Erica Lee is one of those authors whose books give me all the emotions. One minute I’m laughing and happy, the next I can be found huddled in the corner crying my eyes out. Her latest book, And Then I Met You, is available now and is absolutely beautiful.

Erica, tell us about “And Then I Met You” and what we can expect from Willow and Rosemary?

Oh man. Where do I even start? “And Then I Met You” is so different from anything I’ve written, but also has the same elements people have probably come to expect from my books. It’s still a romance, it will probably make you cry, and I’m hoping some parts make you laugh as well. It’s not a conventional HEA, which was a HUGE change for me (and I will honestly probably never do it again because I’m still sad over it). My hope is that people will still find a lot of happiness in it though. It’s definitely a different type of happiness. I loved writing Willow and Rosemary’s story. Willow is everything I wish I could be, and Rosemary is everything I already am. I’ll leave it at that though.

And Then I Met You is the fourth book you have released this year. How are you so prolific while having a full time job and a family?

Some of my writing buddies make fun of me for this, but I have gotten really good at being able to write anywhere. I use google docs, so a lot of time I write on my phone, and I get words down anytime I can – in between patients, at home while I’m playing with or taking care of my son, even in the grocery store. Writing is my passion. It’s therapeutic for me. It never feels like a job, and I love that. That makes it easier to keep cranking these books out.

Kinsley and Grace are one of my favorite couples. In Strollers and Swings, they have issues getting pregnant, which you and your wife also had struggles with. Was it difficult to write about something so personal or was it cathartic?

It was definitely cathartic. By the time I wrote Strollers and Swings, I was pregnant so the sting of trying and not being successful wasn’t there so much anymore. We were lucky in that even though it wasn’t easy for us, it also didn’t take as long as it takes some couples. But, no matter how long it takes or how hard the process is, once you hold that little baby, it’s all worthwhile.

Your first book, “Dear Santa: I’m Gay”, is partially based on your own struggles coming out. For young people who are having similar struggles, what advice would you give them?

Listen to your heart. Forget what anyone else will say or think. You deserve to be happy. In the end, that’s what really matters. Take your time. Come out when you feel comfortable. Most importantly, love yourself exactly as you are. You’re perfect.

You often have characters from previous books reappear in other books. If you could have a dinner party with just two of your couples and could invite two couples from other writers’ books, who would you invite and why?

I would definitely invite Kinsley and Grace, because Kinsley is absolutely hilarious. I would also invite Willow and Rosemary because I feel like they would bring so much life and love to the dinner party. The two couples I would invite from other books might get me in a bit of trouble since I have a crush on two of the characters. I would invite Bennett and Lily from Monica McCallan’s book, Then and Now, and also Blair and Reagan from Morgan Lee Miller’s book, Hammers, Strings, and Beautiful Things. I’d like to say I’m inviting Bennett and Lily because they seem really cool and Blair and Reagan because they can serenade us, but the truth is, I just have a huge crush on both Bennett and Blair. Not sure how that would go with their significant others and my wife there, but let’s do it.

The most famous member of your family is Phil, your chinchilla, who has 2.6 million Tiktok followers and has even written a book! Why should I get a chinchilla and has being a celebrity turned him into a diva?

Being a celebrity has not turned him into a diva because he has ALWAYS been a diva, haha. Chinchillas are great pets, but also a lot of work. If you get them when they are young and take the time to bond with them, you have a friend for life. They are so fluffy and cute. Chinchilla fur feels like nothing else. Also, chinchillas live an average of fifteen years, and a lot even live to be 20-25, so you’ll have them for a long time!

You are a big Hallmark movie fan. You have been approached by the Hallmark channel to run their new lesbian division (in a perfect world it could happen). What will be the first lesfic books you will turn into movies, besides your own, of course and which lesfic writers will you recruit to help?

First of all, I realize all the books I’m about to name are way too deep for Hallmark, but I don’t care. I’d like to see them. Hammers, Strings, and Beautiful Things and The Infinite Summer by Morgan Lee Miller. Then and Now by Monica McCallan. How Sweet It Is by Melissa Brayden. I’d recruit Morgan Lee Miller to help. She’s the only one I would need because she knows everything (and everyone).

Your son just turned one and is possibly the cutest little boy ever! How has being a mom changed you and how do you feel when you see your wife with Paxton?

Being a mom has made me want more out of life. I want to live my life with so much passion and love so I can pass that on to my son. Words can’t even describe how I feel when I see my wife with Paxton. I feel like my heart is going to just burst open every single time. I thought I loved her before, but I love her even more now, even if she is his favorite mom (which is a bit of a sore subject, ha).

Besides your family, what makes you laugh?

My friends, especially Isis Brown (author of Worlds Apart and Run). If you don’t follow her on twitter, go do it and talk to her. She always makes me laugh, even when she’s making fun of me for my Christmas obsession and terrible taste in alcohol. Fortune Feimster’s comedy special on Netflix also makes me laugh no matter how many times I watch it. The same can be said for Christmas Vacation and Baby Mama. No matter how many times I watch those movies, I still find them absolutely hilarious.

Erica, it has been a pleasure chatting with you. I love your books and the emotional roller coaster they always send me on. I appreciate you taking time to answer my questions and I hope we can do it again! 

Thank you so much for interviewing me! I had so much fun! And thanks to everyone who reads my books. Your support means the world to me.