Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Sara Jade Alan | Top 5 Reasons to Fall in Love with a Friend
Author Guest / May 7, 2018

In my YA debut, A MESSY, BEAUTIFUL LIFE, Ellie and Jason are improv comedians who become friends when their improv groups join forces to enter a sketch comedy contest. Laughing and being absurd together—while heartache unfolds around them—pushes them closer, and they have to decide if it’s worth the risk to take their friendship to the next level. Since I ended up marrying my best friend in real life, I’m totally biased as to whether it’s worth the risk to fall in love with a friend. Here are my top five reasons: You get each other’s jokes. For comediansthis is especially important. But if someone gets your sense of humor, they get you. And no one finds you funnier than your friends. Plus, laughter releases oxytocin in our system, the same hormone that bonds people to each other. So, more laughter, more bonding!It just makes sense. You’re committed to commitment. No one wants to risk ruining a good friendship dynamic, so you both understand at the start that if you’re agreeing to take it to the next level, you’re going all in. He comes pre-approved.You get to avoid that awkward introduction to your friends where you’re stressing if he’ll fit…

Sara Jade Alan | The Improv Guide to Relationships
Author Guest / October 3, 2017

Ellie, the main character in my debut YA contemporary romance, A MESSY, BEAUTIFUL LIFE, is captain of her high school’s improv team. She meets Jason onstage in an improv scene that turns pretty steamy. I love improv, and as an anxiety-prone introvert the principles of improv have been a huge gift in my life—stay present, listen, trust. Really, improv has all the benefits of meditation, but without the pesky sitting-still part. For me, the greatest gift of improv has been meeting some of my best friends, including my husband, Brian. (But no, we did not meet in a steamy improv scene.) Since it’s contemporary romance day at Fresh Fiction, I thought I’d talk about relationships. I don’t profess to be a relationship guru (not at all!), but Brian and I have been friends for 22 years and we’re celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary three days before my book release. We believe so much in the principles of improv that we based our vows on them, and I thought it might be a fun way for non-improvisers to think about their relationships: THE IMPROV GUIDE TO RELATIONSHIPS You are all supporting actors Just as in a good improv scene, no one…