The always hilarious writing duo Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy talked with us about their new novel Stay, as well as the future of the series and what their writing process looks like!
Related: Stay by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy book review
Interview with Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy:
It was really refreshing to see a heroine who was unsure about whether or not she enjoyed sex. It’s so common in real life but not very common in romance novels. Was that a conscious decision that was made or did it just make sense for Hailey’s character?
Sarina: Hailey was a great character to work on. She had a lot going for her on page 1 except for one important thing — she’d never found true passion. The fact that her situation is unusual in romance didn’t stop us even for a second. Her awakening was so much fun to write.
Poor Matt is all messed up from the divorce. What do each of you think is the biggest emotional baggage he had to get over before his HEA could happen?
Elle: Guilt! The poor man had decided that pro sports and marriage don’t mix. He really blamed himself for his lousy marriage.
Sarina: But we knew better…
There’s so many great secondary characters in this series. Have you two already decided who will be the focus in book #3?
Sarina: We hope we can make book three happen someday! I think Will O’Connor needs redeeming.
Elle: But first he’ll have to show us why he’s such a hound dog.
Sarina: He has his reasons.
Elle: Shhhh!
The chapter titles from Stay are just amazing. Do you each have a favorite?
Sarina: “Like the Penalty Box, But Plusher”
Elle: “Porn, Sweetheart.” And just so you know — Sarina is the one who does the chapter titles. She pulls her favorite line from every chapter and uses it as the title. I don’t know what it’ll be ahead of time, so I’m always super excited to see what she picks!
Hailey gets her nickname Hottie from her initials. What nickname would each of you get from your initials?
Elle: Um, Elk? That’s so sexy.
Sarina: Uh oh. S… Sub? It’s a good thing we didn’t give Hailey my initials.
I know in the past you’ve divided writing duties based on word count. Are you still following the same method or did you divide it by characters this time? And why does that method work best?
Sarina: We still trade back and forth regardless of which character’s voice is next.
Elle: Sometimes it’s not obvious which character should have a chapter until it’s half written. If we had rigid rules, it would just get complicated.
What’s your favorite thing about your writing partner?
Sarina: She is a low drama human, like me. We have a rule — we do not invite the stress in. This is supposed to be fun, and Elle and I remind each other to keep it that way. Oh — and she laughs at my jokes.
Elle: Sarina is just super laid back and chill, and we’re both kind of dorks, which means half the time we’re laughing about random things. It keeps the writing fun.
You both have some amazing New Adult series. Would you ever or have you ever considered writing NA together? (See how I’m just piling on books for you to write?)
Sarina: Him was NA, right? Job done!
WAGs is an indie series, but you’re both traditionally published too. What are some of the things you like about going indie?
Elle: When you go indie you still have deadlines, but they’re more flexible. It can be a little less stressful when you’re working on your own timeline instead of someone else’s because let’s be honest — real life happens whether you have a deadline or not! Also, at the end of the day, with self-publishing you only have to please yourself and write the book you want to write.
What’s your favorite thing about writing romance novels?
Sarina: The kissing.
Elle: The fun banter between characters.
Stay by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy is available now! Order it on Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Don’t forget to add it your Goodreads!
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