Alicia Thompson Interview - With Love, from Cold World ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Content from Alicia Thompson

Alicia Thompson is a writer, reader, and Paramore superfan. As a teen, she appeared in an episode of 48 hours in the audience of a local murder trial, where she broke the fourth wall by looking directly into the camera. She currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children.

What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
The biggest distraction for me was probably the imposter syndrome that hit right on schedule just as I was about to finish the book. It’s like you’ve thrown all these threads out there, and only when it comes time to tie them all together are you like, wait, were those the threads I should’ve chosen? Am I doing this right? I keep a notebook for every project I draft, and it does help to refer back to those and really see, oh yeah, this IS happening right on schedule! Just finish the book and you can figure out which threads to go back and unknot later!

Has reading a book ever changed your life? Which one and why, if yes?
Reading The Diary of a Young Girl really changed my life. It’s my all-time favorite book, if I had to choose only one. Her curiosity, her powers of observation, the deft way she could describe people, her humor, her heart . . . I think reading that diary was truly what made me think I could be a writer, too.

Can you tell us when you started WITH LOVE, FROM COLD WORLD, how that came about?
When I started drafting WITH LOVE, FROM COLD WORLD, I didn’t have an agent or a book deal yet, so I was truly writing it just for myself. It was December and I’d always wanted to write a Christmas romance, so I thought, why not? I made myself a giant playlist of Christmas music and played it all the time, to my kids’ delight. My son was like, you never listen to Christmas music??? And I was like, well, now I do!!! The book was inspired by a lot of things, including a favorite Paramore song (“Hello Cold World”) and a winter attraction that had just opened up in Central Florida called Snowcat Ridge.

What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of the finished product?
When I first saw the cover for WITH LOVE, FROM COLD WORLD, I was obsessed! Jenifer Prince is such a genius; I love her work so much. I really wanted a clinch cover for this book, and Asa and Lauren look exactly how I pictured them. There’s a lot of characterization even in the way they’re holding their hands – Asa is gripping her shoulder like he can’t pull her close enough, while her hand on his arm is a little more tentative, like she really wants to touch him but isn’t quite sure yet how far to go. That really matches the way they are in the story, so I love that detail.

What were your inspirations for the character development?
I really wanted to write two characters who seem to be polar opposites – Lauren is reserved, comes across as a little uptight. She’s very focused on rules and routines. Asa, on the other hand, is the resident jokester at Cold World, and doesn’t seem like he takes anything too seriously. But they’re really a lot more alike than they realize, and even the ways that they’re different fit together perfectly once they get to know each other better.

Your Favorite Quotes/Scenes from WITH LOVE, FROM COLD WORLD
My favorite scene in the story comes in Chapter 13, when Asa and Lauren get locked in Cold World overnight and spend time in her office talking and . . . doing other stuff. It’s a real turning point for them because they let down their guards and show each other more of who they are than they’ve ever felt safe enough to do before. There’s this one part when Asa turns to Lauren and says “Let me make it up to you” that still gives me butterflies even though I wrote it, because I’m like yessssss okay here we go!!!

What is the first job you have had?
The first job I ever had was working in the “arts and crafts” trailer at a summer camp. I had to be there super early in the morning and I remember my supervisor caught me sleeping with my head on the table once (before any kids had arrived, but when I was supposed to be getting supplies all set up). And one time I came up with what I thought was the best craft (little pirate boats out of egg cartons with toothpicks as oars, popsicle sticks and construction paper to make the masts, etc.), all the kids loved it, only I got in trouble for using toothpicks because someone could’ve gotten hurt? And I was like, why were they in the supply closet then???

What is your most memorable travel experience?
“Most” memorable feels like a lot of pressure, but I recently went to Chicago and got to see a game at Wrigley Field, which was a dream come true (except the part where the Rays lost lol). At one point there was a message on the Jumbotron that said, “Amanda, will you marry me?” and I barely had time to be like, aw, I wonder where Amanda is, before I turned to my left and THERE WAS AMANDA AND THERE HE WAS DOWN ON ONE KNEE A REAL-LIFE BASEBALL GAME PROPOSAL HAPPENED RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYES! That was pretty cool.

What were you doing the last time you really had a good laugh?
I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard as I did when I first saw the meme where it’s Jack from Titanic showing Rose his notebook of drawings and she says, “Jack, these are exquisite” but in the meme format it’s actually a binder of Pokemon cards.

What do you usually think about right before falling asleep?
The time I said it was wild that they didn’t have any pizzas available for my daughter’s birthday party at a skating rink and the person I was talking to said, “Well, did you formally book the party? Because if you book the party ahead of time then they know to make the pizzas” and for some reason I said, “I did!” even though I absolutely did not, and then they said, “If you book the party ahead of time then they have to have the pizzas” and I was just like “huh, weird!” and I know that person would tell this story now and say “she was obviously lying, there’s no way she booked that party” and they’re right, I can’t tell you why I said that. I just thought that if we showed up and ordered a pizza from the counter where advertise pizza for sale they would be able to sell us one and I’m still kinda thrown that they didn’t.

She has a to-do list a mile long and falling for her coworker isn't on it--yet somehow he's become her top priority in this romantic comedy from the national bestselling author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers.

Lauren Fox is the bookkeeper for Cold World, a tourist destination that's always a winter wonderland despite being located in humid Orlando, Florida. Sure, it's ranked way below any of the trademarked amusement parks and maybe foot traffic could be better. But it's a fun place to work, even if "fun" isn't exactly Lauren's middle name.

Her coworker Asa Williamson, on the other hand, is all about finding ways to enliven his days at Cold World--whether that means organizing the Secret Santa or teasing Lauren. When the owner asks Lauren and Asa to propose something (anything, really) to raise more revenue, their rivalry heats up as they compete to come up with the best idea. But the situation is more dire than they thought, and it might take these polar opposites working together to save the day. If Asa thought Lauren didn't know how to enjoy herself, he's surprised by how much he enjoys spending time together. And if Lauren thought Asa wasn't serious about anything, she's surprised by how seriously he seems to take her.

As Lauren and Asa work to save their beloved wintery spot, they realize the real attraction might be the heat generating between them.

You can purchase With Love, from Cold World at the following Retailers: