Interview with Michelle McCraw, Author of 23 You and Me

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write 23 and You and Me?

When I first started thinking about this novel in 2018, home DNA tests were BIG, and I’d just heard a story about a real-life secret baby who discovered her dad through one of the tests. While I wasn’t ready to write a secret baby trope, the idea of those DNA tests really appealed to the nerdy part of my brain. So I wrote a story about a man who’s grumpy (for reasons) and learns he isn’t who he thought he was, from an overbearingly sunshiny woman.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of 23 and You and Me, what would they be?

23 and You and Me has a TON of music in it – the heroine, Sunny, is a singer/actress – and one song that’s highlighted is “Shallow”, the duet from A Star is Born. Sunny and the hero, Gabe, sing it karaoke-style, and that’s when they realize they’ve fallen for each other.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

Rom-coms are my favorite!

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I just finished The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood, and right now I’m reading Earth Magic & Hot Water by Lauren Connolly.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The scene I loved writing the most was the scene where Sunny and Gabe drive into a snowstorm. Sunny skids into a guardrail (an experience I had once!), and Gabe overcomes his fear to take over driving. Once they make it to the next small town, the motel is full, of course, except for one room. Gabe and Sunny have to pretend to be newlyweds to snag it, and I loved writing the hijinks!

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I don’t know if this is quirky, but I write every morning before work. A friend and I usually get on Zoom about 5:45 in the morning, and we sprint together until around 7:30.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I hope readers will be inspired to live their life for themselves and no one else.

Michelle McCraw is the author of the new book 23 and You and Me

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