and Anders is drunk, and it's like Anders kind of like losing that composure a bit and just being so down bad.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: I mean like please just hang out with me, please play pool.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: And it's really sexy and it gets really steamy and hot.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, I think that was my favorite moment between them because I felt like it really broke a lot of walls between them, and also Anders is so hot.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, of course.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: And your answer actually perfectly flows into my next question.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: I love when that happens because they're amazing with the sexual tension and chemistry.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: To you, what do you think is the key to writing like that good sexual tension, those good spicy scenes?
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: For me, and and people can feel differently, for me, getting really good sexual attention is that they're doing everything but having sex.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, it is getting so steamy, it's getting so wet.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: Both of them are like losing their minds, but it never fully happens.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, really making the reader beg for it.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like they're almost gonna do it, they're right there, and they're and they stop and it's like, oh god damn, like just do it already.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, I've tried to prolong it as much as I could.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then also I I just think it's really sexy to see two characters literally just so down bad for each other, but like stopping because like they're for like it's inappropriate or like they're they're working together, or there's so many things that could go wrong, but like that mounting like pressure of just like it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's not, oh no, it's gonna happen, it's getting worse, oh no, and just like that push and pull, I think, is when you have like a really amazing pairing where people are begging, like, please just do it now, please.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: And like when it happens, it's just like finally.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, I think kind of like really pushing it to your limit until they're both about to lose their mind and and they have to like give in.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I always say my favorite type of books is like when there's not as much like smut or spicy scenes where it's like well done in those few chapters in the few moments you have.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I will always take one or two really good spicy scenes versus it being sprinkled every few chapters because I'm like, I'm tired, are they not their tired?
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, everyone's tired.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone's tired.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: I am, yeah.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I really appreciate the pacing of this book.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so now on a very different, wholesome note, a really big part of this book is Lucy's love for shelter animals and her dog storm, is an insert of your dog storm.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: I love pit bulls.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_01: I actually used to volunteer at a pit bull shelter in Los Angeles and like something's happening here.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_01: I know, I know where to be.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the gray and white pitbulls, they are like my weaknesses or my mom weaknesses.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: I always say I'm gonna eventually own one when I have my life together.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: But I was wondering, she meets storm in an actual rainstorm.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: But how did you meet your storm in real life?
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: I met my storm actually when I was in high school, and so I used to live with my brother and my father.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: My brother brought home a dog, um, and I was so anti-dog.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: I not that I didn't love dogs, but I just like I I knew that I would have to help take care of this dog, and I was like, I didn't say I wanted to.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I was in my, I'm gonna go out, I'm gonna do anything I want kind of phase.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and and my brother worked a lot, and so I just knew I was just like, I this isn't gonna be my dog, and I was like kind of like annoyed, and then it literally immediately I was like, I would die for this dog.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like she was so perfect, and so like my brother had to like move like really far away, and so I was just like, just so you know, if you take this dog, I'm taking myself to the roof, so like it's not happening.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and like we kind of had this little back and forth, but I was just like, I love this dog, like I would do anything for her, like, and so he let me like keep her.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I have kept her ever since.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: She's my everything, she's sleeping downstairs soundly.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: She's the perfect dog ever.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: She's so sweet.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: She will make a dog lover out of anyone who's fearful.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I think Pipples get such a bad rap.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but she's so sweet, she's so good with kids, she's so good with the elderly.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm very lucky that my brother got a dog, even though I didn't want her.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_01: That's such a cute story.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like those TikToks where it's like the immigrant dad who didn't want the dog, and then It was me! You're the you're the immigrant.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm the immigrant father.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: I was just like, get this dog away from me.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: And then I was like, This is my dog, this is everything to me.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: And then going back to the story, Lucy then decides to actually save the short the shelter in Charleston rather than investing in the one in New York.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: And she talks about it's because her dream is evolving.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_01: But what do you think that driving force was?
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_01: Was it because that she wanted to lay the groundwork to be near Anders?
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: Was it because she recognized that I believe it was canine and friends needed more love than Save a Paul did?
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: What was the logic in your mind when you she made that decision?
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: But you you totally hit the nail on the head.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: For me, Lucy's love of animals, it's sh it's so it's more than a place.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like in New York, in that shelter, they were set.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like the person, so I tried to make it like the person who was taking over was very qualified for the job.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: And that was one of her things that she feared.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how can I compete with that person?
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: And so she kind of evolves and she's saying, Well, instead of competing with that person, if he's already going to be doing an amazing job, shouldn't I use myself and my skills and help out so like a shelter that clearly needs it?
