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Lauren Asher: Love Redesigned, Starting a New Series, and Crafting Relatable Characters | S2Ep13
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SPOILERS FOR LOVE REDESIGNED START AT: ~31:12
This week Lauren Asher is here to discuss her latest release Love Redesigned (Lakefront Billionaires #1). We chat about what goes into starting a new romance series, how life as an author has changed since dropping her first book and what goes into producing your own audiobooks.
Lauren also gives us a sneak peak at what to expect from the next book in the Lakefront Billionaires series and plays a fun “Most Likely To…” game involving all of her characters.
To keep up with all things Lauren Asher follow her on Instagram.
Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod
Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books
Follow Kendra @Kendra.Readz
Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf
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Transcript
Introduction and Special Guest Lauren Asher
00:00:06
Speaker
Hey, guys. Welcome to Bring Your Own and Catch All Bookishness with my podcast. I'm Brandi. I'm Kendra. I'm Kayla. And today we have such an amazing special guest when we started this podcast and we were like, oh, like, should we, like, have authors on? The first person we all said was like, we have to get Lauren Asher on. And then now it's finally happening. Okay.
00:00:30
Speaker
So, for those of you who don't know, Lauren Asher is a USA Today Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, Globe and Mail, and Publishers Weekly. That's so much, oh my god, best-selling author of contemporary romances. She enjoys writing about flawed yet relatable characters you can't help falling in love with in fictional worlds you wish were real. Her favorite activities outside of writing include crafting projects, spending time with her family, and scrolling through Zillow. You can find her
00:00:55
Speaker
binging old episodes of Parks and Rec and searching Yelp for new restaurants before choosing her trusted favorite.
Current Reads and Drinks Discussion
00:01:01
Speaker
And today we're going to be talking about her latest release, Love Redesigned, which by the time this episode is out will have been out in the world for like almost over a week by the time this episode comes out. So we're so excited. But first we're going to talk what we're currently reading, what we're currently drinking. I love getting to do Brandi's job. Lauren, as our guest of honor, you can start. Oh, yes.
00:01:21
Speaker
Okay, okay. One, I picked up a brand new book today, but I need to get the name because it's a dragon book. Ooh. You're with the dragon expert. I think it's by Lillian Lark. It has like a breeding trope and all these things. So that's what I'm reading. Seems like most dragon books do, huh?
00:01:47
Speaker
You know, there's a thing, you know, in terms and conditions, when I was writing it, I was like, you know, I read a lot of monster stuff. I just read a book to where they talked about, Kendra just read it too. Kendra, you probably missed it. In Butcher and Blackbird, they talk about the Dragon's Bride by Katie Robert. And I was thinking about it. Oh, because she's reading. She's reading. Yeah, she's literally describing the plot of that book. I read that one. Yes, I anything that dragged in. So you have me.
00:02:15
Speaker
in your clutches, for sure. And then when I'm drinking, I did get a drink that was not water, but it's not alcohol. Passion tea lemonade.
00:02:26
Speaker
Oh yeah. I am currently rereading check inmate by Ali Hazelwood. This time I'm doing it on audio. I read it a couple of months ago as an e-arc and I just really enjoyed it. And then I saw that Carissa Vacker is the narrator for it, who is Vanessa Edler. Yeah. So I am rereading. What are you drinking? A black tea.
00:02:51
Speaker
Wow, so fancy. I know. I wanted something cozy, you know, fall vibes. I am drinking a simpler wines brand peach flavored from Trader Joe's.
00:03:05
Speaker
It says it's Italian, but who knows if that's true. And then, yeah, it was made right here in America. And I'm currently reading, I Started Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood last night. And so far, it's really good. I really like it a lot.
00:03:22
Speaker
And then I am doing a book called The Davenport on audio. I got it through Libby. It's like YA historical fiction about a black family living in Chicago, like early 1900s. And they're like super rich and all their daughters are like starting to date. It's really messy, which I love because like there's like, I don't know. It's like a love web that's happening right now. And it's really good support and the narrator is good.
00:03:45
Speaker
Um, I think I'm the only one with hard liquor today. Um, okay. I, and okay. Normally Jared, my husband makes my drinks for me, but he's not here. So, and I am not a mixologist whatsoever, but I wanted to make myself a Moscow mule. And I think my ratio of vodka to ginger beer and lime juice is way off. And like every time I sip, I'm like, Oh God, like it's just a little bit. Yeah.
00:04:08
Speaker
And then I am listening to a recommendation that Kendra talked about a couple weeks ago, Sami Espinoza's last review. I'm about 60% through really enjoying it. It's very cute, very good so far. The narrator is fantastic. I know Kendra, you read it physically, but I'm listening to it, and the narrator is so, so good. And actually, Lauren, when I sampled it, I was with Kendra, actually, when I was sampling the audiobook for it, and we were like, oh my god,
00:04:36
Speaker
We were like, this sounds like Dahlia. And we were like, is this Dahlia the narrator? But we can't, we don't know. It wasn't, we don't think, we don't think so. Cause we thought perhaps she went by like a different name. Cause you know, narrators do that a lot. They have different names sometimes. I can't prove that she is, but she sounds very similar. Um, we couldn't find anything online that suggested that she was. So I could be totally wrong, but I'm like, every time I'm listening, I'm like Dahlia.
00:05:03
Speaker
Is that you? But it's really good. I'm liking it a lot so far. So the first half of this discussion is going to be like spoiler free. And then towards the end, we're going to be talking all things love redesign. So if you haven't read it yet, you can jump out then, but for now you can sit and chill for a while.
Elevator Pitch for Love Redesigned
00:05:22
Speaker
So Lauren, for those who don't know, can you give a quick synopsis of love redesigned and what people can expect from the start of your new series?
00:05:30
Speaker
my like elevator pitch. Yeah. So it depends if you've read Final Offer from the Dreamland Billionaires series, there was this small town introduced called Lake Wisteria. So that's where Love Redesigned and The Lake from Billionaires will kind of take place, at least in the beginning of the books. And it's about two childhood rivals, Julian, Lopez and Dalio Munoz. And they had a childhood rivalry, but they're also family friends, frenemies. It's kind of a
00:05:59
Speaker
mixed there. And basically Dahlia moved away a long time ago from Lake Wisteria, but she's back after getting her heart broken by a long term boyfriend turned fiance and then Julian and her team up on renovating a house together because Julian agrees for his mom. And that's kind of where the love story takes off. I mean, spoiler, there's a happy ever after.
00:06:25
Speaker
I know, so they have to get through all. It's kind of like a second chance romance in a way, but more like right person, wrong time. They're just really getting their second chance at what could have been had they put their rivalry aside and worked out their differences.
Planning New Book Series
00:06:40
Speaker
Oh my gosh, so good. I didn't rehearse that at all. You nailed it. That sounded great. Yeah. I was like, oh dear.
00:06:49
Speaker
You did great. So we mentioned that this is like the start of a new series for you, right? So how do you like plan for a new series, right? So like, for example, did you know during Dirty Air that Dreamland was next or did that idea not come till after the series was wrapped? And then similarly, like how early on did the like front billionaires kind of start to form in your mind?
00:07:15
Speaker
that's a really good question i'm a bit like of a chaotic person you know when i wrote dirty air i didn't predict that i would write dreamland billionaires it kind of came to me and then they were just two separate worlds in my head and then once i was writing like terms and conditions i'm like wait this could be a universe so then that's when i started kind of understanding more of
00:07:34
Speaker
idea of a universe and then when I started writing Final Offer that's when I was like oh I like this small town this is kind of fun I want to explore more and then I introduced two people in Final Offer and I wasn't sure who I was gonna write first because you have Lorenzo and then you had Julian and I was like hmm Julian didn't have like a lot of lines I was like I think I'm gonna start with him cuz the childhood rivals it like it just like came up in my head and I was like I'm doing that
00:08:03
Speaker
Yeah, I think you kind of shocked everybody when you said that Julian's book was going to be first, because I think everybody at first thought it was going to be Lorenzo, right? At least I did when
Research and Immersion in Book Worlds
00:08:11
Speaker
I first read it. I know everyone. Everyone did. And they're like, who's Julian? And I'm like, he really has one line, but he looks so much better for the intro. Lorenzo's a bit much.
00:08:21
Speaker
Um, even in like the intro and final offer, I'm like, I'm not ready for you. And you're not ready for me. Like, I don't know people are sometimes they're like, Oh, the third book or the last book is always the one that hurts. And I'm like, please don't set this expectation. I don't know. Oh, yeah.
00:08:39
Speaker
So each of your series introduces readers to such like fully formed worlds, right? We have F1 and like entertainment company. And then now we are in like the real estate and home renovation sphere. So can you tell us a little bit about like your research process for all of these worlds? Were you already like big fans of all of these and like already doing this? Or is this something you decided on for these bits? Well, when it came to F1, I was a fan. I was a newer fan. And then I really started like appreciating it more as I did research.
00:09:09
Speaker
And I was writing the books and like watching all the races and I became very invested in the sport and I was like, okay, this is fun. And as I kept writing books in the dirty year, the more I like became immersed because it was about maybe two years, the writing process, maybe a little less for the whole series. So I was like with it for a while.
Social Media and Marketing Strategies
00:09:26
Speaker
Yeah. And then, um, it would dream that it was the first time I read like a autobiography. I was trying to, I know, I know my romance heart was like,
00:09:38
Speaker
I was like, I haven't read this the textbook, but it wasn't entertaining. It was for I was studying a very popular theme park. And I wanted to learn more about like the inner workings. And I think that's what fascinated me. I became very interested in like, because I grew up in Florida, a lot of people in college did the
00:10:01
Speaker
a certain program in a place where a college program. And I kind of like had that in my head. I was like, Oh, this could be cool. So then I just did more. And then with renovations and stuff, I just love like HGTV. And yeah, I obviously had to like, I met with an interior designer, talked more and like had them beta read and everything. So I got that part down, but I just like loved.
00:10:30
Speaker
like all of that, even though reality TV is different. Right. Okay. I have to say when I first read the Dirty Air series, at the height of the pandemic in late 2020 is when my husband started to really get into F1. And so then I started to get back into reading the year after that. And so that's when I read the Dirty Air series. And so I was like, Oh my God, like I finally can relate to like
00:10:52
Speaker
to Jared by F1. I feel like everything about F1 now, because he started to really get into it. And so like, I don't want to say that that like brought us closer, because I mean, they're different. I understand. But like, I was like, Jared, I'm literally reading an F1 romance right now. That's crazy. Have you heard of Noah Slade, Jared? Like, is he on the race today? Yeah, does he want to learn? Oh, there's a red card. There's a blue card.
00:11:19
Speaker
I thought F1 was NASCAR until I read the Pretty Air series. No, I didn't know it existed. And I feel like I see so many people whenever they start Dirty Air, they're like, oh my God, like what's F1? And then they all, it's like a pipe one. You finish Dirty Air and then you go to Drive to Survive. Like you have probably, I love Drive to Survive. I have so many viewers. Like they should pay you because like so many readers start watching that show. Yeah, you've got so many people. You have. I would be happy with a ticket.
00:11:44
Speaker
I went to just the qualifying in Miami because the tickets were astronomically expensive. And I was like, this is so amazing. Like it was one of the best because it was very surreal to like be in person with the cars. And it was actually a really good time to just see. I'm actually saying I went to qualifying. That's a lie. I went to practice round. I did not even go to the qualifying. The one right before. Yeah, I went to the pre even before it
Designing Book Covers
00:12:10
Speaker
matters, basically.
00:12:11
Speaker
Okay, so we mentioned this at the top of the episode, but by the time that this is out, Love Redesign will be out for over a week now. How is it preparing for a new release, and how has your release week changed since you first released throttle back in 2020? Oh my goodness, you're taking it back. It's definitely changed a ton. I think also my sleep habits have gotten progressively worse as each release happens, and it's because I don't sleep that well. I think as soon as arcs go out, I start waking up at odd hours of the night,
00:12:40
Speaker
And it's more like, I don't know, I just can't sleep. It's like excitement, anxiety. I think with ARCs, especially, it's like the readers, I don't want to let them down. So I just like internalize it a lot. But I think preparing now I do TikTok. So that's like fun. I like really prepare from a marketing side as well as like interacting with readers. And then I don't pick out my own teasers anymore. I try to get other people to like help me with that because they pick out really good ones. Some things that I don't even think that people might like, I'm like,
00:13:11
Speaker
I wrote that. You mentioned your TikTok. Your social media, since I've followed you and been a reader of yours, I always tell people it's one of the best as an author. No, I am going to hype you. It's just so well-ran. All your teasers on TikTok, even your Instagram, I just get everything that I would want from an author's page. And it's excellent. So you do a great job. Thank you.
00:13:36
Speaker
I have a mastermind helper. My graphic designer helps me a lot, especially with Instagram. TikTok I run. That's me the lone ship out there, but she really helps me with graphic stuff. Because I used to make my own teasers. Oh, you want to know how things change? I made my own teasers for Throttold. And I will never live that down.
00:13:56
Speaker
I have to like scroll and then I'll go. Yeah, I was just gonna say I'm gonna scroll. Please do. And then you'll see like, for sure you'll see abs. Then you also just see things that like, it's like a beginner's Photoshop, for sure for me. I was like watching YouTube videos and being like, this is amazing.
00:14:15
Speaker
That's great though. It just shows how far you've come though. It's so nice to look back. Speaking of another thing that you and your team do so well is you have the best discreet covers out there. Can you walk us through the design process for that?
00:14:34
Speaker
How did you go about picking that beautiful purple for Love Redesigned?
Transitioning to Small Town Settings
00:14:38
Speaker
And then I know it's like really hard to pick, but do you have a favorite of yours personally? I do. I feel like, I feel like with favorites, I'll have to, I'll hold up on that one, but the process was actually very unhinged for Love Redesigned. I will say the first version that we did to the last is completely different. We talked quite a bit and I, so I sent her, like I sent her notes on it.
