#BlogTour -‘You, Me & Mr Blue Sky’ by Craig Lancaster and Elisa Lorello

About the book

‘You,Me & Mr Blue Sky’  published in paperback and eBook format by Lancarello Enterprises is the tale of Jo-Jo Middlebury who is done with love.

Linus Travers wants one more shot at it.

Mr. Blue Sky, their 1970s-loving guardian angel, offers perspective on both when he’s not busy diving into reruns of “Happy Days” and “Barney Miller.”

Linus can save Jo-Jo’s business, but Jo-Jo makes it clear that she needs no one to rescue her, least of all him. Add to that an ex-fiancé with a change of heart, a single mom who wants a good time, and a married couple who’ve blurred the boundaries of their respective friendships with Linus and Jo-Jo.

All the while, Mr. Blue Sky observes, explains, and ever-so-gently interacts.

Written by wife-husband novelists Elisa Lorello and Craig Lancaster, You, Me & Mr. Blue Sky is a warm-hearted, humorous dive into the depths of love and the mysteries of how two people find their way to each other.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Linus and Jo-Jo alternate chapters and every few, Mr Blue Sky drops in to create situations in which they need to not only come around to themselves but then also become aware of each other.

Linus begins the book at Larry and Jennifer’s New Year’s Eve party, his first as a single man after his wife, Amanda , has run off with their accountant, Bryce. Jennifer asks all her guests to write a New Year prediction for something they want to achieve in the following year-Linus just wants to be in a loving and committed relationship.

Jo-Jo has been dumped by Rex, and has the daunting task of telling their mutual friends and family that the wedding has been cancelled. She is sworn off love forever and has no time for it in any case as her gym, Might Jo’s, is currently stalled due to a dodgy contractor.

Linus is trying to establish himself as an ethical builder, they seem like the perfect match but both have been hurt and need to recognise what has happened in their past before they can begin to think about a new relationship-enter Mr Blue Sky!

Craig Lancaster and Elisa Lorello have created a beautiful read, full of heart which dazzles over the course of a year-with the aid of some divine intervention. The path to true love never runs smoothly, but by the time the following New Year Eve rolls around , the lives of more than one couple are irrevocably changed. Highly recommended, thanks so much to the authors and Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for this blog tour opportunity.

About The Authors

Q and A with Craig and Elisa Lorello

What was your favorite aspect of writing this novel together?

Craig: That word, “together.” All told, from first draft to final polish, we’ve had several months of working together, learning how to play off each other’s writing, talking through sticking points and seeing these characters come to life on the page. I often say that Elisa’s the one with whom I want to spin through life; it was gratifying to find that the same was true when it came to writing a book.

Elisa: Me too! Even when we were just friends, I had a feeling that I would love to co-write a novel with him, even though our books have been quite different in terms of subject/genre. But it was like good jazz; where one left off, the other picked up, and we instinctive knew where to go. It was fun to see what the other had written.

Do you have a favorite character or scene?

Craig: I love all three major characters, as well as the minor ones. There comes a point where you start to see them in full, as if a movie is playing in your mind, and that’s awesome, because you start to get the sense that you’ll navigate the novel successfully. I wouldn’t even try to pick a character or a scene as my favorite. What I like about this book is the same thing I like about most books that stick with me: It’s not about sentences or individual scenes. It’s about how every word, and every occurrence, builds on the others to create a whole.

Elisa: I love all the characters, but it was a lot of fun to write Mr. Blue Sky. There was a lot of playing going on there. And there’s a scene that always makes me cry. (I’m not going to tell you which one, though!)

What is your favorite book the other has written?

Craig: I don’t want to say the word “favorite,” because each has meant something different to me. But it’s hard to think about Elisa’s career without coming back to Faking It, her debut. She’s surely become a better writer in the years since and written books that are better on their technical merits, but there’s something irresistible about that first glimpse of Andi and Devin.

Elisa: I do love all of Craig’s books, but a couple stand out for me. One is The Fallow Season of Hugo Hunter. Years before we were married, we were friends and, for lack of a better word, colleagues. Our publisher had asked me to give his book an endorsement. I was afraid I wouldn’t like it when I saw that it was about a boxer at the end of his career. However, when I read it, I realized it was about so much more—an incredible story with incredible writing. (The endorsement is still printed on the book, and on the Amazon product page.)

I also love Edward Unspooled. It’s my favorite of the three Edward books. He read most of it to me in draft form, and the two of us couldn’t stop laughing.

What’s it like being married to a fellow author?

Craig: Exceedingly ordinary. (And trust me, that’s a good thing.) The one thing that’s different is only another writer knows the peculiarities of the business and the lonely slog of working on something new. It’s nice to live with someone who gets all that. But mostly, we’re a married couple who happen to write books. We wake up, we feed the cat, we go to the gym, we discuss what we’re going to make for dinner, we watch movies, etc. Nothing extraordinary. And yet, it’s the most amazing thing in our lives that we get to hang out every day.

Elisa: I have a similar answer. Funny, I always thought it would be nice to be married to someone who does the same thing as I do, someone who gets the ups and downs and ins and outs. That part is really nice. Also, fabulous love letters. But yes, other than that, we’re mostly homebodies who really have a good time hanging out together.

Do you think you’ll collaborate on another novel in the future?

Craig: I’d be highly surprised if we don’t, given the experience we had with this one. As is the case when we’re writing separately, the question comes down to this: Will the right idea come along? If/when it does, I’m sure we’ll both be up for the experience.

Elisa: I hope so! But the right idea has to come along. These things can’t be forced.

What do you most love to do together as a couple?

Craig: Have experiences. You know, I had my 20s and 30s to have things. Now, it’s all about the world we live in—whether it’s something in our neighborhood, or some far-off place we haven’t yet seen—and the experiences it holds for us. That I get to cruise along with my best friend and the person I love most is just the most fantastic gift. Gratitude abounds.

Elisa: Making each other laugh. We also really enjoy taking road trips, even though I’m not always a good traveler when it comes to motion sickness. That’s where some of our funniest stuff comes out, and some of our favorite memories are made. In fact, You, Me & Mr. Blue Sky was conceived on a road trip!