For those of you who don't know what Meet the Newbies is, it's a fun way to introduce you all to authors debuting in 2016 and it's organized by the lovely Rachel from A Perfection Called Books. To see the full schedule, click here.
Today I've got the lovely Emily Henry, author of The Love That Split the World on here! Here's a little bit about her!
First Day of School: January 26, 2016
Homeroom: Razorbill/Penguin
Grade: Speculative YA Romance
Extracurricular Activities: Leaning angstily against lockers, hiding in the bathroom during pep rallies, trying so hard to smoke cigarettes but actually just having asthma attacks, Breakfast Club
Favourite Class: Care and Keeping of Magical Creatures
Favourite Quote/Motto: "And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so? I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the earth.” ― Raymond Carver, Late Fragment
Now for the interview!
Lionsgate recently bought the movie rights to TLTSTW. Do you have a dream cast?
Ah, thank you so much! I honestly think if the movie gets made, it’s going to be its own separate entity from the book, so on the one hand I try not to speculate on anything, but on the other hand, OF COURSE I’VE THOUGHT ABOUT IT! I don’t necessarily think I have a *dream* cast, but I’ve (semi) joked about Beau being played by a southern’ed up Harry Styles, or a slew of actors who are now much too old (or dead) to play him (young Johnny Depp, young James Dean, etc.) or Scott Eastwood, who is pretty much young Clint Eastwood anyway. I also love the idea of the main cast being “unknowns.” But I think Devery Jacobs could also be an insanely cute Natalie. She’s got that sweet, girl-next-door look. Again, I’d love an unknown actor for Megan but I also think Elle Fanning is completely adorable and if she had the right chemistry with Nat, I’d be sold. Oh, and I think Zach Roerig, a few years ago, would’ve been an excellent Matt Kincaid. I actually have a Pinterest board for the dream-cast too: https://www.pinterest.com/eannehenry/tltstw-dreamcast/
(Liran's Note: Yyyyyyeeeeessssssssssss!!!!!! *insert all the heart-eye emojis*)
Beau = Very, very, very swoon-worthy. Can you tell us about some of your favourite fictional males/boyfriends?
Yay for swoony fictional characters! Yay for your being appropriately ~swooned~ by Beau. I have so many favorites it’s ridiculous. A kind of funny one--I’m a diehard Fred & George Weasley girl. I love ridiculous trouble makers. I’m also pretty pro-Gansey at this point. I actually just finished The Raven Boys so I’m really excited I have more Gansey books (and also terrified, because, hello, eerie death-prophecy). I’m a little bit obsessed with Jamie Watson from A Study in Charlotte. He’s like, exactly who high school-Me would’ve been into. And speaking of Jamies, JAMIE FRASER, HELP.
(Liran's Note: JAMIE FRASER!!!!! OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍)
Do you have a playlist for TLTSTW or any songs that you listened to while writing it?
I do, in fact! You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhvRobspn_-Qnb9ovTXBGiOyJD6AXW2xL. I also have a playlist specifically for Natalie (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhvRobspn_-QwGYFaxrYk8d7foC3W-JXE) and one for Beau (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhvRobspn_-RLGEymGlQxCL0O4U0RJtVj)! I unfortunately am too easily distracted to listen to much music while drafting (unless it’s ambient music I don’t already know) because I just start being too much attention to it. I did always have a few songs in my mind though while writing. One is “Helpless” by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. The other is “Threnody” by Goldmund. My friend, Jack, was visiting to help out with my launch party and he told me he imagined Beau’s song for Natalie sounding something like “Threnody,” and I think I screamed victoriously because that was exactly what I had in mind.
You love nail polish just as much as I do. What are your favourite nail polishes that you like to use to paint your nails with?
ANYTHING sparkly. I also like mustard yellow and gunmetal grey (both matte) a lotttttttt. But yes, sparkly is fun because as it chips, you just feel like a kid in the best, most magical way. I have one that’s called like, “Metallic Coin,” or something. It’s in between silver and gold, just sort of a dull brassy color but totally glittery, and I love that one a lot because it goes on so smoothly (and despite LOVING painting my nails, I’m actually pretty terrible at it, so it’s helpful when you get something with a really smooth consistency to it), plus that one dries pretty quickly. I have a habit of doing my nails and then being like, “WHOOPS, FORGOT I COMMITTED TO BAKING A PIE,” or basically anything else that requires use of my hands.
(Liran's Note: THAT ALWAYS HAPPENS TO ME TOO!!!! Also, for those who want their nails to look like TLTSTW's gorgeous cover, I did a how-to post.)
You have gorgeous hair. How do you get your hair to look like that?
