Author Interview with Colleen Hoover

Colleen lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She released her debut novel, SLAMMED, in January 2012 and the follow-up novel, POINT OF RETREAT, in February, 2012, both of which became NYT’s bestsellers. In December, 2012, she published a standalone novel, HOPELESS, that went on to become a #1 NYT’s bestseller.
As a “Thank you” to her fans, she went on to write the male point of views of both SLAMMED and HOPELESS. THIS GIRL, (Will’s POV plus a lot more) was released in April and LOSING HOPE will be released in July.

I’m addicted to Diet Pepsi and could tell you in a taste-test which restaurant it came from. It’s a serious addiction, I tell you.

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You know when you have a dream and you think there is no way that can come true? Well, the day of the author event, someone who I had on my vision board to meet, I was able to meet that day – her name is Colleen Hoover.  I talked to my friends, family, and just about anyone who would listen or not about the fact that Colleen Hoover was coming to town.  Half the people said “That’s nice Andrea” the other half said that is so great, can I meet her?” and I said “absolutely!”.  I had my one on one with her towards the end of all my interviews and it was well worth the wait.  I found out that she is a mother of three young boys, worked as a social worker and at times it was hard to make ends meet. I shared my background and we connected as moms and as women who love their family and friends.  How we both had wonderful husbands and great kids that make your job easier.  I was really tense before talking to her, but I relaxed and was so proud about all of her accomplishments with all the things she had on her plate.  Like Galye King said in her interview on the CBS show, she is “BAD ASS”! I could not help but think little girls need to see and know what just happened today, and what hard work and a dream can do if you work hard and go get your blessing.

So for the interview, I channel my inner Oprah and asked my questions and a couple days later the CBS show interview with Galye King aired and Galye asked on air the same exact question! Here is the interview just in case you missed it.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50147212n

Yes, great minds think alike and yes, I was jumping up and down when I found out about it! So let’s get on with the interview.

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Thank you so much for taking the time out to answer some questions about your author journey. I have read all your books and every time I finish reading one, I end up with a vast variety of emotions.  I cry, I laugh, and I feel a need to talk to someone about the story to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to have experienced the ride you take us on in your books.

What inspired you to write the SLAMMED Series and the HOPELESS Series?

Nothing in particular inspired each storyline, but The Avett Brothers definitely inspired my love for writing.  Their lyrics, “Decide what to be and go be it,” are the reason I wrote the first sentence to SLAMMED.  As far as the actual storylines to my books, I just go where the story takes me as I write.

Have you learned anything from writing your books?

I have been opened up to a whole new world.  I knew nothing about writing, blogging, bloggers, publishing, etc.  So take every single thing I know and have learned in the past year, add it all up, and I’d say I’ve probably learned a whole heck of a lot.

Headline asked about how you became an author and you said you wrote SLAMMED as a present for your mother and went the self-publishing route for your family.  Were there other book ideas you were thinking about writing but did not end up publishing? If so, why not? Night line segment: http://tinyurl.com/mjwxrk8

No, I had no plans for any books.  I wrote SLAMMED sentence by sentence, without having a clue what the story would be about.  That’s how all of my books pretty much go.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? The best compliment?

I am a big believer in positive energy, so I don’t focus on criticism at all.  I ignore all bad reviews and never read them.  I have a friend who reads them and will filter out things she might think I find helpful about my writing style, etc.  But I focus on all of the positive aspects of this career. It makes it so much easier to deal with.  The best compliment would be the fact that people read one of my books…then like it enough to read another one.

You used to be a Social Worker. As an author, do you feel you still use those skills anymore? 

I use them in my writing.  I had to pull from my education a lot while writing HOPELESS.

Being a NY Times best-selling author comes from hard work and determination.  Would you say that you went through some trials and tribulations to get to where you are today?  If so, what are those and what advice would you give fans when coming up against adversity?

I feel like all of this came on so fast and so far, I’m happy with all of the decisions I’ve made.  I think the biggest trials and tirbulations have less to do with my career and more to do with balancing this life with my family life.  I’ve never been busier or worked harder in my life, and it does effect my children because they don’t see me as much as they used to.  So I make it a point to make our time spent together important.

What projects are you working on next and when are they being released?

I’m currently writing MAYBE SOMEDAY, which won’t be released until 2014.  I’m also in the process of UGLY LOVE, another that won’t be released until 2014.  So LOSING HOPE is my next release on July 9th, but after that we’ll have several months of quiet from me.  But rest assured, I’ll be working hard behind the scenes.

Has anyone approached you on making your books into movies? If so, which ones?

SLAMMED was optioned for film and the producers are very hopeful, as they have a lot of faith in the book.  I don’t know if we’ll ever see it come to life on the big screen, but I can dream.

Andrea’s Book Blog supports helping others helping themselves: Is there a charitable cause or foundation that you support and why (I will attach web site and information and donation facts)?

I support the Vickie S. Honeycutt foundation and St. Judes. Fans can help support Colleen’s favorite foundations below.

http://www.stjude.org

You can follow Colleen Hoover:

Website: http://colleenhoover.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorColleenHoover

Twitter: @colleenHoover

Check out my fun interview with Colleen Hoover

http://youtu.be/OLh0Y_15A5Y

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<-July 9th book release: pre-order now