Author Interview!
Can you tell your readers something about why you chose this particular topic to write about?
If you would believe it, I’ve been writing Lazarus and Vassa’s story for almost seven years. You heard me. SEVEN YEARS. Give or take some months… The story is definitely not how I originally wrote it. I hate to put myself on blast, but I went through a Glee phase and Lazarus and Vassa were the lead singers of a high school glee club :( I quickly scrap that idea when I realized we weren’t living in 2012 anymore…
After the summer 2020 protests and conversations about more inclusion of not just black characters but POC and LGBTQ+ in literature began, that motivated me to produce a rom-com that included not just women who look like me, but those awkward and quirky girls that aren’t always the romantic lead. Then I moved to San Francisco and fell in love with the Bay Area and had some Rom-Com like encounters. The story just clicked in my brain.
How long do you think about a topic before deciding to write about it?
This various for me depending on many factors. I remember long, long time ago when I began It Started with a List I probably thought about it for a few months and then began to write. The second book in the PGU series I thought about it for a week. Other projects I have lined up to write I’ve been thinking about almost two years now but currently only on the note taking process.
Do you have a set of notes or a note book where you write down topics that appeal before making a decision as to which topic this time?
I have both a word document and note book where I throw up all the ideas that I have. It’s a very, very, very long list and when I’m finished with a project, if I haven’t already decided on what’s next, I read through and pick whichever idea is speaking to me.
How long does it take to research a topic before you write?
Typically, before I write, I spend two weeks or more researching the topic. For my rom-coms I don’t do as much of a deep dive as I would for a romantic suspense or fantasy. Unless it’s a career or topic I’m unfamiliar with.
And for this book?
It Started with a List was easy for me to write because I worked and lived in San Francisco, visited Las Vegas and Menlo Park, so it was a breeze. It also helps my characters are in college and I’m currently getting my Master’s degree so I can empathize with the experience.
Can you tell me about one of your favorite scenes from It Started with a List and why you count it as a favorite?
There are so many… Oh my god this is so hard. If I have to choose my favorite, it’s is Vassa, Lazarus and the gang in Vegas. I know I’m cheating since it’s several scenes but I pieced together my authentic life experiences of singing waiters and Elvis impersonators during my trip there. Personally (spoiler!) I don’t dine and dash, but there was a waiter at the Denny’s that had an opera voice that continued to sing every five minutes when someone told him it was their birthday. Now, could there have been ten people in Denny’s that day with the same birthday? Could be, or they just wanted to hear him sing.
How would your main characters Vassa and Lazarus describe each other?
Vassa would describe Lazarus as a goofball, honest, and loving. She loves listening to him explain baseball to her even if she knows she’ll never fully understand it. Lazarus would describe Vassa as intelligent, terrifying (but in a good way), and passionate. He loves listening to her go on and on about her favorite book or T.V. show she’s obsessed with.
What song would you choose as a theme song for It Started with a List?
I’m Yours by Alessia Cara. When I heard this song, I instantly thought, this is Lazarus and Vassa’s relationship. They both weren’t looking for love, but somehow, they both pushed the other to open themselves up to the other.
A BUCKET LIST. THE POPULAR GUY. A LONER. WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
Time’s up for Vassa Blackwell.
With her college graduation looming, Vassa reflects on the past four years. Man, she is mega disappointed. No wacky misadventures, no drunken nights, and no regrettable mistakes you can NEVER tell your parents. Work and class, Class and work. That’s it. College is suppose to be the best years of one’s life… Right?
Vassa feels as though she's cheated herself out of a full college experience. Notably with romance and boys and stuff. So, she makes a college bucket list. Then the worse thing ever happens.
Her list falls into the hands of Lazarus Gilbert. King of the baseball team, sworn enemy (in her opinion), and her annoying upstairs neighbor. He thinks he’s found something fun to do. She thinks she’s in trouble. With the pressures of post-college decisions and failing classes looming, can they complete the bucket list before the semester runs out? Are Vassa and Lazarus just too different to get along? Or will Vassa learn to live and let live, and let love enter her heart?
Author bio:
Tinia Montford is a Pisces who’s a sap for romance, especially when there’s (loads of) kissing. Loves eighties sitcoms and will consume anything with chocolate. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in English and Graphic Design.
She is a world traveler having climbed a volcano in Nicaragua, scaled Angkor Wat in the blistering sun, and basked in the Acropolis of Athens. Oh, she also dabbles in short stories on occasion and blogs.
If you can’t catch her writing, you can bet she’s overindulging on poke bowls, listening to the same four songs, or chilling with her adorbs doggie. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Fiction.
You can catch Tinia here and sign up for her newsletter: tiniamontford.com
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