Lex Martin’s Q&A Interview!

Hi everyone! So I got the amazing chance to interview Lex Martin. I tried to interview her like Clementine was interviewed by Maddie (emphasis on the word "tried").

**Not all these of these questions were asked by me. 

S: So Lex, you’re from L.A. right? Any sightings of Nick Bateman yet?

L: Haha. Sadly, I have not had any Nick Bateman sightings despite the fact that I live really near him. Or course, I'm sure you'd hear about it on the news if I did. The headline would read, "Crazy woman attaches herself to leg of hot model and refuses to let go."

S: Oh I know, he likes to show up in Toronto too and I’ll always miss him. Okay so my first question is sort of different. I want you to picture yourself in a 5 star hotel or even a luxurious house; what or where would you check out first?

L: The bed or bath tub.

Maddie & Daren

S: I have to ask, have you always wanted to be a writer?  Or, do you remember your aspirations back in high school?

L: Yes, I've always wanted to be a writer. Honestly, though, I didn't think I had it in me to be that creative. In high school, I wrote a lot of poetry and enjoyed crafting these little puzzles, but I didn't think I could do that over 300 pages. I ended up majoring in journalism so I could continue to write, but didn't really try my hand at fiction until a few years ago.

S: Oh my gosh, that’s so cool! I recently applied for journalism too. Fingers crossed! Is there a quote you like to live by? Mine throughout high school was, "Go with the flow." Is there a particular moment this quote came in handy?

L: I love the epigraph of Dearest Clementine, which is a quote by George Eliot. "It's never too late to be what you might have been."

S: Do you agree with the following? "Do the things you love as opposed to the "better" option.

L: Yes and no. I'm a practical girl, and practical girls know they need to pay the bills. So I say play smart. Have a backup plan. That shit sounds boring, but I don't want anyone to go hungry. Find a way to do both, the safe option that pays the bills and the riskier option you do because you love it. And hopefully, the second option eventually becomes what pays the bills.

S: Would you say you dress more formally or casually in your daily life?

L: I'm a pretty casual jeans and converse kind of girl. But I teach three miles from the beach, and if I showed up in something super dressy, it would shock the students. lol.

S: Three miles from the beach?! Hot damn, I’d kill to be near a beach. Are you a full time writer or do you do something else on the side?

L: I'm an English teacher full time, corrupting young brains one student at a time.

S: Corrupting them, hmm? Lol. Some of us would love to hear your relationship with your husband: Do you remember how he (or you) proposed?

L: That's not at all what I was expecting you to ask! haha. Okay, so the hubs... Do you want the whole story or just the proposal?

S: It's all up to you, but I personally would loveeee to hear the whole story.

***Not an accurate representation of Lex.

L: Matt and I had mutual friends. My girlfriend liked him for quite a while. In fact, I had several friends who liked him. I think the first time he and I met, we had an argument. So we were off to a good start! About a year later, I ended up moving in with some girls down the street from Matt and his roommate Don, who was dating a friend of mine. One afternoon after I had just moved in, I needed to run some errands, but I wanted someone to come with me because it was a new part of town I didn't know well. So I called over there thinking Don could come with me. Don wasn't home, but Matt said he was happy to go with me. So I walked down to his house, and when he opened the door, I suddenly found myself wondering why I didn't ever take my friends seriously when they said he was hot. haha. We had a blast hanging out, and soon, I'd come home to find a dozen roses on my door. He'd do this every week, just randomly give me flowers. And he'd write me the sweetest letters and we'd talk about Shakespeare and Greek tragedy. Swoon city. But the best part? He's a killer musician. Seriously, he is amazing. It really only took me hearing him play the piano once, and I was a goner. You know, googly hearts in my eyes and shit.

S: NO WAY he plays the piano?! I'd be smitten too!

L: After dating about a year, he proposed. He had this whole elaborate plan that night, which I kept screwing up because I forgot something in the car. Poor guy. I stressed him out! But after he dropped down on one knee and planted this beautiful ring he on my finger, we took a horse drawn carriage around Boston and ended up at the Four Seasons where our friends surprised me for an engagement party.

S: Aww! That sounds so beautiful Lex, really! Hmm, what else…oh yes! What does the hubs think about you being an author?

L: He loves that I'm a writer but hates how much time I spend on social media. He's incredibly supportive, though.

S: Oooh! And what would a typical response from your girls be if you told them, "Girls, I'm an author and I write steamy scenes in my books."?

L: They're only five, so I don't plan to tell them… well, ever. haha.

S: Okay, let’s talk more about your books. I noticed that the setting of the Dearest series includes where you went in your post-secondary years. Knowing this, how did you come up with Dearest Clementine?

L: I had a student named Clemente, and after having him in class for almost a year, I realized the female version would be such a cool name for a character. So that's how the name was born. The story itself developed out of my experience in Boston. As you might know, Clementine lived in my dorms and frequented many real places that I enjoyed when I attended Boston University. Many of her situations are events that happened to me or friends of mine… except for the asshole prof and asshole parents. My parents rock, by the way.

