Editor’s note: We are thrilled to feature this post from author Colleen Hoover. Her latest novel, It Starts with Us, is the long-anticipated sequel to her bestseller, It Ends with Us. It tells fan favorite Atlas’s side of the story and shares what comes next, revealing more about his past. It also follows Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband. This HPB Pick is available Tuesday, October 18, 2022.
Your books fill the bestseller lists, but It Ends with Us seems to be one of your most popular titles. What made you decide to go back to Lily and Atlas and write It Starts with Us?
Honestly, the readers are the reason I wrote this book. After It Ends With Us started gaining traction again thanks to all the readers on BookTok, I began receiving more and more requests for the sequel. I was always adamant that I’d never write a sequel, but with the increase in pleas for one, I began to toy with ideas. Eventually, one of them stuck that I felt really excited to explore. I think I was halfway through writing it before I decided to make it a full-length novel and announce it.
Tell us about the research did you do for this book. Did anything surprise you as you were writing their second chance at love?
Research for a sequel tends to be a lot easier and less invasive, because essentially, I just had to do a re-read of the first book to get back into their world. And yes, there was a huge surprise regarding Atlas and his life, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. But that twist is what made me want to write the book. I wanted this particular thing to come to fruition for Atlas.
Some heavy topics like domestic abuse were featured in It Ends with Us. How do you handle writing about such heavy subjects? And why do you feel it’s important to tell these stories?
I don’t set out to write emotional or heavy books. It just happens to be the turn the books take somewhere along the way. My degree is in Social Work, and that was the career I was in before I started writing books at age thirty-one, so in a way, I just write what I know. Social Work is a constant emotional journey as you work so closely with victims and their families, and you want all of them to have a happy ever after. My characters go through emotional journeys we all face in life, but they always come out of it with a happy ending, or at least a happy-for-now.
What does your writing process look like?
I don’t have much of a process. I never want this to feel like work, so I write when I’m in the mood to write. I’m not one of those writers who can give myself a daily word count goal. I dread every single plan I make, so as long as I don’t plan out my day, I tend to get more writing done. I’m a procrastinator, so if I give myself any sort of deadline, I’m more likely to avoid writing. I guess you could say my process is not having a process.
Tell us about a challenge you faced in writing It Starts with Us.
I find sequels challenging, which is why I mostly write standalones. But this sequel in particular was challenging simply because of the impact the first book had on a lot of readers. I’ve received a lot of emails from people who read the first book and felt inspired to leave abusive situations because of Lily’s journey. I didn’t want to write a sequel until I was confident that Lily’s journey would continue to inspire people, and I hope I captured that in this novel. I
Who is your favorite character in this book?
The obvious answer would be Lily, but honestly, Theo captured my heart in this book. He wasn’t part of the first one, so when readers meet him, I hope they love him as much as I did.
What has been the most rewarding part of writing this book?
I waited several years to write this book because I wasn’t happy with any of the directions my previous attempts ended up taking. I think that’s why I was so adamant that a sequel wouldn’t happen, because I would sometimes attempt to start one and those attempts never worked. I probably have ten different outlines that never stuck. When I finally came up with an idea that felt worthy of a full-length sequel, I was excited to finish it and announce it. If I had written this even just six months sooner, I don’t think I would be proud of it. But because I waited so long and trusted my gut, I’m truly excited for readers to get their hands on this one. I’m not even sure if it’s what readers will want, but I’ve realized that my feelings for a book aren’t at all tied to how the book resonates with readers after it releases. It is solely tied to how it resonates with me after I’ve written it.
What can we expect from you next?
That’s a great question. One that I can’t answer at the moment, because I’m wondering the same thing! I do miss the vibes of Verity, so I have a feeling the book I’m about to start writing will be a psychological thriller.
Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thriller. She is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones. You can find her on colleenhoover.com, facebook, instagram, snapchat and twitter.