Two Noras and Best Selling Author Annabel Monaghan Pt. 4

What happens when your entire identity has been scripted? In this captivating conversation with bestselling author Annabelle Monaghan, we dive deep into her fourth novel, "It's a Love Story"!

Annabelle reveals how Jennette McCurdy's raw memoir "I'm Glad My Mom Died" sparked her curiosity about teen stars who grow up on camera – young people who spend their formative years being told exactly who to be, what to say, and how to act. This inspiration evolved into Jane, a complex protagonist who emerges from childhood fame with no genuine sense of who she actually is, constantly morphing herself to fit others' expectations.

The conversation takes us behind the curtain of Annabelle's writing process as she shares how she crafts characters readers gradually warm to, balances humor with vulnerability, and weaves meaningful philosophy into seemingly light fiction. Her insight that "real love happens over breakfast" – in quiet, everyday moments rather than grand gestures – perfectly captures the novel's authentic approach to relationships.

We're also treated to an exclusive preview of Annabelle's upcoming work – a fake dating romance set against the backdrop of Newport mansions that promises all the heart, humor and depth her readers have come to expect. For writers, readers, and anyone fascinated by the intersection of identity, fame, and authenticity, this episode offers both entertainment and insight into how we become who we truly are.

Follow Annabelle Monaghan on Instagram to stay connected and be the first to know about her upcoming releases and events.

Mike Haggerty Buick GMC
Right on the corner, right on the price! Head down to 93rd & Cicero & tell them the Noras sent you!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

Interview with Annabelle Monaghan

Speaker 1 0:07

Hi, thanks for joining us today. It's Nora and Nora, today's the day.

Speaker 2 0:11

Today is our day with Annabelle Monaghan. I cannot wait for our listeners to hear this interview. I hope they've read the book. It's awesome.

Speaker 1 0:20

Can we just talk about what a fantastic author and friend she is Human being and all around, just great person.

Speaker 2 0:28

She really is fabulous.

Speaker 1 0:29

We've been lucky enough to interview her this is our fourth time now for her fourth novel, and it's a darn good thing she chose to name her character Nora, because that's what brought her on our radar. Yeah, that's what put her on our radar, and I'm so grateful for that.

Speaker 2 0:45

See the name Nora is an avenue to many wonderful things. Should we say that? Should we say whatever.

Speaker 1 0:51

Nora's three doors. It's our podcast. It's true.

Speaker 2 0:55

So I feel like, without further ado, here's our interview our fourth annual interview with Annabelle Monaghan. Enjoy.

Speaker 1 1:04

We are back here for date number four with Annabelle Monaghan Enjoy. We are back here for date number four with Annabelle Monaghan. If you read the book, you will catch on to that reference. For those of you that haven't read the book, it's a love story. And what are you waiting for, annabelle? Let's go, yeah, let's go. But I have to ask in all of your novels there seems to be a little gem at the beginning of each of the stories, whether it was throw beep in the pantry for summer romance, or same time next summer had you can't turn around if you are still in the tunnel. And it's a love story was fake it till you make it. And I wondered was that intentional? Do you intentionally embed a little gem of wisdom at the beginning of all your books?

Speaker 3 1:49

I don't know if it's intentional actually, and now I'm thinking, I'm like trying to remember how the book that I'm writing right now, how that starts, and I think it just starts with like could you close the door, which is not something Confucius ever said to people, like to give advice. I think it was just like could you close the door? Yeah, I don't know if that's intentional. I mean, I do kind of like to start with like we're in a situation or in a thought and then get to the action. But I thought you know, fake it till you make. It is basically like Jane's entire life philosophy. She is such a faker and an actress, and so it kind of I feel like it fit for her.

Speaker 1 2:30

It did fit for her, didn't it?

Speaker 2 2:31

Yeah, it does. It sets the tone and now that you've said it, your books kind of all start like that it's in progress, like we're jumping in. I like to jump in, yes, yeah, like let's go off to the races.

