Fangirling for Addicted Series: Q&A with K&B - PART II

Since I couldn't fit all of the Q&A summary in one post (which is rather odd, if you ask me), I'm creating another post.

This is a continuation of Amy's compilation of the Q&As from the Q&A Session with Krista & Becca on Fangirling for Addicted Series page on Goodreads.  Remember, today is the last day to ask your questions so head on over there now!  Don't be shy!

Q&A WITH K&B: PART II

Q-
what inspired you to write about the disfunctional relationship of an alcoholic and a sex addict?

A-
Hi Christine! Thanks for being such a fan and for chatting with me on FB :D I'm gonna put my answer in a spoiler tag since it's kinda long. There's no spoilers in here though!

Krista really wanted to write about sex addiction in a female's point-of-view. I think it's way more common for books to have a male sex addict, and we both really liked the idea of flipping the genders around and adding a bit of commentary about the double-standards involved with female sexuality. We really wanted it to come across as honest and real and not romanticize sex addiction in any way. It can be easy to use it as a tool to add more sex into a book, and we were very conscious to edge away from that. We would hate to undercut the severity of sex addiction, especially if someone who struggles with it happens to read our books.

So we had the trouble of really bringing to life a taboo subject that's just not talked about. In order to do that, we thought it'd be easy on the reader to understand sex addiction by pairing it with a more common addiction, one not as taboo. That's where we decided to make Lo an alcoholic.

The sex addict and the alcohol mix worked the best, and we've really loved the dynamics between Lily & Lo and their co-dependency and yet their strive to be stronger for each other. I think Krista and I both love complicated relationships, because in life, most relationships are a bit gray and messy. Lily & Lo's strength comes from each other, but it's also their source of pain / struggle since they can easily enable one other.

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Q-
how can the Calloway girls' father be so understanding and never get angry with his wife. He never seems to say anything about how she acts towards the girls. He cannot be that oblivious. For a guy who seems so loving, how does he he handle it? Will he ever stand up to her? As you can see, she is my sore spot! Lol

A-
I think Greg truly loves his wife, so he already has a lot of trust built up. He's also a very busy man, so when it came to raising the girls, he put a lot of his faith in Samantha. I'm sure he does get upset, but he's also the type of person who would never have an argument in front of his children. He'd rather do that behind closed doors.

Like with how Samantha treats Lily after the sex addiction goes public. He doesn't approve, and there probably have been many heated discussions about it. The daughters just don't see it, so the readers don't either

And I'm right there with ya, Sara! She's a sore spot for us too. #EvilMamaCalloway
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Q-
You two have such amazing, incredible insight that comes out in your writing, where do you think that comes from?

A-
We just turned twenty-three in March, and I think our age has helped a lot when we write characters in their twenties. We both graduated college just last year, so that experience is fresh in our memories. And we know the kinds of struggles that our generation's twenty-somethings are going through.

I think it also helps that Becca and I have such different backgrounds. I spent four years doing genetics research and studying science, which is a complete opposite world in college compared to the English majors (one of Becca's degrees). So together we're really well-rounded and we've met vastly different kinds of people :)
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Q-
Since Lily and Lo are so close they seem to know everything about each other. The news Lily gives Lo in the bath tub scene at the end of hot house flower must have been a shock to Lo. Will we get to see this scene in thrive or aaa from Lo's pov?

A-
Yep! Lots of the game-changer moments from Kiss the Sky and Hothouse Flower will be included in Thrive in either Lily or Lo's POVs.
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Q- 
I know this may be too taboo because they were so young but I was wondering if we will ever get to see

Lily and Lo's first time having sex together, through Lo's pov.

A- 
Probably not. I wouldn't say because it's taboo, more like because it's not a very heartfelt moment. It's not a kind of "first time" together I think either of them want to remember, and we don't want to ingrain it in your minds either :) Lest you remember it every single time they have actual good sexy times :)
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Q- 
How did Lo get his alcohol when he was so young? Did he pay off people to buy it or raid his Dads liquor cabinets?

if he raided the cabinets did jonathan know he was drinking all along?

A- 
All of he above. Jonathan never cared much. Ryke mentions in the prologue of Hothouse Flower how Jonathan pushed drinks on him at a really, really young age, not thinking much about it. Jonathan made it into a social recreation for his sons, and in Addicted to You, there's mention of their nannies also being aloof and letting them sip alcohol at a really, really young age. They didn't have many barriers or parental figures stopping them from drinking. ******************************************
Q- 
Do you both have day (or night) jobs OTHER than writing?

A- 
When we published Addicted to You, we both were in our last semester of college (well Krista just reminded me that she had just graduated. I was in my last "semester" -- a summer class). Krista was ready to go to Med school, literally sent out her applications and all that jazz to become a doctor. But with the success of the books, she has the ability to write full-time, and she's taken the opportunity. It was a big dream of both of ours for so long. I'm so happy that we're both able to do what we love. Krista wrote a really heartfelt post about her career change right before our 23rd birthday in March. You can read that here if you'd like: How We Got Here. 10,000 Hours

I already had a part-time job before we published A2Y. I got an internship my junior year of college at The CW Atlanta -- the affiliate of The CW Network in Burbank, CA. They hired me after my internship, and I still work for them, writing articles on their website about all of their shows like "The Vampire Diaries" "The Tomorrow People" "The Originals" etc. It's so fun! I literally just fangirl about television. I was really lucky to get the internship and to even be hired. All of my articles are here if you're a CW fan: CW Atlanta - Becca Ritchie

I also help out at the station when they need me. I went to college for English & Television Production... I have no idea how I managed to find a job that incorporated both. Definitely a bit of luck :)

UPDATE: I reread your question, and I saw the "OTHER than writing" part... I guess my job at The CW is still writing... does it count lol?  
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Q- 
Will the Like Us Series be the same genre?

A- 
Same genre! New Adult: Contemporary Romance :D  
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Q- 
Has your life (the day to day) changed at all since releasing this series?

A- 
Becca was actually still in college when we released Addicted to You, and I had just graduated the month before. So our day-to-day lives were changing drastically, but they would have changed regardless of the series. It's a big change to go from taking classes and having the security of college to being on your own.

Now that the books are out and we're not in college, our main focus is writing and promoting the series. We couldn't dream of a better job! It seriously feel like this is unreal at times. :)
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Q- 
Would you rather: Dance on the bar or sing in the car?

A- 
Haha! Love this question! I am waayyyyy too shy to be dancing on a bar. I wish I had that kind of confidence! I'm known to sing in the car at the top of my lungs, despite my terrible voice.

Becca, I think, would be more apt to dance on a bar. But you'd have to shoot her up with some rum and red bulls first. She also likes to sing in the car, and she can do that without the persuasion of caffeine ;)  
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Q- 
Beer or liquor?

A- 
We both prefer beer. Too many experiences with liquor in college, lol! I'm actually not too big of a drinker though.

Oh, but if you gave Becca a choice between a beer or a mojito, that might be hard for her. She loves rum :)
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Q- 
what kind of books did you guys like reading when you were younger?

being twins, did you ever get into Sweet Valley High? I was such a nerd for those books :)

A- 
We actually never read the Sweet Valley High books. I think the first books as kids that got us into reading were the Nancy Drew books. But when we were tweens, we gravitated towards Meg Cabot books. Like Princess Diaries and All-American Girl (obsessed with this one!)

So yeah, we read a little bit of everything!
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