Hi y’all! Guess who I’m chatting with on the blog today? Kristin Rae! I’ll be interviewing her- slam book style! If you wanna get to know more about Kristin and her book, Wish You Were Italian, read on!
The Author
Writer loves
- Romantic comedy movie: Hmmm I like so many! But I could watch While You Were Sleeping over and over. I find it hilarious and endearing. The Wedding Planner is also up there on my list of movies I can watch again and again.
- Gelato flavor: Probably mint. I love the way the flavor itself is cooling to the mouth, if that makes sense haha.
- Love song: It’s not the typical love song in the way you’d think, but I’m hopelessly attached to “Your Love is a Song” by Switchfoot. Everything about it sinks into my soul: the melody, the lyrics, the electric guitar riffs, the rawness of the vocals.
Fill in the blanks
- When I’m not writing, I’m usually… marathoning something on Netflix or reading.
- I usually get my novel ideas from… potential book titles that pop into my head. I know, I’m backwards.
- The hardest thing about writing is… figuring out where to start chapter one.
The Book
Wish You Were Italian focuses on Pippa, who’s traveling around Italy. What can we expect from her character?
A normally cautious teen breaking out of her comfort zone in many ways and embarking on a once in a lifetime journey across Italy with new friends. And of course there are cute boys that make her heart flutter, and we get to see how she deals with the FEELINGS!
I am so psyched to see more of Italy through Pippa’s adventures. Which places should we look forward to reading about and why did you choose these Italian settings?
I started writing ITALIAN with the intention of taking Pippa on the same route through Italy that I took, starting in Rome, Florence, then Cinque Terre. But as the story progressed, I skipped Florence (the one place Pippa was actually supposed to go!), and added places I didn’t get to go but long to: Pompeii, Positano, and the island of Capri.
Your book sounds incredibly fun to read! Without giving too much away, which part of Wish You Were Italian was the most fun for you to write?
I think working on the setting in general was a blast. I got to look back through all my Italy photos and relive my own Italian experience in the name of research! I also really poured myself into the more emotional scenes of my character, and I found that I loved tapping into what exactly makes her tick.
We at Stay Bookish heart romances! What can you say is special about the main character’s love interest? And do tell- how much swoon are we in for?
ALL THE SWOON! I get bored when I read a book without a romance element, so I gave Pippa two boys to sort out feelings for. I know, a love triangle. Roll your eyes if you want, but I worked hard to make it different from the norm. We’ve got a sweet American with crazy curly hair, and a local Italian hunk with broken English. Decisions, decisions!
Dedication
That was a fun interview- thanks, Kristin! We couldn’t be more excited to read your book while eating mint gelato! Book nerds, don’t forget to add Wish You Were Italian to your to-read shelves! Or you know, go buy a copy since it’s out today! If you wish to get updates from Kristin, you can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads!
Want a chance to win WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN? Enter the giveaway below:
21 Responses
I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about this book around the book blog community lately. I want to read this book because it’s set in Italy and I get to learn more about the place <33
I loved that Kristen likes to marathon Netflix. I can’t wait to read this book because I love the cover. I know don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but it’s so pretty.
The book has been on my ‘to read’ shelf on goodreads ever since and omg i can’t wait to read it!! Thanks for the chance!! <3 I REALLY LOVE THE COVER TBH HIHI
I was so excited to write a comment, I didn’t notice that there’s a question that i need to answer omfg
A: I’m really excited to read the book because it’s set in Italy!! and I’m looking forward to meet the “American guy with crazy curly hair” and the “local Italian hunk with broken English” LOLOL
I’m really looking forward to the descriptions of Italy and reading a book set in a different country!
I’ve been looking forward to Wish You Were Italian for such a long time and I loved reading all of Kristin’s answers! High five for mint flavoured gelato and marathoning Netflix. I don’t really write very often but when I do, I get inspiration from a title too. I’m now even more excited for Wish You Were Italian! I haven’t ever been to Italy so I’m definitely interested in joining Pippa in a trip to Italy!
Oh, Italy. Another beautiful country next to France and the United Kingdom
I would love to know more about Italy! I’ve never been there, so it would be awesome if I could read the book!
I absolutely loved reading what Kristin had to say about Pippa’s character! She definitely managed to make Pippa a character who was real, relatable and easy to root for.
the mint-flavored gelato was coool. hahaha.
My favorite part is about the gelato. Love all kinds! I look forward to seeing if my guess about who Pippa ends up with is correct.
the why did she choose these Italian settings part
I think the last question is really interesting. I’m looking forward to what she means by “different from the norm”. I think I’d like that kind of love triangle.
The whole italian things is just exciting. Wanna get the copy so bad!
I specifically loved when she said ALL THE SWOON! I know that this novel will definitely provide that!
I’m excited to read the different places in Italy they’ll go to since I’ve only seen them on TV and not fully. Maybe an imaginary tour would be fun.
I hope they mention lots and lots of gelato!
Excited to read this book! It’s set in Italy and it deals with sorting out feelings ( I need this book. )!!
This is top 3 in my summer TBR list, I hope I finish the other two books already so I can gush all over this!
Oh btw, the setting(the lovely Italy) is something I really look forward to!
I really want to win! :)
Everyone wants to break out of character and I personally have Italy on my dream destinations list! It will be nice to see the place through Pippa’s eyes… :)
I want to read about the different personalities of the two guys :)