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| Credit: Natasha Beale 2020 |
Born and raised just outside Seattle, Washington, Addie Woolridge has spent her life cultivating the experiences that make her characters so richly developed, relatable, and real. Though her love for knowledge, diversity, and different cultures has honed her writing, Woolridge is also a classically trained opera singer with a degree in music from the University of Southern California, and she holds a master’s degree in public administration from Indiana University. When she isn’t writing or singing, Woolridge can be found in her Northern California home, baking, training for her sixth race in the Seven Continents Marathon Challenge, or taking advantage of the region’s signature beverage—a good glass of wine.
The last thing Samantha Holbrook expects from herself is to insult a colleague before she even starts her new job. But, after a mix-up on a plane leads her to mistake a handsome fellow doctor, Grant Gao, for a tacky nightclub promotor on a bad drug trip, Sam is on thin ice. Oh well. Sam is determined to make it on her own anyway. No matter how aloof he’s been since her terrible first impression, Sam won’t let Grant spoil her fresh start.
Instead, she keeps herself (maybe too) busy with her roommates, her work, and her passion: starting a new program to improve pregnancy care in the community. When getting the hospital bigwigs on board with her idea proves to be more difficult than Sam anticipated, she is forced to swallow her pride and ask Grant for help.
Working with Grant, Sam starts to think that maybe beneath his hard candy shell, there might be a softer inside. As the two of them undeniably grow closer, Sam begins to realize that taking on more than she can handle doesn’t have to be so bad—as long as you let someone else help you carry the load.
Anytime someone tells me that my book got them through a hard/long day that is the best compliment! In terms of a specific compliment, I had someone tell me that they didn’t think romance was for them until they read my book and that just made me grin! Romance hasn’t always felt like a welcoming place for all people, so anytime I hear that I did something to bring new readers in and let them know that, “yes romance is for you!” is massively flattering to me.
How is Samantha similar to or different from you?
Oh gosh! We both love ice cream and A Goofy Movie. Both of us live in the Bay Area and we just might share the same hair washing routine. Ha! Unlike Sam, I grew up pretty well loved and understood. I often joke that any mistakes my parents made were mistakes of enthusiasm not neglect. My dad once drove by our high school track, saw me running the mile in gym class and fully pulled over to cheer me and my friends on! All that to say, I didn’t have to work through the same feeling of being on uneven ground that Sam does with her family and I’m deeply grateful for that. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!).
If Anatomy of a Meet Cute were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
This is hard! I’m not one of those writers who puts together Pinterest boards for inspiration. Traits for my characters just sort of wander into my head as I write. Sometimes I don’t even know a character’s eye color until they need to be looked at by another character. I did a bit of celebrity browsing and I think Nesta Cooper would be perfect for Sam and Stephen Oyoung would be a fantastic Grant. My apologies to everyone if I’ve forgotten the perfect celebrity, and come find me on social media and tell me who I missed!
Tell us about a meet cute you've experienced.
All of my meet cute moments make me look like a hot mess. I’ll share this one: I’m left-handed and there are always a limited number of left-handed desks in any classroom. Once in college, I walked into a lecture hall and there were none available, so I picked the first unsuspecting guy and ranted at him about right-handed people taking all the left-handed desks because they were on those desks were on the aisle and they wanted to get out of class fast. I let him know in no uncertain terms that my elbow would be falling off the desk while I was trying to take notes for the next two hours and I did not want that experience. The guy shrugged and moved a few seats down. Feeling satisfied with my righteous victory, I stuck my nose in the air, dropped into the chair and took all kinds of smug left-handed notes. Halfway through the lecture, I looked over and froze…the guy was left-handed, too. Flooded with humiliation, I leaned over and asked him why he didn’t tell me that he also needed a left-handed desk. He just smiled and said that it seemed like I really needed that desk today then asked for my notes since his were a mess due to the whole "elbow falling off the edge of the desk while writing" issue. One thing led to another, and we dated for a while after that!
Which TV series are you currently binge watching?
I’m in the middle of two shows right now. The first is everyone’s favorite, Ted Lasso! Yes, I know I’m behind, but I wouldn’t let myself start watching until after I turned in my most recent manuscript (a Young Adult rom com called The Homecoming War).
The second is the PBS/Masterpiece show, Grantchester, which I discovered while I was revising Anatomy of a Meet Cute in Ireland. (I did a bad job timing my revisions, so I ended up editing the book on vacation.) The premise is basically a roving cast of extremely good-looking vicars with soothing accents who solve murders in the 1950s. It has big cozy mystery vibes and I’m here for it, plus there are about a zillion seasons of it!
What is your favorite springtime activity?
It's a three-way tie. I’ve always loved hiking and spring is the best time for that! The feel of the sun on my face and with the slight bite in the air is unbeatable. Also, during the pandemic, my friends and I started doing more sitting-in-the-front-yard-with-a-glass-of-wine and I won’t lie, I still love doing that even though we can go other places. There is just something so nice about relaxing on someone’s front steps and killing time without the hustle and bustle. Spring is also the outdoor music festival season and I love those as well!
Thanks to Addie for chatting with us and to Blankenship PR for sharing her book with our readers.
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11 comments:
Not exactly a meet cute, but I was starstruck. At the airport, I met one of the most admired male Spanish actor of the time! Miguel Ángel Silvestre, quite nice!
It's been a long time. The last cute guy I saw was on a cover of a book.
The last really cute guy I met was a friend of a friend.
I’ve never really had a meet cute moment.
n/a
It was at the line at the supermarket.
Never had a meet cute moment
A friend of a friend
I had a meet cute at a dance
Just people watching everywhere.
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