Speaker 1 2:42

And then I had to know about Dan. So I was reading right and as you developed him I kept going back to the description right at the beginning. So it made it difficult for me to warm up to him, like I warmed slowly, kind of like Jane did. And how do you do that? How do you develop characters that we start out disliking but then end up so gradually and so naturally?

Speaker 3 3:08

loving and you'll probably know how. But that's kind of how it goes for me in real life. I don't usually form correct first impressions of people. Like if I meet people and I think they're just like the best right away, they end up usually being like way too much for me. Or if I find somebody like kind of abrupt or standoffish, I end up getting to know them and being like wow, that's a really interesting person. Like I'm not great with first impressions, so I don't know. I kind of I think that's how we get to know each other and we make so many snap judgments about people. I mean nobody more than Jane. She's like she thinks he rides a unicycle. He does not ride a unicycle.

Speaker 2 3:51

There were times where I was like wait, does he really? I'm like in Los Angeles, that seems dangerous.

Speaker 3 3:56

She has these ideas about him as, like this over-the-top hipster which he is not at all, and so it's just all of her like stuff that we're trying to see through.

Speaker 2 4:15

But that's what was interesting with her like, because her, what she was projecting out to other people in the book was so manufactured, but her internal thoughts were so authentic and relatable. So how did you have an inspiration for her Did like where did she come from?

Speaker 1 4:27

Where did?

Speaker 2 4:28

like Jane. Part of Jane.

Speaker 3 4:30

Yeah, yeah, she. I mean she took me honestly like 14 drafts of the book to like before. I was like, oh, I got it. I understand where you're coming from, jane, but the inspiration for her was from I'm Glad my Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy. Did you guys read that book?

Speaker 1 4:48

No, but after I read the back of your book, I added that to my list of things you must read it.

Speaker 3 4:54

It's just so good and it's so well written and you honestly can't put it down. And that book is dark, like the stuff that happened to her as a teen star her relationship with her mother, like the abuse, horrible. And I read it and I had, like this book hangover where I couldn't stop thinking about just like the teen stars that I'd seen growing up. Yeah, and the teen stars that were always on in my living room when my kids were growing up, and she was one of them in iCarly when my kids were growing up and she was one of them and I Carly, and just like what it would be like to be a kid who's working 12 hour days, who only knows the other people on the set, who's basically going through puberty on TV and really at like, such a developmental time, like when you're really you're like 15 and you're figuring out who you are and you like do a crazy thing with your hair, you're literally reading from a script and being put in a costume and being told like no, you're the cool one, You're the nerd, and like just made me think, like what does that do to your identity?

Jane's Character Development

Speaker 3 5:59

So Jane started and I think she ended up as a person who's like she was a teen star with a really lovely mom, like she didn't have any of those horrible circumstances, but she grew up just literally having no idea who she is and trying to like morph herself into the shape of a person that the world might like. Yeah, and that's kind of where. That's where, where she started, and then by the end of the book she's a little bit more self-aware, thank god so funny, yes, funny, and it was interesting because, like the bad guy, kind of like air quotes was her own inner voice and you did such a fantastic job writing about.

Speaker 2 6:42

She had a lot of internal conflicts her mom and jack and dan, and then her own career. It seems like that would be really hard to write, but you but you made it look so easy because it was so clear and so understandable as a reader it wasn't easy to write my gosh but, like you, your heart just broke for this girl where you're like oh no, yeah, as I was reading, I was like jack, what is, what is Jack going to do?

Speaker 1 7:06

Is Jack going to be awesome and warm?

Speaker 2 7:09

Mess things up with Dan.

Speaker 1 7:11

He was a crumb.

Speaker 2 7:13

The worst.

Speaker 1 7:14

The crumb, wasn't he? He was the worst. Did you know that? Did you know he was going to be like that Right off the jump?