00:15:04
Speaker
And sometimes she'll be like, I don't 100% understand where you're going. It sounds interesting. We'll try it out. And one of the examples I'm like, okay, so for love redesign, I'm like, I have this idea of like paint swatches. Now hear me out. What if we draw on the paint swatches and then it's like, you know,
00:15:25
Speaker
paper and she was like, okay, and I sent her like a picture an idea that I found and she was like, we'll try it out. And I was like, yes. And it came out great. And that was like the starting. Yeah.
00:15:36
Speaker
And then I try to pick something that relates to the book itself. So like on that one, it's the gazebo. And do I have a favorite? I do. And it actually is love redesign. That one is my favorite. Yeah. But if I had to pick from the, it's really hard. You want from each series. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:58
Speaker
Okay, so from dirty air, I feel like my favorite is probably wrecked from the discreet. Yes, like that's I really love that one. But then I also really love the redeem one.
00:16:13
Speaker
with the flowers. I know it's flower cover. I know. I love the throttle blood. But the flowers on yours make sense. I love the collected one. Yeah. The flowers on yours make sense. They're not random. They're not random. You're a flower enthusiast. I know. People now send me flower covers all the time. They're like, Kendra, look at this new cover. I'm like, oh my god, now I've created something. But no, that one lives up. So you did good. I do love a good,
00:16:41
Speaker
So in our first draft for like Love Redesigned it did have flowers because I had said like oh like flowers like like wisteria and then we went a different direction and it was it was well chosen in that direction but then for Dreamland I'd probably have to go with the fine print just because like it's
00:17:01
Speaker
like the castle. It felt like it was the start of, because that was, I believe, it's just been so long ago, but I think our first discreet cover was the fine print and then we went back and did Dirty Air. So that was like the first one.
00:17:17
Speaker
Yeah, I didn't know because I had only started reading you once my first book of yours was to find print. So by that time, yeah, like all the other discretes are out. So I was like, Oh, this is great. Like they've been here from the beginning. So that's so interesting. So you only had like the male model covers first. And then like, wow. I think yes, I think it was it's just it's so crazy because like time with COVID and everything it just really
00:17:40
Speaker
escape me and life got crazy. But I feel like it was just the male cover. So there are people that have the male paperback of the fine print. And they're like, when are you dropping the other ones? And I'm like, we never designed them officially. You want them. But yes, it I think the fine print was the start of like that whole discreet for me. And then I switched all the covers. They're so good. Like, they're all just so stunning.
00:18:07
Speaker
Oh, thank you. I appreciate it. I didn't just I helped. I'm I was. You wrote the stories that inspired them. So you definitely did. Yes, I think also you asked about the process. So my graphic designer reads my books. So we are able to like talk out concepts and everything. So it helps. That's awesome. And she does all of those all the same graphic designer for all your books. Yes, I always feel so like we talk all the time and she does she helps me with my social media too. So she's just always
00:18:34
Speaker
thinking up things. And I'm just like, yeah. So in the Dirty Air series, we're all over the world in every major city, basically. And then in Dreamland, we're mostly in Chicago and Florida.
00:18:50
Speaker
But Lake front is set in a small fictional town in Michigan. So can you talk about the transition from writing the settings of like the big cities with like a lot of hustle and bustle, and then transitioning to small town and I know you like kind of bridge that gap with the final offer. Yes, I think it was that and that was not the plan with the final offer there was about
00:19:09
Speaker
like 20,000 words that were in an office. And then I was like, I am not feeling this. So I'm going to try small town. And I've read small town before and I enjoyed it. I did not grow up in a small town.
Experiences at Book Signings
00:19:22
Speaker
I grew up in Miami, which is the opposite. I think my small town knowledge comes from like TV. And that's about it. And then visiting now more
00:19:34
Speaker
like getting more travel experience that helps but I think it's just kind of this homemade up place in my head that's there was someone from Michigan that was like did you do it after this town that I'm from because the bar is like the same and the description I was like no but that's really cool I know I was like I I must have done a really good job if that was like
00:19:58
Speaker
Is this my town? I will say it was just it's different going from like the city and like an office romance. I like to change things up. I get bored. So especially with like the last book in every series, I'm like, okay, like redeemed. I was like, you're like, I was like, that was my first thing of small town. And then, you know, final offer and now this. I'm curious why, like Michigan, is it just because it's the proximity to Chicago? Originally, it was because it's close. And then I saw like,
00:20:28
Speaker
photos and I do have one of my good friends that she does Beta Read. She grew up part of her time in Michigan and she was like telling me all about it and I was like this would be cool. Originally it was part of the proximity and then it just kind of became its own made-up town.
00:20:43
Speaker
It is really pretty, like Michigan, like on the water. I've never been, but I have seen like lots of photos and stuff. Cause I mean, that's where, that's where Bee Tree takes place on the water. So wow. But honestly, like the beaches of Lake Michigan are so stunning. I grew up in Wisconsin, so we spent a lot of time and it's, it's, it's so beautiful. Like I think people forget that. Yeah. I think growing up on coastal, like I grew up on a coastal beach, so you don't get that type of beach and, um,
00:21:11
Speaker
someone that I worked with before had said that they grew up in Michigan as well. It was like a bunch of people that were saying this. And I'm like, oh, you're like, all right, fine, Michigan. She was like, yeah, we don't have salt in our water. And I was like, oh, OK, that's interesting. That's a good advertisement for me. Have you been to Michigan at all? No, I want to go. Now you have to go. Some bookstore is going to invite you. They'll be like, please come, like that small town that who said that it was based off of, they'll invite you to the town. Yeah, we should all go to Michigan.
00:21:41
Speaker
Let's just plan it. We should.
Organic Character Development
00:21:42
Speaker
Yeah. Let's plan it. I see you all have so much fun. And sometimes, you know, authors were doing stuff behind the scenes at these events. We don't get the same fun. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I listened to your book, episode and I was like, Oh, that sounds like such a good time.
00:22:00
Speaker
You're like, that's not what happened for me. You're also going in restaurants and like, I think it's really cool. Yeah. And for an author, it must have been like a completely different experience, like running around and like having to set up and like, Oh my gosh. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Definitely.
00:22:20
Speaker
I had a lot of food. Yeah, you survived. It was fun. Oh, that was your first sighting too. That was good. I'm glad you all got it. Yeah, no, it was amazing. I joke around that it was a lot, but just more because like, you know, it's a lot of people. Yeah. Yeah. It's a big one to start with for sure. Yeah. I mean, why not go on and embrace the anxiety of it all. And it was so worth it though. Like I would do it again. Just maybe not next year.
