For this episode of the KWL Podcast, we hosted a very special live fireside chat at Kobo HQ in Toronto with bestselling authors Sally Thorne and Mhairi McFarlane. We dive deep into romantic comedies and the key components that make a great love story. Spoiler alert: it’s sexual tension! Sally and Mhairi tells us about their latest releases 99 Percent Mine and Don’t You Forget About Me and how they fell into writing. We also have a lightening round where they tell us their favourite rom-coms and an audience Q+A.
- Sally and Mhairi dive into their main characters and their journeys to self-discovery
- We hear about the importance of family relationships in their books, whether as a support system or as part of the plot stirring.
- They each tell us what they think makes a great romance story, from tropes to characters’ traits and storylines. Sexual tension definitely comes up on the list of techniques used, and the authors describe their favourite ways to create that tension.
- Sally and Mhairi share their super unique origin story into publishing, including first drafts written on airplanes and plenty of fanfiction along to way.
- We went through a romance lightening round, where they told us who they would cast to play their main characters and who would be in their girl gang!
- Our audience asks about how they overcome writing obstacles and about their favourite romcoms!
- We get a sneak peak into what the future holds for Sally and Mhairi in publishing, with a small taste of what’s to come.
Check out the books on the Kobo store:
Links mentioned:
Fleabag: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5687612/
Boys Over Flowers: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1370334/
Sally Thorne is the USA Today-bestselling author of The Hating Game. She spends her days climbing into fictional worlds of her own creation. She lives in Canberra, Australia with her husband in a house filled with vintage toys, too many cushions, a haunted dollhouse and the world’s sweetest pug.
Website: https://www.sallythorneauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sally__thorne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSallyThorne
Facebook Reader Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SallyThornesFlamethrowers/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sallythorneauthor/
Sunday Times bestselling author Mhairi McFarlane was born in Scotland in 1976 and her unnecessarily confusing name is pronounced Vah-Ree. After some efforts at journalism, she started writing novels and her first book, You Had Me At Hello, was an instant success. She’s now written five books and she lives in Nottingham with a man and a cat.
Website: http://www.mhairimcfarlane.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MhairiMcF