With a week at the beach ahead of me, I needed a light-hearted romcom for my sunbathing, and I knew exactly where to find it: author R.S. Grey. Lucky for me, she has a new release that turned out to be everything I was hoping for & more. I laughed. I swooned. I almost lost my Kindle to an aggressive wave. The Allure of Julian Lefray delivers on its promise of comedy and romance, plus it incorporates pop culture, fashion and the ever-so-hot blogosphere. Jo's story is every girl's Cinderella fantasy, except in The Allure of Julian Lefray, the ball is New York Fashion Week and the glass slipper is a vintage Chanel leopard-print flat.
From my review: "It’s clear from the start that Julian Lefray has as much heart as he does wit, and matched with sharp, humorous Jo, the pair keeps readers entertained from page to page."
I had to find out more, so I reached out to R.S. Grey, and she generously took time out of her busy, wedding-planning, book-writing schedule to answer some questions for me...
From my review: "It’s clear from the start that Julian Lefray has as much heart as he does wit, and matched with sharp, humorous Jo, the pair keeps readers entertained from page to page."
I had to find out more, so I reached out to R.S. Grey, and she generously took time out of her busy, wedding-planning, book-writing schedule to answer some questions for me...
JH: FANGIRLING. I mean... welcome, R.S. Grey! First question: have you always written fiction, or did something in particular spur you to write and publish your first book, Behind His Lens?
R.S.: Writing wasn’t a part of my life until a few years ago. I was always an avid reader, especially in my teen years. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for me to take two to three trips to B&N a week back then. My love for reading naturally morphed into a dream of writing my own novel one day. I had a good friend who convinced me to give it a shot and the rest is history!
JH: In The Allure of Julian Lefray, Jo is an in-the-know fashion blogger. Is fashion a passion of yours or did you have to do a lot of research?
R.S.: My guilty pleasure is to follow fashion bloggers on Instagram. My feed is littered with women who are living such glamorous lives (or at least it looks like it!). They served as the inspiration behind Jo.
JH: I love the title. Was it a lightning bolt of genius, or were there other contenders?
R.S.: The title took a little while to come up with. The title was originally The Danger of Julian Lefray, but I later changed it as I realized that there was nothing inherently dangerous about him, haha!
JH: Actually, the chiseled cheekbones/tuxedo combo kills more women a year than genetically-modified dinosaurs. True story, look it up. You design your own covers. Jo scrimps & saves by doing graphics & development for her up-and-coming blog, What Jo Wore. Is there a little of yourself in Josephine, and if so, in what ways?
R.S.: ABSOLUTELY. Before I wrote full time, I worked for a woman who owned a graphic design company. I’d help her with design in the mornings and then nanny for her in the afternoon. It was a fun set-up, but it was definitely a time in my life where I knew I was striving for more.
JH: Jo and Julian are stylish, attractive and kinda goofy. When they enter a room together, what’s their hashtag?
R.S.: HAH! This is a hilarious question. #Blessed <- but they would use it ironically, for sure.
R.S.: Writing wasn’t a part of my life until a few years ago. I was always an avid reader, especially in my teen years. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for me to take two to three trips to B&N a week back then. My love for reading naturally morphed into a dream of writing my own novel one day. I had a good friend who convinced me to give it a shot and the rest is history!
JH: In The Allure of Julian Lefray, Jo is an in-the-know fashion blogger. Is fashion a passion of yours or did you have to do a lot of research?
R.S.: My guilty pleasure is to follow fashion bloggers on Instagram. My feed is littered with women who are living such glamorous lives (or at least it looks like it!). They served as the inspiration behind Jo.
JH: I love the title. Was it a lightning bolt of genius, or were there other contenders?
R.S.: The title took a little while to come up with. The title was originally The Danger of Julian Lefray, but I later changed it as I realized that there was nothing inherently dangerous about him, haha!
JH: Actually, the chiseled cheekbones/tuxedo combo kills more women a year than genetically-modified dinosaurs. True story, look it up. You design your own covers. Jo scrimps & saves by doing graphics & development for her up-and-coming blog, What Jo Wore. Is there a little of yourself in Josephine, and if so, in what ways?
R.S.: ABSOLUTELY. Before I wrote full time, I worked for a woman who owned a graphic design company. I’d help her with design in the mornings and then nanny for her in the afternoon. It was a fun set-up, but it was definitely a time in my life where I knew I was striving for more.
JH: Jo and Julian are stylish, attractive and kinda goofy. When they enter a room together, what’s their hashtag?
R.S.: HAH! This is a hilarious question. #Blessed <- but they would use it ironically, for sure.
JH: Jo has an unfortunate accident involving a bumpy car ride, too many beers and a face-to-face with Julian’s lap (not the good kind). Any embarrassing moments of your own involving a guy you were dating or interested in?
R.S.: There’s no moment that pops out, but I will say that I am someone who moves first and thinks second, so I’m always tripping over things. It’s seemingly charming, but I end up with a perpetual line of bruises on my shins because of it!
R.S.: There’s no moment that pops out, but I will say that I am someone who moves first and thinks second, so I’m always tripping over things. It’s seemingly charming, but I end up with a perpetual line of bruises on my shins because of it!
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JH: What nail polish color is Jo wearing this summer?
R.S.: Rock the Boat by Essie. JH: Why are you so funny? R.S.: HAHA. I’ll be honest, I still am not 100% convinced that I am. However, I do have a secret weapon: Lance. He’s the funniest person I know and he helps me fine tune my manuscripts so that they’re as funny as possible. Many of my favorite lines were actually written by Lance! JH: I just saw that you’re working on Dean Harper’s story (#yay) (#stalker). Any updates you can spare to hold us over until it’s ready? R.S.: Yes! His story is in the works. I’ve already begun writing it and I can say that it will be released later this year. I’m hesitant to give an exact date since I’m getting married in October. If I’m a wizard, it could be released before then, but most likely it will release sometime after that! |
So hot right now.
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JH: Guys, you heard it here first. R.S. Grey is *probably* a wizard. A huge THANK YOU and CONGRATULATIONS to the bride-to-be for indulging my niggling questions, and I can't wait to hop on the Dean train later this year!
If you haven't yet, get your copy of The Allure of Julian Lefray now. Follow her Amazon page so you don't miss any new releases, and be a good groupie—stalk her on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. |
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