Behind The Book With Heidi McLaughlin 

Recently I did a Q&A with Wall Street Journal, USA Today & New York Times Bestselling Author Heidi McLaughlin! I also finished reading her new release, The Art of Starting Over which came out on February 1^st and is available to read now! If you enjoy romance & second chance romance, you are in for a treat reading this one! 

Q: For those who haven’t read The Art of Starting Over, would you please give a brief description of the novel? 

A: In The Art of Starting Over we have Devorah (Devra) who finds out her husband is having an affair – not a spoiler since the first chapter is available on Amazon and it’s at the beginning – and we have Hayden, who recently lost his wife. They both end up back in their hometown for the same reason – needing family. They have a history together, and Hayden was best friends with Devy’s brother back in high school. 

Q: In our Q&A you were honest that real life does have an element in your stories. Is Oyster Bay a real Rhode Island town or did you use bits of real towns in Rhode Island to create Oyster Bay? Is the character of Devorah loosely based on you?

A: While Oyster Bay isn’t a real town, it is based off a waterfront town in Rhode Island. I like to change the names of towns so I can add elements while still using the quaintness of the small town. You could go to this town and see the house Devorah grew up in, but I added the porch because everyone needs a porch. 

Q: How long did it take you to write The Art of Starting Over? 

A: It took about three months. 

Q: I know the second chance and most people deserve them are the themes of your novels. Would you say that that’s the main theme you want others to learn from reading The Art of Starting Over? I was also reminded that sometimes love blinds us to the worst in those we were in love with, which is what happened when Devorah got away from Chad, she realized he was no good. I was also reminded how important it is to tell those you are in love with how you feel before it’s too late. 

A: I think you sum it up well. Hayden was afraid to express his feelings for Devy until it was too late, while Chad manipulated Devy’s feelings to benefit himself. Love is and can be blind, but once those blinders come off, it’s like a whole new world opens up. I do believe in second chances – most of the time – some things can’t be forgiven, aka Chad.

Q: Which scenes did you enjoy writing the most? I love Devorah & Hayden’s first date as adults, the flashbacks & anytime we see Devorah’s father Crow give an effort to make up for not being the best father to her and trying to be a good grandfather to Maren. The epilogue at the very end was magical too, which I enjoyed! 

A: The showdown with Chad. It was important from Devorah to go from broken to a strong, determined woman who saw through Chad’s crap. Thanks to Crow & Hayden, Devy saw herself differently and was able to stand up for herself when her ex came to town. While deep down she knew she had Hayden, she proved at that moment she didn’t need a man in her life to make her feel whole. 

Q: If Hollywood did get the rights to The Art of Starting Over, who would be your dream cast to play the characters you created? One actress I have in mind is Megan Fahy from The White Lotus to play Devorah. 

A: It’s funny, my daughter told me this morning I needed to watch The White Lotus. I fan cast a lot – it helps with character visualization. With Devorah, I didn’t use an actress, but based her off my daughter’s friend, Devorah. As soon as I met her, I knew I’d use her name and some of her likeness in this story. For Hayden, I would probably say Chris Evans. 

Q: If there ever were to be a sequel to The Art of Starting Over, what would Devorah, Maren, Hayden, & Conor be doing right now? 

A: Getting married, probably discussing whether they want to expand their family. Living in that beautiful house Hayden had built. And getting ready for the next festival!