Interview with LJ Evans, Author of The Moments You Were Mine

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Moments You Were Mine?

This is a spin-off of my fan-favorite Hatley Family series. When I wrote teenage Fallon in the last book of the Hatley series, she was already falling head over heels for her dad’s best friend’s son, who was five years older than her. I immediately knew these two needed a story. Even though I had planned to write another book, Fallon and Parker wouldn’t stop talking to me. So I jumped ten years into the future and wrote the story she needed once she was all grown up. I also read an article about how a prisoner escaped from jail this year by using another prisoner’s identity, and after that, the entire plot came tumbling into place. The Moments You Were Mine has all the pining, longing, and off-the-charts chemistry you could want, but also all the fast-paced suspense!

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The Moments You Were Mine, what would they be?

Forest Blakk’s “If You Love Her” was the inspiration for this book! My author logline is “where music and stories collide” for a reason—every single book I write has a song for each chapter, so the playlists are always long. This book’s soundtrack is the perfect mix of country, pop, and rock. “I’ll Fight Hell to Hold You” by KISS perfectly captures my hero, while “Million Little Bandaids” by Caroline Jones & Zac Brown Band reflects the heroine’s character arc.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I read pretty much everything except horror. No horror. I get creeped out too easily. But the genre I read the most is romantic suspense, which is also what I love to write. I just can’t get enough of the swoon and action combined.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean, Chasing Shelter by Catherine Cowles, and I’m rereading Nora Roberts’s old series, The Key Trilogy. A book I can’t wait for is Beautiful Revenge by Brynne Asher.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

I can’t give you my favorite scene, because it’s a huge spoiler. But I really adored the banter these two shared throughout the book, both as they butted heads and in their text exchanges over the years. This one was particularly fun:

HER: Will and his bae don’t seem to mesh all that well, do they?
HIM: What the hell is a bae?
HER: You’re a disgrace to your generation, Parker. What are you, fifty instead of twenty-five? It means lover. Partner. Like, instead of calling someone “baby,” which we all know can be downright insulting.
HIM: I can promise you that no one has complained when I’ve called them “baby.”
HER: But then again, you don’t really stick around to find out, do you?

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I don’t think it’s quirky, per se, but I’m a couch writer. I use a little lap desk and always have a blanket on, which our three terrors (otherwise known as cats) try to claim as their own. Once I’m writing, I get pretty deep in the zone, and it often takes my husband or kiddo putting their hand in front of my face, or a cat walking on my keyboard, to break me out of my writing trance.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Our world is pretty chaotic right now, so kindness and generosity are more important than ever. While those aren’t mottos, they are a philosophy I believe in. I also choose one word each year to serve as a guiding light for me. This year, I picked “flourish.” I want to enjoy what I do, really revel in the little successes and happy moments, and hopefully spread some of that joy to others who might be struggling.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

It’s not a “thing” but a “feeling.” I’d love for readers to finish my book with a ginormous smile on their faces and their hearts so full they feel like they’re going to explode. I want those emotions and memories to linger so that they’re thinking of the book days after putting it down.

LJ Evans is the author of the new book The Moments You Were Mine

Connect with LJ Evans

Facebook

Buy The Book