We chatted with the writer of this week’s Winter Break series about finding inspiration, and the power of creative limitations. Does the name or photo ring a bell for you…? Sara Shepard is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game, as well as the series The Perfectionists. AND… that’s not all! Stay tuned for Sara’s epic series: The Cruise Ship, coming this spring!
Meet Cute: Were there any specific flashes of inspiration that you brought into these stories?
Sara Shepard: For the first story, I definitely drew inspiration from my favorite game at the moment, ANIMAL CROSSING! Two characters realize they've met in a game and liked one another, and though that can't quite happen in Animal Crossing, I wish it could! But at the very least, Animal Crossing fans could go on dates in their respective islands. Adorable! For the second story, I channeled my desire to be going to office holiday parties this year-- ugh, hopefully next year! And for the third story, I thought about what a fun new year's party would be like at a retirement community...with a very strange prize for the bingo winner that I thought was funny when I was younger.
MC: What was exciting to you about writing for Meet Cute?
SS: I was excited to write Meet Cute stories A) because they’re a full tale from start to finish in about fifteen minutes, which made me think about being concise while still sharing a lot of fun details about the characters so we really root for them; B) I loved the "act breaks" -- in five minute increments-- as it made me think about chapters of a book; and C) though my books often include romance and comedy, those aren't the things I'm known for, and here's a secret: I LOVE ROMANCE AND COMEDY.
MC: How did you spend your winter break this year?
SS: I spent my winter break, like most people, in something of a quarantine (luckily, no one in my household got sick!). We did get some snow in Pennsylvania, though, so we did some sledding, snowman building, and long dog walks with our new puppy. In previous years I might have gone skiing or out to dinner a lot or to a cabin with family, but these days, you gotta find joy in the little moments!
Thanks so much to Sara for sharing her thoughts with us! Make sure to keep up with her on Twitter (@sarabooks) and Instagram (@saracshepard).
✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨
Places, please! Lights up on our new series…
Sure, there’s a high school musical… but this is’t your babysitter’s Disney Channel! Make sure to subscribe to Meet Cute wherever you get your podcasts so you don’t miss a beat of these teenaged drama queens… and the original music composed, performed, and recorded just for Meet Cute! Take a sneak peek listen to ‘Lover Be Gone,’ by the Lazour Brothers, performed by Gaby Honig.
Look for new stories in the Extracurricular series next Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨
And now, I can’t stop thinking about High School Musical…
So, please enjoy this HSM2 blooper reel I spent way too long watching last night. They were so young. We were all… so young… 😓👼
✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨
Love Meet Cute? Need a new mug for your Throat Coat tea?
We’re trying something new! If you love Meet Cute, do us a favor and tell your friends about us. As a special thank you, if you share the podcast, we’ll send you a free Meet Cute coffee thermos. Sign up here!
✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨✨❄️⛄️💖⛄️❄️✨
🎧 TUNE IN 🎧
Via the links below, or search for “Meet Cute” wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to keep up with new releases and throw us a FIVE STAR rating (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟) if you’re listening on Apple.