00:22:50
Speaker
Okay, so all of your characters are so multifaceted and come from all walks of life. I think that's why I just love your book so much. You prove that everyone deserves a love story. How do you go about deciding your character's backgrounds and the little things that make them them? For example, Iris is a black plant mom who has dyslexia and Dahlia is a Mexican designer who also deals with
00:23:10
Speaker
anxiety and depression so like how do they start to form in your brain? I love this question because I feel like when I start I have maybe occupation like maybe one thing that they really like and the trope that's kind of happening in the book and then as I'm writing the chapters because I don't have a very strict outline but as I'm writing kind of little things pop up
00:23:30
Speaker
like oh like she loves plants right like it would be so fun if she has to move in all these plants with her into this house that's very cold you know I start thinking of for like Iris for example and then for Dolly I was like well yeah she's like for sure one of those high performer anxiety people and I'm like it makes sense like you're so good at school of course you're gonna be like I
00:23:51
Speaker
Um, anxious and you're, that's one of the reasons that you're really
Evolving Writing Style
00:23:54
Speaker
good at school. Like the, I find that relatable because I was one of those people, um, that I was like, you gotta, you gotta study really hard and everything. So I feel like as I'm writing more and more scenes and as I'm also becoming more comfortable as a writer, I'm like adding more into the characters. I feel like.
00:24:10
Speaker
They're people, like you have a lot of different likes. It's not just like, hi, I'm Lauren and I like to knit and that's it. And here's my marriage of convenience, I don't know. One can dream. So I feel like it's just bits and pieces. And then the men, the men it's challenging.
00:24:29
Speaker
because some of them are cold, which makes it a little bit more fun. Yeah. Also, you used to torture us in dirty air. You would give us these brutal prologues, which you don't do anymore, but you used to scare people with the prologues. I would see people like, oh, I'm about to start redeemed. Everyone would be like, worry about the prologue, girl.
00:24:53
Speaker
But with Rex, like Jax's character in Rex, I just thought was handled so well because I'd never read a character. I think at that time that like had dealt with like.
00:25:04
Speaker
having like a terminal illness and then I don't know it was just so it was just handled so so so well even like with the ending with spoiler alert of him like having it because that's like a big question throughout the book I was like of course like I think it could have been so easy like oh nope everything's fine he doesn't have it like he can go live his life but I'm like no like it's like I like that and then yeah and redeemed you just
00:25:26
Speaker
brutalized all of us. That was so out of luck though. Yeah. Well, because the truth is I didn't really like Santi in the other books. I didn't care much for him. I know. I know. But I love him. It's a thing. I know. He wasn't my type of man, I think.
00:25:46
Speaker
pre redeemed prologue. I was just like, he's like nice. He's a broad. I saw this is the thing. I saw him more as a brother. Like if I was fair, it was like he's the sad character brother. Like I didn't see him as a main character. So I was like, haha, the me hurt you. And then
00:26:04
Speaker
I'm like, you're just too squeaky clean for me. So that was, yes, I did torture people with the prologues and I did write a tragic prologue for the fine print. I just never published it. I like deleted it. But yes, I wrote a really sad scene with Rowan and his dad. I was gonna say it, but it was... Yeah, it was really sad.
00:26:26
Speaker
Maybe one day I do still have it somewhere. I'll send it out in like a newsletter. I'll just cry. Oh my god. Yeah. So I think, I don't know if I'll ever, I will never say I won't do a prologue again, but it was really funny. Like, I think with Dreamland the difference, cause I'm like, I'm just going to jump in a bit into the drama and lead you
Crafting Romantic Scenes
00:26:47
Speaker
there. And then Dirty Air was like, I want you to hurt right away from the young people.
00:26:51
Speaker
I don't know what was going on in my life, I'm sorry. It was a pandemic. Yeah, the pandemic, everybody was hurting, yeah. I was just like sad, yeah. Swishing gears a little bit from sadness to smuddiness. We ask everybody this question, and I feel like somehow this question always, I end up asking this question, it makes me sound like
00:27:16
Speaker
I don't know. Yeah. Um, but what is your process for writing smut scenes? Okay. So like, do you find yourself like, like it's awkward. Are you blushing? Are you giggling while you're doing it? Like, or do you just, you're just like focused, lasered in. Like, let me just finish this really quick.
00:27:35
Speaker
finish them, if you will. How do you decide how they will be inside the bedroom? Dalia is kind of bossy. She's a little bit of a bossy girl, which is kind of fun. And then, okay, I have to ask this kinder through this in, so don't blame me. Don't blame me.
00:27:57
Speaker
But we have to know, will you ever write an anal seat? I'm honestly sure Kayla just said that with a straight face because usually she can't. I'm proud of you. She is a little red though. I've always read. I'm too pale. I'm too pale. Anything shows on my face. I can't hide anything. It's embarrassing. Well, this was a powerful question for multiple reasons. So I think, okay, I am in the zone with it, but I always listen to kind of like
00:28:28
Speaker
spicier songs so for and on repeat like i listen to the same song yes like um my go-to for the last two books is often the weekend remix with kygo that's my go-to spicy song enemy by genie wine there was a time i feel like it might have been more like collided and wrecked there you get
00:28:55
Speaker
I have different ones, but definitely the last two have been often, I know, because I've listened to it possibly a thousand times. It's my number one. It's my number one. And it depends how many scenes there are. But I feel like it gets me in the mood for some reason for writing the scene. And then I try to do it based off of the character. So Dolly is not going to be someone that just takes it as it is.
00:29:22
Speaker
she's gonna kind of give Julian back like what he gives. And like, I like their banter just in general. So I brought it into the bedroom. But and then kind of the same thing with like Alana and Cal. I do love when men beg. So that is always a good time for me. Sure. It's a preferred trope. Let's see. Okay, but I will have like a straight face. But there was a funny time. So I'm like writing this spicy scene in Love Redesign. I'm writing it
00:29:50
Speaker
And my significant other, they happened to be like recording me just like to like to document me just in the working environment kind of.
00:29:59
Speaker
You know, home videos. And he zooms in and it's like a spicy scene. And I'm just like... You're like, come back in five minutes, please. I'm like, please delete that. I think he kept it. But he's like, oh, it's before he's like, it's so cute to like show like your process of authoring. And I'm like, you nailed it. This is what it's like to be a romance author. Yeah. Yeah.
00:30:24
Speaker
Yeah, I was so funny thing aside, I was explaining like to my family, because they read the dedication in love redesign, they're like, so what is a face kink? And I was like, Oh, welcome to the world of kink. Yeah. I was like, um, so there's a lot of different types.
Favorite Parts of Love Redesigned
00:30:42
Speaker
And then I didn't name a few that like I read in like a darker romance. I'm like, but I don't do that. I'm like, there's a range. But anyways, and then the, um,
00:30:52
Speaker
let's see the anal question I'm not sure I'll never say never okay I did I did tease it a bit for you I'm so sorry you did you did tease it yeah yeah I have fun like I have fun teasing that part especially with Dahlia to Julie and I thought that was hilarious yeah they're hot
00:31:10
Speaker
they're so hot. So this is the portion of our conversation where we're going to start talking spoilers, like Kendra said at the beginning, if you haven't read Love Redesigned yet, pause, go read it, come back. But we are talking spoilers from here on. So Lauren, this is kind of like a multi question question. We're wondering just like about your favorite part about writing Love Redesigned and then also about crafting Julian and Dahlia as characters and
00:31:36
Speaker
their relationship as childhood rivals and all of that. So can you share that with us? Yeah, I had such a good time writing like the whole book pretty much. Oh, that makes me happy. Yeah, yeah, I feel like so like there's certain I mean, I love writing all my books, but I feel like with redeemed
00:31:55
Speaker
When I had this giddy, buzzy feeling while writing it and all the funny scenes and I'm laughing at my computer, which makes them look weird, but I had that same feeling with love redesign and I was like, this is interesting. I'm feeling that same way, even though the books in between, I still love them just as much. But I feel like I was falling in love with all the scenes, but part of my favorites were the pranks.
