Photo: Brianna Wilbur
AWW: Story of my Life is about a romance writer. Did you mine your own experiences to create Hazel Hart, or is she pure fiction?
Lucy: I love writing a character with a job that I don’t have to do a whole lot of research on! I definitely took advantage of my own experiences as a romance novelist and imbued Hazel with regular bouts of self-doubt and artistic angst!
She has a best-friend and agent, Zoey, who loves her dearly, but isn’t afraid to tell her hard truths when necessary. Who is that person in your life?
Mr. Lucy is my Zoey. He has no problem telling me stop being a gigantic baby and remember what I’ve already accomplished. It’s the kind of gift that comes with a long-term relationship where you can say the hard things and be heard because you’ve proven your loyalty.
You did a great in-conversation with Fifty Shades of Grey author E L James, where you both spoke about dealing with criticism. Erika said what helps her is when readers tell her how her book got them through a difficult time. You feature a similar scene in Story of My Life with a reader sharing how Hazel’s books helped her through her mother’s death. Do you hear stories like that a lot? Is there a story that you’ve heard from a reader that you hold close to your heart?
It’s one of the greatest things I never expected about writing books. I keep a Happy folder on my computer of special emails and messages I’ve received from readers. It means so much to me because I’ve been affected by books as a reader. Other authors have carried me through difficult times with their stories. So, to have a reader say my books helped them through chemo or through caregiving of a parent or infertility struggles is an honor I don’t take lightly.
One that sticks in my head wasn’t even a story shared with me. It was a moment I witnessed. I was at an event giving a talk and was answering a question about why I love writing found family themes so much. I was telling the audience that it’s important to me to show that not every family is built by biology and babies. That some of us find our families on a different path. I saw a mother in the audience put her arm around her adult daughter. They got teary-eyed and choked up and then I got teary-eyed and choked up just by witnessing their moment.
Story Lake is in Pennsylvania, which is where you grew up and still live. Is Story Lake based on a real town? Or is it an amalgam of towns? Are parts of it based on real places?
Story Lake was inspired by Stars Hollow and Schitt’s Creek. I wanted to write a town that made even us misfits feel welcome. One of the reasons I love writing fiction is that I can right the wrongs of real life on the page. So even if I can’t change the world, I can create a new one that’s equitable and welcoming.
Things We Never Got Over exploded on TikTok. Can you describe what it feels like to see your work blow up like that?
Uh. Yeah. That was crazy! At the time I don’t think I even had TikTok downloaded on my phone. I was so lucky that #BookTok fell in love with TWNGO. It was the first time I got to see up close and in person how powerful young women talking about the books they love could be. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that BookTok revitalized the print publishing industry and I’m here for it!
Of course, you can’t enjoy all the positives without experiencing some of the negatives. I had to get used to scrolling on TikTok and being surprised by the occasional video of a reader holding a book I wrote and loved telling the world that it was the worst they’d ever read and that I was the worst author since the invention of the printing press—I’m paraphrasing here. So there was a bit of environmentally-necessary skin thickening that happened very rapidly!
Your first novella sold 35 copies but was later published as a novel by an independent romance publisher. How important was that vote of confidence? Do you think you would have eventually made your way back to writing novels if you hadn’t been approached by them?
I’d thought my dream of being a published author was dead. I fully intended to keep writing because I loved it so much, but I wasn’t going to pursue publishing anymore. Their interest and the success of my first two books after that really cemented this in my mind as a career for me.
Your Riley Thorn series blends romance with crime. Are there any other genre-blending projects in the pipeline? Is there a particular genre you’d love to mash together with romance?
I don’t have any mashups in the editorial calendar, but I do have the vague idea for a spicy, romcom fairy tale that I’d love to explore someday! Think of The Princess Bride, but with sex.
How important are happy endings to you? As a reader, and as a writer?
I cannot stress this enough. Essential. Absolutely essential. As a reader, a writer, a human. I need to know that the world can still be just and fair and beautiful, even if sometimes it’s only on the page. I struggle to enjoy stories that don’t have that satisfying happy ending.
I read that you submitted a manuscript to Harlequin while you were still working as a proofreader, and when it was rejected, you burned it! What have you learnt about storytelling and yourself as a writer since that first attempt?
\I’ve always had a flare for the dramatic! Since my early twenties I’ve learned volumes about storytelling. Two of my favorite areas to explore are defining characters and exploring conflict. Neither of which I did in that ancient first story! Without interesting characters to connect with it doesn’t matter what happens in the plot. And without a satisfying conflict keeping our hero and heroine apart, a love story falls flat for me.
We love that you love Liane Moriarty, because she’s an Australian author, and we love her too! Have you ever visited Australia? Would you ever tour here?
Oh my gosh! I’ve read every book Liane Moriarty has written and watched all her adaptations! She’s an incredible, inspiring writer! I’ve never been to Australia, but I have a feeling 2025 might be a good year to visit. *wink*
Buy Story of my Life here.
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