New Adult Book Club discussion

L.J. Shen is a USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author and she is taking your questions.

She is the author of the popular Sinners of Saint Series, The Kiss Thief, Dirty Headlines and many many more great books!

Post your questions below and after a fortnight, we will send them all to her to answer.

Have any of your characters been inspired by someone you know?

What book/ character of yours did you most enjoy writing?

If you dated a Hothole, which one would it be?

Are the characters in your books based on your real life experiences?

What's your favorite book?

What's your favorite romance trope to read and your favorite to write?

What is your must have when you are in writing mode?

Out of Jamie, Vicious, Cole, Trent & Bane... If you HAD to pick which is your favorite? Also, who's story was the most fun to write?

What kind of music if any do you listen to while writing?

Do you have a favorite Tothole yet?

What authors inspire you the most to keep writing?

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Do you have a key for your writing process?

What does your family think about your great success as an author?

what is your favorite NA series? (not including yourself!!)

Do you have a hard time writing so much a**h*le-ness?

Hello Ms. Shen! Among all the books you've written, who is your favorite character? and why?

Do you think you will ever write a follow-up to the original HotHoles? You know something to let us know how things are?

Who are some authors you like to collaborate with?

Hi L.J. Shen I love you so much. Here's my question:

Who are your top 3 heroines?

Dear all,

here are L.J. Shen's responses:

Have any of your characters been inspired by someone you know?
I think all of my main female characters have a little bit of Leigh in them. Just a teeny-tiny side of me that pops out when I write them. That's what makes me relate to them and want them to "get the guy". The guys, however, are completely fictional. I don't think guys like that exist, and perhaps that's not a bad thing.

What book/ character of yours did you most enjoy writing?
So difficult, but I might have to go with Dirty Headlines simply because it was lighter and more fun. They had a lot of banter and back and forth. I'm not having a ton of fun when my characters are caught in angst-central, and are deeply tortured.

If you dated a Hothole, which one would it be?
Probably Trent. Vicious is too Vicious and Dean is too...well, everything, really, LOL. I feel like they would be too intense for me. Trent is intense, too, but he is more the strong, silent type.

Are the characters in your books based on your real life experiences?
My books are high on the drama side and my life, at least the part of it that is in my control, lack any type of drama, because that's my personal preference. So, luckily, no. But many times, I find that we are thrown into situations that are beyond our control. I definitely wouldn't want to be caught in a situation like Rosie's, Edie's or Jude's. I think what they went through made them really strong, but I don't know if I want to become that strong. I'd rather be strong-ish and tucked in my own reality.

What's your favorite book?
The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah - general fiction.
Romance genre - probably Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan. It hit me nice and good and made me want to become a writer.
YA - a tie between The Perks of Being a Wallflower and I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. I very much doubt there are many writers alive who are as talented as Jandy.

What's your favorite romance trope to read and your favorite to write?
I'm a sucker for friends to lovers, because I think the "love" part in them is so deep and convincing. If they're star-crossed lovers, even better. I like external obstacles and higher stakes: War ("The Bronze Horseman") or a baby-momma drama. I like when the problems are real and deep-rooted.

My personal preference is to write enemies-to-lovers. I feel this is where my strength is, and I love reading this trope, too. I think a writer should write what they love, and this is what I love.

What is your must have when you are in writing mode?
Coffee, water, COMPLETE silence, LOL.

Out of Jamie, Vicious, Cole, Trent & Bane... If you HAD to pick which is your favorite? Also, who's story was the most fun to write?
I CANNOT CHOOSE. It's like choosing between your babies. Your children. I spent many months with each of them. It seems so harsh and unfair, especially seeing as I spent time in each of their minds. I don't know if any of them was fun to write. I love writing because it stirs feelings and emotions and thoughts in me, but it is not generally a very fun process. Especially as each of them had their own tragedy to handle, and a lot of demons to slay (other than Jaime, maybe). So, if I had to pick a "fun" book, it'd probably be Defy.

What kind of music if any do you listen to while writing?
I just let Spotify to the trick when I jog and it gets my creative juices flowing. I don't listen to music when I write. I have severe ADHD and anything can throw me out of concentration. So I write in complete silence, with the door closed. Even the windows are closed, because if someone walks under my window and talks on the phone, I get distracted.

Do you have a favorite Tothole yet?
Absolutely not, they're all my babies and I love them very dearly.

What authors inspire you the most to keep writing?
From indies/romance authors: Penelope Douglas, Mia Sheridan, Vi Keeland, Helena Hunting, too. I'm a huge fan of Colleen Hoover. I think she is an incredible artist who writes compelling books, and look up to her.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
All of the above, and I also immensely enjoy Elle Kennedy, Tillie Cole, Charleigh Rose, Amo Jones, Mariana Zapata, Kylie Scott, Penelope Ward and Willow Winters. I love unique voices and unputdownable books, and they are safe bets.

Do you have a key for your writing process?
Absolutely not. For me, it's always messy, our of order, in spurts of thousands of words or mare dozens the next day. It's a clusterfuck of a process, but honestly, I find that it works well for me.

What does your family think about your great success as an author?
First of all--thank you! That's so nice of you to say, Gosh. I mean, my family is super awesome, and we are all very humble people. They are really proud, but it's not a huge deal. I don't like talking about it, anyway, because I'm not a huge fan of talking about myself in general. I would say the only side effect to being an author is that now, every time someone celebrates a birthday, anniversary, wedding, or if there is god forbid a funeral, I'm the one who needs to write the speeches.

what is your favorite NA series? (not including yourself!!)
Oh, I wouldn't choose myself. *snorts*.
I really love the Fall Away series by Penelope Douglas, the Elite Kings by Amo Jones and the Bad Love series by Charleigh Rose.
I also enjoy fantasy so obviously, ACOTAR, I've read the Cruel Prince but need to catch up on the second one, and the first one was amazing, so I guess we can include that, too.

Do you have a hard time writing so much a**h*le-ness?
Nope. I truly love it. I think it's very liberating to rid yourself of filters and just write like a savage!

Among all the books you've written, who is your favorite character? and why?
I can never truly choose, I just can't, I'm really not trying to be difficult or anything. I spend so many days with each of them, and it seems like a betrayal to choose one over the other, when all of them bared their soul to me and showed me what hurt them and where.
Obviously, some left a really harsh mark. Daria, Vicious, Wolfe and Francesca are some of the characters I still think about very often.

Do you think you will ever write a follow-up to the original HotHoles? You know something to let us know how things are?
As of now, I committed to a three-book series in All Saints High, the spin-off to the Sinners of Saint (in which the HotHoles make a cameo).
However, I doubt I'll ever touch their stories again. I firmly believe that you need to leave books alone after you give the characters a HEA. My characters' HEAs were hard-earned, and I am not accusing anyone of anything, but I always feel like there is an unpure ulterior motive when you take a finished book and suddenly give it a continuation years later, be it money or popularity.
I have insane respect to my readers and don't take any of them for granted, and so these men's stories are done.