Finding Mr. Better-Than-You: Interview

Finding Mr. Better-Than-You by Shani Petroff Interview Questions

About the Book:
1. How did you get the idea of writing Finding Mr. Better-Than-You?   
While the book is completely fictional, it actually stemmed from something that happened in real life!

2. Did you have any inspiration for your writing like from a movie, a person, or other books?
Years ago I was dating this guy who ended things on Christmas. Mere weeks later he got engaged to someone else! I found out through Facebook. I was crushed, but I also got an idea for this book! 

3. How similar are you to Camryn? 
In the first drafts our experiences and personalities were closer, but I realized this wasn’t my story—it was Cam’s. I ended up starting over, and now she’s very different than me—but we both love our friends and family very much.

4. What chapter was the hardest to write? 
It wasn’t one chapter per se. It was more getting out of my own head that was the biggest challenge. At first I wanted to play off of events that happened to me, but I realized that wasn’t where the story was taking me! Switching up the characters and the situations, and letting it have a life of its own was tough at first, but I’m glad I did it.

5. Without spoiling, why did you write the cheerleaders as kind girls instead of them being mean like in other books or movies? Like they didn’t act they were the most popular girls in school. 
I think in life, just like in books, you find all sorts of different characters. Sure, you will find some cheerleaders who fall into the stereotypical mean girl classification, but there are also many who are kind, great people. While I love a good trope as much as the next person, I also think it’s important to turn them around and show other aspects and perspectives as well. 

6. What is the key message in this book?
One of the key messages is that there’s all different types of love, and that you don’t have to be in relationship to have it or to be happy. That it’s important to find ourselves and discover what truly makes us happy.

7. How did you design the cover?
Swoon Reads has an amazing team that put together several cover options for the book. There were five choices, and it was put to a vote at BEA. This cover is the one that won!

Where can readers purchase your books?
You can find it at B&N ,Your favorite indie , Amazon , BAM , etc!
(And if they don’t have it – you can request it– they will usually order it for you!).

About You:
1. What is your favorite romance book(s)?
I can’t just pick one! There are too many that I adore, but a recent read that I’m a huge fan of is There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon.

2. What is your favorite season and why? 
I like Fall when the leaves are changing—and it’s cold but not too cold. I think it’s a beautiful time of the year.

3. If you could invite one person to dinner (fictional or real), who would it be and why?
Ooh! There are so many. I’d like to meet with Dumbledore and chat about getting an invitation to Hogwarts.

4. What do you look for in someone when you go on a date to see if they are meant for you? 
I always looked for kindness—and not just toward me, but how the person treated others as well.

5, What are some of your favorite things to do when you are free?
I love to read—I always have, I watch way too much TV/streaming services, and I love to hang out with friends and family.

6. Do you like to read with a physical book, ebook or listen to audiobooks?
All of the above! I usually do all three at once. A physical book that I can curl up with on the couch, an ebook that I can easily carry around, and an audiobook when I’m walking or in the car/subway!