New Adult Book Club discussion

Hey NABC! We have a fantastic Q&A this week with an amazing debut author, Lisa Shelby! Lisa is the author of You & Me. Please leave your questions for her below and have a fantastic holiday this week, ya'll! <3

Have you something that you absolutly don't like to write about or that makes you uncomfortable? Thank you so much for answering! :) Keep up the good writing!

Hi Steffi,

That's a great question. I've only completed two books so far, and that means there is still so much to write about. I hate to limit myself and you know, never say never but...I'm not sure that I could write about a threesome or something like that. I don't like to share so, I'm not so sure how good I would be at writing a scene about the topic.

I will say that my second book in the You & Me series, More, is a bit deeper and darker and will explore the topic of domestic violence a bit. There was a scene that wasn't as tough to write about as I thought it would be but after I wrote it I did wonder if it would be tough for other people to read. So, not something that I wouldn't write about but you just never know what could be a trigger for some people or make them uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, the entire book isn't dark and I hope there's a lot of fun in it too but there are a couple of moments that are a little bit darker than what is in You & Me. I really love More and I hope others will too. So far my husband and my editor have read More and they say it's their favorite! I can't want to share it with everybody!

Thank you so much for the question and thanks for participating!

Hello Lisa!
Where did you find the inspiration for this book? Where did it come from?

Hi Erika,

The story line for You & Me came about when I was thinking back to when I met my husband long ago when we were both 21 and he was in the Marine Corps. Our story was easy...we met, fell in love and it's been pretty great ever since. But, what if it hadn't been easy? What if something was in the way? So, I started with something I knew, meeting a hot Marine at the age of 21, and from there built an entirely new world and a new storyline. It came to me fairly quickly and the rest is history!

So, in truth, my inspiration was my husband. I'm a pretty lucky girl and he makes it easy to write about all things love.

Thanks for the question!

Hi, you're a new author to me. What book should I start with first?

Latifa wrote: "Hi, you're a new author to me. What book should I start with first?"

Hi Latifa,

This is actually a pretty easy question! At the moment, You & Me is the only book that I have released. More, book two in the You & Me series, is with my editor and I should have a release date in the next week or two. Look for that to be out in late February or early March.

All of the books in the the series will be standalone stories within the You & Me world. As of now, there will be three books in total and I am working on other projects as well!

Thank you for your interest!

What makes your book unique from other books?

Shaine wrote: "What makes your book unique from other books?"

Oh goodness, Shaine. That is a very good question. I do like to think that I did do a lot of research when it comes to the little things. I tried to research each loction and when my characters order something off of a menu it is an actual menu item form that loation. So, I'm hopin it's the little things and the attention to detail that make my book a bit unique. I'm also hoping that there are some surprises that you don't see coming. Hopefully, You & Me isn't something that you have all the answers to right from the start.

Thanks for your question.

Have you ever been in Scotland?

If you could be any book character for a day, who would you choose and why?

Hi, Lisa! Have you ever struggled with writer's block and if so, how did you overcome it? Been and still am there, and the amount of hours I've spend searching for tips and tricks on Google is too embarrassing, so I'm really looking forward to reading your answer :)

Marianne wrote: "Have you ever been in Scotland?"

Marianne,

I have never been to Scotland but it is most certainly on my list of places to go. Are you from there? I actually have some Scottish family history AND the Outlander series by Diana Gaboldon is my all time fave so it is a must visit!

Lisa

J. wrote: "If you could be any book character for a day, who would you choose and why?"

J,

This is not going to be the most mature answer but it is real. I would have to say Claire Fraser from the Outlander Series. I mean, who wouldn't want to spend even just a day with Jamie Fraser?! Heavy sigh...

Thanks for the question!

M wrote: "Hi, Lisa! Have you ever struggled with writer's block and if so, how did you overcome it? Been and still am there, and the amount of hours I've spend searching for tips and tricks on Google is too ..."

