Andie J. Christopher is a USA Today Bestselling author of sexy contemporary romance. I read her story in the ROGUE ACTS anthology and, soon after, a piece she wrote for Cosmopolitan on being a romance author in the #MeToo moment. Both of them convinced me that everyone ought to be reading her work.
Today, she's here to talk about that article, her books, and what's coming up!
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Your piece for Cosmo was fabulous and honest and kind of painful to read. What prompted you to write it and how has writing romance changed your dating life?
When I wrote the tweet thread that lead to one of the Cosmo editors contacting me, it seemed as though there was a new man being accused of sexual misconduct every day. For some reason, the story about Aziz Ansari just gutted me. Not because of the severity of the accusations, but because of how common that kind of interaction is. And the fact that he held himself out as some sort of romance expert—an award-winning romantic comedy creator—really upset me. Because I’d had similar experiences, I felt compelled to say something from the somewhat unique perspective of someone who writes romance and creates ideal sexual interactions for my characters. It was a vulnerable thing, but mostly dealt with things that I had processed privately.
As for my dating life, writing romance has certainly helped me weed out literary snobs right away. And writing on top of a full-time day job has sadly curtailed my own efforts to find love. I’m completely over using dating apps because I find them terribly abusive and draining, but one of my resolutions this year is to get out more (likely with my laptop) and meet a guy in real life.
I loved your story in ROGUE ACTS. It was your first m/m romance, correct? Will you be writing any more LGBTQ+ stories in the future?
Yes, BRAND NEW BIKE was my first m/m romance! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. And it won’t be my last. As a cisgendered, heterosexual woman, I want to support #ownvoices LGBTQ+ writers and make sure I’m not occupying too much of that space. But, I also want to make sure that I give all of my characters the HEA that they deserve. As I build new casts of characters, I want to make sure they’re inclusive, and I definitely want to write more LGBTQ+ stories.
The final book in the One Night in South Beach series, ALL HOURS, is also an m/m romance. My elevator pitch for that book is “gay, Cuban Gordon Ramsey and Puerto Rican Antoni from Queer Eye as dueling chefs.” I’m working on that book now, and I think it will be really sexy and fun.
Why South Beach?
One of my closest friends from college married a wonderful man from Miami, and I spent a lot of time in the city before, during and after the wedding. When I sat down to write STROKE OF MIDNIGHT, I wanted to find a really fun, glamorous, diverse location to set the book in. South Beach seemed like the perfect choice.
My next book, BEFORE DAYLIGHT, features a native Midwesterner, Charlie, who relocated to Miami after a messy divorce. And then, he and a principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet get drunkenly married at a wedding in Bali. The heroine, Laura, is one of my favorite heroines because she does NOT want to be married, especially to Charlie, a charming former rake. Watching him charm the pants off of her and worm his way into her guarded heart will hopefully be as much of a pleasure for readers as it was for me!
What does Gus (her super-cute French bulldog) think of your writing? Is he a helper or a hinder-er?
Gus loves to snuggle up while I write on the couch or next to my feet if I work at my desk, but he definitely doesn’t like it when I’m on a deadline and can’t pay him all the attention that he wants—all of the attention. All of it.
What's next?
What I'm working on next is a series of rom-coms for Berkley that I am incredibly excited about. I wanted to write something that has the feel of an early-aughts romantic comedy, but with a more diverse cast and some updated gender politics. I can't wait for readers to meet these characters. Honestly, the hero is the swooniest I've ever written.
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Andie's next book, BEFORE DAYLIGHT, comes out April 17, 2018 and you can pick it up at these lovely retailers: Amazon, iBooks, Kobo
Here's the blurb:
Perfect Strangers
Ballerina Laura Delgado is just one solo away from a dream job with the New York City Ballet. Then a drunken pas de deux at her cousin’s wedding results in the one thing she never wanted—a husband. TV producer Charlie Laughlin may be deliciously kissable, but she needs him offstage now, and out of her life.
Perfect Disaster
Charlie’s ready for marriage and kids, and on the lookout for just the right woman. Laura doesn’t fit the bill at all—but Charlie can’t stop thinking about the sultry way they moved together. And he can’t help but wonder if he can change the gorgeous dancer’s mind about leaving Miami with heated kisses that promise as much as they demand . . .
Perfect Partners
Annulling their sham marriage is all Laura wants—until she gets to New York and realizes that leaving Charlie behind is easier said than done. Can a relationship that began as a hot mistake become the kind of love that will last forever?
You can find more about Andie and her books at www.andiejchristopher.com or follow her on Twitter @authorandiej!
