A Goodreads user asked Jennifer E. Smith:

I have just finished This Is What Happy Looks Like for the 3rd time. I love it! I want to become an English teacher when I am older so I love books. How did you decide on Maine for your setting and how do you come up with the character's names? I was also wondering what made you want to include emails in the book? I love the emails and I am a huge fan of your writing.

Jennifer E. Smith Thank you so much! I chose Maine because it’s about as far from LA as you can get in the U.S., and I knew I wanted that sort of setting: a small coastal town filled with tourists. And also because my one and only trip to Maine left such an impression on me. As for the names, there’s not much of a science behind it — I just liked them! I had Ellie and Graham writing to each other by email because — believe it or not — I finished this book just before texting became the default mode of communication. That’s obviously changed, and I get a lot of notes from people telling me that texting would be more realistic now, which is true. (Though they’re usually emailing to tell me that, so it obviously hasn't completely fallen by the wayside!) Anyway, I’m so glad you loved the book and thanks for the great questions!

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