Kristan Higgins answers your questions

I have read several of your books and am always intrigued by the what will be next. Any chance there will be a mystery/whodunit? romance in your future?

Kristan Higgins Maybe! I'm not really sure, but I hope to be writing for a long time, and I wouldn't rule out something with a mystery in it. Thanks for asking, Amy!

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Hi again. U answered my question, woo hoo! I'm divorced and my son & friends are my best support, but my dog is without a doubt my greatest buddy. He is always excited to be with me and never asks me for money or wash his favorite shirt because he has a date. He doesn't judge me for eating ice cream, heck he's right there beside me licking his chops. U must love dogs too... Will u always include dogs in ur bks?

Kristan Higgins I will, and I hear you on dogs and sons (though you know I love my hubby!). It was so wonderful to meet you in Nashville, and I CRIED reading your lovely note! Thank you for the thoughtful, lovely presents, too! Can't wait to wear those socks. xoxoxox!

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Where\how have you come up with your ideas for your books? If you weren't a man author what other career interests you?

Kristan Higgins I'm not a man author. I hate to break this to you, but I'm a woman. : )

If I could be anything I wanted to be, I'd be a pediatric surgeon. The clock is ticking on medical school, though...plus, I hear there's math. I could be a great nanny; I was once, and I love kiddies. Or a barn hand. I'm great at mucking out stalls. A bartender? You can see I don't have a lot of life skills, now that I'm listing these...

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Hi Kristan, I really love reading your books. Where do you find your inspiration for the stories that you write? Any chance you'll write a Christmas romance sometime soon? p.s. This librarian thinks you need a librarian hero or heroine. :)

Kristan Higgins A librarian heroine at Christmas, is that what you're saying? Let me think about that.

I know it sounds wicked cheesy, but I get my book inspiration from regular people. I have a face that invites life stories, and I excel at eavesdropping, which is great writerly skill.

Thanks, Debbie! Keep up the good work!

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I loved the Blue Heron books, will there be more? I miss Prudence and her background crazy in the books.

Kristan Higgins The Blue Heron series is done, but I'm so glad you liked Pru. So did I, and it was nice to show another side of her in the last book, when she and Jess become friends.

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Do you have a special spot where you like to write?

Kristan Higgins I do! I have a very snug little attic over my neighbor's garage that I rent from her. There's a big squishy chair, lots of plants and pictures of my kids. I can't write in public; I'm a little too...expressive? I laugh, I cry, I snort, I talk out loud...so yes, a private place is best. : )

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Hello Kristan, looking forward to meeting you in Nashville in a few days. I was given a few of your books by a friend after my divorce. She said they would make me smile and feel hopeful about romance. She was right. You are adorable and your books are uplifting. I now own everything you have published, and read them multiple times. Would you ever think about writing a story where a divorced 50ish woman finds love?

Kristan Higgins Being a 50ish woman myself, why not? That is an age group that's somewhat ignored, isn't it? Thanks for putting the idea in my head, Annette!

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Hi Kristan ! Do you think that living in a small town is one of the key for happiness ? It's always when your heroines are coming back to small town that they find true love. By the way, will one of your future heroine find love with a french man ? Excited to read your next book :) Titi Titi's books and series

Kristan Higgins I don't think that's the secret, but small towns are what I know best. Grew up in one, moved back home years later. ON SECOND THOUGHT is set partially in Brooklyn, which is my favorite part of NYC these days, so I don't think it has to do with where you are...more who you've become. Small towns create challenges in that everyone knows everyone's business, and they have expectations of who you are based on that one food fight you had in third grade and the like, or who you parents were, or if you're somebody's sister. I love those bits of a story, so I guess that's why I write them. Cambry On Hudson is a little bit bigger than a small town, and it's close to NYC, so there's a slightly different vibe there. A little more sophistication, maybe.

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Hello from Indonesia! I'm a big fan of yours. I really love blue heron series. Would u mind adding some extra stories about them? Maybe like 5 years later? or during jessica's labor/delivery time? It's like Julia Quinn's bridgerton series. Julia added "happily ever after" to the series, and it's wonderful!. Hope u can do the same (^_^)v Anyway, can't wait for another great books from u. Wish u healthy and happiness

Kristan Higgins Hi, Arum! I don't have plans to, but I really appreciate the sentiment. xox

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Hey Kristan, you write with an amazing sense of humor and impecible timing. Your sense of heart in your characters is my favorite part of your craft. With such an inherent flair for drama do you ever see yourself penning a dramatic novel (with funny parts of course and some romance) in the suspense or mystery genre? With your last novel, I found myself wondering, maybe hoping a little...

Kristan Higgins There's a little bit of mystery in the book that will come out next, called NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT (as well as perhaps the funniest dinner scene I've ever written). I never know what I'll write next...I have an idea for a noir kind of book akin to The Husband's Secret, but I honestly don't know that I can pull it off. Someday, maybe I'll give it a try. Thanks, Joel!

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I have to say I'm so excited you're coming to Seattle! I'm another huge fan and I'm so looking forward to meeting you in person at Third Place Books! I've read all your books at least once and I'm exited about the latest. There are so many good questions here, but I'm a cookie lover so I'll ask for your secret to an awesome chocolate chip cookie?

Kristan Higgins Oh, my God, ME TOO! I love Seattle! The city that smell so GOOD! Plus, I love to eat out, so...