Speaker 3 7:20

No, no, I didn't know until I got there, until I like opened the door of the limo and I was like, oh, what a jackass, yeah. And when I decided like I thought early it would be fun to write a book where the main character is funny but doesn't want people to know she's funny. And then I thought that's going to be really hard because I'm not good at like okay, time for something funny, Right, you know what I mean. Like, if I write something and it's humorous, it's usually an accident, Like it just kind of slipped out. So I was like I don't know if I'm going to be able to make her like funny. I don't. I don't even know how that landed in the end.

Speaker 1 7:59

Yeah, it was great, it was funny oh my God.

Speaker 2 8:02

Especially the part like when she's trying on the swimsuits in Long Island and she's like Eleanor Roosevelt, her like constant, like self-deprecating commentary throughout the book about yeah, what did she say?

Speaker 1 8:14

Eleanor Roosevelt's childhood swimsuit.

Speaker 3 8:17

I mean, you can picture it right.

Speaker 2 8:20

Did you just come up with that, or is that something from real?

Speaker 3 8:24

life. Well, you know she's. She's like when you know the book starts out. She's like going through, she's trying to get dressed for work and she's looking at her date outfits her first date outfit, her second date outfit. She's always like deliberately dressed and she goes to Long Island with Dan and she's always got the wrong thing, like everything's all wrong including when I go to Long.

Speaker 3 8:44

Island with my when I visit my in-laws, I'm like I am not dressed for this. There's actually a specific kind of way and I can't put my finger on it that you're supposed to be dressed. She's never wearing the right thing. And I actually had a time it was like 10 years ago my husband and I went on a romantic vacation to California and we get there and I forgot to bring a bathing suit, and so I go into the lobby gift shop to buy myself a bathing suit and it's like the end of the season and the only things they have are, like I don't know, a cousin of Eleanor Roosevelt's childhood bathing suit. I ended up buying this bikini that didn't fit me, so it was like kind of scandal. I mean, it was just the whole time.

Speaker 2 9:34

I was like I'm either going like 1920s or I'm going.

Speaker 3 9:40

Yeah, it was. It was not anything anybody needed to see.

Speaker 2 9:44

Yeah, it was not anything anybody needed to see. Also, I loved the oof. I say oof a lot. You say oof all the time, but then also reading, because they would sometimes be the oof and then the like six do's in a row, or you would mention the guitar riff that would play in the sitcom and I kept trying to imagine what that sounds like. What is that? Do you have an idea?

Speaker 3 10:04

You know it's so funny. You ask because when the audio narrator was recording the book, she texted me. She said could you make a voice memo of what do-do-do-do-do-do sounds like? And I was like okay, okay, do-do-do-do-do-do.

Speaker 2 10:22

Oh, there it is, there you go.

Speaker 3 10:25

And I felt so silly doing it. But she was like okay, got it. Thank you yeah.

Writing a Character Who's Funny

Speaker 2 10:30

Because, yeah, I kept. I was like out loud. I thought my husband was asleep and so I was like saying it out loud. I was like what are you doing?

Speaker 1 10:40

Okay, back to romantic vacations and getaways. There was a line in the book that said real love happens over breakfast, so kind of the opposite of the romantic vacation that you guys were on. Where did that come?

Speaker 3 10:54

from no-transcript like occurs to me that it's quieter than that.

Speaker 1 11:36

You know it's just over breakfast. Yeah, it was sweet.

Speaker 3 11:39

It's like we, you know, we have coffee in the morning, we walk the dog. What are we going to do today? What are we having for dinner? Did you call the sprinkler guy? I didn't call the sprinkler guy, just all of that sorting through our life. It's very real and it's not like. The romance, as Cormac says in the book, is like that's the, the candlelight, and that happens at night and you're probably wearing makeup. But like the real, like nuts and bolts of it happens at breakfast.

Speaker 2 12:11

That's so true, yeah, With my kids, I find that breakfast is the time that we're like eye contact and like all right, where's everybody?

Speaker 1 12:20

going Something that I don't think most people do your whole family sits down for breakfast.

Speaker 2 12:26

We do. Well. Now we have different shifts because my older two are in high school so I sit with them. But I try to sit with them and say, okay, this is the day this is happening, what do you have? Just because I feel like if I don't at breakfast, I miss that chance.

