Lucy Bexley - No Strings
Reader 1
3:59 PM
Hey Lucy, thanks for chatting with us!
Lucy Bexley
3:59 PM
Hi! Thanks for inviting me!
Reader 1
4:03
Welcome everybody!
Shall we jump in? What did everyone think of No Strings?
Reader 2
4:04 PM
Loved it.
Where did you get the idea Lucy?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Aw, I'm so glad! I'm a huge muppets fan and I wanted to write something that captured that joy
Reader 3
4:04 PM
What an amazing book.
Reader 4
4:04 PM
What was your favorite scene to write?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
The most fun scene was the accidental edibles scene! But I also really loved writing the library tour scene
Reader 5
:pride: 4:04 PM
Absolutely love it
Reader 6
4:04 PM
I really enjoyed it. The characters are rich and the story is so much fun. (edited)
Reader 7
4:05 PM
Absolutely loved it! It was equal parts bloody hilarious and so so moving and emotional.
Reader 3
4:05 PM
Learned a lot about puppetry
Reader 8
4:05 PM
Love the cover!! What made you choose it and go in that direction? Vs having people and puppets, etc (edited)
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
So I made a sketch for the cover almost as a joke and showed it to Bryce Oakley and she said, “that has to be the cover”. I like that it's different
Reader 4
4:05 PM
What was the hardest thing to research for the book?
Reader 7
7 days ago
Oh yeah great question! How did you go about research in general?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
All of the ins-and-outs of the mechanics of filming a puppet show
For research I watched a lot of behind the scenes documentaries of Sesame St and The Muppet Show
I really wish I could have gone to the Jim Henson exhibit in DC but I didn't travel during early Covid
Reader 6
4:06 PM
The edibles scene made me laugh even on my second read knowing what would happen
Reader 3
4:08 PM
Filming any show but puppets would add a whole new level of skill.
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
It's so cool how they do it, they have monitors in the floor of on them so they can see what it looks like on the set
Reader 4
4:08 PM
Have you thought of writing a book or book series set in the world of Fangley's Heights at all whether it be for children or otherwise?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I love this question! I have thought about writing a children’s book for The House has AIs
Reader 4
4:09 PM
I don't know if that will count as my "me" question for today or not. I'll keep thinking of questions to ask.
Reader 2
4:09 PM
I was fascinated by the names.
Elsie is rather an old fashioned name in the Uk and Jones is a surname as everyone pointed out in the book.
Then there was Smirch
Reader 7
4:09 PM
Who's your favourite Muppet!?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
This is so hard! I think Gonzo, he definitely was when I was a kiddo
Reader 6
4:12 PM
Do you have an Elsie in your life you pulled some of her quirks from? She seemed so…real lol
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
In my life, I'm probably the most like Elsie. I tend to be very silly
Reader 1
4:12 PM
All of Elsie’s little stories were fabulous ideas on their own. Does that kind of detail come to you while you’re writing or did you have The House has AIs idea separately and found a home for it in No Strings?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
That come to me while I was writing mostly. I do have a thriller idea for a house haunted by technology but that's much darker
Reader 9
4:14 PM
Your depiction of dealing with mental illness was dead on. It really is hard. Elsie was pretty amazing on helping Jones without judgement.
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I really wanted to depict it realistically but I didn't want to use it to create conflict for them
Reader 4
4:15 PM
Hmmm... maybe this will be my "me" question. Would you ever consider writing a book about Elsie and Jones becoming goddesses in charge of another world because of a clerical error in the afterlife and their adventures and mishaps of trying to manage not just a puppet show and the company behind it, but a whole other world? At the very least I'd like to hear what you think of the idea.
Reader 6
7 days ago
No Strings crossover with Reaping the Benefits (Noyes). I'd absolutely read it
Reader 2
7 days ago
How about becoming the people controlling humans who have become muppets
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Need a minute to think about this one!!
