Lanie’s been unlucky in love all her life. Her search for someone who will just love her for who she is has alluded her, until she runs into a man who just might check all the boxes… well I should say, he runs into her.
While in the airport on the way to reunite with family in England, (and her childhood crush who just happens to be marrying her cousin) Lanie is more than a little skeptical about how she’s going to handle the whole ‘maid of honor’ duties not to mention the additional task of being ‘best mate’ to Jonah (aka her longtime crush.)
On the trip she is seated next to Dr. Ridley Aronson (a widower and single father) aka the jerk who ran into her just to get to the head of the line to board the plane. Over the next several hours she finds herself befriending that handsome stranger, with the possibilities of where this could go quite literally up in the air.
In this Q&A, Author Noué Kirwan gives us an inside look into her sophomore novel now that it has hit the bookshelves including her favorite scene from the book and which character she identifies with the most.
Your sophomore novel, Frequent Fliers released in August. When did you first come up with the concept for the novel?
Quite a few years ago actually. I was already an avid traveler and I briefly had a job that included some travel. In doing that, I met lots of people on flights, on trips etc. The idea seemed to be a natural outgrowth of all that international travel.
Tell me about your writing process. Do you like to plot chapter by chapter or just see where the story takes you?
I’m what you’d call a “pantser” in that I “fly by the seat of my pants” when crafting my stories. I do always have a general idea of what the core story is and I did make a very rough outline for Frequent Fliers. But I tend to go where the story and the characters take me.
Was a love triangle in the plan from the beginning or is it something that sort of developed along the way?
I’m not sure how to answer that because I don’t really think of Lanie’s relationships with either Jonah and Ridley or Gemma and Jonah as love triangles. In each case, one leg: Lanie and Jonah’s, was long over (if it ever really even existed in the way that she imagined it). Lanie just didn’t realize it. This was where the idea in the book of “limerence” originated. If limerence is primarily the desire to be desired, what Lanie wanted from Jonah was for him to reciprocate her feelings, which he never truly did. And as her friend Narcisa tells her, limerence is not love.
Which of the characters from the book do you identify with the most?
Lanie, definitely. I see a lot of my own blind spots and foibles in her. Also, I did that back and forth from New York to London for a few years myself.
What was your favorite scene to write?
The London Eye scene. I don’t want to spoil it by describing it too much. But it was very fun to write and the research was enjoyable too. A second favorite of mine is the wedding scene, for the same reasons.
A review about your debut Long Past Summer novel was featured in well-known publications such as Essence, Bustle, PopSugar. What was it like to see praise for your work in print?
Surreal. I was incredibly gratified and thankful for the good notices. But honestly, I couldn’t believe it! It made me feel like, “Oh, maybe I CAN do this writing thing!”
Who are some of your fellow authors who inspire you?
I really love the breadth of Alyssa Cole’s work in various genres, Talia Hibbert and Denise Williams write romance and chemistry amazingly, Nikki Payne has a gift for humor that I’m envious of. But for the last couple of years, I think I’ve been most enamored with what I’ve read of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work.
Are you working on your next book and if so, can we get a sneak peek?
I am. I can’t say much about it though. I think it may be a small departure from my first two books in genre. It may– fingers crossed– surprise people.
Order your copy of Frequent Fliers.
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