Interview with Beautiful Bastards authors Christina and Lauren

  Hi there! Well, I don't usually have adult books featured on the blog, much more author interviews along with it. But today will be an exception. 

My blog is primarily YA, but I do read occasional adult books but I don't post reviews on that, and sometimes I have new adults book reviews, which is still a rarity for me. 

Anyway, today I'm gonna break all those things, and am very excited to share with you my interview with authors Christina and Lauren! Authors of the Beautiful Bastard. Which came out last February 12, 2013, from Gallery books. 

I loved the interview, and I hope you'll enjoy it too!

Coffee, Books and Me interviews Christina and Lauren

Hi Christina and Lauren! Welcome to Coffee, Books and Me! :)

Hi! Thanks so much for having us!

I just finished "Beautiful Bastard", and let me just say how steamy and hilarious your book is. 

Aw yay! That’s a great description to take away. Steamy and hilarious. *high fives* Our work here is done.

So you guys, Beautiful Bastard is your first published book, am I right?

It is!

What was your first reaction when you landed a 2-book deal with Gallery books? :)’

We jumped around and yelled happy noises over the phone. We could tell how much our agent loved to be able to give us the news; we could just hear the smile in her voice.

Did you ever think when you wrote "The Office" then that you'll reach this stage where you are in now?

Absolutely not.

Who decided to rename it to "Beautiful Bastard"?

It was the nickname of the character in the original story, and it just made sense to keep it because it had become so iconic. The hardest part of reworking The Office was figuring out what to change. We wanted it to feel cleaner and new, but also have enough of the original to make the loyal readers feel like it was the story they knew and loved.

How do you guys divide the writing? Do you write one chapter individually or write it together?

We outline together and split up the scenes, and then we write, swap, edit, and write some more. Our process is so smooth and familiar at this point, it’s almost hard to deconstruct it!

Let's talk about Chloe and Bennett. I'm curious how you drew their characters from the Twilight inspiration? What are their similarities with Bella/Edward?

There really wasn’t any Twilight in the original. Christina had been looking for a writing community to keep her entertained while she recovered from surgery, and the Twilight fandom was huge at the time (still is). She wanted to write a story that was smutty, and silly and made her laugh while she wrote it. That really was the entire back story of The Office. It just took off from there.

Beautiful Stranger is about Chloe's bff, right? Any clues as to who it is and what the story might be?

Beautiful Stranger is a story that centers around Sara, who is one of Chloe’s best friends in Beautiful Bastard. At the beginning of the book, Sara – a sweetheart hottie who has just left a bad break up behind – has a wild night out with Chloe and meets a stranger, Max. With him she discovers things about herself she never dreamed existed. If you had fun reading about Chloe and Bennett being risky in public, just wait until you meet Sara and Max.

Will we still see Chloe and Bennett there?

Oh, yes. And we have more planned for those two, as well.

Any plans on writing on the YA genre later? Paranormal, contemporary or dystopian?

We have a YA book that is with our agent right now, and yes, we will always write in both genres. We were lucky to find an agent who lets us play in any sandbox that suits our fancy . . . she would probably want us to add “within reason” to that statement.

Lastly, any advice to aspiring writers out there?

Don’t stop writing. If you started in the first place, it’s because you had stories in your head that you wanted to get out there. Write what you know, write the book YOU want to read, and keep at it. Everyone goes through rejection and road-blocks. As one of our friends and authorsTahereh Mafi says, “The only difference between a published author and an unpublished one is time.”

Thanks guys for dropping by the blog! :)

Thank you so much! So fun!

Oh wow! I'm definitely excited for that YA book! :)

Meanwhile, check out what Beautiful B. is all about:

~ ~ ~

Beautiful Bastard

By Christina Lauren

February 12, 2013

Gallery Books
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An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. 
Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard. 
Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office. 
As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other. 

About the Author/