This sounds like a lot of fun! I think they'd need to bring Avery to hold things down but I'd consider almost anything with the two of them
Reader 10
4:16 PM
I’m sort of interested in how you came to write Jones: so many of these romances, a businesswoman is portrayed as having developed such a hard shell and often a mean reputation, and I was relieved to see Jones as a character I could empathize with from the very beginning of the book, instead of having to come around to
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I wanted Jones to be realistic, she's dealing with a lot but she's a good person. As a reader, if a character is cruel in the beginning it's hard for me to get past.
Reader 7
4:17 PM
I loved when Birdie appeared! Did you base Birdie on someone real?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Yes! She's a mix of Lucille Bluth and Moira Rose, two of my all-time favorites
Reader 8
4:19 PM
Continuing with @Reader 9's comment about mental illness.
Must love silence was incredible. No spoilers, but how you handled Reese's entire existence made me so... comforted. For lack of a better word.
Reader 11
4:20 PM
Not a question ,but just to say I loved the fact that a main character is not described was perfectly physically or mentally i enjoyed this book very much
Reader 12
4:20 PM
After doing all that research, have you considered screenwriting as well?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I used to dream of being a writer on a comedy show but I haven't seriously considered it
Reader 11
4:21 PM
How long does it usually take you to write a book?are you a full time writer?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
For a novel it takes me about nine months. I don't write full-time. I have a pretty demanding job so I write in the evenings or weekends
Reader 7
4:24 PM
If you could choose any ONE of your books to get put on screen which would it be and why?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Probably Just My Type--I'm a sucker for vampire movies :wink:
Reader 1
7 days ago
I concur, Just My Type was fabulous. Do you have plans for cowrites again in the future, with Bryce or anyone else?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I adored writing Just My Type with Bryce! Steph Shea and I have discussed writing together but no firm plans. I love co-writing though, you just feed off of each other's ideas and there's another person you can tell all of your ideas to immediately. It's a rush
Reader 11
4:25 PM
Who are your influence as a writer?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I read almost anything but I love funny books and I take a lot away from them. I really enjoy Alexandria Bellefleur and EJ Noyes. Early on in my writing Bryce Oakley and my friend Anna who writes m/f romance were big influences
Reader 11
4:28 PM
Elsie favorite outfit for working is pantless. Do you share that with her?:rolling_on_the_floor_laughing: Inspiration flows better when there is no pants?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
:joy: Sadly, we are different in this way. I do my best thinking when I'm dressed for the day. I don't usually write in pajamas, even. But I do usually wear a hoodie when I write
Reader 2
4:30 PM
What are you working on now?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I took most of the summer off from writing but I have a few things I'm starting on. One is a holiday novella and another is a second-chance romcom called Probably Ancient History
Reader 10
4:31 PM
If somebody read (and loved) No Strings as their first Lucy Bexley book and wanted a recommendation for which of your books to read next, which one would you recommend? (edited)
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Good question! First, I'm so glad they loved it. If they want more silly and sexy I'd say Just My Type. Otherwise probably Must Love Silence. It's funny too but the topics are a bit heavier
Reader 11
4:33 PM
You wrote howl (really good btw)with coyote girl as an inspiration. Is there any other movie that could inspire you to write a sapphic version?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I loved Coyote Ugly so much! I think I would like to write a sapphic Practical Magic or The Proposal. I am a huge Sandy B fan
Reader 2
4:35 PM
When you co-write do you take a character each or do you mix it up?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
When I've done it we each take a character then write every other chapter.
Reader 6
4:37 PM
How long have you been writing and how difficult did you find getting to your first book release?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I've been writing since high school and I published a bit in undergrad and after but those were all creative non-fiction essays. I started again with fanfic maybe around 2018.
Reader 5
:pride: 7 days ago
What fanfic have you written??
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
It was very hard for me to write Must Love Silence--I didn't really know what I was doing but I'm also a perfectionist. I wrote a draft and then completely started over. The actual process of publishing wasn't too bad!
