Since we are reading Cure For the Common Breakup for #SRC2014, this week’s edition of Inspired By is dedicated to Beth Kendrick!

Here, Beth shares five books that inspired her to write Cure For the Common Breakup!

Flirting With Forty by Jane Porter

“What happens when a woman stops doing everything that’s expected of her…and starts pursuing what she’s always wanted? Flirting With Forty starts with that question and ends with me lying on the beach in Hawaii. The book is much more than a sexy vacation romance; it’s a story about the love and compassion the heroine develops for herself, and about the unexpected opportunities we can find in heartbreak. No lie—a few days after I read the final chapter, I made hotel and air reservations and escaped to Oahu for a few days. Jane Porter and her lush, vivid descriptions of green foliage and turquoise waters and tropical pink flowers left me no choice! And while I was basking in the sun, I thought, “I should really write a book set on the beach…”

 

 

The Week Before the Wedding by Beth Kendrick

“Yes, I know it’s tacky to name-drop my own book, but this is where Summer Benson, the heroine of Cure for the Common Breakup, was “born”! She was supposed to be a secondary character—the maid of honor to Emily, the bride and heroine—but she swaggered in and stole every scene and finally, I just gave in and accepted the fact that she needed her own book.”

 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

 

“One of the most memorable characters in Pride and Prejudice is Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She’s rude, she’s pretentious, she’s a total narcissist, and I die laughing every time I read one of her exchanges with Elizabeth Bennet. In Cure for the Common Breakup, the heroine meets her match in Miss Hattie Huntington, a filthy rich, openly hostile old biddy who becomes Summer’s arch enemy…and constant companion. They have some truly epic battles. I would be sitting there at my computer keyboard, eyes wide as saucers, sucking in my breath and reporting the passive-aggressive carnage. In some small way, Hattie Huntington is my homage to the magnificent Lady Catherine.”

 

Ask the Pilot by Patrick Smith

 

“Summer Benson is a flight attendant, and while I was working my first draft, I interviewed several airline employees to get the low-down on life in the friendly skies and to make sure I was using the proper terminology, etc. I’m a bit of a research nerd, so I was thrilled to stumble across this book by a veteran commercial pilot in the Phoenix airport bookstore. The author addresses all kinds of questions—from the mechanics of flight to the true meaning of “weather delay”–with humor, insight, and an obvious passion for aviation. He can turn a description of de-icing a jet wing into a gripping page-turner. It’s a gift!”

Drink This: Wine Made Simple by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl

 

“I read this during a trip to the Delaware shore, which is where “Cure for the Common Breakup” is set. A friend gave it me for my birthday and swore that it was fun and fascinating and compulsively readable. I had my doubts—“fun” is not typically a word I associate with wine snobbery, but that’s exactly the author’s point. Wine doesn’t have to be intimidating and exclusionary. Wine should be accessible and enjoyable for all, and this book is delightfully witty and well-written. Oh, and Black Dog Bay, the town I made up for “Cure”, features a wine bar called the Whinery, which is THE ultimate post-breakup destination. You can get a glass of light, crisp sauvignon blanc (hold the snobbery), your choice of breakup song from the bar’s expansive playlist, and a steamy makeout session with the tall, dark, ridiculously charismatic “designated rebound guy”. Something for everyone!”

PINTEREST PS!  Follow along with our Summer Reading Challenge Pinterest Board!