That Time I Interviewed Jenny Han!

Thanks to Chester County Book Company, I had the opportunity to help out at their event for Jenny Han to celebrate the release of P.S. I Still Love You. Now if you know me, you know that Jenny Han is hands down one of my favorite authors, if not my FAVORITE.  I adore her Summer series and really love To All the Boys I've Loved Before as well. Her writing is perfection and I love the way she portrays families, friends, and love. For me, Jenny Han can do no wrong, so having this opportunity was really exciting, but also nerve-wracking for a super fan like me!

Thankfully, she was very, very nice and so easy to talk to. Side note: I also was really obsessed with her shoes and outfit.  She's got a great fashion sense.

Here I am interviewing Jenny Han. Photo courtesy of Chester County Books

Anyway, back to the interview! It was a live Q&A session in front of the people that came for the signing, so that was a lot of fun and a little bit different than I expected.  I asked Jenny all of those questions that I had been wondering for years. Here are some of the highlights:

1) What was her inspiration for The Summer I Turned Pretty? Is Cousins Beach real? Can I go there? 
Spending summers with family and family friends in the same beach house is what inspired this book. She took some inspiration from Nags Head, North Carolina where she vacationed with family for many years.

2) Which character does she relate to the most? 
Lara Jean from To All the Boys I've Loved Before

3) Kitty is one of my favorite secondary characters in To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Who is she based on and can she have a spin-off? 
Her own sister! (No sequels for spin-offs were mentioned)

4) What happened with the possible The Summer I Turned Pretty TV show and any other possible movies or TV shows in the works?
The option expired. (Cue my tears.) However, To All the Boys I've Loved Before has been optioned by Overbrook Entertainment (Will Smith's company) and Will Smith is set to produce it. Fingers crossed we get to see this on the big screen!

5) What book is she currently loving right now? 
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. It was interesting to hear her talk a bit about this book and how she used it to organize things, everything but her shoes though. (love that!)  Her favorite book of all-time: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

6) What is on her Netflix queue? 
Everything from Outlander, to 24, to some British shows.  She talked about how binging on shows has kept her up till the wee hours of the morning and before she knows it, it's 6am. 

Another shot of the interview - photo courtesy of Chester County Books

I also loved hearing her talk about random things, like her love for Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I could see some similarities between that classic and the sisters in To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Their love of being home, spending time together, baking, etc. I never really made that connection till she mentioned it. 

The the audience members got to ask some questions and then it moved to the signing portion of the evening. It was truly a memorable experience. I could have talked to her all night! 

I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. If you haven't read The Summer I Turned Pretty or To All the Boys I've Loved Before you must check out both series. The books are contemporary young adult literature at its best.