00:32:19
Speaker
I was like yes yes I was like I just it was a fun step in their relationship and like coming up with what to do I love it. What was like your favorite like prank like did you have a favorite one or including Dalia's one that went wrong like did you have a favorite one? It went very wrong. I feel like I liked Julian's prank on her because it like
00:32:43
Speaker
She was absolutely terrified. I would- The one in the house? Yes. Yeah, that was good. In the attic, he was the one that he did. Because I also like that Raffa came to help him. It was like this family thing, because they all prank each other. I just see them as these menaces in high school, trying to get back at each other. And the town is like, please stop. Yeah, for the sake of everybody else, please stop. Yeah.
00:33:10
Speaker
When I was reading it, I messaged Lauren and I was like, Dahlia is me when it comes to her fear of spiders. So I would also be like,
00:33:20
Speaker
out of my mind terrified. Like I just can't just the creepy crawlies of it. I don't like that. I don't enjoy that at all. Yeah. So I was like, what can I envision? I was seeing like, you know, the I was like this huge spider like those lawn decor. Yeah. Creepy like my quality. Like people have out for Halloween. Those kinds of things. I mean, those are a little bit. Those are I guess it depends. They can be like cute looking spiders or they can be like kind of icky.
00:33:49
Speaker
This had to be Iggy in the eyes and the ghost. I don't know. I just had fun. Yeah. Cause I feel like there was like all the tie-in with them, like with the prank of that, like with the ghosts and everything that I was like, this is fun. So that was my favorite. Oh, I was going to say, cause you said like how I, how I did them together, like how I basically like came up with Julian and Dolly and their frenemies. Was that the other question? Yeah. Yeah. Did you always know that they were going to be childhood friends to lovers? Like, was that always at the forefront of your mind when you thought about them?
00:34:19
Speaker
It definitely became part like when I thought of the childhood rivals because I love like if he kind of always loved her and he just one he messed up and he didn't know how to deal with his feelings like I kind of always had that in vision.
00:34:32
Speaker
And then The Second Chance came along with it. I love that. Kendra pointed this out, because we were discussing after we had finished it, that it was so realistic and mature that Julian, after the situation, had grown up enough to understand exactly where he went wrong and stuff. I thought that was such a beautiful part of the book, and it made the childhood rivals to lovers feel so realistic. He was like, yeah, this is what happened. I'm old and healed enough to understand that.
00:35:02
Speaker
Yeah, he's so self-aware and he kind of helps Dahlia because one of the things I like that I think might be underrated is like when Dahlia apologizes to him in like Thanksgiving for
00:35:12
Speaker
making him feel like he wasn't good enough. And she fed into his fear a bit and she's like, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that.
Producing the Audiobook
00:35:20
Speaker
And I was like, that's a good moment for her too. I think they both grew up. And it's interesting because I feel like I'm growing up too. I'm still so young, so I'm writing about these characters and I'm around their age and whatnot. So I'm learning too since I started writing. Yeah.
00:35:36
Speaker
Cause oftentimes I feel like in like second chances, like I'll be like, why haven't they learned yet? Like, why are they still fighting over like.
00:35:43
Speaker
the same thing. Why wouldn't they be aware of the issue to have Julian? To have Julian be like, oh no, this is where I fucked up and I'm so sorry. I love that scene so much. He was probably ruminating on it. He had like 10 years to think about it. Of course he's going to come to the real conclusion. Also, this wasn't a planned question, but could we consider Love Redesigned a holiday book? Because I think it's very holiday
00:36:11
Speaker
ask like we have Halloween, we have Thanksgiving, we have Christmas, like, I don't know if I would call it like a Christmas romance, but I definitely say like it's good for a holiday season and it's coming out in like November. Like that's, I feel like with this series, I've been planning the books around like when they come out kind of it just fell into that it wasn't like I was like, I need to do this. But it's been convenient because book two will have a different
00:36:36
Speaker
element. Yeah, but I feel like it is kind of cozy. It's just different. When I was writing it, when I was talking to my betas, I'm like, is it okay? Like, is it a good different because it's different from like, the Kane brothers and everything. And it was definitely like cozy. It wasn't as like, super angsty or something. Very, very cozy. Do you have
00:36:56
Speaker
a favorite scene in the book. I do. I feel like there's like so many scenes I could probably say are my favorite. So it's like cheating. But I feel like when Dahlia goes to Julian's house and then he's like all nervous about her going upstairs to see what's upstairs.
00:37:16
Speaker
And she's like, what's going on with you? I know, I know. And he's like, panicking in the side. And then he opens the door. He's like, screw it. And then she sees like, different things from her collection. That has to be on the table. That is like, so I was so thankful that you gave us that immediate payoff too. Because I was like, oh, we're not going to know what's in that room for
00:37:40
Speaker
Until the end of the book and it was just like oh it was so sweet and it was like so it felt so perfect Yeah, just Julian going into a store and like going if she has like an end cap or like a display of like He's like refreshing website What's new
00:38:05
Speaker
You know, if Dahlia had like multiple editions of her interior design book, he was for sure buying them. Like if it was Target or Red Denoble or whatever, maybe being the person. The signed copy. Oh my god, I just like imagine him reading her bio in all of her books too and just being like,
00:38:22
Speaker
Oh my god. I feel like part of him died and he for sure never watched the show like absolutely not. So it was like his one thing that he could do I feel like he would have probably like he's not the punching type but if he could like if the end cap had Oliver as well. Oh he almost like tore that part of the poster off. He would like he would like to take a sharpie yeah yeah he would like to take a sharpie to his face or something like that.
00:38:47
Speaker
Oh my god. In a different town though, because he wouldn't want anybody in town. Right. No, exactly. Because they sell her stuff in the like, general store there. So he's like, no, I have to discreetly go like five towns over and no. Like, Julie, I'm like, what are you doing today? He's like, Oh, nothing like comes back with all these bags.
00:39:09
Speaker
Yeah, so that has to be one of my favorites. The one that I keep thinking about is his pros and cons list. I thought that was just so cute. And when he was like, all your cons just made it over to the pro side.
00:39:21
Speaker
That was so sweet. I was like, of course. I love him so much. I keep thinking about when she, did she throw his phone? No, he threw her phone into the dishes, right? He threw his first. Very adulting. That's so funny. Like, I thought that was so funny. And then he immediately was like, oh, fuck. And then she just did it right back. That's so funny.
00:39:42
Speaker
that scene was like when it was in editing someone was like like we were talking about like oh should we get rid of it or not because originally there was like a lot more to the phone like
00:39:52
Speaker
in the drafts after like, how do you get a new phone and whatnot?
