READERS GUIDE

In Conversation with Paige Toon
 
1.        What inspired you to write Don’t Fall in Love With Me?
I’d been thinking about Legends of the Fall and wanted to write a love story about a heroine who was torn between two very different men. Originally, I imagined a mountain setting under a sky full of stars with log cabins and winding rivers, and I thought about setting it in Canada. I wanted one of the male characters to be taking up his place at a wealthy family business, which initially I thought could be jewel mining, and I had this vivid scene that kept playing over and over in my mind of a boy with a difficult upbringing seeing a girl on the other side of a river and saving her from a bear. When it came down to it, I couldn’t make it to Canada to do a research trip in time, but we were going to France, and when my husband pointed out that the Ardèche has mountains and gorges and winding rivers, prehistoric caves and medieval hilltop towns, another idea emerged. . . . Stay tuned for the book set in Canada, though—I made it there eventually and it’s where my 2027 book is set!
 
2.         Why did you choose to set this story in the Ardèche region of France? What was your favorite part of writing this setting?
I had never fully set a book in France before, which seemed like a travesty considering how much I love it and how close it is to the UK, where I live. When I decided to move away from Canada as a setting, the Ardèche felt like a perfect fit. I could have stuck with jewel mining as family business, but when I visited the beautiful spa town of Vals-les-Bains and saw the mineral-water bottling plant right there in the town by the river, I realized that mineral water would work even better. Much of the story was formed after my family holiday/research trip to France—the story just came to life around me. I saw a real château that inspired Jackson’s grandfather’s château, and I stayed at a house in the mountains that inspires Grace’s grandmother’s place. I went kayaking with my family and visited prehistoric caves and medieval hilltop towns with bustling summer markets, and I also saw Art Deco garages that inspired the one Étienne owns.
 
3.        Who was your favorite character to write, and why?
Étienne. The first moment where he flirts with Grace in front of Jackson—and every subsequent moment like that—was so much fun to write. He gave me butterflies from the start. He’s so sexy and cool, and yet he has serious issues and an ulterior motive that made him a very interesting and slightly dangerous person to find myself falling for. And yes, I did deliberately write “myself” just then—I’m inside Grace’s head when I’m writing so I have to feel everything she’s feeling when I’m writing!
 
4.        How was writing Don’t Fall in Love With Me similar to or different from writing your previous books?
Because I’d initially set my sights on Canada as a location, it took a while for me to get my head around the idea of setting it in France, but once I was there, the Ardèche swept me away. I did feel more pressure than usual to capture the essence of both the setting and the French people. It’s easy to write about the places where I grew up—Australia, America, and the UK—because I feel an affinity to them, but there’s a certain responsibility that comes with writing about a foreign country and its people—I wanted to do justice to the motto of France: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.
 
5.        Were Jackson and Étienne inspired by anyone in your own life? Who did you enjoy writing more, and why?
I really loved writing both of them, but Étienne had my heart from the start. Jackson’s character required more work in the editing stages because he wasn’t as strong initially, but I wanted Grace to feel properly torn, so I love the Jackson we ended up with. They’re both figments of my imagination, but I often draw inspiration from facial features or physical characteristics of celebrities or people I’ve seen online. The tennis player Jack Draper inspired Jackson’s physique and hair color—and the fact that he plays tennis—and there’s a TikToker called @arijelkins who does great music recommendations: his dark curly hair and dress sense is very “Étienne”!
 
6.        What research did you do in order to write Don’t Fall in Love With Me? How did you come up with Eau de Sainte Églantine and Grace’s career?
I had to research the location, the country, and the ethos of its people, French garages and French cars and classic car renovations, mineral water and bottling methods, spa towns and volcanic springs, prehistoric caves, kayaking, wildlife and, in particular, wolves, seeing as my initial idea of Étienne saving Grace from a bear no longer worked! So many things, including Grace’s marketing job, which in fact was a lovely part of my research as I had a video call with two people from my publisher’s UK marketing team (Rebecca Ikin and Isabella Levin) and they gave me some great ideas. I wanted to make sure Grace was going to France to work with Jackson on her own terms and wasn’t just going to be Jackson’s beck-and-call girl, so it was important to give her a career that could really benefit his family business—the marketing job idea grew from there. And Eau de Sainte Églantine was inspired by Vals mineral water because I visited Vals-les-Bains, and it seemed like a great fit.
 
7.        Which was your favorite scene to write, and why?
The moment where Étienne and Grace are at the bar, he’s had a few drinks, and she’s a bit jealous of him talking to another girl. He stops her on her way back to the table from the bathroom and gets very up close and personal. The chemistry between them is so hot. I loved writing all of their scenes together—the one where they go kayaking and end up staying overnight on the banks of the river is another favorite.
 
8.        If you could cast Grace, Jackson, and Étienne in a movie or TV series, who would play them? What about the other supporting characters?
I’m useless at this question—if my characters are ever in any way inspired by real people, they’re rarely inspired by actors, and once they take shape inside my mind, they don’t resemble anyone real at all. I do absolutely love Timothée Chalamet, though, so if he ever wanted to play the part of Étienne, I’d let him, ha!
 
9.        What do you hope readers will take away from reading Don’t Fall in Love With Me?
I hope they want to go to France to experience this stunning setting for themselves, I hope they’re moved by what they read, and I hope they’re taken on an emotional roller coaster of a journey, feeling everything from butterflies to heartache, yearning and passion. I hope it’s a page-turner that they don’t forget easily.
 
10.   What’s next for you?
I’m currently editing the book that’s set in Canada in a real place called Revelstoke. It’s a stunning mountain town on the banks of the emerald-green Columbia River. My character Maddie spends the summer living in a log cabin at the edge of a towering forest. She has a wood-fired hot tub and enjoys time outside under the stars, and she lives next door to a gorgeous man called Miles, who’s back in “Revy” to reconnect with his eight-year-old son. Maddie, a professional dancer, has lost her love of dancing for personal (tragic) reasons, but as she falls back in love with it—and in love with Miles—she realizes that it’s the one thing that’s going to take her away from him. Check out my socials @PaigeToonAuthor for research pics of all my locations. It’s nice to see the real-life inspiration as you’re reading the book.
 
 
Discussion Questions
 
1.        What was your favorite scene, and why?
2.        Would you ever travel to a different country for your dream job? What would that look like for you?
3.        Who was your favorite character, and why?
4.        Do you understand the grip that Grace’s past with Jackson had on her heart? Why or why not?
5.        Desperate to make Jackson jealous, Grace enters a fake relationship with Étienne. Have you ever tried to get under someone’s skin in a similar way? If so, what methods did you use?
6.        Who would you have chosen: Jackson or Étienne?  
7.        Throughout her youth, Grace has always come back to her unrequited feelings for Jackson, no matter how much time has passed. Is there anyone from your own past you’ve never forgotten? Or if not, what helped you move on from past loves?
8.        There is more to Étienne than meets the eye. What do you think draws Grace to him?
9.        Grace agrees to work for Jackson, someone she’s not only been close friends with, but has held a candle for romantically. Could you ever work for someone with whom you have such a relationship?
10.   How did you feel about the ending?