Q&A With Lauren Kate

Hello everyone! I am doing my latest Q&A with New York Times Bestselling author Lauren Kate. Many of you may know her from her hit young adult series “Fallen,” and the “Teardrop,” series. The Fallen books bring me back to my senior year of high school and my early twenties. In recent years Lauren came out with the historical fiction novel “The Orphans Song,” in 2019 and a romantic comedy that I finished reading called “By Any Other Name.” 

Q: So Lauren I finished reading “By Any Other Name,” last night because it was that good and I had to know what happened next. Which scenes did you have the most fun writing? Which scenes did you have the difficult task of writing? 

A: I loved building the chemistry between Lanie and Noah in person. They have a long-standing email/online friendship, but their IRL meet-cute is fraught with so much tension, which I loved! It was fun to see them get feisty with each other, then eventually let down their defenses and discover how beautiful and strong their connection’s always been. 

I struggled a bit getting the right ratio of Lanie’s previous relationship with her ex-fiancé. Ryan was so good on paper, that he also looked good on my computer screen! I had to kick him to the curb a bit earlier than I anticipated to make space for Lanie’s own journey and her journey with Noah. 

Q: I remember reading the Fallen series in my late teens and early twenties when they came out. I also read the book about Cam called Unforgiven. I know Hollywood did a film adaptation of Fallen but they haven’t done the sequels yet. I can’t remember the first film being released here in the US. Will Hollywood do the rest of the Fallen novels in the movies? Or will they possibly reboot it into movies or  maybe a t.v. series? 

A: We are in talks to develop a TV series based on Fallen—I can’t share much more than that at the moment, but it’s exciting. I know I’m not alone in thinking Luce and Daniel’s saga would be perfect for a longer series!

Q: Would you ever revisit the Fallen Universe with spin off books about the other characters like you did with Cam in “Unforgiven”? Or do you feel it’s time to move on? 

The world of Fallen is so rich and vast that there are certainly characters I’d consider revisiting and exploring. Right now, I’m working on a few other projects, but it’s certainly possible down the road. 

Q: There was a Q&A after the story was finished. The last question asked, Whats next for you? You responded, More novels—some in genres new to me, some in familiar modes, all where love and wonder are alive. Can you give us a hint on what your next novel is about? So far you’ve written young adult, a historical fiction novel and now a romantic comedy. Would you ever write a murder mystery? 

A: Hah! Stay tuned on the murder mystery idea… Right now I’m working on a new paranormal YA series as well as a new adult rom com. It’s fun to dance back and forth between genres, and I always have the backbone of a great love story to see me through. 

Q: What are your favorite novels that you have read so far this year? 

A: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston; The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood; the Brown Sisters trilogy by Talia Hibbert. 

Q: What advice would you give for aspiring writers? 

Finish your stories, even the bad ones. You can always go back and make them better, but first you have to finish them!