Narrative Elements and Spoilers
00:39:57
Speaker
And then they were like, well, phone is waterproof now. And I'm like, that is so valid. So we were going through all the things. And they're like, you could get rid of it if you want. And I'm like, I cannot get rid of the scene. Like, this is my favorite. I cannot remove it. So I will figure out a way. Maybe they don't have an updated iPhone. We don't know. No. Well, they would. But yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:17
Speaker
They fixed it. I love the parallel from that scene too to then the scene where they're cooking in the kitchen, just making out any time that nobody else is in the kitchen with them. I was just like, oh my god. I know. They made me giddy. I know, same. I was listening to this and I was just doing my dishes, giggling like an idiot. Oh my god. Yeah. I feel like Lily, she's actively trying to catch them because she just knows what's going on. She's like, something's wrong with you too.
00:40:47
Speaker
Well, okay, since everybody said theirs, I feel like I have to say one of mine. This one is like, well, I don't want to say it's small because it's not really small, but it like only takes place over like the course of like two pages. But it's when they're on the phone, it's near the end of the book, it's when they're on the phone, because she's out of town, like meeting with people about the show, and they're on the phone, he's asking her how everything went, and he just kind of like slips in a te amo.
00:41:10
Speaker
and it was so sweet and then she's like asking him to say it again and he keeps like going back to different sentences that he said prior to that and he's just like being annoying about it but that I thought I don't know why but that one was just really cute and sweet to me I just thought it was so sweet so oh I love hearing your favorites yeah and thank you for no third act breakup we really appreciate that I know I'm a transformed woman without but I don't know
00:41:35
Speaker
we all had the pleasure of listening to the love redesigned audiobook as in ALC and it's we all agree like it's easily one of like the best audiobooks that we've listened to this year it's so so good so how do you go about like selecting the narrators and then what was the process like of producing like a duet style audiobook because that's I
00:41:58
Speaker
this is the first duet style audiobook you've done, right? Because I like remember like several months, like a long time ago when you were on your Facebook asking people how they prefer audiobooks if they prefer like the single narration for each chapter or if they like the duet. And me personally, I don't listen to a lot of duet narrations. That's not on purpose. It's just most of the audiobooks I listen to aren't done that way.
00:42:22
Speaker
But I admit I was a little bit nervous, but this one was so, so, so good. I enjoyed it so, so much. So can you talk a little bit about that? Yes. By the way, I was equally nervous because I know that you all listen to so many audiobooks. And I'm like, if it's bad, please read the e-book. It was amazing. Because I was like, I don't know. Well, with the duet, I think one of the reasons it's just a different type of production and
00:42:48
Speaker
you know, process with making a duet. So it's not as common yet. I think it's becoming much more common. And a lot of my readers like were like, Oh, I would love to listen to it that way. And I was like, Okay, I think I'm gonna do this. Like, I it was the first time that I was able to kind of like have the rights and produce it myself. And I was like, I want to go all in like whatever, screw it.
00:43:09
Speaker
let's try it and I love the narrators but I remember I think it might have been a comment that you had made Kayla or that you were like it depends on the narrator like if you have two edits if you don't like one of the narrators it's like really hard same thing with duel but you can get through it like it's a little bit easier so I was like
00:43:27
Speaker
I hope you like the narrators. I love Noah. Like I would have him for future projects. Like I really liked his voice a lot and Vanessa did an amazing job. And it's like, listen, okay. I can never reread my books once they like go to like the arc phase, but this one I was listening to and I was like, okay. Like, I should be laughing at my own stuff. That's so weird. When you hear it from someone else and you see it like a movie. Yeah.
00:43:57
Speaker
the performance was so good. And then the production quality was so good. And like you said, like I like 70% of the books that I've read this year have been audio books. And like Kayla said, this one is just so well done. Like sometimes with duet narration, you can tell that they weren't recorded in the same place, you know? And this one is just like, it was so seamless. The performance was so good.
Hints About the Next Book
00:44:19
Speaker
I had, it was so good.
00:44:21
Speaker
Did you have to go through like the book and like highlight which lines that each person? Oh my god. Yes, each line in multiple colors. And then I went through it twice because I wanted to make sure that I did it all. Yeah, because you want to make sure that you do all the right lines and you find errors and God knows I do a lot of errors, especially if you're like multitasking or listening to music or something.
00:44:45
Speaker
So yes, you go through each line, it's interesting because you have, you basically do different colors for different people. So like, you know, you have the main heroine, the main hero, and then you have like main hero, second year character. Yeah, yeah. So then they have different voices for each like person. Right. So and then you can come up with every production is different. But then it's also like kind of giving them an idea of how these characters are and maybe
00:45:11
Speaker
how their voices might sound, et cetera. It's really cool from the backside. Thanks for doing that for us. No, thank you. They did such a good job of bringing the moms to life. Yes, they were so fun. The moms are just such a good part of this book. They're hilarious. And carrying them in my ears, I was like, yeah, yeah. They felt so real. And Noah's, the narrator's voice for Rafa, so hot. I messaged you that. So good.
00:45:40
Speaker
He is I was like, I like your voice. I like her a little bit more than you. It's just so deep. And I was like, Oh, and he's a dad. I'm like, Oh, wow. He's hot. And he's a male who's single. That's so strange. That's crazy.
00:46:02
Speaker
I know we've been talking like very spoilery here, but we obviously gave a big spoiler warning before we did. Are there any parts of love redesign that you hope don't get spoiled for readers before they have a chance to read the book either on like TikTok or Instagram? I was trying to think, I think for sure. And I know it's going to happen. But the bedroom scene that I had said before, like, I feel like that's a big one. Yeah.
00:46:25
Speaker
that, you know, I feel like I'd be like, oh, like that would, that would be a shame. I feel like that's the only, that would be one of the main ones that I was like, not sure if I'd want. I don't know if you all, like from your perspective. Oh yes.
00:46:42
Speaker
That's a big one. Nevermind, the gazebo is also big. And the fact that he bought the house. Yeah, I hope that doesn't get failed either. See, I should have asked you to help me make sure that people didn't spoil that part. In this book, Julian stayed just buying houses like all the time. He's a monopoly man.
00:47:02
Speaker
She hints at it. She's like, you're our resident Monopoly man. He absolutely is. And you so, um, if you reread the book, you'll kind of see him. So the night that he's taking Dahlia to the construction site, he's on his phone when she is like, um, in the car and he's like texting and she thinks that he's going through emails, I believe. And it's actually that he's telling his assistant basically to go.
00:47:28
Speaker
the sign out like it's very like you you'd have to go back and pay attention but that's why she doesn't know because she's like there's a sign out here and yeah yeah i had to get it out there yeah those are all good points yeah i didn't even know
00:47:44
Speaker
I also love that he kept like outbidding Declan like the cameo in this book I think worked really well because it was like simple but like also like very pleasing so like that was just so funny oh my gosh good I know I didn't want it to be too much but yeah Declan's really trying to have a summer house there yeah be my brother
00:48:05
Speaker
Yeah. Well, Julian doesn't really, he can buy it after he builds it. Yeah. Buy one of my houses. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah, exactly. He's like, and now he's expanding to different towns. He's a menace in a different way. Yeah. Lastly, and this might be hard, Lauren, who would you say is your richest Melman character? Because you've written a lot.