Speaker 3 12:39

Yeah, no, it's like the morning meeting in the corporation that is your family. It really is, and I'm my best self. At breakfast, too. I'm caffeinated. The day has not beaten me yet. I'm like who wants pancakes? I'm still my best self by the time it's dinner. I'm like I forgot to.

Speaker 1 13:00

By the time everybody leaves for school, I'm like, oh gosh, we got through it, we did.

Speaker 2 13:06

And then I grew up. I grew up not eating lunch either. My mom is like breakfast always and I said to Nora I was like unless I was at school I don't think I ever ate lunch.

Speaker 3 13:16

Was that something? You can eat lunch or not eat lunch, but I'm not making you lunch.

Speaker 1 13:21

That is like that was like your mom.

Speaker 3 13:24

Yeah, and I encouraged my children, even as teenagers, like to find jobs where they were provided lunch, that's very good Because. I'm like, don't come home looking for a sandwich in the middle of the day.

Speaker 1 13:35

And I live for lunch as soon as I get done, I say what's next? Yeah, all right, let's talk about Clem. Oh, I loved her. So she was safe and she was sound and she was generous and kind. She was like all of the things. I wanted to know more about her. I want to. I secretly or not so secretly yeah want there to be a spinoff with Clem and a brother could.

Speaker 3 14:05

Yeah, so you're not the first person to say that I never be a spinoff with Clem and a brother. So you're not the first person to say that I never think about spinoffs. And I also never think about characters after I finish writing the book, besides Dan, who I secret think about all the time. But it has been suggested to me that a book about Clem and his older brother, brian, who's the one, might be really fun. Gosh, you know I always like a friend in a book. Yeah, like it's just. You know people have friends. I felt like Jane needed a friend in this book to just have to be like hang on a second, like you're spiraling, no, come, cut, stop. Like she needed that friend who really knew her and who was like the touchstone to reality. I think without a friend, jane would have been like too much.

Speaker 1 14:58

But Clem also had. Like it sounds like she has a backstory right, like she has history, and I was curious about that and I was like I just I want her to work so hard. Yeah, taking care of people, everybody needs a Clem Old people.

Speaker 3 15:13

Yeah, yeah, people. And drunks, right Drunks. I mean, that's God's work, right there.

Speaker 2 15:19

One part of the book where she's like Clem didn't write her back. I'm like Clem met somebody and she left. She's out on an adventure. Oh yeah, I kept waiting for Clem to be like.

Speaker 1 15:28

I met someone too Wait writing we have to talk about, like she didn't text her back. You mean yes, yeah, okay, how about the notebook?

Speaker 2 15:35

Oh yes.

Speaker 1 15:36

Why have I seen the notebook a million times, read the book a handful of times and never picked up on the fact that it's so unbelievable that you would miss 365 letters?

Speaker 3 15:50

I'm just here to say it. I mean, I was like, yeah, that's so true. No, nora, okay, so I, when I was just like starting writing this, like in the first draft I don't know why I decided they were having a fight about the notebook. It just literally came out of me like just this initial fight about the notebook and it was so much fun to write that I couldn't stop, like the notebook thing was going to just like continue through the book. But of course I love that movie, like I'm a normal person. Everybody loves that movie and I watched it a bunch of times while I was writing this book. But I had to do a deep dive to keep the argument going, because what's with the haters who hate the Notebook? Believe me, there's a lot there. There are a lot of people who take serious issue issue oh, have you seen the musical what?

Speaker 1 16:50

There's a musical Nora Beautiful.

Speaker 2 16:51

We were in here, we cried our brains out the whole time it rains. On stage, the songs are gorgeous. Where can you see this? What are you talking?

Speaker 3 16:57

about.

Real Love Happens Over Breakfast

Speaker 2 16:57

I know Well, there was a preview in Chicago. We went with my mom to see a matinee. We were the youngest people there we might have been. And the cryingest people. Well, there's a matinee on a Wednesday, but Ingrid Michelson wrote the music and it's so beautifully done. There's three different alleys. What's the guy's name? I just forgot Three different.

