Happy Sunday everyone! Today we have the fabulous writing duo of Andi James and Lila Wilde here to chat about their amazing new book, Tony & His Tiger. It’s book three in their Oh My! Series and it’s out now!
1. What’s your process of co-writing? Do you each take a POV, or do you both write different chapters, or is it more of a blend? Do you Skype or work on a collab document?
Andi James [A]: All of the above? LOL. We do sort of each take a POV, but inevitably we’ll end up writing from the other POV as well. Sometimes it depends on what the scene is, sometimes we split chapters, sometimes we’ll each write two chapters in a row. Whatever works, really.
Lila Wilde [L]: Yup. We’ve even worked on stuff real-time together, each adding sentences to paragraphs. It just depends on what works best for the situation and story.
A: We tend to work in Google docs, then switch to Word when the MS is done. No Skype, but lots of messages and phone calls.
2. What inspired you to write Tony and His Tiger?
A: When we started planning the Oh My! Series, we knew we wanted to write a trilogy. Both Tony and Jason, the main characters of Tony & His Tiger, were introduced in book one (Teddy & His Bear), which came out just over a year ago. So these characters have been with us for a while now, and we definitely wanted them to get their HEA!
L: We like to flip expectations, so we knew from the start Tony wouldn’t be a typical tall, muscular, brooding Dom. (Well, he is kind of brooding.) And Jason is a former pro football player, so not someone you might expect to identify as submissive. I love challenging expectations, highlighting that people aren’t always who you might assume they are.
3. What came first: the plot or the characters? Was it the same with all your books?
A: Definitely the characters for this one. We had some inklings of a plot, but that didn’t truly come together until after the characters had already been established.
4. What’s your favourite thing about the friends to lovers trope?
A: For me, it’s witnessing the relationship change and reach the next level and all of the emotions that go along with that. And I kind of love a slow burn, which I think a lot of friends-to-lovers stories turn out to be.
5. Apart from the friends to lovers trope, do you have another favourite trope or kink that you’ve been able to write about in this book?
A: Puppy play! This book has a little bit of other kink in it too, but I was excited to explore puppy play in this one. That kink can be a lot of things, and for Tony and Jason it turned out to be really sweet and fun, and funny at times too.
L: Is bratty bottom a trope? Because it should be.
6. What behind-the-scene tidbit (about the characters, plot or writing process) would probably surprise your readers the most?
A: Oh where to start. Haha. How about this: We probably went through ten outlines for this book before finding one that would stick. These characters were by far our most stubborn!
L: No joke. Like ten COMPLETELY different storylines for these two. They refused to cooperate!
7. If you have to describe Jason and Tony in three words each, what would they be?
A: Hmm. For Jason, I’d go with outgoing, bratty, and giving. For Tony, pragmatic, private, and loyal.
8. What’s your favourite thing about writing together?
A: All of it. Having someone to talk ideas through with, to cheer for you, to give you instant feedback, to help with all the non-writing stuff… Lila is an amazing co-author and friend, and I’m so grateful we get to write together.
L: All of that. Also, having someone to hold you accountable can be so helpful. I have half a dozen unfinished manuscripts I started long ago and dropped because writing is hard! When I try that now, Andi gives me sympathy and commiserate before she says “I know it’s hard… do it anyway.” Sometimes that kick in the pants is what I need to get going again.
9. Do you have any advice to other authors about writing collaboratively?
A: I’d say make sure your writing styles mesh well. We completely lucked out in that regard — neither of us even looked at a writing sample from the other before jumping into our first book. While it ended up working out for us, I don’t recommend doing that LOL. And be willing to compromise!
L: OMG, yes. Kids at home, do not do what we did.
10. Your Oh My! series has been amazing, will you be collaborating again?
A: Thank you! And yes, definitely. We already have our next book under way, and many more planned.
Thank you so much for dropping in! I can’t wait to read this and to see what sweet, kinky goodness you write next!
Tony & His Tiger is out now.
Andi James has been in love with books and words her entire life. She writes about people finding things — themselves, happiness, love — and edits all kinds of stories. Her two dogs and three cats are her favorite co-workers. She adores coffee, the night sky, and horror movies.
You can find Andi on Facebook, Instagram and Amazon.
Lila Wilde writes books about people who fall in love with other people. She is obsessed with unicorns and glitter and cupcakes and has accepted the fact that her dog is smarter than she is.
You can find Lila on Facebook, Instagram and Amazon.
Andi and Lila also have a joint website, Facebook group and newsletter – which you can sign up to for all their latest news!
