Today Heroes and Heartbreakers welcomes author Miranda Kenneally, whose Catching Jordan and new release, Stealing Parker, out now, both feature strong friendships that just might lead to more... A fan of Friends to Lovers as a reader as well, Miranda's here to share her thoughts on and favorite examples of the trope. Thanks, Miranda!
(Be sure to stick around 'til the very end of the post to learn how to enter for a chance to win a copy of Stealing Parker!)
Several years ago, my boyfriend (now husband) asked me to go out on a double date with his friends. We loaded up in his friend’s car, and five minutes down the road, I became terribly ill and got sick in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot. (Sorry… too much info, I imagine.) Anyhow – my husband stuck with me, and so did his friends!
The best relationships are built on friendship… I think all of us are a little bit in love with the idea of falling for a friend. Friends see us at our best and our worst—They see us laugh when we’re watching funny movies together. They see us cry. And yes, they see us get sick.
I think readers enjoy stories where friends fall in love because we all hope we’ll find true love. I bet that everyone has had a crush on a friend at some point, and sometimes the friendship becomes more, but sometimes it doesn’t.
Being in close proximity to a person makes us grow more comfortable and it might make us see romance when it’s not really there. In college, I worked with a guy and thought I was falling hard for him. It didn’t work out. Now I look back and say, “What was I thinking? He wore skinny European suits and drank espresso for god’s sake, and I like guys who wear sloppy T-shirts and eat meatball subs.”
I’m all for friends falling in love with each other, but it’s important to make sure it’s the real thing – not something that manifests itself because of comfort and close proximity.
When I’m writing my novels, I love exploring relationships that develop between friends and acquaintances, and while I can’t say if my characters will stay together in the long run – I try to build them a platform for which true love and a strong relationship is a possibility.
I look for strong relationships as a reader too. Here are some of my favorite books that feature friends who become more than friends:
Kristin Cashore's Graceling: Katsa and Po become great friends as they practice their fighting skills with each other. Katsa is scared of becoming attached to a man, but Po’s kindness and love win her over! (I also love this book because it is the epitome of Girl Power.)
Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty: What a great summer romance! (And a great series.) Belly has been in love with Conrad for years, and now that she’s 15 years old, Conrad finally starts to see her as a girl, not just a friend of the family.
Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games series: Katniss develops relationships with both Gale, her best friend since she was a child, and Peeta, a longtime acquaintance.
J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series: Ron and Hermione! I never was a Harry/Hermione shipper, and was thrilled when Ron and Hermione got together. But they had to get a lot of flirting and kissing all the wrong people out of the way first. (And I think we all need to do a bit of experimenting with the wrong people, just to make sure we know what we want in life.)
Lisa Kleypas's Seduce Me at Sunrise: I have to throw a romance novel in here! In this book, Merripen – a gypsy – has lived with Win’s aristocratic family for most of his life. Win and Merripen grow up together, falling in love at the same time.
To enter for a chance to win 1 of 2 copies of Miranda Kenneally's Stealing Parker, make sure you’re a registered member of the site, and then simply leave a comment about the post below.*
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A purchase does not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes open to legal residents of fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, who are 18 or older. To enter, fill out entry at http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2012/10/author-miranda-kenneally-on-when-friends-fall-in-love beginning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) October 30, 2012. Sweepstakes ends at 9:29 p.m. ET on November 5, 2012 (the “Promotion Period”). Void outside of the 50 US and DC and where prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules at http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/page/official-rules-miranda-kenneallys-stealing-parker-comment-sweepstakes. Sponsor: Macmillan, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010.
To learn more or to purchase a copy Miranda Kenneally's Stealing Parker:
Miranda Kenneally is the author of CATCHING JORDAN, STEALING PARKER, and THINGS I CAN'T FORGET (March 2013). Miranda is the co-creator of Dear Teen Me. The Dear Teen Me Anthology will be published on October 31, 2012. She enjoys reading and writing young adult literature, and loves Star Trek, music, sports, Mexican food, Twitter, coffee, and her husband. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook. Miranda is represented by Sara Megibow at Nelson Literary Agency.
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Meet Miranda! Beginning November 1, Miranda Kenneally and fellow contemporary YA authors Janet Gurtler (Who I Kissed) and sister-writing team Lisa and Laura Roecker (Lies That Bind) will hit the road as part of GET REAL: Contemps on Tour, a celebration of realistic fiction for teens that tells it like it is: Real Issues. Real Drama. Real Stories. To learn more, visit GET REAL's official site and Facebook fan page.