00:48:30
Speaker
A lot of rich men. Who's my richest? I mean, I could cheat and say Brady Kane is the richest. Oh, don't cheat, don't cheat. Out of the love interest that you've presented. Male characters. Okay. Well, technically, I mean, we have to go back because let's say the Kane brothers are going to be the richest because they each inherited 25 billion.
00:48:56
Speaker
Cal basically gave his away, so he's no longer in the running. So then you have Declan and Rowan, and I feel like Declan's gonna be the most. I feel like he just, he is definitely, he invests, he does a lot of stuff behind the school. He likes his job. He loves his job, and Rowan likes his job, but he's the younger brother. He's like, I'm rich enough. Yeah, he's content. Declan's like, I'm just very, he's more interested in the back end of
00:49:24
Speaker
I think like stocks and, you know, working in more investment. So that's why he just keeps growing it. Yeah. And he has like a lot of kids to feed. So like, I get it. The man has to work. He's going to work. Long time. He's he has to fulfill the minivan promise. So yeah, so he's for sure the richest now. Thank you for clearing that up for us. Yes, we were really wondering. Oh, yeah.
00:49:52
Speaker
No, I mean, dirty air, they're rich, but they're not, they're not 25 billion rich. Someone was like, when are you going to write about like trillionaires or something? And I'm like, I don't know. The next step, that's hard to like conceptualize to like,
00:50:11
Speaker
Trillion like that's just hard to think of what that even looks like. I can pay off the national debt. Yeah, I can't I feel like you just pay off everything. Yeah, billionaires is hard enough. I like trying to do a spin on billionaires that I'm like
00:50:25
Speaker
I want you to like them because billionaires in real life, it's tough. Right. Yeah. Billionaires. Love them, you know? They just have so much. It works so much as Julian because he was such a mama's boy, like always taking care of like his family. That was sweet. So I was like, of course he's a billionaire. Like he's going to use all that money for good. Like donating to the town. Rafa, I think, you know, probably equally.
00:50:51
Speaker
if not a little bit more. But yeah, Rafa's already my favorite. I can feel it. Wait, we didn't we didn't write this down either. But is there anything you can tease about book two because it is announced at the end of love redesign that Rafa's book is. It is. It is. It's your first single dad.
00:51:08
Speaker
It is my first single dad. And Niko was the son. He's a little bit older, so it's fun because Cammy was younger. And Niko just has a little bit more awareness of environments. And he just can also be a little bit more on his own than a five-year-old, four-year-old, five-year-old. What can I say? Hmm. I've only said it's his book. I didn't say who else could be it.
00:51:38
Speaker
yeah but i mean he was really sad like he's just like i don't know yeah i wonder if it would be a really sad book i'm not sure i won't say it will be but i think it'll be fun oh i can say this they're
00:51:51
Speaker
There's going to be a summer trip. OK. Oh, yeah. Because they're going to leave Lake Wisteria for a minute. I think, I mean, there are there are tickets somewhere in the book.
Character Superlatives Game
00:52:02
Speaker
Yes. There are. Yes. Because, yeah, Niko has a favorite thing person. Oh, yeah. Yes. Yes. Mm hmm. You're so right. He doesn't have a favorite person, and it's not Santi. So right. Oh. Yeah. I mean, Santi's like retired right now. Yeah.
00:52:21
Speaker
out of the game. So definitely, or out of the race, I could say, really. But yeah, I feel like that's the only thing I can tease now. I'm still writing it, so to work in progress. But I'm very excited. I think with the lakefront, at least with Rafa and Julian, they're a bit more self-aware. That's what I can say. They're a little bit more mature. And he's a year or two older than Julian, so he's got to even a little bit more.
00:52:50
Speaker
age. He's hot. Yeah, you like the grumpy ones? I really do. I like him grumpy. I like him single dads. And he like lives like outside of the town too has all these animals. I'm like, what is he doing? What's he doing out there? He has a barn. Like, yes, he's, he's definitely like a caretaker. Oh, I love that. He can take care of me. I'll be the love interest. You can just write me.
00:53:21
Speaker
So that's it. That's book two for now. Oh, yeah. I guess I could say the title, right? Do you want the title? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. It's called Love Unwritten. Yeah. A little bit of like a Natasha bedding fields. Yeah.
00:53:42
Speaker
I think the other just plays it like so it's like have you seen that movie easy when she gets that card and it's like the Natasha Benningfield song like yeah. Yeah.
00:53:55
Speaker
That's my life right now. It's like, oh, you're writing this. Here we go. We're going to end with a little game, if that's OK with you, Lauren. So it's Lauren Asher's superlatives. So we're going to give you like most likely twos. And you'll tell us which of your characters. OK. All series. Any. Yeah. Anybody. So the first one is most likely to become president.
00:54:21
Speaker
Iris. Okay. Um, most likely to help you bury a body. Like they're the most loyal person ever. Oh, almost likely. Okay. I feel like Santi would be most likely to help me bury a body. Yeah. I feel like he's very loyal. Yeah.
00:54:43
Speaker
If Chloe killed someone, he'd be like, all right, like, let me help you. Yeah, he's like, when he was like, Chloe, come on. He asked me if it was like a house, a creepy house. Like, I don't know. I feel like he has a little bit of a gothic vibe to him. Yeah, yeah. It's that loyalty. Okay, most likely to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Oh, that's interesting. Who would win a Nobel Peace Prize? You know what, I will go with
00:55:14
Speaker
Elena from wrecked. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like she would. I feel like she would do something really good. I could get that. Okay, most likely to have their own bookstagram account. Oh, that's a good one.
00:55:29
Speaker
Who would run their own books together? I had an idea for this one. Oh, I know. Oh, you have an idea? Yeah, no, you go first. Yeah, you say. Okay, I think Zara would run her own books together. Yes, exactly. And she would be amazing. Yeah, she would be so good. Wallet photos, reels, everything. Yes, I feel like she would do your, like, she would basically try to do your book journals, but she's not very good at art. So she's really not doing good job with that. Rowan would draw in for her.
00:55:58
Speaker
She would have like little themed buttons that would like go with the books or something like that. She'd have like a bookish job. I also imagine that she's like a Dreamland bookstagrammer. Like it's both. Like she'll take her books to the park and like take pictures and stuff. You know what I mean? She would do cute stuff like with the flowers and everything. I feel like she would do amazing at bookstagram. Yeah. So true. And have like dresses. Like she would just go all out.
00:56:20
Speaker
Mm hmm. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my God. I'm looking at the next superlative and I forgot I wrote this one. I'm sorry. Yeah. Yeah. I did. Again, I didn't write these. So please don't I. I apparently am the one that has to say I'm just so that Kendra can like hide behind me, I guess. She can't say it. She's giggling to. OK, you want to switch? You want to switch? We can switch it. OK, go ahead. Lauren, who is most likely at a triangle?
00:56:53
Speaker
You know, I could have been super inappropriate, but I won't. I definitely think Cal and Alana would. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, for sure. It probably happened like in the book. Yes. It's like off gate. Yeah. I'm like Delulu. I feel like all of them will. Yeah. I feel like just, you know, but if you said like who's for sure, I feel like them. They're kind of like a little bit more.
