WHERE SHE WENT Launch Recap

Whether you've been with us for a few years or just a few days, you'll know that if we love anyone in this world, we love Gayle Forman.

A few years ago, we were overwhelmed by IF I STAY. When heard there would be a sequel, we were elated.

Finally, when we read the ARC of said sequel we were swept away.

So...when we learned that Gayle Forman would be launching WHERE SHE WENT by giving a reading (and cupcakes!) her neighborhood Barnes & Noble in Park Slope, we decided we had to go.

And we did.

While we munched on red-velvet cupcakes and vegan carrot cake, Gayle read the subway chapter and the Adam-becomes-a-guy chapter.


Then, she answered questions. Here are some of her thoughts:

On Inspiration: Though she hadn't initially planned to write a sequel to IF IT STAY, when she finished, she felt a weight of responsibility for where she left Adam and Mia, so she decided to see what happened to them.

On Writing from a Male Point-of-View: Try to avoid using the word "lovely."

On the Scene on the Bridge: She said it was both hard and gratifying to write. (If you haven't read WSW yet, when you do, you'll understand why.) And, she said, there were a lot of rewrites.

On Music and Writing: Music is a big part of the book, but Gayle wrote in dead silence until the scene when Adam began to find meaning in it again. Cool, huh?

On a Real-Life Band to which Shooting Star might compare: She doesn't know.

It was a great night, and so fun to be a part of it.

Thank you, Gayle, for the cupcakes! And the carrot cake! And for your amazing books!

We love you!


For more on the launch and for a chance to win a signed copy of WHERE SHE WENT, visit Frankie's Blog.