Speaker 2 17:17

Like they play them at the different ages. It rains on stage. There's Noah Noah, so Jane's on stage. There's Noah Noah, so Noah. I forget Noah, it sounds like our name. It's beautiful. I listen to the songs a lot.

Speaker 3 17:30

So do you think it's in New York Like? This is something that's available to me.

Speaker 2 17:33

It might have closed. It was on Broadway last year, I know, and I kept telling everybody to go see it. If it's still there, you should go see it.

Speaker 1 17:49

It's really beautiful. Yeah, if it's still there, I will. It's touring. Check it out too.

Speaker 2 17:51

Yeah, bring a friend bring oh yeah, bring a friend because you're gonna, it's because it was fun to unpack it afterwards. And then also to see and I mean any, I am up for any musical, but to see, like especially ali and noah, like the older versions at the end, like, yeah, if in front of you you're just like I think all the versions.

Speaker 3 18:04

It was so yeah, it was great. So did you know that those swans were raised in captivity in that lake so that they would stay while it rained, so they could boat around, so that it could rain, so that we could have that kiss?

Speaker 2 18:20

I didn't.

Speaker 3 18:21

So a lot of people think that was unnecessary. I think it was totally worth it. That kiss was worth it, yeah, and it carries her upstairs.

Speaker 1 18:30

Swans are very well taken care of. Swans didn't know any better. Swans got to see the kiss. Swans were like that was my big break.

Speaker 2 18:39

Break. Come on, it's more movies than I've been in. Yeah, fine with me. Yes, totally. On the flip side, that scene with when Jane meets Brooke when they're at the clam Was it clam or lobsters? No, it was clams, wasn't it the clam bake scene.

Speaker 3 18:57

I feel like it's a clam bake, but now I don't remember.

Speaker 2 18:59

Oh my gosh, you felt like you were there at the table and it gave me a lot of anxiety. But in like the best way, Cause I was like, oh God, what's she going to do? Cause I'm like she's been drinking, Is she going to make up this? I was like is this where they're going to have like a falling out, or it's happening. But then also it made me laugh, because when you described Brooke, I was like, oh, she's not like people named Brooke. This was such a strong Bane's description of people named.

Speaker 3 19:28

Brooke just made me laugh so hard. It's so weird how we have associations with names. Like you guys probably remember this, you have like a hundred kids between you. When you're naming your children and people are like, oh no, that's a mean girl's name. And you're like, I don't know, a mean girl named that For me, brooke, because I've never disliked anyone named Brooke. I can only think of Brooke. Lee Foster, the writer, is the only Brooke that I know, but it's a preppy name to me, like it's like Brooke is like really well cared for. I don't know why I think that. And then we've got a monogram, all her stuff. I don't know where all this stuff is. I'm just not bad. How many brothers are you?

Speaker 2 20:08

I know I went to high school with a girl named Brooke and I will say she was always put together.

Speaker 3 20:14

Yeah, brooke is never a hot mess. No, no, no. Brooke Shields, brooke Shields. Yeah, I don't know. I have no idea where that came from, but it is just like a random mental association.

Speaker 2 20:27

Also, I loved that scene too, because I loved how Dan handled it where I was like Dan's a good guy yeah.

Speaker 3 20:34

Like it made. And you know the thing about him he doesn't care, like there's really nothing you can say to Dan. That's going to like throw him off his game Because he knows who he is.

Speaker 2 20:42

That's going to like throw him off his game he cause he knows who he is. Cause I was like, oh, what's going to happen? I was like Brooke is nothing, dan is like yep we good.

Speaker 3 20:51

Yes, I'm just Dan.

Speaker 1 20:53

Just Dan, I did. I really liked him and it I warmed up to him. I know I said this earlier, but like in this same as the same time as Jane did, so I felt so connected to it and to him. Yeah, I love that.