The best ever chocolate chip cookies (ahem):
2.5 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
(mix and set aside)

2 sticks butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract (none of this fake stuff, now)
1 tablespoon warm water

Blend; add dry ingredients. Mix in 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup peanut butter chips or toffee bits, or 2 cup chocolate chips.

Warning: raw dough tastes delicious. Don't let the kids see you eating it.

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I love how your books tone always had a comedic and bittersweet element. All are so diverse in perspective. What inspires you more, the happy or the sad that your characters go through?

Kristan Higgins The happy parts inspire me, but to be honest, the sad parts are easier to write. I don't know why that is; maybe because I'm a melancholy Hungarian? We had this family reunion once, and my cousin started to cry, and I said, "Hey, why are you crying?" and he said, "Because I'm so happy that we're all here." It's sort of like that. Can't have one without the other.

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Hi Kristan. Cambry-On-Hudson was the setting for If I Only Knew. Now it is also featured in On Second Thought. Is it patterned after an actual place? If so, what place(s) did you visit? BTW, I am not from the East Coast (at all). I was born and raised in the Midwest but now live in the SW. I love reading about town, places and settings out East that I can only imagine. Thanks!

Kristan Higgins Like a lot of my settings, it's an amalgamation of several towns along the Hudson River. My sainted husband and I took a nice long drive up there (it's about an hour and a half from where we live) and spent the day wandering around, poking in shops, sitting in a bar, eavesdropping and reading the local paper. I always prefer to visit an area I'm writing about to get some authentic details for the book...regional phrases or landmarks or food. I love it when I get a letter from someone who says, "How did you know about grape pie?" or the like. It's very gratifying. : )

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I know sometimes research can be tedious and time consuming when researching for a new book, (and yes, Romance writers do a LOT of research), what was the most difficult book to research for? Also, what's the most fun you had while researching for a book?

Kristan Higgins Well, obviously, researching (i.e., drinking) wine for the Blue Heron series was a blast. But not QUITE as fun as sitting in a bakery at 4:30 a.m. eating donuts! That was the research for THE NEXT BEST THING, and man, did I embrace every moment. Note to aspiring writers: set a book in a bakery or chocolate shop.

I really love the research for every book because it helps me get into the character's head so deep. Whether it's PTSD or combat in Afghanistan or baking bread or concert piano pieces, I love learning about new things. The best part of research is talking to the people who've walked that walk. They're always so generous with their time, and the insight they give is invaluable.

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Whatever you are doing , keep doing it ! i keep re-reading your books ... it's like reliving a favorite memory ! thank you for being you ! ( ? )

Kristan Higgins Thank you, Halah! That's the best compliment! xoxoxox!

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I found you by accident--I was looking for Kristin Hannah and ended up on your page somehow. I immediately fell in love with your books. I especially appreciate your writing style and how you approach flawed, but interesting, characters. Who was your favorite couple to write?

Kristan Higgins Ha! That makes up for all the fan mail I get on The Nightingale (one of the best books ever, by the way).

My favorite couple? I like the couples who don't like each other at first... Levi and Faith (THE BEST MAN), Jonathan and Ainsley (ON SECOND THOUGHT). I also loved writing Nick and Harper from MY ONE AND ONLY, because talk about baggage! Also, I imagined that Nick looked like Robert Downey Jr., never a bad thing.

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Dear Kristan, I really loved the Blue Heron novels as well as the individual books and am happy to recommend them to our library patrons. One of the standouts is the relationships between the female characters with the heroine, supportive rather than competitive. Was exploring the relationships of sisters in your most recent novels, (with their emotional baggage and shared memories), easier or more difficult to write?

Kristan Higgins I love writing about sisters, probably because I love my own sister so much! In my upcoming book, NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT, the sisters are estranged. That was a first, I think. It's such a complicated and interesting and inescapable relationship. I can't imagine competing with my sister over anything, but of course, we unconsciously measure ourselves against our sisters...the pretty one, the smart one, the sweet one, whatever it might be. I think it's actually easier to write about complicated relationships because there's simply more material and emotion to explore. Great question!

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I love that you incorporate animals in your stories and that your characters are relatable. Do you have a favorite character and/or book? Do you have any other stories in the works?

Kristan Higgins Hmm. My favorite book tends to be the one that's just out, so in this case, ON SECOND THOUGHT is my favorite, and I have to say, I love Ainsley. She's so generous with her love, very forgiving and kind, and if she's a little ditsy at first, she's also all heart.

Yes, I have another book coming out fairly soon, called NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT, and I'm writing another right now!

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Hi Kristan: I love the humor and heart in your books! My question is what is your writing and exercise routine? Do you exercise before you sit down to write or have a treadmill desk or write then take long walks?

Kristan Higgins I generally go to the gym early in the mornings (which I despise and grumble over EVERY DAY). I don't have a treadmill desk, but I do try to take walks in the woods. I live in an area where our "block " is 2.6 miles around, so I just amble out into the forest and watch the squirrels and deer.

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Hi Kristan! Love your books! My question is you write some of your books in the first person and some in the third. Any particular reason why? Do you prefer one way of writing over the other? Thanks and I can't wait for your new book! Already pre-ordered!

Kristan Higgins It really depends on the book and the characters and how they "speak" to me (I hate to sound new-age and all that, but there it is). Both have their benefits and challenges. Writing from the male perspective is a little harder, but first person can be tricky, too, since nothing stated as fact is necessarily fact...it's just the narrator's perception of how things are.

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