Lexi Blake: On Real-Life Inspiring Romantic Conflict
New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake discusses writing her new romance novel, Bayou Beloved.
New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. Since starting her publishing journey in 2010, she’s sold over three million copies of her books.
She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings.
Connect with Lexi online at LexiBlake.net, or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok.
In this post, Lexi discusses writing her new romance novel, Bayou Beloved, her hope for readers, and more!
Name: Lexi Blake
Literary agent: Kevan Lyon
Book title: Bayou Beloved
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: March 28, 2023
Genre/category: Contemporary romance
Previous titles:; Bayou Dreaming; Bayou Beauty; and Bayou Sweetheart
Elevator pitch for the book: Lawyer Jayna Cardet returns to her hometown, but it’s only a pit stop. Can Quaid—the opposing counsel in a quirky lawsuit—convince her to stay in Papillon for the long haul?
What prompted you to write this book?
The hero showed up in the first book of the series, and I knew he would need a story. But real life prompted the lawsuit that brings Jayna and Quaid together. A few years ago, we built a pool and beautiful backyard space. Our fence is lined on the other side with huge trees that block out everything. Until the day the gas station—which is way closer than it seemed—took down one of those trees, and now I get to watch people pump gas. No, I did not handle the problem the way Geraldine did. You’re welcome, citizens of Arlington.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
Idea to publication is almost always around a year for me. Sometimes a bit longer depending on where it ends up getting slotted. The biggest change was Jayna’s sister and Quaid’s brother ended up playing much bigger roles than I expected.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Not really. I’ve worked with this team for a long time, so it was smooth sailing.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I meant for Paul to be the bad guy in this book. He’s Quaid’s brother, and they have a long, complex history. At some time during the writing process, I started to see things from his point of view, and he became a deeper character for me.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope they get a few hours of fun and that it reinforces the idea that we’re all worthy of love and respect.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Don’t move in behind a gas station. No matter how many trees there seem to be.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
