The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen
Taylor Simmons is screwed.
Things were hard enough when her single-minded dedication to her studies earned her the reputation of being an Ice Queen, but after getting drunk at a party and waking up next to bad boy surfer Evan McKinley, the entire school seems intent on tearing Taylor down with mockery and gossip.
Desperate to salvage her reputation, Taylor persuades Evan to pretend they’re in a serious romantic relationship. After all, it’s better to be the girl who tames the wild surfer than just another notch on his surfboard.
Big thanks to Jenn for allowing me to interview her! (My questions are bolded.)
Tell us about your book in 140 characters.
After waking up in bed with bad boy surfer, Evan, Taylor must find a way to salvage her reputation. Even if it means faking a relationship.
How long did it take you to write / formulate the plot for the story?
It actually didn’t take me very long to write THE WAY TO GAME THE WALK OF SHAME. Only a few months to work out the outline and write the story. The editing…was another story.
Without spoilers, what was your favorite scene to write?
Hands down, the first scene was the easiest and most fun to write. It was so much fun to write about Taylor’s freakouts and army crawling across the bedroom floor to avoid getting caught.
Who was your favorite or least favorite character to write?
It’s a toss up between Evan’s mother and Carly. They’re both so outspoken and spunky. And they help push Taylor and Evan into making decisions they wouldn’t necessarily make on their own.
Where did the idea for your book originate from?
I wish that I could say it came to me in a dream or that I was driving down a road and the beautiful leaves inspired me or something cool like that, but unfortunately no. A couple of years ago, I was watching a Korean drama (can’t remember which one) and it had one of those love at first sight/instant chemistry relationships, but they couldn’t be together for some reason. While those stories are great, I couldn’t help thinking about how much fun it would have been if they didn’t like each other at first and were forced to act like a loving couple in front of everyone. Then I started brainstorming about why they would have to be together and the love contract (along with Taylor and Evan) was formed.
Tell us about your publishing journey.
How much time do you have? Lol I started writing and querying my first book about eight years ago. I was still a newbie then and made tons of mistakes, both with the book and with querying. But I learned and tried again. And again. And again. THE WAY TO GAME was my fifth book and it actually caught the attention of two agents. I worked with one for nearly two years before parting ways. She was a great editor with business insight, but I felt her client list was too big for me. A few months later, I read A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT and was surprised to see that it was published by Swoon Reads. So I decided to take a chance and submit to them even though I didn’t really think I had a chance. Only two months later, I got the call from Swoon and here I am. 🙂
Jenn Nguyen fell in love with books in third grade and spent the rest of her school years reading through lunchtime and giving up recess to organize the school library. She has a degree in business administration from the University of New Orleans and still lives in the city with her husband. Jenn spends her days reading, dreaming up YA romances, and binge watching Korean dramas all in the name of ‘research’. The Way to Game the Walk of Shame is her debut novel.
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[…] This month, I got to interview Jenn Nguyen, author of The Way to Game the Walk of Shame not once, but twice! Once was for XPresso Tours and the other was for Nori @ Read Write Love 28‘s SST. […]
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Thank you so much for being an awesome member of the SST!
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Thank you, Nori!! xx
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