1—How did you come up with the title for LUCK AND LAST RESORTS?
I REALLY wanted another alliterative L title after Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, but was told not to reuse the word “love.” Ollie’s ultimatum is a last resort to make his and Nina’s relationship real, so that part was easy. Ollie is also Irish, so that got me thinking about the “luck” element, and I wove more about luck into the book after deciding on the title.
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Luck and Last Resorts is an angsty second-chance romance between a commitment-phobic yacht stewardess and a hot-headed Irish chef who has had an on-again-off-again friends-with-benefits relationship for nearly a decade. Think Below Deck meets Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Seeing as the entire premise is about Nina and Ollie being stuck on a yacht together for four months, that part was easy!
4--Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Absolutely. Nina can be prickly and unreasonable, but she is fun, loyal, and fierce. She’s the friend who will take you for a drive at 2 am when you can’t sleep, or will buy something that reminds her of you just because. She’s the friend you’d call to bury a dead body.
5--What are three words that describe your hero?
Grumpy, Irish, foodie, need I say more?
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned that gymnasts can use any song for their floor routines, as long as it doesn’t have lyrics.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are done?
This has changed over time. With my first book, Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, I wrote straight through entire drafts. With Luck and Last Resorts, there was a bit more revising as I went along, but I still had the first draft fairly early. With the book I’m working on now, Last Call at the Local, I still don’t have a full draft and it is due in a month and a half, but that’s because I am revising piece by piece as I go along.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Oreos. Hot take, but original Oreos are better than double-stuffed Oreos.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I have a beautiful sunroom with a lot of natural light! I love it but didn’t think it through because it doesn’t have a door (and I have two young children) and I like to write in the mornings, but the sun is so bright that sometimes I can’t write there. (Also I have gotten a sunburn sitting at my desk INSIDE my house before.)
10--Who is an author you admire?
I’m pretty sure there is no one kinder or more generous than Elizabeth Everett, author of the Secret Scientists of London series.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang and Do Nothing by Celeste Headlee are two recent reads that have drastically impacted how I approach my creative life.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
When we submitted to love, lists, and fancy ships, it was an exclusive submission to Kerry Donovan at Berkley, my dream editor at my dream imprint, so I knew the day I would be getting my yes or no. I didn’t eat the entire day. It was just after five when my agent finally called me and I burst into tears. After the call, I ate a slice of pizza and drank two glasses of champagne, and woke up with the worst hangover I’ve ever had. I do not recommend champagne on an empty stomach when you are a person who hardly drinks in the first place!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
It’s a tie between romance and nonfiction related to psychology and science.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Pride and Prejudice (2005 version). I don’t rewatch movies (or reread books for that matter) but the 2005 P&P is a movie I am always up to watch.
15--What is your favorite season?
It’s a tie between Fall and Spring.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Birthdays aren’t a big deal to me, so I just like to spend the day doing my favorite things, playing music, getting coffee, and writing. Nothing exciting.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The Great North! If you love Bob’s Burgers, you HAVE to watch it.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Thai food.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Hahahahaha, what is this free time you speak of? Just kidding. I love to play music or draw. I don’t watch TV or movies, so I am always doing some sort of creative activity in my spare time.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
My third book Last Call at the Local comes out next summer! It is about Ollie’s younger brother Jack and takes place in Ireland! Last Call at the Local is about a free-spirited American singer-songwriter with ADHD who finds herself stranded in Ireland and teams up with a charming tattooed local who has OCD to revamp the pub he inherited from his father.
Commitment-phobe Nina Lejeune lives by two rules:
1. Always have fun.
2. Don’t rely on anyone but yourself.
The first rule is easy; the second, she's only broken once.
Ten years after fleeing home, Nina is the chief stewardess on the super yacht Serendipity, single by choice, and perfectly content with how life has turned out.
But Nina’s ex-coworker and old flame, Irish chef Ollie Dunne, isn’t so happy with the status quo. One year after leaving yachting, he's returned as the Serendipity’s chef with an ultimatum: if Nina continues to deny she's in love with him by the end of this charter season, he'll go back to Ireland for good.
Nina and Ollie's shared secret from their past threatens to shipwreck not only their relationship, but the entire boat. But as their connection grows amidst chaotic guests and crew drama, could there be smooth sailing in their future?
Romance Comedy | Romance Contemporary [Berkley, On Sale: August 9, 2022, Trade Size / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593335444 / eISBN: 9780593335444]
Sarah Grunder Ruiz is a writer, educator, and karaoke enthusiast. Originally from South Florida, she now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband and two children. She holds an MFA in creative writing from North Carolina State University, where she now teaches First-Year Writing.
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