Reader 7
4:39 PM
The roller skate date was swoon worthy, was it based on real life experience?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
aw, thank you! It was! My wife and I got roller blades early in the pandemic and I made us a playlist called Friday Night at Hot Skates and took her skating around this big park by us in Boston
Reader 2
4:40 PM
Did you decide to be an indie author or did you submit to publishers first?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I decided to be an indie author. Sometimes I still think about querying a manuscript but it is so much work to do that on top of everything else
Reader 11
4:40 PM
What is your real opinion on Hawaiian pizza?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Personally, I love it
Reader 7
4:43 PM
Favourite trope to read? Favourite trope to write?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Fake dating is probably my favorite to read! I'm not sure about writing yet, I'm still exploring. I'm excited to try second-chance
Reader 2
4:43 PM
If you could write a book in any other genre eg sci-fi what would you choose?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Definitely a thriller--I love reading them
Reader 11
4:44 PM
The lesfic writer community seems really tight. What lesfic author are you the most close with?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
It's such a great community! I'm very close with Steph Shea, Monica McCallan, Haley Cass, and Mila McKay :slightly_smiling_face: And Reader 7!
Reader 8
7 days ago
Ohmygd. Any crossover / co-author combination with you would probably have me hyperventilating.
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I'd love to collaborate with them! I love writing with friends
Reader 2
4:46 PM
Which character in a book you've read would you most like to be?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I would love to be Elsie! She's doing what she loves and has such a big heart. And she lives in NYC--I love it there
Reader 1
4:47 PM
Follow-up: be with
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Probably Ero the vampire but a close second would be Darby from The Bright Side
Reader 11
4:49 PM
Sapphic lovers are all over the world. We are constantly in search of contents and lesfic brings sooo much. How does it feel to have your words read all over the world? Me as an example live in France. Did you expect to touch such a large field?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
It's incredible! This community of readers is the best and I never could have imagined people even reading my writing. It's a dream come true
Reader 5
:pride: 4:51 PM
You said you started writing fanfic in 2018...what are favorite OTPs you write??
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Clexa was my main one! Though A League of Their Own has me wanting to write more fanfic
Reader 2
4:51 PM
I once read that a romance novel had 5 steps - meet-get to know-get together-split-get together.
I refuse to follow this as a writer and I was really pleased to see No Strings didn't too.
Was that a conscious decision? Do you agree with the 5 steps?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
It was a conscious decision. I don't really like the break up, because I don't often find the reasons convincing. But I do like to include some struggles.
Reader 4
7 days ago
I am not a fan of this either. Once I realize a book is following this formula I lose the motivation to keep reading. Even when I finish the book and found I enjoyed it, it still feels like it could have been so much better if it just didn't follow this formula.
Reader 5
:pride: 7 days ago
This formula only works so far....not every relationship needs to split to work out their issues
Reader 4
7 days ago
So often everything feels forced and then I find the conclusion to be far less believable. It doesn't feel organic at all and feels like it only happened because the writer waved a magic wand and made it happen.
Reader 2
7 days ago
Thank goodness I'm not the only one. I refuse to gave them fight/split for no reason or a stupid reason. Phew I should start a rebel club
Reader 4
7 days ago
I've read so many books where realistically they'd never have parted or had any misunderstandings in the first place, or they'd never have reunited.
Reader 11
7 days ago
I love books that surprise me by not following these steps
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I also have a very hard time if the characters say horrible things to each other--I stop rooting for them at a certain point
Reader 4
7 days ago
Either the breakup feels forced or the reunion does. Either way it takes me out of the book. A lot of the time it also feels really unnecessary. I much prefer books where the relationship is more akin to a flower growing and blooming. A nice steady and gentle progression and they grow closer and deepen their relationship.
Reader 11
4:53 PM
Jae wrote a heartbreaking post about being victim of stalkers. I hope you didn't have the same issue
Lucy Bexley
Thank you! I have had a few strange moments but nothing as severe as what Jae described
Reader 8
4:55 PM
What's the hardest part of the entire process for you? (Sorry if this has already been asked, my phone can't keep up.)
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I don't think it's been asked! The hardest part is probably figuring out the middle of the book. I often know the beginning and the end. Often even the opening line before I start
Reader 11
7 days ago
Who the fuck steal a Toyota
Reader 4
7 days ago
It's like playing connect the dots, but without the dots in the middle to guide you.
