Today, The Mama Diaries welcomes talented author Laura Drewry.

The Interview

Laura, in Jack and Maya’s story, Jack manages to find inspiration from Maya for his game writing. How did you come up with this fun job for him, as well as her quirky way of playing the game?

I have three teenage sons so it goes without saying that we have a variety of different game boxes in the house. When I started writing Jack’s character, I tried a bunch of other jobs on him first (athlete, architect, etc) but nothing fit. And then one night I was playing Mario Party 10 with my kids and inspiration hit.

As for Maya. . .okay, this is a little embarrassing. . .I took Maya’s “technique” straight out the way I play. For the life of me, I just can’t figure out how to hold those controllers still especially when I’m playing a driving game (I firmly believe Rainbow Road was designed by Satan.) My boys make fun of me, especially when I yell at the game, but I can’t help it.

Jack’s background was pretty heartbreaking. What made you decide to use a foster care backstory? Was there a connection to anything like this in your own life experience?

Thankfully, Jack’s backstory is 100% pure fiction. His history in foster care was something that defined who he was, why he turned out the way he did, and of course why he is so devoted to Will’s family. My concern was that I don’t want to paint the whole foster care system as horrible because I know for a fact there are a lot of good people working in the system and in the actual fostering of children. I think it takes an extraordinary person to work in such a difficult job with such a limited amount of resources.

How much did your own experiences with your dog play into the character of Pete?

Dogs of every kind are pretty awesome, but the inspiration for Pete came from a mixture of two chocolate labs. One was our old girl Sadie, who we had for fourteen years. She was such a sweetheart (as labs tend to be) and loved everyone she ever met. The other dog who helped inspire Pete was actually Sadie’s father, Tucker, who we were lucky enough to meet a couple times. He was one of those massive labs with a huge head and broad chest, who liked to lean on everyone the same way Pete does with Maya. It was as though he thought you wouldn’t notice him unless he was knocking you over.

All of your books contain snappy, free-flowing dialogue. Does this come easily for you, or do you sometimes agonize over conversations?

Thank you – that’s nice of you to say. 🙂  I love writing dialogue. What characters say – and often more important – *how* they say it reveals so much about them. For the most part, writing dialogue comes fairly easily, but I still agonize over how the reader hears it in her own head which is why I read it out loud to myself a few times so I can hear it and rework whatever needs tweaking.

For our aspiring authors out there, are you a plotter or a pantster?

I tried writing an outline once. It wasn’t pretty. LOL. That being said, I envy people who can do it, who know what’s going to happen and who can see it all laid out before they start writing. I’d love to be able to do that, but it just doesn’t work for me, and besides, I love being surprised by what my characters do and say. Before I start a new book, I need to at least know the characters’ names and a tiny tidbit about who they are, but that’s it. What happens after that is anybody’s guess. 🙂

So, what’s next? Is this the last of the Friends First series or will there be more?

HOW FOREVER FEELS is the last book in the series, yes, but I’ve been getting requests for Griffin Carr’s story, which would be fun to write, so I’ll have to think about that.

Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog today! I’ve enjoyed your questions and wish you all hours and hours of happy reading time!

Thank you for joining us today, Laura!

The Giveaway & Author’s Bio

From USA Today bestselling author Laura Drewry comes a warm and witty new Friends First novel—perfect for readers of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery. How Forever Feels is a sweet tale about the one that got away . . . and the one that came back.

Maya McKay’s heart is as big as Jack Rhodes’s shoulders are broad. Their chemistry is out of control, but it could never work between them because Jack is more than just best friends with her cheating ex-husband—they’re like brothers. Maya, the sensitive, practical florist, has given up on love and is ready to settle for like. But now that Jack’s around again, he’s stirring up old feelings—and turning Maya’s fantasies into irresistible reality.

Jack blew his chance with Maya years ago when he stepped aside for his best friend, Will, and he’s still kicking himself about it. Maya was promised forever once before, and she got burned. But when Jack realizes that second chances aren’t going to fall out of the sky, he seizes the moment—and the woman he’s always loved—to show her how forever truly feels.

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USA Today Bestselling author, Laura Drewry had
been scribbling things for years before she decided to seriously sit down and
write. After spending eight years in the Canadian north, Laura now lives back
home in southwestern British Columbia with her husband, three sons, a turtle
named Sheldon, and an extremely energetic German shepherd. She loves old
tattered books, good movies, country music, and the New York Yankees.

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