Today, I’m thrilled to share this very sweet interview I have the pleasure to host with two passionate and talented authors, Margaret Stohl and Melissa De La Cruz. On June 2, 2020, Jo & Laurie, their retelling of Little Women, will be out in the world and I can’t wait for it.

This young adult historical fiction is published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers. This post is part of their Blog Tour hosted by FFBC Tour.

Don’t miss after the interview all the bonuses: Book Excerpt + Audiobook Excerpt + Pre Offer Offer + US Giveaway.

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How did you start this collaboration and why this story in particular?

Mel: I had been toying with the idea of some kind of Little Women retelling for years and when I spoke to Margie about it, together we figured out the ‘right’ way to do it.

Margie: I studied for a PhD in 19^th century American Literature and American Studies at Stanford and Yale. I’d been wanting to write a book like this ever since.

How did you share the work?

Mel: I wrote the outline, Margie wrote the sample and set the ‘tone’ and wrote the first half, I wrote the second half and then we both revised the book from top to bottom. At this point, we don’t remember what we each wrote. It just became one book.

Margie: We also fought like sisters about everything we passionately cared about. Imagine two Jo Marches writing one book! But we loved it, and we love each other, and each other’s writing…or this never would have worked.

What part did you enjoy the most when you wrote this story?

Mel: I loved seeing the characters come back to life, which Margie did, she excavated and brought them back and it was delightful to be back in the Little Women world. I enjoy writing all the romantic scenes.

Margie: I loved writing the sisters and how they connect and torment and adore each other. It reminds me of my own daughters. And I have a huge garden, where I work through a ton of my own plot problems, so it was really fun to write “Vegetable Valley,” a chapter where the Marches work out their own plots via their garden.

Do you have a favorite place to write?

Mel: Writing is a job. I work at my desk. I’m not sure if that’s a favourite place, but that’s where the work is done and it’s a pleasant place.

Margie: I write in a room covered with whiteboard walls. Literally covered, I had them painted with whiteboard paint. So my brain sort of spills out and splashes across all the walls around me. I don’t know that I could write anywhere else now.

What is your last 5 star read?

Mel: I recently finished Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage. It’s a searing, unputdownable read.

Margie: I loved Veronica Roth’s Chosen Ones and I’m right now reading Curtis Sittenfeld’s Rodham. They’re both just amazing storytellers.

Is there anything you can tell us about the book that is not in the blurb or a spoiler?

Mel: There is a charming villain in it that you have not met before who is delightfully snobby and a lot of fun to write.

Margie: The book takes a few unexpected twists in the romance department, even aside from what the title implies.

If you could describe yourself in three words or emojis, what would you would they be?

Mel: Almost Made Valedictorian

Margie: Whiteboard Superhero Farmgirl

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS!

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Bestselling authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz bring us a romantic retelling of Little Women starring Jo March and her best friend, the boy next door, Theodore “Laurie” Laurence.

1869, Concord, Massachusetts: After the publication of her first novel, Jo March is shocked to discover her book of scribbles has become a bestseller, and her publisher and fans demand a sequel.

While pressured into coming up with a story, she goes to New York with her dear friend Laurie for a week of inspiration—museums, operas, and even a once-in-a-lifetime reading by Charles Dickens himself!

But Laurie has romance on his mind, and despite her growing feelings, Jo’s desire to remain independent leads her to turn down his heartfelt marriage proposal and sends the poor boy off to college heartbroken. When Laurie returns to Concord with a sophisticated new girlfriend, will Jo finally communicate her true heart’s desire or lose the love of her life forever?

BOOK DETAILS

• Author: Margaret Stohl and Melissa De La Cruz
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
• Release Date: June 2, 2020
• Book Length: 320 pages
• Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance, Retelling

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START READING JO & LAURIE TODAY WITH THE EXCERPT BELOW

Jo-Laurie-Book-Excerpt

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PREFER AUDIOBOOKS? WE GOT YOU! START LISTENING TO THE BOOK, JO & LAURIE, NOW.

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JO & LAURIE – PRE ORDER CAMPAIGN

Win a tea tin when you pre-order JO & LAURIE (US ONLY)

Link to the promotion and submission page HERE

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About the authors – Margaret Stohl and Melissa De La Cruz

Margaret Stohl is a #1 New York Times bestselling nerd, world-builder, video game creator, comic book writer and festival founder.

As an award-winning young adult author, she has been published in fifty countries and thirty-two languages and has sold more than ten million books worldwide. Beautiful Creatures debuted as the Amazon #1 Teen book of the year; seven of Margaret’s books have reached bestseller lists around the world.

She has published fifteen novels and graphic novels, as well as contributed to several games and countless comics since her debut. Her last book, Cats Vs Robots: This is War, was a family affair, illustrated by her child, the artist Kay Peterson, and co-written with her husband, Lewis Peterson. It also starred three of her family’s five cats.

After Beautiful Creatures was released as a feature film from Warner Brothers and Alcon Entertainment, Margaret began working with Marvel on her bestselling Black Widow: Forever Red duology; in 2017 she began writing the ongoing Mighty Captain Marvel comic, followed by the acclaimed Life of Captain Marvel miniseries, where she established a new origin story for Carol Danvers in preparation for the theatrical debut of Brie Larson as “Captain Marvel” for the MCU. 

When not roaming the halls of Seattle game developer Bungie – where she oversees the creation of new global IPs – Margaret can often be seen at a Comicon or at one of the teen and youth book festivals she co-founded, YALLFEST (Charleston, SC) and YALLWEST (Santa Monica, CA), the largest in the country. Wherever she goes, you can find out more about her (and invariably her cats) at @mstohl on twitter or margaret_stohl on instagram or margaret_stohl on snapchat or at mstohl.com.

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Melissa De La Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.

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US GIVEAWAY – Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa De La Cruz

Prize: Win a copy of JO & LAURIE by Margaret Stohl & Melissa de la Cruz (US Only)

STARTS: May 27, 2020 – ENDS: June 10, 2020

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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