Reader 8
7 days ago
Do you pants or plot to figure out the middle? How do you go about determining what's missing?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I do a bit of both. I plot a loose outline but I don't usually plot out scene by scene. To find what's missing I do a lot of rereading. I think reading so many books helps me know when something's not working or isn't satisfying
Reader 7
4:56 PM
What lesfic is currently top of your TBR?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Ah, good question! Haley Cass has been trying to get me to read Behind the Green Curtain. Right now I'm reading The Perks of Loving a Wallflower with my bookclub
Reader 1
5:01 PM
I love the idea of starting with the opening sentence as the nugget of an idea. Do you get an idea of the plot or the characters first? Or does it all just come together at once?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I usually start with a character and build the plot after I know them pretty well. Though I do often have a few scene ideas in my head very early too
Reader 12
5:02 PM
You have knack with titles. Do you have those early or late in the process?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
aw, thank you! I often have the title before I start writing. I love titles and opening lines so I put a lot of focus on both
Reader 2
5:03 PM
Do you find that you sit there and just write and you had no idea 1 second before what was going to come out?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I am always surprising myself--it makes writing so much fun. I make myself laugh a lot too
Reader 2
5:04 PM
Do you ever read it back and think wow that's good - did I really write this?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
sometimes! I often find that on read-throughs it's at least not as bad as I thought
Reader 11
5:05 PM
Do you have a some rituals when you are writing? Like total silence or music, snacks or drink?or you just jump into it?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I often just jump into it because I write around my job and pets. One thing is I love to wear a hat or hoodie while I write
Reader 3
5:05 PM
and how do you relax - meditate Yoga?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I do meditate and take long walks. I also go to sobriety meetings a lot. Reading is probably the biggest way I relax.
Reader 8
5:06 PM
Favorite arcade game? (Your profile pic looks hilarious and so much fun! Had to ask)
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
:slightly_smiling_face: Thank you! I love that arcade. Skeeball is my go-to favorite
Reader 2
5:07 PM
Do you know a lot of 6 yr olds? Sometimes kids are portrayed as too young or too advanced for their age but you seemed to nail it perfectly.
Reader 7
7 days ago
Bentley is the best!
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Thank you! I don't know any right now but I do have nieces. I did have a friend beta read and she teaches elementary school
Reader 11
5:09 PM
How does beta reading works?do you hand one chapter at a time or the whole book?Then do you guys have meetings to brainstorm or group chat?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
It depends on the reader. I tend to send Steph Shea and close friends one chapter at a time. If I put out a call for beta readers I will send a chunk of the book or the whole thing. Sometimes we have calls but mostly back and forth in comments
Reader 2
5:11 PM
Which book by any author do you wish you had written?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Alone by EJ Noyes
Reader 11
5:12 PM
Do you read comments and rates on your books or you'd rather not?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
I don't! I find they get in my head and even if they're mostly positive I focus on the negatives
Reader 2
5:13 PM
If you could meet any author for the first time who would you choose?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
This is such a hard question! It's dicey because they say never meet your heroes. But I would love to meet Melissa Brayden!
Reader 2
5:14 PM
Why? Out of interest?
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Why the saying? I think because people often aren't who we make them out to be in our heads, so there's a chance you could be let down. I do think Melissa would be really lovely though
Reader 2
5:15 PM
She's lovely, we've had her on book club a long while ago
Reader 8
5:15 PM
The Flippin fantastic series was So, So good. Love knowing yall are actually friends!
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Thank you! It was so much fun to write with those two!
Reader 8
7 days ago
It was so much fun to read them! Fun and light with just a touch of angst. Nothing that sent me into a panic, but I HAD TO READ THEM in 1 sitting. So good.
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
That makes me so happy. We laughed a lot on our planning calls about them
Reader 1
5:17 PM
I see Melissa hanging out with Georgia Beers all the time on Instagram - it’d be nice to have some sapphfic author friends geographically close to you
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
yes, definitely! Fiona Riley and I just realized we live very close to each other--walking distance
Reader 1
7 days ago
Ooh, that’s awesome - writer hangouts in your future!
Reader 2
5:18 PM
Thank you for answering my zillion questions Lucy.
Lucy Bexley
7 days ago
Thank you for asking them! They were great