Jasmine Guillory, corporate lawyer turned author of contemporary romance novels like “The Wedding Date” and “The Proposal,” said she used to write the initial drafts of her first few books entirely by hand. It worked for her because when she would finally type up those drafts, she’d “discover a lot of new things – fix little mistakes and expand on themes,” she said.
With her new novel, “Flirting Lessons,” Guillory didn’t hand-write the whole draft, but she did use pen and paper to work out some scenes. She’s not one of those writers whose scribbles are perfectly readable later on, though.
“My handwriting is terrible! The first time I started typing up a handwritten draft, I was like, “Oh, my God. What did I say here? What did I mean?” And I had to try and figure out words by context,” Guillory said. “It is such a pain, but I think it’s good for me.”
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Readers were introduced to Guillory’s newest protagonists, Taylor and Avery, as side characters in her 2022 novel, “Drunk on Love,” a romance set in the wine industry of Napa Valley. In the sequel, “Flirting Lessons,” out now from Berkley, Taylor takes on the role of dating coach and guide to Napa’s LGBTQ+ community for Avery, who is exploring her queer side for the first time.
Avery, a shy and self-critical perfectionist, is drawn to Taylor but wary of her reputation as a heartbreaker. Taylor, a charming extrovert who can make anyone feel comfortable, is eager to help Avery find new friends and learn to flirt with women. But as they get to know each other and feel the sparks of attraction, it becomes harder for them to just stay friends.
In “Flirting Lessons,” Guillory uses romantic comedy to explore friendships, self-discovery and self-growth in adulthood. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Q. Congratulations on the publication of “Flirting Lessons.” What has this book launch been like for you?
It’s been incredible to meet readers and talk to fellow authors who come to these events. I’ll always remember the experience of releasing books during the pandemic. While it was great to still have the books out there – and I got sent a lot of wonderful notes from readers – I really missed the experience of getting to meet them in person and talk about books. So I’ll never again take for granted being able to come out on the road and getting to talk to people, you know?
Q. Can you talk about where the idea for “Flirting Lessons” came from? Was it something you wanted to do after writing “Drunk in Love?”
I knew I wanted to write about Avery and Taylor and their romance next, but for a while, I didn’t quite have the right idea for what that would be. It took me a little while to understand who they were and what their romance would be like. They’re both very different people, so I really thought a lot about what they might look up to in one another, and what would attract them to each other. That’s where the idea of lessons in flirting with women came from and it ended up being really fun to write.
Q. Were Taylor and Avery inspired by anyone or anything specific?
One of my first inspirations for Taylor came from years ago, when I was doing a bit of eavesdropping on two friends talking about someone. One of the friends said something like, “Well, she breaks a lot of hearts.” I actually wrote that phrase down, because that sounded like someone interesting to write about. If that’s how people saw her from the outside, how does she see herself from the inside? Why does she break a lot of hearts? What would happen if she fell in love?
Q. Stories about coming out can be really heartbreaking. Avery’s is really gentle, sweet and natural. Can you talk about that?
I think that’s something that I really wanted to do in this book, because the queer community is generally very warm and welcoming to people trying to, like, tiptoe their way in. I wanted Avery to have that experience – to have people encourage her, and say, “Come over this way! It’s a lot of fun here.”
Avery is someone who is anxious about doing anything new and branching out from the life she’s lived up until now. She wants to come out and try new things; she’s just nervous about it. So I wanted it to be a warm and fun and joyful experience for her.
Q. You brought us back to Napa Valley wine country in this book. I thought it was interesting to see how even these very professional hospitality jobs can sometimes conflict with what some people think a “grown-up” job should look like.
In general, I think women can often feel like they themselves, as well as the people in their circles, are supposed to be in specific stages of their lives at specific times. “When I turn 30, I’m supposed to do this. When I’m 35, I’ll do this.” Life is not that easy or that orderly, and nor should it be.
A service industry job like Taylor’s is one that some people don’t view as “professional enough,” even though there are quite a few folks in the service industry who make a lot more money than those working white collar jobs. I think that’s something that Taylor, even though she doesn’t want to, has internalized a little bit.
I live in the Bay Area, but I go to Napa a lot since it’s only an hour away. And for these last couple of books, I spent a lot of time thinking about the people who live in a place that tourists come to. What is their relationship to their work? What kind of relationships spring up in a circle of people all working in the same industry? There’s a whole community in high-tourism areas that tourists don’t see, so I really wanted to explore that.
Q. What are you hoping readers will take away from this book?
For one, there’s no age limit on changing something about your life that you want to change – whether it’s something that’s making you unhappy, or it’s something new that you want to try or learn. I hear people say, “Oh, well, I’m too old to do that.” No! You’re never too old, and it’s never too late.
It is scary to do new things, but it can be so wonderful in the end. And if it’s not, you can be proud of yourself and think, “Well, at least I did that, and now I know.” The main thing is not to let your age or your job or what other people think of you hold you back.