Lynn Painter is one of my all-time favourite authors. She is a romance enthusiast and writes amazing novels such as Mr. Wrong Number and my all-time favourite romance book, Better Than The Movies. Her most recent release, The Do-Over, follows Emilie, who is stuck in a time loop and has to repeat her horrible Valentine’s Day over and over again. I was lucky enough to be able to sit down virtually and chat with Lynn about all things romance, her novels, and what she is working on publishing next.
HC: I read and loved your newest release, The Do-Over. Out of all of the protagonists you’ve written, I definitely relate to Emilie the most. I’m definitely a bit of a control freak, like her. I write my life in lists as well, there’s a list for everything I do. So I wanted to ask you, out of the three novels you’ve published so far, which protagonist do you relate to the most and why?
Lynn Painter: You know what’s terrible is me, I totally relate to Olivia the most. Like, I need a list. My husband’s always like, ‘seriously, no, you’re not allowed to have a planner,’ because I’m like, ‘ooh look at that cute planner.’ And I buy planners all the time, and I’m like, now I’m gonna get my life together—and then I forget to bring my planner, or I forget to write things in my planner, and I’m just, like, a mess. I’m lucky when things fall together.
HC: I could definitely read your voice when I was reading Mr. Wrong Number. I saw Lynn Painter in Olivia.
Lynn Painter: I had to read aloud from Mr. Wrong Number at this book festival I went to last month in New York. So I read it and then as soon as I was done, one of the guys who was on this pretend judge panel said that absolutely feels autobiographical. And I was like, yeah, okay. I didn’t burn down a building like Olivia, but I’m totally capable of that.
HC: Well, Olivia’s really fun to read about. She adds a little bit of chaos to everything and it makes it great. Emilie’s a little bit more to the books, but I definitely love her as well. Next, I wanted to ask you, which of your books was the most fun to write. My favourite is obviously Better Than The Movies.Â
Lynn Painter: You know, I’m kind of fickle because I feel like whatever I’m working on, I’m in love with at that moment. And especially with the way publishing is with deadlines, it’s like as soon as your book is out, boom, you’re moving on to something else. So I feel like it’s constantly changing right now. When I look back, I for sure say Better Than The Movies, because after writing bonus chapters and engaging with readers, it’s like Wes and Liz, in my mind, aren’t like somebody I wrote down on paper. Like they’re real, you know? It probably means I’m absolutely out of my mind — like I’ll talk through things. Do I wanna write this? And I’m like, no, but Wes wouldn’t do that. Plus that was my debut. So I had the time to write that as opposed to being on deadline. I took as long as I needed to write it and it was more relaxed, I guess you could say.
HC: Well, I love Better Than The Movies, as you know, so I’m glad that one was the most fun to write! I wanted to ask, are we going to see a sequel from any of the books you’ve written? Personally, I’d love to read more about Wes and Liz. I mean, I don’t want them to go through conflict. I’m happy they’re happy together, but I’d love to read more about them.
Lynn Painter: Everything I’ve written and everything I’ve been writing is standalone, but I will say [for] Better Than The Movies, I always said for sure I don’t ever want to write a sequel, because what you just said: I love Wes and Liz. They finally got it all together. I don’t wanna throw something at them. And you have to have a conflict for there to be a book.
HC: Well, if you ever do decide to write a sequel, let me know. I’d love to get my hands on one of those ARCs. I’m a huge fan of Wes and Liz and even if they’re going to go through turmoil, I’d love to read it before everyone else.
Lynn Painter: One day, my opinion completely changed. Like I was always like, no, and then it’s like all of a sudden one day somebody said something to me and I started thinking, and now it’s kind of a hmm maybe?
HC: I mean, again, if you ever decide to write it, I will be the first to read it! So the next question I wanted to ask is, why did you decide to become an author? Was it your original career path?
Lynn Painter: You know, it’s one of those things where, honestly, sometimes I look back now and I’m like, I’m just stupid. How did I not think of it for so many years? Growing up, I was a voracious reader and loved reading all the time. And then I went away to college, I was going to be a teacher. But throughout the whole time I was reading and for some reason, it just never occurred to me to write. And then my sister, of all things, one day came over and she was like, as much as you read books, you should try to write one once. And as inane as that comment is, oh, if you read, you could write a book. I actually started because of that comment and fell in love with it. And then I went back to college and went to the writer’s workshop, at the University of Nebraska. And then once I got there I was like, oh, this is everything. Writer’s workshop was my favourite thing. And then last year, I got to go back to the writer’s workshop and speak to the students, so it came full circle. I was like, oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening. But no, I didn’t always want to be a writer. I didn’t think of it until way, way later. But I always feel like there must be a reason that I wasn’t ready then.
HC: Well, I love reading your books and you definitely have the talent for it! My next question for you is what was your favourite part about writing The Do-Over specifically?
Lynn Painter: I loved writing the day of no consequences. I thought that was super fun because the rest of it was a little tricky for me. You know, trying to repeat the day, I would have to make sure my ducks were in a row as far as what she did the day before. The day of no consequences was just like no holds barred, like what crazy stuff do I want her to do? So I had a blast writing that, that was super duper fun.
To read the rest of the interview, head to Romance and Reading: An Interview with Author Lynn Painter (Part 2).