Ahhhhhhh, you are so nice, is especially because your own hair is so Fire Emoji. Also this is hilarious, because I’m pretty sure you’re referencing the fact that I tweeted about how this is one of the top three most common questions I get “about my writing” (LOL). Here’s the deal, wavy-headed babes, dudes, nonbinary pals, et. al: You gotta embrace the ridiculousness. I spent so many years frying the s**** out of my hair trying to pretend I had straight hair, and I don’t. I also spent years blow-drying my hair, which basically just makes my head look like a very frizzy pyramid. Finally I realized I’m born to look like a lion in a lightning storm; that’s my perfect aesthetic. So now here’s my routine: brush my hair BEFORE showering, shampoo the roots, condition the ends, do nothing after (otherwise you invite the frizz). Expect it to look bad on day 1. It will usually look pretty good on day 2, for like a handful of hours before the oil sets in. Then it’s time to bust out the dry shampoo and use it liberally on the roots. That gives it body and cleans it up but the ends have also had time to stop looking like freshly laundered hay, so like, all around, pretty good. Mostly my theory is: make friends with your hair instead of trying to master it. I feel like that’s a pretty good approach.
(Liran's Note: Thank you!!!!!! And I didn't actually see the tweet but lol!!!)
You recently announced that your publisher, Razorbill bought A Million Junes. Can you tell us a little bit about AMJ? Was your writing process while writing AMJ similar to your writing process for TLTSTW?
A Million Junes is another genre-bending mystery/romance, this time set in a fictional lakeside town in Michigan. This new book really builds on all the concepts I was exploring with The Love That Split the World. Whereas that was largely about love and identity, I’d say this book is more about grief and purpose but it also explores time from a completely different vantage point than TLTSTW. It takes a bit more of a surreal turn, so I’m really hoping those who loved my first book will be willing to follow me into new territory. And also, it’s lighter on the science so hopefully those who got lost in that will feel a little more at ease within this book. It definitely feels to me like A Million Junes exists in the same world as TLTSTW. Magical and weird and impossible. I don’t want to say too much since it’s far off but there are “ghosts,” in some way or another, and weirdly magical animals, and I wanted this one to feel a bit like a summery Miyazaki movie.
(Liran's Note: You can add A Million Junes on Goodreads here.)
Do you have any writing advice for aspiring writers?
Ugh, so much! I’m recycling this from a previous post I did but I think it’s still pretty much what I would say:
A) Learn to write everyday but don't force yourself to continue once you've proven you can, because everyone's process is different. A daily word-count might be what you need, but it also might not be.
B) Keep your eyes on your own paper and don't worry about what anyone else is doing. You see very little of the struggle and get an inflated version of the success, so tune out what you think you see on social media and let yourself love the "getting there."
C) Read and write as much as you can, but also make time for real life. Which leads into...
D) If there's one thing I wish I'd realized earlier it's this: don't write for any other reason than wanting to tell the story. If you put in the time and effort, you can get published, but selling a book won't make all your problems go away. It will bring you all kinds of new joys and new struggles. When it comes down to it, your books aren't going to love you back. They're your gift to the world, and you need people who pour back into you all that you pour out, or you're going to burn out. Make time for writing, absolutely, but also make time for the people who will love you as much if you're a NYT bestseller as if you never write again.
About The Love That Split the World:
Do you have a playlist for TLTSTW or any songs that you listened to while writing it?
I do, in fact! You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhvRobspn_-Qnb9ovTXBGiOyJD6AXW2xL. I also have a playlist specifically for Natalie (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhvRobspn_-QwGYFaxrYk8d7foC3W-JXE) and one for Beau (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhvRobspn_-RLGEymGlQxCL0O4U0RJtVj)! I unfortunately am too easily distracted to listen to much music while drafting (unless it’s ambient music I don’t already know) because I just start being too much attention to it. I did always have a few songs in my mind though while writing. One is “Helpless” by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. The other is “Threnody” by Goldmund. My friend, Jack, was visiting to help out with my launch party and he told me he imagined Beau’s song for Natalie sounding something like “Threnody,” and I think I screamed victoriously because that was exactly what I had in mind.
You love nail polish just as much as I do. What are your favourite nail polishes that you like to use to paint your nails with?
ANYTHING sparkly. I also like mustard yellow and gunmetal grey (both matte) a lotttttttt. But yes, sparkly is fun because as it chips, you just feel like a kid in the best, most magical way. I have one that’s called like, “Metallic Coin,” or something. It’s in between silver and gold, just sort of a dull brassy color but totally glittery, and I love that one a lot because it goes on so smoothly (and despite LOVING painting my nails, I’m actually pretty terrible at it, so it’s helpful when you get something with a really smooth consistency to it), plus that one dries pretty quickly. I have a habit of doing my nails and then being like, “WHOOPS, FORGOT I COMMITTED TO BAKING A PIE,” or basically anything else that requires use of my hands.
(Liran's Note: THAT ALWAYS HAPPENS TO ME TOO!!!! Also, for those who want their nails to look like TLTSTW's gorgeous cover, I did a how-to post.)
You have gorgeous hair. How do you get your hair to look like that?
