Emily Henry in Conversation with Carley Fortune
Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky hosted a virtual author event with Emily Henry in conversation with Carley Fortune. Emily Henry just released her latest romance novel, Happy Place. To be transparent, I have yet to read one of Emily’s books. I don’t read romance novels; however, Emily Henry has been on my radar since her book, Beach Read, reached popularity. I attended an author event with Alix E. Horrow, in which she commented that she didn’t read romance books but happened to read one, I believe by Jasmine Guillory, and she really enjoyed it. Well, that got me thinking and piqued my curiosity, so I have been putting some romance books on my various wishlists. You can read my blog posts about the two times I have attended events with Alix; one with Erin Morganstern and one at the Shelby County Public Library.
Back to Emily Henry! I was surprised to learn that Emily lives near the Cincinnati area and spends time in Northern Kentucky. Carley Fortune, joined the Zoom meeting from her office space/living room in Canada. Emily introduced the audience to her new book, Happy Place, by providing a description of the characters and setting. It definitely sounds interesting…a couple has ended their relationship, but aren’t ready to tell their friends. They concoct a plan to keep their secret as to not spoil an annual vacation with these friends, but of course, their plan fails. Emily and Carley engaged in a discussion about relationships and how we often have difficulty facing conflict. Most of us are reluctant to ask people if they are upset with us or let them know when we are upset with them. Emily talked about her tendency to be a people pleaser.
The ladies briefly mentioned Emily’s previous romance novels throughout the conversation. Emily shared updates on the movie deals she has and their various stages of progress. I was interested in learning about the upcoming movies; I had no idea!
Carley read a quote from an interview Emily recently conducted regarding the current culture of romance novels. Emily conveyed that she believes there are many people who would like romance books, but just haven’t tried them. She said she hopes to trick people into reading romance. I couldn’t help thinking that Emily was talking about me! Well, I guess I’ll find out soon enough if I’m a fan. After observing their conversation, I definitely intend to add Emily Henry and Carley Fortune to my reading rotation.
Emily and Carley closed their portion of the event with a series of rapid fire questions. It was a creative activity. Michael, the Joseph-Beth host, returned with questions from viewers. Emily showed us her work space which is a standing desk with treadmill and a bed in a guest room. She likes taking breaks from the treadmill by laying on the bed while writing. I thought it was adorable that her dog was in the room with her. I couldn’t see her dog, but she kept covering her up with a blanket. Emily explained that she helped pick out the bright pink color for the cover of her book. She wanted it to be a fun color and she likes that it stands out in a bookstore.
Carley Fortune’s next book, Meet Me at the Lake, hits bookstores on May 2, 2023. I didn’t know her before today. I really liked her and want to read her books too!
While I prefer in-person author events, I am appreciating the advantages to having them on zoom. The only disadvantage to in-person events is that I usually rush home from work, eat dinner, and rush back out to the bookstore. Not that it’s all that terrible, really. It was nice to come home, eat dinner, and then plop down in my library to listen to this interesting conversation. I truly enjoyed myself!
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