Christina Lauren | The Epic Year (Or Why We Are Wonderfully Exhausted)

We live in separate states, but it’s starting to feel like we are roommates. 2014 was an epic year of book-related travel, and although it was exhausting, meeting readers is absolutely our favorite part of this business. Our trips this year included: Anaheim, San Francisco, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Greenville, New Orleans, New York, London, Los Angeles, Orlando, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Oban, San Diego, Chicago, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Huntington Beach, Salt Lake City, Denver, Portland, New York, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, Charleston, Dallas, Austin, Houston.

We still look at each other and say, “What is this life!?” We are so lucky, and have had the most amazing time we could ever imagine. Some highlights from the year include:

The Belles on Wheels Bus Tour (May): Ten authors and our Gallery Team on a tour bus and shenanigans were a Sure Thing. With busmates including Alice Clayton, Kresley Cole, Jen Probst, Emma Chase and several others, we were destined to have the time of our lives. It was like summer camp: intense, wonderful and exhausting. When we got home, it felt like we left a piece of our hearts on the bus.

Launch of SWEET FILTHY BOY (May): SWEET FILTHY BOY is the first book in the Wild Seasons series, and we found out how scary it is to start a new series . . . and how rewarding. The book came out while we were on the bus, and not only did it win the RT Seal of Excellence for May, it also was our 7th book in a row to hit the New York Times bestseller list. We are proud of this one, and love DIRTY ROWDY THING just as much. This new series has been a blast so far.

Scotland Author Event (July): Christina visited London with her family in June, and so Lo and her husband took off for the Scotland event together while Christina watched Lo’s kids at home. The event was amazing—well organized and of course it was fabulous to meet new readers and authors alike, but it was the tour of the mind-blowing countryside afterwards that has us already scheduling a return trip in summer 2015.

San Diego Comic Con (July): We’ve been going to this event for years, and only in the last two has it been work-related. This year we were programmed in several events, but our favorite by far was the Reading Series at the Horton Grand Theater where we sat on a panel with Alice Clayton and Kresley Cole and read from our books, answered questions from the audience and moderator-extraordinaire Kate Spencer, and tried to keep our minds together while we watched the GAME OF THRONES PANEL!

Trip to Brazil (August): It’s nearly impossible to put this trip into words. Brazilian readers are passionate beyond compare, and we felt like we were meeting family at every stop. With hundreds of readers waiting up to sixteen hours to get their books signed, we were honored and blown away by the enthusiasm, as well as the warmth of everyone who came to say hi. Brazil? We will be back as soon as we can manage it.

Dirty Rowdy books: This book has a special place in our hearts because we were drafting it when Lo’s father passed away, and somehow we both took a few weeks off, and then rallied to get it in before deadline. It simply poured out of us, and feels like it has so much of our heart and humor in the pages. We can’t wait for readers to get their hands on this one, and hope they love it just as much as we do. Keep an eye out for scene-stealers Ansel and Oliver.

About DIRTY ROWDY THING

From the New York Times bestselling author of BEAUTIFUL BASTARD, BEAUTIFUL STRANGER, and BEAUTIFUL PLAYER, Book Two of the brand-new Wild Seasons series that started with SWEET FILTHY BOY—a story of friends, love, and lust.

Despite their rowdy hookups, Harlow and Finn don’t even like each other...which would explain why their marriage lasted only twelve hours. He needs to be in charge and takes whatever he wants. She lives by the Want-something-done? Do-it-yourself mantra. Maybe she’s too similar to the rugged fisherman—or just what he needs.

Pre-order DIRTY ROWDY THING today, out November 4!