From NYT bestselling author of Love and Gelato comes a new tale of riveting heartbreak and growth set among the emerald rolling hills of Ireland.
Love & Luck
When a lapse in judgement turns Addie’s life upside down, she is relieved that her aunt’s destination wedding in Ireland will give her the perfect opportunity to forget about the mess she left behind in America. That is, if her brother Ian will stop nagging her about it. Constant fights ensue making Addie grateful that in a few days she will be jetting off to Italy to visit her best friend.
However, when Addie’s travel plans change she suddenly finds herself on a whirlwind tour of of Ireland smashed in the backseat of a tiny VW bug driven by Ian’s admittedly cute, Irish friend Rowan. With the help of a quirky guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, Addie hopes to heal her shattered heart and relationship with her brother as the trio journeys through rolling hills and fairytale forests.
The author interview below contains spoilers, so be sure to read Love & Luck first. :)
Jenna Evans Welch Interview
What was your favorite scene to write?
The Queen Maeve ceremony near the end of the novel. Lina’s speech about Addie was actually the first scene I wrote in Love & Luck and it made me cry when I wrote it! I was so interested by the lore behind Queen Maeve (she’s so powerful and colorful), and I wanted to empower Addie and my readers in the same way.
Addie's relationship with her brother is a source of conflict at times and at others a source of resolution. Were there any life experiences that motivated you to depict this dual nature of sibling hood?
Absolutely—I am the oldest of five kids, but for the first eight years of my life it was just my younger sister Ally and me. Our relationship (with all of its ups and downs) inspired a lot of Addie and Ian’s interactions. Siblinghood is such a complex relationship—growing up, there were years when Ally and I barely spoke and others when we couldn’t have been closer. But through it all, no one has been closer to me and my life than my sister. Today I’m lucky to call her my best friend!
The theme of appearance vs. reality in regard to Ian's character is very prevalent. Could you speak to the overall importance of this theme in your novel, and why you chose to give Ian this "alter ego"
I’m so glad you brought up this theme! Over the past year I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about authenticity—in particular, the differences that can exist between who we are and who we portray ourselves to be. We’re all looking for love and acceptance, and I think that sometimes we head in the wrong direction, attempting to look or act perfect to get people to like us. The older I get the more I realize that authenticity is always better—it leads to real, heartfelt relationships and those always matter more than the superficial ones J I loved exploring this with Ian’s character—he knows deep down who he is, but he’s afraid to disappoint the people who love him by going after what he actually cares about.
What inspired you to use the guidebook entries as a narrative device?
It was actually my editor’s idea—she suggested coming up with some way to frame the story so I didn’t have to dump information about the Irish sites into the characters’ conversation. I loved the idea, and once I started playing around with the concept of a guidebook I quickly discovered Guidebook Lady and her quirky voice. I had a lot of fun writing the entries and hope they’ll be the kind of things that readers can apply to their own lives.
Do you have any advice for writers who are struggling to balance their writing with a demanding schedule?
Ooh, this is a good one. Do you have any advice for me? ;) Balancing writing with my schedule is a serious hurtle for me. One of my children struggles with some extra challenges and my parenting life is very demanding. The thing I’ve had to do is carve out “sacred” writing time—meaning time when I don’t do anything but write. No social media, no email answering, just my book and maybe a cup of coffee. I write best first thing in the morning before everyday life invades my brain, and I wrote most of Love & Gelato in the early hours before my family woke up every morning. Right now I have a dedicated time from 12:15-2:45 every afternoon, and I work hard to make the most of it. Even if you only have twenty minutes a day, commit and make that time mean something.
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A big, big thank you to the lovely Jenna for doing this interview. She was so sweet and kind, and it was a wonderful honor to be able to feature her on my blog. Be sure to click here to follow her instagram and check out her author website, to stay up to date on all her work.
