A Novel Beginning for Elise Wayland...plus a book giveaway

 

Photo by Dan McClanahan

We are excited to have Elise Wayland here today to talk about her debut novel, Rivals to Lovers. Elise's answers to our questions were a lot of fun and we hope you will enjoy reading them too. Rivals to Lovers sounds like an entertaining story and thanks to Crooked Lane Books, we have TWO copies to give away!

Elise Wayland is a Midwestern writer and humorist, recently published in The New York Times, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Scary Mommy, McSweeney's, and other outlets. 

Visit Elise online:
Website * Instagram * BlueSky * TikTok

Synopsis:

Mo Denton has been obsessed with the classic feminist novel The Proud and the Lost for as long as she can remember. When Mo puts everything she has into writing a modern adaptation of her all-time favorite book, her agent Yuri loves it—but can’t pitch it anywhere. The original author’s estate must approve any adaptation, and so far, it has never allowed one to go forward.

The agent who represents the estate—Wes Spencer—is also working on an updated version of the beloved story. Promoting Mo’s project would go against Wes’s own interests, and he’s reluctant to bring it to Estelle Morgan, the elderly daughter of the original novelist. But when Yuri contacts Estelle herself, Estelle invites Mo and Wes to her home for a weekend where they will pitch each book to her and let her decide whose book will be approved–and whose work will be destined for deletion. 

Soon, Mo and Wes realize that they have more in common than just their love of the original book. As they grow closer and wait for the estate’s decision, will the secrets Wes is keeping ruin the bond between them, or can they find their way to a happy ending? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“Rivals to Lovers is a love letter to the power of the written word, and the passion that just the right book--and just the right person--can ignite within us. A love story about and for book lovers!”
—Jen Deluca, USA Today bestselling author of the Well Met series

“I adore books about books and this cozy, heartfelt story did not disappoint. This will-they-or-won't-they, rivals-to-lovers story was the perfect slow-burn romance, and a testament to the staying power of a great novel.”
—Lindsay Hameroff, author of Never Planned on You

“Rivals to Lovers is rivals to lovers perfection. Full of not only witty banter and delicious tension, but tender, swoonworthy moments, this is required reading for book lovers!”
—Katie Holt, author of Not in My Book

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you?
Publishing is so wild that we need a pitcher of margaritas, a quiet table, and three hours to talk about it.

How is Mo similar to or different from you?
Mo is a Midwestern girl (like me) who has had previous book projects fail to sell to editors (also me), but unlike me, she decided to move to New York to make her dreams come true. I love New York and have family there, but my partner is a settled Midwesterner and we’ve made our home here. The artistic life can look all kinds of ways, and it was fun writing Mo’s version of it. One other major difference: while Mo and I both love cheese and ice cream, I’m lactose intolerant so some of the dairy consumption in the book is wish fulfillment.  

If Rivals to Lovers was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I love this question. For me, Wes is a total Jonathan Bailey character. When Wicked came out and I saw his portrayal of Fiyero as this dashing, very sexual nepo baby with hidden depths--- yeah, that’s like Wes. Plus, he’s only 5’11, which is about Wes’s height. I love a good 6’5” hero, but Wes isn’t that. I could see Jennifer Lawrence as Mo. She’s funny and forthright and not going to take no for an answer. 

What is the last movie you saw that you would recommend?

I’m late to the game, but I finally saw the new Superman this past weekend and it defied my expectations (and I’m obsessed with the new Superman’s dimples). Before that, I’ve been on a classic movie kick, especially the comedies. Recently, I’ve loved Singin' in the Rain and Bringing Up Baby.

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 

I would say Kristen Bell, because I think about The Good Place almost constantly in the year 2025. 

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
The Iowa State Fair is going on right now! I would take you to see the butter cow (which is, yes, a cow sculpted entirely out of butter, and yes, they re-use the butter for years and years). In the same building at the fair, they always have hard-boiled-eggs on a stick, which I mistook for a cake pop the first year I went. We’d get cheese curds and I would regret them later. I’d show you around the show barns and take a picture in front of the Big Bull, who is over 3,000 pounds. After we left the fair, I’d take you to some of the fabulous indie bookstores in Iowa. We are a very book-ish state. 

Thanks to Elise for visiting with us and Crooked Lane for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends August 24th at midnight EST.

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