First I have to say, that When We Had Forever was such an amazing book. I didn’t want it to end! When did you first come up with the storyline?
Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! This is a great question because the answer is probably not what people expect. I first got the idea for this book shortly after my twin girls were born—they were a couple of months old, sleep deprivation had set in, and my mind would wander in the strangest directions sometimes. One night I was feeding them at 3 am and I looked down and wondered what kind of wild tricks they’d play on people someday (they’re identical) and suddenly the idea for When We Had Forever just arrived in my brain, fully formed. I’m afraid to say much more than that because I don’t want to give anything away!
What made you decide to set the novel in Washington State and the Seattle area?
Ah. Another great question! For me, that area of the country is inextricably tied to feelings of freedom, and to the headiness of new love. Before I got married, my husband and I spent 7 months living in our van up in Washington State, British Columbia, and Alaska. That was a magical time in my life—it was my first truly healthy relationship, and it felt like a new part of me was waking up every day. For me, that’s what When We Had Forever is about—living well, fully, and boldly—so it felt natural to me to set the book in the place in which I’d opened my eyes in that way.
You have identical twin daughters, did they inspire you to feature identical twins in the novel?
Absolutely yes 😉 Though I hope they grow up to like each other more than Grayson and Michael did!
Your other novels are set in the fantasy world. What was it like going from the world of fantasy to the world we live in?
Refreshing ☺ I actually love being able to switch back and forth, it makes the writing process feel new and different to me each time, which helps keep me engaged. It also prevents writing from feeling like work. And my passion for contemporary romance vs romantasy seems to cycle—right now I’m very much feeling the contemporary vibe and am itching to start my next book. But next year I’ll probably be aching to get back to romantasy again.
Tell me about the research process for the book.
Wait, was I supposed to do research? Ha. Kidding. Sort of. I’m not sure that I did much, as so many aspects of this book are repurposed from my own life. For example, my husband is a mountaineer, so Grayson’s relentless mountain climbing felt very natural to write about. I’m also an avid traveler and have been to…70-plus countries? Something like that? So the little tidbits about Tibet and Egypt, etc., were all drawn from my personal well. The one thing I really needed help with was the airplane mechanics, as I needed a plane to crash in this book in a very specific way! But luckily my dad is a pilot. I described the scenario I needed and he came up with the boost pump failure explanation. To be honest, it was (and still is) all Greek to me, but I had him read over that section multiple times and he’s assured me it makes sense.
What was the hardest scene to write?
Oooooh I don’t know how to answer this without revealing too much, hehe. But all the scenes where Mina makes herself smaller to accommodate a partner who’s, at his core, frightened of truly living, was tough. A big part of me was screaming, “DON’T DO IT, GIRL!” the whole time. But then of course I had to make her do it. It was a very strange form of cognitive dissonance, kind of like watching a car crash, only you’re the one making it happen and you feel really, really terrible about it.
That twist was amazing. I have to admit I was starting to have my suspicions, but that I was right was so rewarding! Did you have the plan for the twist from the very beginning, or did it come to you along the way?
Ah! I love that you guessed! Most people don’t. I’ve gotten so many DMs in all caps that just say “SHAYLIN WHAT OMG!” I think I get a new pair of little devil horns each time, which delights me. But yes, I knew going in what the twist would be, and I built the entirety of the book around that reveal.
If When We Had Forever were to be turned into a feature film, who would you imagine in the roles of Mina, Michael/Grayson, and Kate?
Ooh, what a fun question! For me, Grayson is and forever will be David Entinghe, especially because of the way his face has changed over the years (how is this man more attractive now than he was 14 years ago? Where do I sign up for aging that way?). Mina would probably be a Natalie Portman type, and I imagine Kate to look like Gisele Bundchen.
Are you working on your next novel, and if so can we get a sneak peek?
It’s already finished and should come out in December of 2025! It’s called Love Letters for Other People, and it’s about a woman who gets swept off her feet by a man who writes her these incredible love letters. Except he’s actually paying her high school boyfriend (the one she never got over, and who *definitely* never got over her) to write them. It’s a messy, emotional book (much like When We Had Forever) and was very loosely inspired by Cyrano de Bergarac.
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