Zibby Mag

Book jacket biographies don’t tell us nearly enough about the authors we love. That’s why Zibby Mag launched the Author Spotlight, giving readers an inside look at the lives and work of your favorite writers.

This week we’re spotlighting New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory and her latest novel, Drunk on Love!

What inspired you to write Drunk on Love?

Napa Valley itself! It’s such a beautiful, busy, and interesting region, and there are so many stories there! And there’s the side that the tourists see, and then there’s the side that the people who live there see. Between wine and hospitality and the effects of climate change and what things are like for locals living in a tourist area, I knew that it would be a fun and fascinating place to set a book. And then the beginning of the book came to me, and I couldn’t wait to write the rest.

What books are on your nightstand right now?

I’m currently in the midst of a new biography of Agatha Christie called Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley, and loving it. I’m also excited to dig into Amy Spalding’s upcoming young adult book, No Boy Summer (I adored her upcoming romance, For Her Consideration), and I have Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm by Laura Warrell and the upcoming Friday I’m in Love, by Camryn Garrett patiently waiting in my stack!

Where is your go-to place to write?

In bed. I know, it’s terrible for my back! I need to work on this.

What is your favorite Indie bookstore?

East Bay Booksellers in Oakland—I’ve been buying books there for a long time, long before I was an author, and have always loved it. It’s the kind of store where I always discover a book that I’d never heard of and now need desperately. And everyone at the store has been so supportive of me and my books ever since my debut, The Wedding Date, came out, and now I love them even more!

What are three books you’d recommend readers start after Drunk on Love?

Ooh, what a fun question. For more wine country vibes, Room and Board by Miriam Parker. For more romance (and adventure), Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai. And for more family drama, On the Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

That, despite quite a few Today Show appearances in the past few years (which require me to be up and alert super early), I am very much not a morning person!