FAQ

I live in [insert your country here]–when will your book be out in my country/language?
Here’s the crazy thing about foreign editions, authors have no control over IF AND WHEN a book will be published in a specific language. It’s up to the foreign publisher if they are going to take a book. When they do, I often find out about the release from someone on Twitter. When I do get information, I share it on Twitter and Facebook, so be sure to follow me there. Also, your local bookstore and library will have more information than me! Crazy, but true!

I’m thinking of writing a book? How can I get published?
First thing, don’t worry about getting published. Write! I have a lot of people ask me about how to get published before they even write one word. Write! And write about what interests you, not what is “hot” at the moment. You will have to edit and edit and edit your book and read it dozens and dozens of times. Write for yourself first and foremost. Everything else can wait until later. Ask someone you trust who will give you an honest opinion to read your manuscript. Don’t be afraid of criticism, look it at a way to improve your work. Good luck!

Okay, okay. I’m finished writing my book. How can I get published?
You need a literary agent. Most publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts (ones that don’t come from an agent). There are a lot of great resources online to help you find an agent – writersdigest.com and literarymarketplace.com are two good places to start. Also, I’ve been writing a series of blogs called “Behind the Book” that talks about the publishing process.

Can I send you my book to read? Can you help me get it published?
Unfortunately, I can’t read any manuscripts or proposals. Not only would I not have time to write if I read everything sent to me, but as an employee of a publishing house, I’m not allowed to read unsolicited material.

I hear that you know [insert author’s name here]. 
Can you give me their information? Can you forward a message to them?
Sorry, but no. If you’re on this website in hopes to get in contact with another author, try going to that author’s website and see if they have contact information.

Can I send you books to sign?
Unfortunately, I don’t have the capacity to accept books to sign. If I’m doing any book signings (check the EVENTS page), you can always contact the store to get a personalized copy.

Can you come to my school/local bookstore?
I love doing school and bookstore visits, but my schedule really isn’t up to me. Have your teacher or local bookseller go to my contact page to see about scheduling a visit.

I love your book, you should think about making it into a movie!
Believe me, I’d love for one of my books to be adapted, but authors have very little control over whether or not their books get adapted. Movies take a lot of money to make so a movie studio or production house has to option the book first. It’s a long process, but you never know! Maybe one day!

THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB

Will there be a sequel to The Lonely Hearts Club?
YES! We Can Work it Out will be released in the US in early 2015. Read more about the sequel and the three short stories I’m writing here.

Who is who on the cover of the book?
The girls on the cover of the book aren’t technically supposed to be a certain character. But if you were to ask me (which you did!), I see them as (from right to left): Diane (with the dress on), Tracy, Penny (with flip flops) and the fourth person could be Morgan or Jen or Amy…

Where did you get the idea for the book?
Good question! Check out the Back Story on the LHC page!

Are you a Beatles fan?
Heck yeah! They are the greatest band of all time after all. I have a section on them (including an embarrassing photo of me from college) on the LHC page.

Favorite Beatles song?
Gah! I knew I’d be asked this question when I wrote a book that is heavily influenced by the Beatles, but I still don’t have a good answer for this because I can’t pick just one Beatles song. I love them too much. So here are my top picks: “Ticket to Ride,” “Blackbird,” “We Can Work It Out,” “Here Comes the Sun,” “Something,” “Penny Lane,” “Revolution,” “Come Together,” “I’m Looking Through You,” “Eleanor Rigby,” – I could seriously go on and on…

PROM & PREJUDICE

Where did you get the idea to write Prom & Prejudice?
Prom & Prejudice came from my love of Jane Austen’s classic Pride & Prejudice. I wanted to write a modern retelling of her book. There’s more information on the backstory on the BOOKS page for Prom & Prejudice.

Why aren’t all the characters in Pride and Prejudice in
Prom & Prejudice?
To make the book fit into a modern setting, I had to change the relationships of a few of the characters (for instance, Jane and Elizabeth are sisters in the original, but roommates in my book). I also couldn’t include everybody, most notably Mary and Kitty, the other two Bennet sisters (although I do give them a shout-out at the end). The two characters that I wish I could’ve included more of in my retelling were Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. They are two of my favorite characters in the original, but in the world I created it, I had to make them a little different. But honestly, there was no way I would’ve top the original so I wasn’t even going to try!

TAKE A BOW

Are you going to write a sequel to Take a Bow?
I don’t have any plans to at the moment. I did, however, originally write a “Ten Years Later” epilogue that we decided to not include in the book. So I do know what happens to all the characters. 

REVENGE OF THE GIRL
WITH THE GREAT PERSONALITY

Are you going to write a sequel to Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality? What happens to Lexi and her mom? What about Taylor? How could you do this to us?
Out of all of my books, Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality is the one that has the most unresolved answers at the end. However, I’m sorry to say, I don’t have any plans to do a sequel, but you never know! I knew from the very beginning that the book would end with Lexi choosing to remain single because she knows she has a lot of work to do with herself and her family before she could ever be in a relationship. (You have to love and be happy with yourself before you can truly share yourself with someone else.) But I do like to think that once she did figure that all out, maybe she could give Taylor another try.

I will say one thing that threw me was that Taylor wasn’t supposed to be as awesome as he ended up being. Fans of Friday Night Lights might’ve noticed that the name Taylor Riggins is a mesh of the actor Taylor Kitsch and the character he plays on the show, Tim Riggins. It was supposed to be a name, but wouldn’t you know that Taylor started to become this awesome guy. Sometimes characters really do take on a life of their own and even I was like, “GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER LEXI AND NOT SCREW THIS UP!” But alas, she needed to learn a few lessons.

At the end of the day, not every story will be wrapped up in a shiny bow. Revenge… is probably my most realistic book in terms of endings. But I do appreciate that people are so invested in Lexi that they want to make sure she’s okay (I can verify that she is!).

BETTER OFF FRIENDS

Are you going to write a sequel to Better Off Friends?
I get this question almost every day and I’m sorry to say the answer is no. I really like how I left things with Macallan and Levi. If I write a sequel, I’m only going to have to mess things up with them because a 300-page story where everything is great and wonderful is a really boring read. I already put those two kids through enough. Although I love how invested people are in these characters and want to make sure that things are okay with them. Let me assure you, they are great. The banter they have between pages could’ve happened at anytime: on their first date, on their ten year anniversary–it doesn’t matter. They are happy and together and I’m going to leave it at that. 🙂