Interview with Romance Author Duo Christina Lauren
Y’all know I am waist-deep in romancelandia at nearly all times — especially when it comes to the inspirations behind my pencil sets. And today is a historic day.
Recently, I got to work with the incredible author duo Christina & Lauren (aka: Christina Lauren) to create this fun new pencil set inspired by their books. I mean, can you believe?!
And what’s more, the gals agreed to answer some questions in celebration of the pencil release!
(Excuse me while I just … *screams*)
Let’s chat writing, friendship, and the recipe for a great romance with Christina and Lauren.
What is the writing process like for you both? How do you create and write a story as a duo?
We always outline together and split up what we’ll each write. We draft in our own offices, sharing each chapter as we finish. Once we have a few chapters we start to compile, and add and edit as we go. We used to draft fast and edit slow, but now we draft fast and edit as we go, and then edit again, and again. The magic comes in revisions!
What inspires your stories and characters?
Everything from songs, to things we see out in the world, to memories we have, to stories we hear. We try to really flesh out our characters as much as we can before we start, but the truth is that the best way to know a character is to start writing their story and find out who they are and who they become as you go.
For you, what is the recipe for a great romance?
We love banter, but there is such a thing as too much banter. Dialogue keeps things flowing, but dialogue is an artform – it’s a very difficult skill! At the end of the day, the quality that makes our perfect romance is humor, chemistry, and great kissing scenes.
Advice you’d give to aspiring authors?
If you want to write, then write. We started writing when we had hardly any time; we both had full time jobs, small kids, full lives. No excuses–just do it! Write the story that lives in your head and your heart and you can’t stop thinking about. Don’t write to the market, don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. Write the book you want to read.