00:57:21
Speaker
I was saying them and Liam and Sophie is who I thought of too. Yeah. Oh my God. Yeah. They 100% lead you again. For sure. That was on the list. Yeah. I was going to say, how was that on her list? No, because they have an updated list. They have a couples list. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I feel like Liam would be into some
00:57:46
Speaker
So I'm since I'm taking Kendra's now so she did that for me most likely to be Most likely to be a member of the beehive for sure Dahlia Yeah
00:58:01
Speaker
Beyonce probably owns her collection too. Like if their whole house is probably just like value. Yeah. No, I feel like she like for sure attended the concert, like decked out outfit, probably multiple times to be honest. Julian's a billionaire and has a job. Yeah. Oh yeah. She saw her in Europe, seeing her here. Oh, she saw opening night. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Similar vein. Who's most likely to see the era's tour of film multiple times in a row? Oh,
00:58:29
Speaker
I think, for sure, Chloe would be the type. Yeah. I think her and Maya, if you want to say, they would do doubles. She would drag Maya along. Maya would be cool with the first one. And then she's like, OK, Chloe. Four times is a lot. Yeah. It would be remiss if we didn't say that the art that you did, well, not you, but that Kristen did for all of the heroes tour, for all the characters were so good. So cute.
00:58:57
Speaker
it was yeah we had a lot of fun doing it i was trying to think of like who would listen to which album a lot so i'm glad it like hit well i always try to think of they're like in my head all the time even if i finish writing your story i'm constantly thinking about them it's kind of fun yeah because i don't write that many books so they just are always
00:59:15
Speaker
hanging around and like what you say is law like that's that's the fun part is like you made them so you get to decide what they're doing like we just guess if they want to go to the movie all the time they can if they want to fly on jets and go to concerts they can yeah
00:59:31
Speaker
A couple more. Who is most likely to have a viral tiktok account and like if they did have a viral tiktok account like what would their content be about? Maya is gonna have viral because and I think she'll like for sure do the F1 but then she'll also do
00:59:49
Speaker
She'd probably do a few thirst traps, okay? Let's be on the beach somewhere. She'd be in France, on the coast of France, when they go to Monaco or something like that, and then she would be on the beach in her cute little bikini, doing a little thirst trap or something. Yes, and she would film her husband. She'd be like, I'm married to him. Yeah. Oh my God. Her comment is actually- She would be on my reg, hyping up, and then she'd be like, yeah, I know. Yeah, I agree. Liking everyone. She'd be like, tell me.
01:00:17
Speaker
She'd be like, I agree. She's not like the jealous type in that way. She's like, this is funny. Everyone thinks you're super hot. And then she'd probably get really embarrassed. Noah would be like, please stop. Please believe in me. And came with the kids. Oh, yeah. Like, shirtless in the ocean holding a child. Oh my god. Boom. That was great. My man, my man, my man. Yep. My view this Sunday. Yeah.
01:00:44
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Okay. Last one. Most likely to be the final person in a horror film. Oh, most likely to be a last person in a horror film. Alana. Hmm. Yeah. I feel like she's got survival skills. It would be hard though. I feel like that'd be a toss up as well with Declan. Cause he's just like, he's not going to put anyone. Yeah. Yeah. He's gonna be like, you're stupid. If you go in, he's like, we're splitting up. No. Yeah.
01:01:14
Speaker
I feel like Alana would kind of like stick with him and then he's just like if you look back while you're running you are going to die. Do you think that's the same answer then for like who would win the Hunger Games? Do you think Alana would win the Hunger Games? Oh my god are they killing each other Kayla?
01:01:30
Speaker
You know who I think would win the Hunger Games? I think Seth Kane would win the Hunger Games. Oh, yeah. District 1, bitch. He's 100% District 1. He's got all the money. He's got all the... Yeah, he's like, he's like, I'll kill anyone. I'll do anything. I'm gonna win. Twice, yeah.
01:01:49
Speaker
I feel like Declan on the other hand, if he was like, you know, more of a Katniss, like, PETA situation, he'd be like, okay, like, we both can die. Like, he'd be like, song versus Steph would be like, okay, sign on. Okay, flipping it a little bit then, who's gonna be the first to die? This sounds so bad, but who's the first? Okay, we'll say it in a horror film then, not The Hunger Games, because they're not killing each other. I know, that's really okay.
01:02:15
Speaker
I really feel like Chloe could, she just doesn't always make the best decisions when it comes to safety. She also falls out of trees. She would go outside to investigate the sound. She would. What's that?
01:02:34
Speaker
Yeah, it would either be her or Sophie. It would be like a toss up between them two. Like who could die first. I know. I love them, but let's be real with that one. Poor girls. RIP.
01:02:52
Speaker
That's so funny. That was so fun. I love that. Lauren, thank you so much for being with us today. Thank you for having me. It felt like talking with Rhett. No, literally. I was telling Kendra, I was like, I know I listened to you, and it's like such a good time. I have to listen to the Monster Romance podcast. That was fun. Yeah. But yeah, you can tell. We'll be so curious if you've read any of those, because you're a Monster Romance. Use your mind. OK.
01:03:19
Speaker
Yeah, I've read, I've read, I've read a lot. I gave some recommendations to Brian the other day. I was like, Hey, here's another one. Because I can't, I can't read that much contemporary like Kendra, you said you really love theoretically, like I read that one, but it's just like so rare that I read one. Yeah, especially while you're writing, huh? Yeah. So I'm like monsters.
01:03:42
Speaker
fantasy. I definitely love romanticy and paranormal stuff. Yeah. Do you find yourself like writing spicy scenes? And you're like, Oh, why does he have two dicks certain suddenly? Like that's this isn't monster romance. Yeah, that's like you like you there's like, oh, there's like levels in the monsters. And that's definitely in the medium, I think with the two medium. Oh,
01:04:03
Speaker
I know. I've been more vocal about what I read to for sure my significant other. And he looks at me and he's like, huh. And I'm like, yeah, I know. It's crazy what they're doing. Like wild people read this stuff. I was talking about orcs. And he was like, I'm sorry. What did you say? I'm like orcs. And he's like, hmm. We had that conversation on that episode about how men think it's unfathomable. And we're like, oh my god. Culture yourself.
01:04:33
Speaker
Listen, there's some things that they teach there that cannot be taught in school. It's so true. It's so true. Love redesigned comes out November 7th, which it is already out. What are you doing? Go read it if you have not already. If you made it this far, hopefully you've already read it. And there's multiple special editions.
01:04:56
Speaker
figure out which one you want or just pick them all up pick them all up you know yeah pick them all up well pick pick one and you know i know it's a lot of additions yeah never know but they're stunning a lot of bonus i could have kept writing so yeah
01:05:13
Speaker
Amazing. If you enjoyed our conversation with Lauren, please rate this podcast five stars. It would mean a lot to us. And then hop over to our Instagram at bring your own pod and tell us your favorite Lauren Asher book. Thank you so much. So much fun. We love you. You can come back anytime. Anytime. I would love to.