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: And canine and friends did need it.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously, she fell in love with Sora, um, which is a dog that she meets there.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, it was just more her learning that it wasn't an actual place, it was her passion for dogs that she wanted to make sure she followed, and that was canine and friends.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, it was such a beautiful ending.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: We have a few minutes left, so I have a couple questions to wrap us up.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_01: I always like to talk about representation, especially when the lead is a woman of color.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's hard to find black, Asian, Latina representation in the romance genre.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I was wondering to you, what does it mean to write representative stories?
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: For me, it's that is so funny.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry, that is my dog's alarm.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: Her food, because I love her and her my life revolves around.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, sorry, but for me, it's so important because I was once like a younger reader, and I know that just feeling of like, oh, like you kind of just like admit defeat, and so like you pick up any book, and it doesn't matter.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: They're gonna be like, She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and I change her.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_00: Every character that I read growing up, it didn't matter their descriptions.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: I fit I fit it in my imagination for me, and I hated that.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I have my sister has kids, my brother has kids, and I hate I would hate for them to look for books and have to experience that.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like being able to tell like my story and and have like the Puerto Rican heritage at the forefront and connect with people and show people who wouldn't connect, um, who who don't know this lifestyle to show them like look, these stories are beautiful too, and and we can all connect in that way is really um meaningful to me, and I hope to continue to do so um because I love my people, I love my culture, I love my heritage, and these are the things that when I'm when I'm showing like my culture, it's because I was taught it and I grew up with it, and I would love to keep passing that on to other people, the way that my family have have done my whole life, and so it's so important to me, and so I'm so grateful to be able to write these stories.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and they're so important.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like no matter what skin color you are, you need to read a diverse amount of stories, and I truly loved her book.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: I've made like a goal for myself to read more representative romance this year, so I'm really excited this was a part of it.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: And then one thing I like to ask all authors, we talked about tropes.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_01: Fake dating is the main one in this book, but is there a trope you can never see yourself writing or you absolutely hate?
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of people don't like the unplanned pregnancy trope.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_01: I once got like a trope they were like, I hate when she has cancer and it's random.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's like a really like you can be like any answer.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_01: You can give me like any answer you want.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_01: But what is like a trope or cliche in a book that you're like, this sucks.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want to write it, I don't want to read it.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I don't know.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_00: I I you it used to be enemy, it's so funny, it used to be enemies to lovers because I was just like, they're mean.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so like then I started kind of like wanting it, and so I almost wrote how to ruin a wedding with it.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_00: But I honestly, it's not that I hate it, but like friends to lovers, because I think it's more exciting to witness two people fall in love like with them rather than like kind of learning from the backstory like they they've known each other forever.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm like, ah, you already know each other.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: What's where's the excitement?
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_00: I don't care.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_00: I I need something fresh.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe friends to lovers, like you know, someone said that a couple of months ago.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: They were like friends to lovers, you've known them your whole life, like they were right there the whole time.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like they suddenly suddenly attracted to those.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: But also, if I can add, I too, as soon as the the lead starts saying she's feeling sick in the morning, I'm out.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: There, no pregnancy.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_00: This is my fantasy.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not reading that.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, none of that.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_00: No babies, no offense to those who love it and who have babies.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: That's not for me.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_00: No, not now.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_00: Not now.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, no thank you.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_01: No babies in our life.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_01: And then wrapping up, you know, this book, it's about to be out in the world.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_01: So many hands are gonna have it.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_01: What are you hoping that people take away when they're reading how to ruin a wedding?
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: For me, I'm very small with these kind of like goals, but I truly am someone who has felt a lot of maybe discomfort or sadness in my life.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, I truly want to be a brief moment of lightness in someone else's.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_00: So if someone didn't even like the whole book, if they laughed once or if they felt like distracted enough to get a break from their lives, like that is enough for me.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I truly just want to be like a little bit of a relief.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: I want people to find it and have a good time, feel laugh, swoon, and just have like a break from reality.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like that, if only a couple people feel that way, I will be happy.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I felt that way, and I'm sure a lot of people will.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_01: Well, of course.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: I truly, truly enjoyed this.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for listening.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you enjoyed that.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_01: Be sure to follow Elba and read How to Ruin a Wedding if you haven't already.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_01: She also has a YA book coming out later this year, so be on the lookout for that as well.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: And next week, I'm interviewing two authors, the co-authors of The Kings of Vegas, Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_01: This is a crime thriller.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: I actually met them at their book launch event when the book came out earlier this summer.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_01: They were so nice, and I got to interview them a few weeks later.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_01: Even as a romance girly, this was a new experience for me, but it was so interesting, especially because a lot of the things that happened in this book are based off of true stories that have happened in the casino world.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_01: So super interesting book, it's a super interesting interview.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you come back for my book butterflies.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so happy we're all back together, and I'll see you next time.