Colleen Hoover is the New York Times bestselling author of Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Maybe Someday, and Finding Cinderella. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. visit her here.
NAW- Tell us about your forthcoming book, Ugly Love. How did you get the idea for it? Did you carry out any research for the book?
I didn’t have to carry out much research for this one. Miles is a pilot, so I did have to learn a little bit about what life is like for them. I’m not sure where the idea came from. The wheels are always spinning in my head and I’m always trying to think of new story ideas. Every once in a while, a story sticks with me and I have to write it down.
NAW- Tell us about the character of Tate Collins. How did you develop the character?
I knew she would need to be strong but kind. She needed to be strong enough to handle the fact that Miles doesn’t want a relationship, but kind enough to understand why. I can’t go into much more detail than that. You’ll just have to read it!
NAW- Tell us about your other works.
So far I’ve written the Slammed series (Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl), the Hopeless series (Hopeless, Losing Hope, Finding Cinderella), and Maybe Someday.
NAW- How difficult (or easy) was it getting published? Tell us about your publishing journey.
Well, that depends on how you look at it. I wasn’t really trying to get published. When I started out, I was just doing it for fun. I thought it would be cool to be able to get my book on my friends’ and family’s kindles. When things started to take off for me, I considered the possibility of getting traditionally published, but once I made the New York Times bestsellers list, publishers started making me offers. So it was relatively easy for me, but only because I wasn’t exactly looking.
NAW- How do you decide the names for your characters? Is it a random process or a well thought one?
Sometimes it takes me a long time to think of the characters’ names, and sometimes they just come to me. Layken is the name I would have given my daughter if I ever had one, and Kel was name after my son, Cale. Sydney is actually a filler name I used to use when I hadn’t picked a name yet, but then it became Sydney’s real name in Maybe Someday. So, I guess you’d say it’s pretty random.
NAW- Tell us about yourself. What do you do when you are not writing?
When I’m not writing, I still have a lot of work to do. I work a lot. I have to stay caught up on social media, answer interviews, go to book signings, review other books, etc. In what little free time I have, I try to spend it with my family. I travel a lot now, so it’s important that I spend time with them when I can.
NAW- Who are your favourite writers?
Tarryn Fisher, Kurt Vonnegut, John Green… there are so many, but those are a few of my favorites.
NAW- How do you write, planning the complete plot beforehand or do you let the book take its course? Take us through your writing process.
Sometimes I try to plan the plot beforehand, but it always ends up taking its own course. Sometimes it takes me a while to get started, but once I get on a roll, the story just takes over me.
NAW- What are you working on next?
Confess releases February 17, 2015.