Sam C asked Kristan Higgins:

Hi Kristan,I must admit that I've been introduced to your writing recently but I've fallen in love with it rather quickly, one of the books that haven't been able to abandon my head is My one and only, I think is a masterpiece and I'm so in love with that story. My question is how do you manage to inject so much emotion into a story?Do you ever base your characters or situations in things you have lived yourself?

Kristan Higgins Thank you so much, Sam! My One and Only has a special place in my heart, too. I don't generally base books on my own experiences, because I've been blessed with a happily boring life for the most part. But I do use my own emotional experiences...that sounds so writerly and odd, but I guess what I mean is, if I haven't been heartbroken in the same way as one of my characters, I have been heartbroken. If I haven't been an orphan, I have been lonely. So I try to tap into that, which can make me feel a little bit insane sometimes... A good day writing can mean I was bawling in my office for half an hour. : )

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