Let’s get things cranking into high gear! Because what’s better than getting to know one author? Two for one, of course! Today, author’s Kayti McGee and Ann Marie Walker share an interview and let us into their personal lives and writing process.
Let’s give them a warm welcome!
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Ann Marie Walker interviews Kayti McGee: Fake relationship wedding themed books
What is your favorite thing about writing series/book with a wedding theme?
Kayti McGee: I’ve never been a bridesmaid, so I’m probably more fascinated by the process than anyone who’s actually DONE it, haha! I also feel like the perpetually single have a plight that must be addressed- with tequila shots, ill-advised promises, and hot DJ’s ideally. If not, stop sticking them at the same sad table, it’s embarrassing! And I think there’s something very satisfying about watching an “always the bridesmaid” story come full-circle.
Ann Marie Walker: The unlimited possibilities for interesting venues! In BLACK TIE OPTIONAL there is a crazy Vegas wedding with Elvis as the minister, Angus Young bearing the rings, and Elvira on the organ. In ICING ON THE CAKE the setting is a small town in Georgia. Of course with an undercover prince in attendance, the quaint town doesn’t stay quiet for long.
Can you tell us about your experience as a bride?
AMW: I married quite young. In fact, we were the first of our friends to marry after college, which meant most everyone was free of obligations that would prevent them from attending. It was truly magical to have over 90 guests travel to Nashville to celebrate with us. What was your wedding like, Kayti?
KM: My wedding was really low-key. Family-only ceremony, Day of the Dead themed reception for friends afterwards. No dancing, no toasts, just a massive buffet and lots of margaritas. My daughter was 10 months at the time, and she peed on my wedding dress. Luckily, it was actually a quinceanera dress, so I was only out about fifty bucks. It may have been a sign, though–I’m divorced now!
What is the craziest thing that has happened at a wedding you attended?
KM: The couple had been pronounced man and wife, kissed, turned to walk down the aisle, when a guest walked in late, clearly intoxicated. She stumbled up the aisle to join them, loudly proclaimed how AMAZING the bride looked, inserted herself between them, and walked them the rest of the way. The entire audience was quiet and no one talked about it afterwards, like they could silence it away. It was the ONLY thing I wanted to talk about! That will have to end up in a book, I suppose. What about you, Ann Marie?
AMW: I once saw a band play one set with an Elvis impersonator. The groomsmen served as his “bodyguards”, escorting him in and out of the ballroom with flashlights. Needless to say, the crowd was sad to eventually hear the words “Elvis has left the building.”
What would you say sets your series/book apart from the other wedding theme series/books out there?
AMW: The comedy. One of my proudest moments was when Library Journal reviewed the first book and called it “laugh-out-loud funny”. Of course I was brought back to earth by my child who innocently added “So you’re just not funny in real life?”
KM: For one, I think I wrote the only nanny/single dad book I can think of where the nanny and the dad aren’t the couple. No Von Trapp moments here. And my heroine isn’t even interested in marriage! I like to subvert the tropes a bit.
Did you have any visual inspiration while “planning” the weddings in this book?
AMW: Yes! I usually draw from places I’ve visited (like the Vegas venues in BLACK TIE…anyone else recognize the pool at Caesar’s Palace?) but I also rely heavily on research. For example, even though I grew up in the south, I’ve never been to Madison Georgia which meant hours on local websites researching everything from the town square to the suites at the local hotel. Did you have any visual inspiration, Kayti?
KM: Gosh, no, I just drew on experience and imagination. The last time I was in San Francisco was so long ago, I wasn’t sure if my references would be current, so I invented most of the locations and just added fog, HAHA. Although the drag club scene was directly inspired by an evening in Savannah at Club One, I made up what my club looked like. Now that Ibiza is on Netflix, I feel like I want a do-over on my visuals. That club! That DJ hero! Very swoony. Oh, my heroine was meant to look/dress/dance like Amy Winehouse, so I guess I did watch a lot of videos of live performances.
So Ann Marie, I was actually nannying when I wrote my book about a nanny, and drew perhaps too heavily on my experiences to write Greta’s character. Did you fan-fic any of your own life into your books, or do any fun research? I always wanted to write a bakery book just to shadow a baker for a couple days.
AMW: I spent nearly an hour watching YouTube videos people posted of their Vegas/Elvis weddings. It was hilarious to say the least!
Notting Hill meets The Prince & Me in Icing on the Cake, the second standalone laugh-out-loud romance in Ann Marie Walker’s Wild Wedding series.
Cassandra Miller doesn’t have time for men. She’s far too busy trying to open a cupcake shop with her silent partner and best friend, not to mention catering her brother’s wedding. And let’s face it, it’s not like Prince Charming is going to stroll into the bakery and sweep her off her feet.
Henry has been a prince his entire life but for one wild wedding he wants to be nothing more than an “Average Joe”, or in this instance, “Average Hank”. However, when a case of mistaken identity and a batch of burned cupcakes ends in a night of passion, Cassie and Hank must decide if theirs is a recipe for disaster or the makings of true romance.
Ann Marie Walker writes steamy books about sexy boys. She’s a fan of fancy cocktails, anything chocolate, and 80s rom-coms. Her super power is connecting any situation to an episode of Friends and she thinks all coffee cups should be the size of a bowl. If it’s December she can be found watching Love Actually but the rest of the year you can find her on Twitter, where she would be happy to talk to you about alpha males, lemon drop martinis or supermodel David Gandy. Ann Marie attended the University of Notre Dame and currently lives in Chicago. She is the author of the Wild Wedding series (Icing on the Cake, Black Tie Optional).
Friends don’t let friends marry the wrong man. But where, oh where, is Mr. Right?
In high school, Greta Steinburg and her two BFFs made a pact: none of them would get married unless they all approved the man in question. Since then, Greta has had her fair share of romantic ups and downs—but now, after her latest failed relationship, she is done. Greta announces that her days of dating are officially over, and she’s kissed the idea of happily-ever-after goodbye. . .
Of course her friends will hear none of it. Instead, they insist that Greta go out with Jon, the hottest new DJ who just happened to be at her sister’s wedding. To get her friends off her back, Greta proposes that they pretend to date. The only problem is, for every fake date they have—from feeding angry rhinos to crashing a kiddie roller-skating party—Jon wants a real one. Each time they get together, their attraction grows. . .and soon there’s no turning back. Could it be that true love requires a leap of faith—and that Jon is the one Greta’s been waiting for all along?
Kayti McGee’s That Thing You Do is a charmingly sexy novel about finding love in the least likely place.
Kayti McGee is a Kansas City native who now calls Colorado home. When she isn’t writing, she’s making up recipes to go with her favorite books. She is the author of Hands Off, Undercovers, and That Thing You Do.
Read more
- Something Borrowed, Something Blue: More in our wedding themed event
- More from Ann Marie Walker
- More from Kayti McGee
- Books with a wedding theme
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