Thanks for joining me today, Michelle. We’re going to start with a little flight of fancy. How would you finish these sentences?

If I could travel anywhere in time and space, it would be to…

Wow! That’s a tough one. I’m going to go with my first instinct…I’d go back to the time when Jesus walked the earth and follow Him around.

Yeah, that would be pretty amazing!

If I could assign one household task to the fairies forever, it would be…

Dishes. Definitely washing the dishes. In our house, the dishes never seem to be done. Every time I think I have the sink cleaned up, another dish or bowl or glass shows up. It’s a never-ending task that I would happily turn over to the fairies.

Ha! I’ve found the dishes aren’t nearly so boring if I have a good audiobook to listen to. I’ve even been known to sit my kindle on the window sill above the sink so I can read… 😊

If I were a musical instrument, I would be a… 

A triangle. Staying quiet, hanging out in the background until that one perfect moment, then BAM! Steal the show! And after that, quickly retreating back to my hiding spot.

Lol! Well, congratulations on being my first triangle!

If I could only eat one type of fruit for the rest of my life, I would pick…

All the berries. Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries. Those are my absolute favorites.

Mm mmm!

If I could say one thing to my younger self, it would be…

Sometimes things won’t go the way you planned, and that’s ok. There’s better stuff coming. Just be patient and hold on…and when that guy from the Red Onion asks you out, say no.

Lol!

If I could be an Olympic athlete, I would compete in…

Figure skating. I grew up as a figure skater and I still love the sport.

I was obsessed with the sport when I was younger, but ice skating isn’t such a big thing in Australia (I can’t imagine why…), and it wasn’t until I was in my teens that I got my first chance to ice skate. 

When I was a child, I wanted to be a…

An archaeologist or a dolphin trainer.

Cool!

My ideal place to read would be… 

In a cushy lounge chair outside a secluded cabin in the mountains, preferably overlooking a lake and with a Starbucks nearby.

Ahhh. Sounds lovely!

Okay, so let’s get down to business. Mission Hollywood is a contemporary romance. What do you enjoy most about this genre?

I love the blending of faith and romance. I’m a sucker for a love story, and I live for happy endings. Toss in elements of faith and redemption and, for me, it’s the perfect recipe for reading bliss.

Where did the idea for this story come from?

I spent four years in college trying to become an actress, and I spent a lot of time in Hollywood. When I started thinking about writing a Christian romance, I knew Hollywood would be the perfect backdrop for the story.

Ben Prescott is a Hollywood bad boy. What did you enjoy about writing his character, and what did you find difficult about writing his character?

I love Ben. I really enjoyed writing his character arc, watching him go from a man who was angry at God to a man who saw his need for a Savior. Underneath his celebrity image, Ben was torn and insecure, and I loved playing with that dichotomy between who he was and who he pretended to be.

The hardest part about writing him was being delicate with his backstory. I didn’t want to make light of it, he comes from an abusive home and was deeply wounded by the church of his childhood, but I also didn’t want to over-do it.

Lily Shaw is a pastor’s daughter. What did you enjoy about writing her character, and what did you find difficult about writing her character?

Lily is a great character. She was so fun to write because I saw a lot of myself in her. The shy, content to stay in the background side, coupled with a stubborn, feisty streak that comes out with those closest to her. What was hard about her character was bringing out her flaws in a realistic way. She isn’t perfect and I didn’t want her to be, she is a flawed woman who struggles like all of us.

What surprised you about these characters as you wrote their story?

I was surprised by how squishy Ben was on the inside. When I first imagined him, I thought he would be a lot more arrogant and hard-edged. But he’s actually got a gooey center underneath his movie star image. (Katie: Squeee. I love guys with gooey centres!)

As for Lily, I was surprised by how skeptical she was. For someone with such a kind heart, she had a lot of trust issues. Ben had a really hard time winning her over and she didn’t make it easy for him.

What did you learn from these characters as you wrote their story?

Trust was a big theme between Ben and Lily. Both of them had been hurt in the past and learning how to open up to someone else, and learning how to trust God when life is hard, was a big deal. It spoke to me in a very real way about how much strength it takes to choose to trust God when the circumstances don’t make sense.

What was your favourite scene to write?

My favorite scene to write was the last scene. Not just because it was the last one and writing it meant that the book was done (although that was a big perk) but I loved seeing how the story ends. Seeing the end to the journey Ben and Lily took throughout the book was so worthwhile. It gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling just thinking about it!

Is there a Red Carpet Romance #2 in the works, and if so, what can you tell us about it?

There is indeed! Book 2 is titled Made in Hollywood, and it is scheduled to be released in February, 2020. In it, Noah gets his chance at love, and we get see what else Ben and Lily have been up to.

Yay! I love revisiting characters and getting glimpses at their ongoing story.

Thanks for chatting with me today, Michelle!