M,

I just happen to be in the midst of some writer's block as we speak! My first two books just flew on to the page and this is something new for me. I have the ideas but it doesn't seem to be translating for me and then I feel like I'm stuck. For me, I just have to keep writing and I have to hope that along the way something will work. I don't like to go too long without writing because I don't want it to get too easy to continue to put off.

I know this doesn't really help you but at least you know you aren't alone and the struggle is real, my friend. Hang in there!

Lisa

Lisa wrote: "Marianne wrote: "Have you ever been in Scotland?"

Marianne,

I have never been to Scotland but it is most certainly on my list of places to go. Are you from there? I actually have some Scottish f..."


no, Im from Hungary! and Im in love with Outlander, omg!!!! :)

Hi Lisa,

I've noticed that all of your chapter titles are songs. I was curious - are these songs that you chose because you were listening to them while writing the chapter? Why did you choose the songs that you did?

Allison wrote: "Hi Lisa,

I've noticed that all of your chapter titles are songs. I was curious - are these songs that you chose because you were listening to them while writing the chapter? Why did you choose the..."

Hi Allison,

My chapter titles were actually inspired by a gift from my husband. He had made me a playlist as part of my Christmas gift and he named it, You & Me (not knowing this was what I was calling the book). So, I thought I would make a playlist for him as well and decided my playlist would come in the form of the chapter titles in You & Me.

Thus, I set upon searching for a song that somehow related to each chapter. Many were songs that I loved and I knew exactly where they would fit but for some chapters...finding songs that I loved and had something in common with each individual chapter, became quite the challenge. At times I felt as though finding the right song for each chapter was harder than writing a 500 page book!

I have decided to continue this in all of the books in the You & Me series so, the challenge to find the perfect song for my writing is always on my mind. This is not a great hardship for me though, music is an important part of my day to day life and is something I use as a constant inspiration.

Mick, the hero in More (Book 2), is a bit of a 90's hip hop fan so the playlist for the next book will have some pretty great throw backs! I can't wait to share!!!!

Thanks for the great question!

Hello Lisa!! My question for you is: Were you ever worried that it would take you a very long time to write your first book??

--Drew

Andrew wrote: "Hello Lisa!! My question for you is: Were you ever worried that it would take you a very long time to write your first book??

--Drew"

Hi Drew,

I have to say that my first book really just poured out of me, as did my second book. I think I was spoiled by my first two books because now my third is the one that seems to be giving me a bit of writers block and isn't moving along like I wish it would. So, now with book three I may have a bit of worry but I know I'll get through it.

Thank you,

Lisa

Hi :) Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Irma wrote: "Hi :) Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?"

Hi Irma,

Yes, I sure do read reviews. As a debut author, I know I have a lot to learn so I read every word of every review. I know that they say you shouldn't, but I can't help myself. I haven't gotten a scathing review as of yet (knock on wood) but I have had a couple of critical reviews and to be honest, my lowest starred review was one of my favorites. Of course, all the good reviews feel great and for a newbie all of the positive feedback has been exhilarating but I know that I need to enjoy it while I can. The more reviews I get the better chance I have of getting more of the critical reviews and it will be a struggle not to take it personally but I endeavor to take it as graciously as possible.

Have a great night,

Lisa

Hi Lisa,
Who are some of your favorite authors?

Oh Nicole, there are sooooo many. If I have to pick only a handful I would say...

Diana Gabaldon
Colleen Hoover
Jane Austen
Elie Wiesel (If Night isn't required reading in your local high, school it should be)
Stieg Larson
Kim Holden (No book has ever made me cry more than Bright Side)
K. Bromberg
Jodi Ellen Malpas
JK Rowling
SC Stephens

Thank you for your question!

Thank you to everybody who participated in this past weeks Q & A. It was a lot of fun and it was great to interact with all of you. Happy holidays and Here's to a fabulous 2017!

Lisa