S: If a producer or director came up to you and asked if they could make a movie out of your books, who would you cast? (Clem, Gavin, Dani, Jax)

L: Can we talk inspiration instead? I have a hard time committing to the perfect person if we're talking casting.  

So… I've never told anyone this, but my earliest inspiration for Clem was this pic of Jennifer Lawrence, and I think she is beautiful but can come across bitchy as well, which is the perfect combination.

Henry Cavill was my inspiration for Gavin, but we all know what he looks like. Henry seems like this really great, nice guy, and I think nice guys are often underrepresented in romance. So maybe a younger version of Henry? Plus, that whole Clark Kent vibe with glasses totally works for Gavin because he's a journalist.  Here's someone who is more age appropriate who would be a freaking perfect Gavin. I don't know his name, though.

As for Jax, I had a photo of Colton Haynes that I used to do my character sketch when I wrote Clementine. He evolved by the time I got to Finding Dandelion, but Colton is where I got started. 

.

And I've never found the perfect Dani. Friends have sent me teasers with lovely models who look like they could do the job, but I don't know their names. Like this one. 

S: Do you have a certain way of writing? Whether it's indoors, with a cup of coffee or do you just go in your "cave"?

L: Because I'm always with my children, I've learned to block out distractions. So Yo Gabba Gabba can be blasting on one iPad and Bubble Guppies on the other, and I'll be sitting there writing at the kitchen table or my desk. I just need to have a giant cup of coffee, my laptop and phone. And I sometimes listen to music with one earbud so I can still hear my kids. I know that sounds insane, but I really don't have time to myself.

S: Okay so now I’m going to do a “this or that” session. You don’t have to explain your choices if you don’t want to, and feel free to be that person that’s stuck in the middle of the options.

S: TV or movies?

L: Depends on the TV show. Honestly, I don't have time to watch either very often.

"The Perfect Maddie." - Lex Martin

S: Hot fudge or caramel?

L: Hot fudge

S: Latte or expresso?

L: Latte

S: Sunrise or sunset?

L: Sunset

S: Rain or snow?

L: Rain

S: Tattoos or piercings?

L: Tats.

S: Blue or green eyes?

L: Both are hot.

S: Beach or pool?

L: Neither. Give me a coffee shop.

S: Salt or pepper?

L: Pepper.

S: Ferris Wheel or rollercoaster?

L: Rollercoster.

S: And one last question, what are your plans after the Dearest series, or is that way too far in the future for you to think about?

L: I'm planning at least one spinoff with one of my favorite characters. But that's all I can say.

Read Lex's Books!

Title: Dearest Clementine (Dearest #1)
Author: Lex Martin
Release Date: May 25, 2014
Source: eBook bought
Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | Kobo | Goodreads

Twenty-year-old Clementine Avery doesn’t mind being called bitchy and closed off. It’s safe, and after being burned by her high school sweetheart and stalked by a professor her freshman year of college, safe sounds pretty damn good.

Her number one rule for survival? No dating. That is until she accidentally signs up for a romance writing class and needs material for her latest assignment. Sexy RA Gavin Murphy is more than happy to play the part of book boyfriend to help Clem find some inspiration, even if that means making out…in the name of research, of course.

As Gavin and Clem grow closer, they get entangled in the mystery surrounding a missing Boston University student, and Clem unwittingly becomes a possible target. Gavin tries to show Clem she can handle falling in love again, but she knows she has to be careful because her heart’s at stake…and maybe even her life.

DEAREST CLEMENTINE is a stand-alone novel with two companion novels. This New Adult romance is recommended for readers 18+ due to mature content.

Title: Finding Dandelion (Dearest #2)
Author: Lex Martin
Release Date: July 11, 2014
Genre/s: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: eBook bought
Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | Kobo | Goodreads

When soccer all-star Jax Avery collides with Dani Hart on his twenty-first birthday, their connection is instantaneous and explosive. For the first time in years, Jax isn’t interested in his usual hit-it and quit-it approach.

But Dani knows better. Allowing herself a night to be carefree and feel the intensity of their attraction won’t change anything when it comes to dealing with a player. So when Jax doesn’t recognize Dani the next time he sees her, it shouldn’t be a total shock. The fact that he’s her new roommate’s brother? That’s a shock.

Dani doesn’t regret that night with Jax, just the need to lie about it. Since her roommate has made it clear what she thinks about her brother’s “type” of girl, the last thing Dani wants is to admit what happened.

Jax knows he’s walking a fine line on the soccer team. One more misstep and he’s off the roster, his plans to go pro be damned. Except he can’t seem to care. About anything… except for the one girl who keeps invading his dreams.

Despite Jax’s fuzzy memory of his hot hookup with his sister’s friend, he can’t stay away from her, even if it means breaking his own rules. But there are bigger forces at work–realities that can end Dani’s college career and lies that can tear them apart.

Jax realizes what he’s losing if Dani walks away, but will he sacrifice his future to be with her? And will she let him if he does?

FINDING DANDELION, the second book in the Dearest series, is a stand-alone novel. This New Adult romance is recommended for readers 18+ due to mature content.

When Lex isn't writing you can find her here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lex-Martin-Author/245957815565870
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexlaughs
Blog: lexmartinwrites.com