Interview with author Pippa Grant

1 – Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes! I first wanted to be a writer when I was 8 years old and loved reading Beverly Cleary’s Ramona Quimby series. I took time off of writing as I got more involved in activities in high school and college, but I went back to it not long after I got married. I’ve been writing for almost 20 years as an adult now, and I love it!

2 – When you start a series of books – do you know in advance who the couples who will appear in the following books will be? Do you know what the plot will be?

I want to, but I often don’t. It would be so much easier if I could plan out that far in advance, but my brain doesn’t like to work that way. Thankfully, I’ve learned to trust my process, and everything tends to work out okay.

3 – Did you write a book and decide not to publish it?

Yes. During the fall of 2020, I was working on a new book in a new world, and there was something about it that just wasn’t working right. I have a certain level of quality that I expect from myself, and I didn’t feel like that book was hitting it, so I set it aside. I might go back sometime in the future if I figure out how to fix it, but for now, it’s buried on my hard drive.

4 – Is there a topic you will never write about? If so, what is it?

I’m a light-hearted, funny writer, so I tend to shy away from super dark topics, scary things, and situations where people are rewarded for bad behavior. It’s just not my thing.

5 – By what do you choose a cover for a book?

I work with a cover designer who takes images that we find and purchase from exclusive photographers and makes them absolutely sparkle. My designer is great, and I find that when I’m searching and searching for just the right image for a book, sometimes I have to step away and let the universe intervene, and then the right image will cross my Instagram feed, and I’ll contact the photographer, and often times I’ll discover my favorites are still available for purchase. It’s fun when things just fall into place.

6 – Where did you get the inspiration for the stories?

They come from everywhere! Sometimes a meme on the internet will prompt a scene idea, like the scenes that opened CHARMING AS PUCK and THE GRUMPY PLAYER NEXT DOOR, or sometimes I’ll overhear something while I’m out and about, or sometimes I’ll watch a TV show that prompts a question that I feel like I need to answer in a book.

7 – Who is your favorite couple you wrote about?

Oh, this is hard! For a long time, it was Beck and Sarah from America’s Geekheart, because Beck was in my head for a few years before I had time in my schedule to write him. But if you want to meet Beck, you have to start with FLIRTING WITH THE FRENEMY, which is about his sister falling in love with his best friend. And then you can move on to my current favorite couple, Levi and Ingrid in THE HOT MESS AND THE HEARTTHROB. I feel like Ingrid is every woman in 2020. I just love her.

8 – How long does it take you to write one book?

I’ve written books in as little as a month, and once upon a time, before I was published, I spent four years re-writing the same book. But I’m finding it take me roughly 3 months from start to finish, on average, to write a book these days.

9 – What is your favorite genre to read?

I adore romantic comedies. I love to laugh, so anything that will make me feel warm and fuzzy inside and make me laugh is my go-to.

10 – Who are your favorite writers?

These days, I utterly adore Kayley Loring, Melanie Summers, and Lucy Lennox and May Archer.

11- If you could turn one of your books into a movie – which book would you choose?

I think I’d pick Rockaway Bride – it features a runaway bride who gets kidnapped by a rock star, turns the table on him, and the two of them end up on a road trip across Europe while she tries to check items off her bucket list. So much fun!