Writing duo London Hale talks to us about writing as a team, what they’re currently reading, plus a fun game of “This or That”!
You know that we’re huge fans of Brighton Walsh and Ellis Leigh. Their brand of romance is totally our style. So when we heard that they two were joining up to give us more smuttastic romance, we were 100% on board!
It’s release week for London Hale’s first book Daddy’s Best Friend, and just as the title connotes, it’s super taboo and oh so juicy! Go HERE to check out an excerpt, teasers, and information about where you can get your hands on the new title.
Brighton and Ellis were kind enough to answer several questions for us about their writing process as a team, what they’re currently reading, plus a fun game of “This or That”! Check it out below:
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How is writing in a team different than writing solo?
Brighton: Writing solo means you can do whatever you want to your characters and the plot without getting anyone else’s approval. It also means you have to create those characters and plot without anyone weighing in, which can be exhausting. And boring. We both went into this unsure if we’d like it or even be able to work together, and now that we’ve got a short break to work on solo stuff, I miss the co-writing like crazy. We have so much fun writing together—even during the challenging parts—that it doesn’t feel like work to me.
Ellis: It’s a lot more fun, that’s for sure. It’s also harder at times. Brighton’s characters are solid in her head, as mine are in mine. Sometimes, that creates issues. “The heroine wouldn’t react well to that” or “He wouldn’t act that way” tend to be conversations we have a lot. We usually write the scenes with interaction together in Gdocs, but that also creates issues. Can you say sex scenes feel like sexting? Yeah. Loads of fun.
What’s your co-writing process like?
Brighton: Fun as hell. No? That answer won’t work?
Ellis: We spend a lot of time in Whatsapp. Like…A LOT. We go back and forth about ideas, themes, tropes, characters. We send pictures and snippets of dialogue or stories we saw online. Once we know what we want to write, we set everything up in our files and work out a loose plot for the book. We each write a character, and we go back and forth until the book is done. Then we go back over it about fifteen times.
How do you decide who’s going to be which character?
Brighton: So far it’s worked out that we’ve switched with every other character. But Ellis is really unique in that she has far-off side characters whispering in her head already. Characters don’t come to me like that, so I’m fine giving her the ones who speak louder to her.
Ellis: Sometimes one of us has a better feel for them, sometimes it’s their turn to write the hero instead of the heroine. Totally depends on the story we’re telling.
Do you have a writer’s playlist, or do you write in silence?
Brighton: The music I write to depends on what book I’m working on and/or what kind of scene. But I live on Pandora or Spotify.
Ellis: I can’t write with music or a lot of background noise. I use brain.fm for focus music when the kids or husband are around and I need to concentrate. Otherwise, it’s pretty quiet when I write.
Best moment as an author:
Brighton: This is really hard to pick because I’ve been blessed with a lot of super awesome moments as an author. But there was only once when I cried, and that was when my editor told me Target picked up my book.
Ellis: When authors I love and respect recommend my books to their readers. That’s the ultimate marketing tool, IMO, and it’s not something you can buy.
Last book you read:
Brighton: A super advanced copy of Tessa Bailey’s TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BREAK
Ellis: I just reread SHELTERED by Charlotte Stein the other night. So hot.
Which author would you most fangirl over meeting?
Brighton: Jill Shalvis. And I’ve met her. Many times. Been introduced to her by my editor. Promptly ate my tongue.
Ellis: Kelley Armstrong for sure. Her Women of the Otherworld series brought me back to paranormal romance.
Are you a re-reader or are your books one and done?
Brighton: Most of the time, I’m one and done. I have a very small handful I’ve reread, but I seriously get anxious when I reread, thinking about all the books out there that I’ll never be able to get to, which only increases every time I reread a book instead of diving in my TBR pile.
Ellis: Totally a re-reader. Things stick with me, and I like to go back and visit favorite characters/scenes now and again.
Hotel or camping?
Brighton: Hotel. Allllll day, errday.
Ellis: I want to say camping, but the reality is hotel. In the woods. With a sauna.
Greedy or generous?
Brighton: I hope I’m generous.
Ellis: I strive to be generous.
Pessimist or optimist?
Brighton: Optimist
Ellis: optimist. Totally.
Casual or formal?
Brighton: Both. Casual in day-to-day, but I love getting dressed up.
Ellis: Casual AF
Beer or champagne?
Ellis: Can I sneak in a margarita instead?
Brighton: While I get Ellis a margarita, I’mma sneak myself some rum.
Deliberate or spontaneous?
Brighton: Deliberate
Ellis: I think deliberate, but I could be wrong.
Town or country?
Brighton: Both. I’d love a huge lot of land right in the middle of a city. Lol
Ellis: Country-ish.
Waffles or pancakes?
Brighton: French toast.
Ellis: Pancakes
Coke or pepsi?
Brighton: I don’t drink either anymore, but Coke will always win.
Ellis: Coke, diet please
Vanilla or chocolate?
Brighton: Chocolate
Ellis: Vanilla
Rock or pop?
Brighton: Can’t choose.
Ellis: Pop
Zombie horde or plague?
Brighton: Zombies
Ellis: Zombies. At least I can defend myself.
Beach or mountains?
Brighton: Beach
Ellis: Beach
Ocean or pool?
Brighton: Pool
Ellis: To sit by? Ocean. To swim in? Pool. I don’t do open water. There are things in there that will eat you.
Fireplace or bonfire?
Brighton: Bonfire
Ellis: Either
Bath or shower?
Brighton: Shower
Ellis: Shower. Totally.
Museum or theater?
Brighton: Theater
Ellis: Theater
Night owl or morning person?
Brighton: Night owl
Ellis: Morning person.
Sun or stars?
Brighton: Stars
Ellis: Sun
TV or movies?
Brighton: Movies
Ellis: TV
Salty or sweet?
Brighton: Sweet
Ellis: BOTH!
Karaoke or concert?
Brighton: Concert
Ellis: Karaoke
Neat freak or slob?
Brighton: Neat freak
Ellis: Slobbish tendencies for sure
Fancy restaurant or diner?
Brighton: Diner
Ellis: Diner
Tattoos or piercings?
Brighton: Yes
Ellis: Both
Farmer’s market or grocery store?
Brighton: Grocery store
Ellis: Farmer’s market