Hi bibliovores! Welcome to the 2017 Debut Authors Bash. Today, I'll be hosting Jennifer Honeybourn, author of Wesley James Ruined My Life! I loved this book and I'm excited to share my interview with this amazing author.
Meet Jennifer Honeybourn!
Alyssa: Hi and welcome to The Eater of Books! So glad you could join me today. =) Congratulations on the publication of Wesley James Ruined My Life! I read this book and absolutely adored it. What was the inspiration (or inspirations!) behind this book?
Jennifer: Thanks Alyssa! The inspiration for Wesley James Ruined My Life comes from a renaissance faire I attended back in 2012. I wanted to write an enemies to lovers stories but set in a unique place, so I took the idea of the renaissance faire and transformed it into a theme restaurant. The first character that came to me was King Henry VIII, but Quinn and Wesley followed shortly after that.
Alyssa: What made you decided to submit to Swoon Reads?
Jennifer: I first learned of Swoon Reads when I saw an announcement for Katy Upperman’s book, Kissing Max Holden, on Twitter. I looked into what Swoon Reads was all about and I really liked the crowdsourcing aspect and the fact that I could get feedback from readers on my manuscript. I felt like Wesley James Ruined My Life might be a good fit for them, so I uploaded my book the next day.
Alyssa: I adored the medieval restaurant theme! Have you been to a themed restaurant like that?
Jennifer: I have not been to a medieval-themed restaurant, but I am DYING to go to one. It’s the kind of thing that is right up my alley (along with renaissance fairs).
Alyssa: What was the most difficult thing about writing this book? Did you get stuck somewhere?
Jennifer: The most difficult thing for me with any book is always writing the first draft. I tend to get stuck in the weeds, trying to make a sentence or a paragraph perfect, when I really should just be worrying about the plot and character development. I can focus on smoothing out the language in a later draft, once the story itself has been nailed down. I much prefer the revision process, when I have some guidance from an editor. I like the process of working together to make the book the best it can be.
Alyssa: How did you come up with the title of this book?
Jennifer: The title is a gift from the creative minds at Swoon Reads. I’m not great at titles, so I’m thankful that they are!
Alyssa: I adoooooooore the cover. What were your thoughts when you first saw the final design?
Jennifer: I adore the cover too! Swoon Reads does cover voting, which is really fun and a great way to engage readers, so Wesley James Ruined My Life originally had three different cover options. I was so happy when the food truck cover won because the expression on Quinn’s face perfectly captures how I think she feels about the situation she finds herself in.
Alyssa: What’s your favorite line or scene from this book? With as little spoiler-y content as possible, of course!
Jennifer: My favorite scene comes right at the end of the book, when Wesley brings Quinn home after their shift and she lets him into the house for the first time since they were kids. I also like the scenes with Quinn and her grandmother, mostly because they remind me a little bit of me and my grandmother.
Alyssa: What are some other swoony YA contemporary romance novels that you would recommend to readers of Wesley James Ruined My Life?
Jennifer: Some of my recent favorites are The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson, The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, Alex Approximately by Jenn Bennett, It’s Not Me, It’s You by Stephanie Kate Strohm, and I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios.
Alyssa: Do you have plans for writing more books in this world? Direct sequel, or maybe a companion novel?
Jennifer: I don’t have a sequel to this story in mind, but I have thought about writing a companion novel. We’ll see how it goes!
Alyssa: Can you give us a teaser or something ~exclusive~ about your next book, When Life Gives You Demons? (Readers, this is a standalone, unrelated to Wesley James!)
Jennifer: When Life Gives You Demons, coming July 17, 2018:
Sixteen-year-old Shelby Black has spent the past year training to be an exorcist. Her great-uncle Roy—a Catholic priest and Shelby’s guardian—believes she has a gift for expelling demons, and he’s put her through exorcist boot camp hell, but he still doesn’t trust her to do an exorcism on her own.
High school is hard enough without having to explain that you fight demons for a living, so Shelby keeps her extracurricular activity quiet, especially from Spencer, her cute math tutor. Secrets run in Shelby’s family, though: her mother has been missing ever since an exorcism went horribly wrong, and Uncle Roy is tight-lipped about it. But Shelby’s hell-bent on finding her mom, no matter what—even if what it ends up costing her soul AND a date with Spencer.
Alyssa: Thank you so much, and best of luck with everything!
About the Author:
Jennifer Honeybourn works in corporate communications in Vancouver, British Columbia. She's a fan of British accents, Broadway musicals, and epic, happily-ever-after love stories. If she could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, she'd have high tea with Walt Disney, JK Rowling, and her nana. She lives with her husband, daughter and cat in a house filled with books. WESLEY JAMES RUINED MY LIFE is her first novel.
About the Book:
Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourn
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: July 18, 2017
Summary (from Goodreads):
Sixteen-year-old Quinn Hardwick’s having a rough summer. Her beloved grandmother has been put into a home, her dad’s gambling addiction has flared back up and now her worst enemy is back in town: Wesley James, former childhood friend—until he ruined her life, that is.
So when Wesley is hired to work with her at Tudor Tymes, a medieval England themed restaurant, the last thing Quinn’s going to do is forgive and forget. She’s determined to remove him from her life and even the score all at once—by getting him fired.
But getting rid of Wesley isn’t as easy as she’d hoped. When Quinn finds herself falling for him, she has to decide what she wants more: to get even, or to just get over it.
Check out When Life Gives You Demons:
(Click on the cover for more information!)
The Giveaway:
Jennifer Honeybourn has generously offered a signed copy of Wesley James for a giveaway! This prize is open to USA/CA readers only. Blog giveaway rules apply. Good luck!
I own quite a few of them, and have lent some to my mom to read, and she has loved them, but I have yet to read one! I hope to get to one soon, though!
ReplyDelete"Are you excited to read this book (or Jennifer Honeybourn's upcoming novel)?" I am excited to read this! Sounds witty, and Tudor Tymes sounds like a good locale for such a tale!
ReplyDeleteAn enemies to lovers at a RenFaire. Sounds fun! Congrats on the first book release, Jennifer!
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool that Jennifer found inspiration in a renaissance faire. I've never been to one before, but it's definitely on bucket list. Anyhow, this book sounds fantastic, and I'm super excited about her upcoming release as well. When Life Gives You Demons is such a great title. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to her new one, When Life Gives You Demons. Training to be an exorcist? How unique is that?
ReplyDeleteWesley James Ruined My Life looks like a cute book! I love a hate to love relationship!
ReplyDeleteI have this book on my birthday wishlist. I've heard/read great reviews and the premise sounds so much fun to read.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to read Wesley James Ruined my Life! Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteYay for lovely interview post Alyssa :D Thank you for sharing. <3 Love that you loved this book. So far not for me.. but one day, maybe :D Looks pretty cute. <3
ReplyDeleteI have not read any of the "Swoon Reads" books, but I would like to.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these books sound really good! I'm not sure if I've read any Swoon Reads but I do own quite a few of them! I need to get those books read! Great interview!
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