Ahhhhhhh, you are so nice, is especially because your own hair is so Fire Emoji. Also this is hilarious, because I’m pretty sure you’re referencing the fact that I tweeted about how this is one of the top three most common questions I get “about my writing” (LOL). Here’s the deal, wavy-headed babes, dudes, nonbinary pals, et. al: You gotta embrace the ridiculousness. I spent so many years frying the s**** out of my hair trying to pretend I had straight hair, and I don’t. I also spent years blow-drying my hair, which basically just makes my head look like a very frizzy pyramid. Finally I realized I’m born to look like a lion in a lightning storm; that’s my perfect aesthetic. So now here’s my routine: brush my hair BEFORE showering, shampoo the roots, condition the ends, do nothing after (otherwise you invite the frizz). Expect it to look bad on day 1. It will usually look pretty good on day 2, for like a handful of hours before the oil sets in. Then it’s time to bust out the dry shampoo and use it liberally on the roots. That gives it body and cleans it up but the ends have also had time to stop looking like freshly laundered hay, so like, all around, pretty good. Mostly my theory is: make friends with your hair instead of trying to master it. I feel like that’s a pretty good approach.
(Liran's Note: Thank you!!!!!! And I didn't actually see the tweet but lol!!!)
You recently announced that your publisher, Razorbill bought A Million Junes. Can you tell us a little bit about AMJ? Was your writing process while writing AMJ similar to your writing process for TLTSTW?
A Million Junes is another genre-bending mystery/romance, this time set in a fictional lakeside town in Michigan. This new book really builds on all the concepts I was exploring with The Love That Split the World. Whereas that was largely about love and identity, I’d say this book is more about grief and purpose but it also explores time from a completely different vantage point than TLTSTW. It takes a bit more of a surreal turn, so I’m really hoping those who loved my first book will be willing to follow me into new territory. And also, it’s lighter on the science so hopefully those who got lost in that will feel a little more at ease within this book. It definitely feels to me like A Million Junes exists in the same world as TLTSTW. Magical and weird and impossible. I don’t want to say too much since it’s far off but there are “ghosts,” in some way or another, and weirdly magical animals, and I wanted this one to feel a bit like a summery Miyazaki movie.
(Liran's Note: You can add A Million Junes on Goodreads here.)
Do you have any writing advice for aspiring writers?
Ugh, so much! I’m recycling this from a previous post I did but I think it’s still pretty much what I would say:
A) Learn to write everyday but don't force yourself to continue once you've proven you can, because everyone's process is different. A daily word-count might be what you need, but it also might not be.
B) Keep your eyes on your own paper and don't worry about what anyone else is doing. You see very little of the struggle and get an inflated version of the success, so tune out what you think you see on social media and let yourself love the "getting there."
C) Read and write as much as you can, but also make time for real life. Which leads into...
D) If there's one thing I wish I'd realized earlier it's this: don't write for any other reason than wanting to tell the story. If you put in the time and effort, you can get published, but selling a book won't make all your problems go away. It will bring you all kinds of new joys and new struggles. When it comes down to it, your books aren't going to love you back. They're your gift to the world, and you need people who pour back into you all that you pour out, or you're going to burn out. Make time for writing, absolutely, but also make time for the people who will love you as much if you're a NYT bestseller as if you never write again.
About The Love That Split the World:
Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start... until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right.
That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.
Emily Henry’s stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we’ve left untaken.
Amazon.ca | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Chapters/Indigo | Book Depository | iBooks | Amazon | Goodreads
About Emily:
Emily Henry is full-time writer, proofreader, and donut connoisseur. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the New York Center for Art & Media Studies, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. She tweets @EmilyHenryWrite.
Where To Find Emily
Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I hope you all enjoyed getting to know Emily! Be sure to go pick up The Love That Split the World available at your favourite bookstore now!
I love this book and this interview!!! Thank you for sharing and highlighting Emily. 💙
ReplyDeleteIt's it such a great book? And thank you!!! 💖
DeleteNice fun interview! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAnnie JC
Thanks!!!
DeleteThis was a really great interview, Liran. I loved TLTSLW. I'm totally appreciating that Emily mentioned a young James Dean for Beau. I wish I had this mental image in my head while reading, :P. I'm excited for her new book. My only complaint about TLTSLW is that I was a little confused towards the end, so I'm curious with AMJ being less sciencey.
ReplyDeleteSarah | Kerosene Lit
I absolutely cannot wait for AMJ!!! It sounds phenomenal!!! And young James Dean for Beau = 😍😍😍.
DeleteThis is such a wonderful interview. TLTSTW is on my to-buy list ever since I laid eyes on that cover.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. It's gorgeous!!!
DeleteSounds really interesting! Can't wait to read this book! The cover is gorgeous. And such a fun interview! Loved it!
ReplyDeleteYay!!! Hope you enjoy it!!! And thank you!!!
DeleteGreat interview with Emily Henry, Liran! I just love her dream cast, especially Scott Eastwood. :)
ReplyDelete#Commenting365
Thank you so much! And I hope someone makes her dream cast a reality. :)
Delete