Speaker 2 21:05

And I did feel bad when the rug just got pulled out from under him, like when she came back from the limo, and he was like, wait, what he's like? So did it not go well? And she was just like I'm out, yeah, but she needed to sort things out.

Speaker 1 21:19

But I do like when reading through your books, because I don't like to feel like worried or anxiety that things might not end well. I was so happy to know that it would end well. I just never know how we're going to get there.

The Notebook Debate

Speaker 3 21:33

Well, this is why we read romance. You pick up a romance novel because you want to go someplace else and you want to know that the destination is going to be happy, right, and it should be. I think about this like every single day. It should be really easy to write a romance novel because it's like the plot's already worked out for you. They're people they meet. There's going to be a problem, they're going to get back together. But it's just so hard to you know you're going to a happy ending and it's really hard to figure out how these people are going to get there in a believable. You do a great thing With a billboard With a billboard?

Speaker 3 22:14

Yeah, I mean random.

Speaker 2 22:16

Is she okay? How high off the ground is it? Because I was just in Los Angeles and I was like those are high.

Speaker 3 22:21

Those billboards are high. Yeah, maybe this one wasn't so high.

Speaker 1 22:26

This was great. I was so happy to be part of their story. I just I'm in a mess, I know yeah.

Speaker 2 22:33

Does he move in in the house? That's what I wasn't sure I'm like. Did they move in together? Does he still have his apartment at the end? I?

Speaker 3 22:39

think he moves into the house. Yeah, in my mind. Okay, I think so too. They were going to drive home at the. Yeah, I think he's.

Speaker 2 22:50

Well, I don't know, yeah, I don't know, I don't know all of their business. I was also really grateful because when I was in Los Angeles with my son, we were like what are these beautiful flowers? And it's. I'm going to yes, and so then when I Googled it, I was like, oh my gosh, that's the flowers we were noticing, and then we didn't know what they were called. So thank you for that.

Speaker 3 23:04

Oog and V is like a weed in Los Angeles.

Speaker 1 23:08

It's O in Arizona too.

Speaker 3 23:10

It's so beautiful.

Speaker 1 23:11

It is. I wish we had that in Chicago. Before we end, though, can you ask about Nora?

Speaker 2 23:17

Yes, we have to ask about Nora. It does one word off script and her movie stance. Is the movie still going forward? Do you know?

Speaker 3 23:25

well, yeah, so the people that bought the rights have them for maybe 10 more months, okay, um, which means that they they need to write a script and they need to attach a studio and they need to find talent. I think there is somebody who's interested in acting in the movie, but all of that needs to happen in the next 10 months. It's. I'm sorry not to be more enthusiastic or give you more information, but it's one of those things. It's like I just don't really understand how it works, so I just like stay back here. I'm writing another book and like, when the email comes like it's a movie, I'll like I'll be excited, but it's just been going on for so long that I'm like and it's a long time.

Speaker 3 24:14

Yeah, it's like I'm playing a game that I don't understand what the rules are and that you have no control over either. I literally have no control and I have no idea if or what or when or any of those things, so I almost never think about it.

Speaker 1 24:29

It would be super fun. Other things to think about, because you have a new book coming up.

Speaker 2 24:34

Yes, I mean, there's a little sneak peek.

Speaker 3 24:38

What is it? A new book? Yeah yeah, so I'm working on that right now. I'm like I sort of thought I was done and it turns out it's no good. I mean it's not that it's not done, so I'm going to be working on that through the summer, but it's basically fake dating, which is something I've never written before. It is a number one favorite trope of mine to read. I think it's so dumb and no one in real life ever fake dates. But when I find it in a book, I am like I cannot stop reading. I'll stay up all night.

Speaker 2 25:14

I'm like let's just pretend we're together, so my grandma gives me my trust fund, like that kind of thing. Yeah, has that happened to you? No, no, okay, my friend took a picture with my husband at a wedding because I forget why, but they did like the prom pose and she had a real creepy landlord. So she printed it out and she used to pretend that Al was her boyfriend.

Speaker 3 25:36

Oh, that's funny. Oh, that's actually not stupid at all.

Speaker 2 25:40

No, I was like she's like, do you?

Speaker 1 25:41

I was like no, do safety first.

Speaker 3 25:44

It's great. Yeah, no, I think that makes a lot of sense, and I wonder how that's going to end.

Speaker 2 25:49

Oh, this was beautiful, so she ended up moving, so it's okay.

Speaker 3 25:53

Yeah, but would you love it? Like what, if you just printed that picture out and then you had it there for so long that on some level, every time you saw him, you were like, yeah, yes, you know what I mean. You had some kind of romantic and then it just like gained steam as it went so far.

Speaker 2 26:09

And then my friend was in my backyard like trying to get rid of me.

Speaker 1 26:15

Then that's like a dateline. Yeah, okay, dateline networks too, then that's like a that's dateline, yeah okay, that works too.

Speaker 3 26:20

That does move into dateline territory. So it's fake dating. And okay, so it's fake dating. And she um, it all happens in a fictional town right next to newport, rhode island. Um, she works at her dad's fish shop. She's home for the summer. She's 39 years old, single mother, mother, and for a variety of reasons that, I swear to God, make sense, she needs to pretend to be the girl she's hired, to pretend to be the girlfriend of the heir to this big real estate fortune. He lives in one of the mansions, you know, on the cliffs. She works at the fish house. There's a makeover. Perfect, it's that kind of thing. It's super fun. It's been so fun to write. Vague Dating is as fun to write as it is to read.

Speaker 1 27:10

Yeah, oh, this is great. Okay, so for all of our listeners, if you haven't read it's a Love Story, jam on it and then gear up for book number five that will hopefully be out next summer. It's amazing to have all your books.

Speaker 2 27:24

I know You're just seeing how beautiful. We don't have Nora here she's downstairs, but how beautiful they all look lined up together.

Speaker 3 27:31

They're so beautiful. The box set they're so beautiful and I get so excited to see what the next cover is going to look. Like it and I get so excited to see, like what the next cover is going to look like. Like it will become real to me when the next cover comes and what are the colors going to be. I love the cover of this one.

Speaker 2 27:45

This is my favorite one. Mora tried to match the swimsuit.

Speaker 1 27:48

Nice, not so, eleanor, you did.

Speaker 2 27:51

She did.

Speaker 1 27:52

Yeah, look at that.

Speaker 3 27:54

Your dress is much chicer than that bathing suit.

Speaker 2 27:58

Too much shoulder for Eleanor.

Speaker 1 27:59

Well, thank you again for joining us. Yeah, she's the best.

New Book Preview: Fake Dating

Speaker 3 28:03

My pleasure always as long as I'm writing books. I'm going to be on your podcast.

Speaker 1 28:08

Oh, that makes me so happy. As long as you'll have me and also make sure listeners to follow along with Annabelle Monaghan on her Instagram as well.

Speaker 3 28:17

Yes, her Instagram is fantastic.

Speaker 1 28:19

Yeah, oh, it's one of my favorites. Yeah, and we'll see you later. All right, bye, bye, bye, guys, and now a word from our sponsor hey Nora. Hi Nora, how are you? I'm great. I was just wondering do you like firecrackers?

Speaker 2 28:33

Is the Pope from Chicago, I sure do Listen.

Speaker 1 28:35

Guess what else is from Chicago? What? Mike Haggerty, Buick GMC. Bless my soul. God bless America. New Canyons, sierra, hds Terrains, acadias, yukons, you name it, they've got it, oh my goodness. But the real firecracker of a sale is the 2025 Buick Envision. You can lease it now for $339 a month for 24 months. God bless, America. So head on down to Mike Haggerty Buick GMC on the corner of 93rd and Cicero, or check them out online at haggertycarscom and tell them the Norris sent you. And now back to the show.

Speaker 2 29:13

Oh man, she's the best Home run. Home run.

Speaker 1 29:17

These days. I'd like to meet her for dinner and a drink.

