Taylor Hahn Interview - The Lifestyle ~ JeanBookNerd

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TAYLOR HAHN is a writer and lawyer based in Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and Fordham University School of Law. The Lifestyle is her first novel.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
Working with my team! My agent, editor, and I have become great friends. It’s so rewarding to have a positive relationship that is both professional and business-oriented, but also thoughtful, supportive, kind, and super fun. I feel incredibly lucky to work with them. Without the two of them in my corner, this book would not exist. Working with them has been an even greater honor than selling the book in the first place.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?
Don’t rush. There is a feeling of impatience and urgency that comes with writing. We want to get it done, get to the next step, query agents, sell the book, and then and then and then. But my friend who is a novelist always told me not to rush. Better to get it right than get it done. That is so important because writing a book takes a ton of time, so you need to enjoy the process of writing, not just the end result.

Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite book?
This is nearly an impossible question to answer, but one book that comes to mind is THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah. That book was so incredibly moving and heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. I don’t think I stopped thinking about it for a year after I finished.

Greatest thing you learned in school.
The lesson that most stuck with me was a hard one. In high school, I pretty much did the bare minimum to get by. I did my homework at lunch, never actually read the assigned texts, and looked in the back of the book for the math answers. I was awful. One day my English teacher asked me to stay after class and told me that I was wasting my brain. I thought it was so mean, but he was absolutely correct. When I went to college and then law school, I became a completely different person. I worked my butt off.

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
I have a second novel in the works! It’s a hilarious, heartwarming family dramedy holiday book similar to the movie The Family Stone.

In your newest book; THE LIFESTYLE, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it.
THE LIFESTYLE follows Georgina Wagman’s adventure as she dives headfirst into New York City’s swinger scene in an attempt to save her marriage. Does she know what she’s in for? Spoiler: Not even close. Georgina soon finds herself lost in New York’s most elite sex clubs, role playing with Matthew McConaughey, and handcuffing a complete stranger to a bed post. But it’s not all fun and games: THE LIFESTYLE takes an intricate, thoughtful look at marriage, friendship, ambition, and the so-called “perfect” life, asking whether it’s okay to get wild and take risks in the pursuit of true happiness. It’s a romantic comedy with a twist!

What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
I hope readers think deeply about the different paths can relationships can take, and realize they can all be meaningful in different ways. Swinging isn’t for everyone, of course. THE LIFESTYLE doesn’t suggest that it is. A reader might think swinging is the last thing they would ever do! But I hope that in reading the book, readers think about why couples might be intrigued by that lifestyle and respect it, even if it’s not the path they would personally choose. And I hope readers will also be thinking, This is wild!

What part of Georgina did you enjoy writing the most?
Georgina is much more headstrong than I am. It was difficult at times for me to write a character who was so bold and sure of her decisions, because that’s not who I am. But once I really got into her head, I had so much fun inhabiting a character who would say things like, “We’re becoming swingers…I assure you it’s got nothing to do with a jungle gym. More like a playground for adults,” without batting an eye.

What was your unforgettable moment while writing THE LIFESTYLE?
When I finished my first good draft. I was by myself at a cabin in northern Arizona. When I typed the last word, I immediately opened a bottle of wine and called my friend, Crystal Hana Kim, and she celebrated with me over the phone. She is a novelist, too, and has always been my biggest cheerleader.

If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
I love this question! I would introduce Georgina to Cher from Clueless because they both think they know everything, so they can knock each other off their high horses.

Choose a unique item from your wallet and explain why you carry it around.
My fake ID from college! My friend Nora gave it to me, and the woman looks NOTHING like me. She is fifteen years older and five inches taller. But hey, it worked, and it makes me laugh every time I see it.

If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be?
Southeast France. I would like to live in a villa, please! And eat brie and baguette and drink wine and speak terrible French.

Best date you've ever had?
My husband and I went to Nashville for Valentine’s Day. We’d never been before, and we went bar hopping downtown where all the honky tonk bars are. In one of them, he proposed! It wasn’t the most extravagant proposal of all time but it was absolutely perfect for us.