Speaker 2 29:21

Yes, I know, last summer we were really fortunate because she was doing an event in Chicago and we did get to meet her in person which was really nice. So I'm hoping with her next book next year that it will bring her back to Chicago.

Speaker 1 29:35

Or that perhaps our schedule will lend itself to taking a little road trip to go see her, because we wanted to do that.

Speaker 2 29:41

We thought about doing that this summer, but it just didn't work out.

Speaker 1 29:45

We were hopeful, but alas, and alack, alas and alack. Well, we hope you enjoyed listening as much as we enjoyed recording, absolutely.

Speaker 2 29:52

Shall we, high and low, absolutely Go for it? My low is that I can't open my windows in my house because it's too hot. Oh, it's so steamy. I don't mind air conditioning for a couple days, but then I like to open the windows, let the fresh air in, and it's just too hot for that. It is, it's steamy outside.

Speaker 1 30:12

My low is that we took a little getaway to Scottsdale my daughter, her friend and myself and we were stuck on the tarmac with no air conditioning on the way out for over two hours. Oh, and then on the way home we landed early and were stuck out there, for I timed it an hour and 47 minutes, so come on people.

Speaker 2 30:36

My parents got stuck on the runway for an hour as well when they came home. It's brutal.

Speaker 1 30:41

Oh, I'm sorry, nora it was a long way there and a long way back, but in between was my high because it was nice to spend some girl time and just chill and catch up and be back home for a little bit.

Speaker 2 30:52

Yeah.

Speaker 1 30:53

And I think Elle had a great time.

Speaker 2 30:54

That's awesome. Yeah, my high is that I found something that's been missing for a really long time, and I don't typically lose things.

Speaker 3 31:02

Did you find the?

Speaker 2 31:03

purse no.

Speaker 3 31:05

Oh, the earrings, the earrings. No, not my earrings.

Speaker 2 31:07

So I have an Apple Watch band that I don't wear all the time, but it's leather and one side is really long and it wraps around your wrist and one side is short and the last time I wore it was at the Beyonce concert and I got home from that remember at like two in the morning, craziness.

Speaker 2 31:23

And that was May, like middle of May, and I haven't been able to find it since then and I don't like losing things, I don't typically lose things and I prayed to St Anthony. I've raised my price up. Yeah, and I prayed to St Anthony, I've raised my price up and I found it. Where was it? So it's a brown strap and the purse I used. First of all, I cleaned out every single drawer in my bathroom, every single drawer in my jewelry box. I cleaned out my closet I've been tearing my room apart trying to find it, oh and my nightstand. I cleaned all that out. I really thought I threw it away by accident.

Speaker 2 31:59

It's light brown and the purse I used was clear. It was a clear purse that has leather, brown, leather straps. And when I put the purse away, the watch band got wrapped up, no kidding In the thing. So I was like my purse, because I looked at the purse. But it's clear, correct. So I'm like, oh, it's not in my purse. So then, finally, when I took it down and like held it up by the strap, the watch band fell down.

Speaker 1 32:25

Oh, yay, and you're surprised you're not wearing it. I wore it all weekend. Oh, you did.

Speaker 2 32:30

Oh my gosh. I'm happy for you. I paid my donation to the American Diabetes Association for St Anthony Did you put that in the memo. No, I don't, but just the relief and the joy when you find something I know, Because also I was like I can't buy one side of a watch band.

Speaker 1 32:49

I feel that often, because I lose things, like it's my actual job, but then I keep looking for it.

Speaker 2 32:55

Does that happen to you after you find it? Oh, absolutely when I'm like. Oh, I should look, but then I keep looking for it. Does that happen to you after you?

Speaker 1 32:59

find it, oh, absolutely.

Speaker 2 32:57

Where I'm like oh, I should look. Oh no, I found it yeah.

Speaker 1 33:00

Well, I'm glad that you found it and I'm glad we had a chance to interview Annabelle and I'm glad we're back on track with all of our episodes. Yeah, so be sure to check us out on our Instagram. Be sure to check Ann to us next week. Bye.