What was the best memory you ever had as a writer?
Selling my novel was incredible. I was in a hearing (I’m also a lawyer) and I got a call from my agent that I was dying to answer but couldn’t. She sent me a text saying she had good news, and I was over the moon with excitement but didn’t want to jinx it. When I finally got to call her, she told me Anchor Books wanted to buy THE LIFESTYLE, and I wrote my husband a note with the news on a yellow legal pad and held it up. He immediately grabbed his keys and ran out the door to go buy champagne, and he was back by the time I’d even hung up the phone!

When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
I just wrote a thank you card to a friend who’d been so kind to me after my mom passed away. Those are the kinds of things best expressed by hand.

TEN REASONS TO READ THE LIFESTYLE

1. It’s unlike any book you’ve ever read before! It’s not just a romantic comedy. It’s a thoughtful exploration of marriage and friendship—plus swinging!
2. You’ll learn about the lifestyle and ethical non-monogamy. Maybe it’ll pique your interest!
3. You’ll laugh out loud.
4. You’ll visit NYC’s elite sex clubs.
5. You’ll get some steamy scenes.
6. You’ll fall in love with this wacky, loving cast of characters. Even though they are all flawed, they are full of heart.
7. You’ll share hilarious moments with Janet Jackson, Applebee’s, and appletinis.
8. You’ll get a bit of legal drama thrown in for good measure.
9. You’ll challenge your preconceived notions about swingers.
10. YOU’LL HAVE A BLAST!

Your Favorite Quotes/Scenes from THE LIFESTYLE
Here’s a sneak peek into Georgina’s first introduction to the lifestyle when she meets her friend, Suzanne, at a bar . . .

The bar was packed and loud. When Georgina said, “Tell me what’s new,” Suzanne didn’t hesitate to shout, “Philip and I started swinging!” and a few people nearby turned around with curious amusement.

“I swear to God,” she went on, possibly unaware of her eavesdroppers but more likely enjoying them, “it’s the best thing that ever happened to us. We should have done this from day one.”

“You’re not serious.” Georgina pictured swingers more like a fringe group of radicals and Freudian fetishists in leather straps and purple lipstick, but Suzanne wore J.Jill! Women in sensible heels couldn’t be swingers, could they?

“Dead serious,” Suzanne said. “If I saw one more of Philip’s shavings in the bathroom sink, I was going to push him out the window. We hadn’t had sex in two years. Years, Georgina. YEARS. Now we’re like horny teenagers at prom. Our relationship is better than when we first started dating.”

Georgina sipped her margarita. “To be clear, by swinging, you mean—”

“We get together with a small group of friends, have a few drinks, pair up, and screw each other into marital bliss.”

Don't miss the beach read of the summer! A heartwarming and hilarious novel about swinging, marriage, and complexities of the heart.

“This book is fun as hell. Hilarious, addictive, moving, and sexy. I lost track of time reading it, and I couldn’t get enough!” —Jasmine Guillory, bestselling author of While We Were Dating

Georgina Wagman has it all—a great marriage, a great job at a prestigious law firm, and great friends. She’s living the life she always wanted, and everything is perfect. Until, that is, she walks in on her husband Nathan in a compromising position with a junior associate. Georgina has a moment of crisis. But divorce is not a part of the five-year plan, so she comes up with an idea to save her marriage and recapture the spark. She and Nathan are going to become swingers.

Georgina isn’t going to embark on this adventure alone, though. Her friends Felix and Norah and their respective partners decide to tag along for the ride. They’ve got relationship woes of their own that swinging just might fix. Georgina, convinced Felix and Norah belong together, is thrilled. What better place to reignite romance between two people destined to be together than a swingers’ party? Her plan is foolproof, until she runs into a college ex at the first party. When they reconnect, Georgina will find herself torn between her head and her heart, with her very happiness hanging in the balance. Perfect for fans of Jennifer Weiner and Sophie Kinsella, The Lifestyle is a playful homage to Jane Austen's Emma Woodhouse and an outrageously fun summer read.

You can purchase The Lifestyle at the following Retailers: