Lucy Score and Club Crackers Launch ‘Book Club House’ Inspired by the Riley Thorn Series (EXCLUSIVE)
Calling all book club enthusiasts and Lucy Score fans! Club Crackers is reinventing the meaning of “weekend getaway” with their new “Book Club House”. Teaming up with New York Times bestseller and BookTok sensation Lucy Score, Club Crackers is bringing her beloved Riley Thorn romantic mystery series to life in a local mansion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania—where the beloved series takes place!
The Book Club House is filled with Easter eggs, subtle nods to the series and character-themed rooms, and comes complete with a wine fridge stocked by Butter wines and a variety of Club Crackers for snacking. Guests can even indulge in a Lucy Score-written itinerary for spots around Harrisburg—like tarot card readings, scenic hikes, local orchards, winery excursions and delicious restaurants. Visit HomeToGo for info on how to book your stay at the Club Crackers Book CLUB House.
As for Lucy herself, she is thrilled for Riley Thorn fans to experience the magic of the Book Club House. “The idea that Club Crackers is able to take my characters and my story off of the page and actually create this immersive experience for readers makes me so excited!” she says. “Club Crackers is all about creating connections, so we're connecting our book club people to our favorite snacks and our favorite books, and creating a whole world of everything that we love. I'm delighted!”
In this exclusive Q&A with FIRST, Lucy shares her inspiration for the Riley Thorn series, her current favorite book, her ideal getaway and what’s coming up next in her world.
FIRST for Women: Did you always know you wanted to be an author? What inspired you to create the Riley Thorn character?
Lucy Score: Well, I originally thought I was going to be a journalist. I was really heavily influenced by the adventures of Lois and Clark. I got my degree in journalism in college, and then I very quickly realized that there aren't really a lot of happily-ever-afters in the news. So I tried on a few other careers for size. In the meantime, I always was really interested in writing. To relax, I would write a little scene that I had in my head. I did that for years and years, and I never really thought about writing a book until Fifty Shades of Grey came out. I was working at a newspaper at the time, and all of us women in the newsroom were passing around the first book. When I was reading it, I could not stop turning pages. I thought, I wonder if maybe I could write a book. And that's kind of where it started. It's funny because the very first idea I ever had for a book ended up being the inspiration for the Riley Thorn series. It was on one of my early dates with my partner, Tim. He worked for a private investigator, and he took me to a junkyard to clean out a wrecked car. I remember going through the glove compartment and thinking, This belongs in a book. All these years later, it’s a scene in The Dead Guy Next Door.
FFW: What was the process of going from writing just romance to incorporating the mystery elements in it too?
LS: I love combining the two because romance and mystery-thrillers are my favorite two genres to read. So the idea that I could mash them up together in this series, along with a lot of comedy, I was like, “This is my happy place. This is exactly where I want to be.” So it's been an absolute delight trying to keep the crimes fresh and keep the romantic storyline moving between these two characters. It’s been so much fun!
FFW: What are you most excited for Riley Thorn fans to experience at the Book CLUB House?
LS: Club Crackers obviously did their homework and read all of the books. When we got on a call together, they were walking me through some of their ideas, and getting my feedback. I was like, “I want to stay there. I want to go there. I want to eat all the cracker spreads. I want to walk into Griffin's room.” I've hardly had to tell them anything because they've done such an amazing job bringing this book to life!
FFW: The Book Club House is an amazing fall getaway! What would you say is your ideal getaway spot?
LS: I really love the beach in the off season. My favorite things are reading and snacking. So when you go to the beach and it's not the summer, you're not rushing down to get a good spot by the ocean. You're not worried about sunscreen application. You are under a blanket. You are curled up with your favorite goodies and a stack of books. That's my jam right now.
FFW: Which was your favorite of the Riley Thorn books? What has been the best part of writing that series?
LS: The book that has my heart is the very first one, The Dead Guy Next Door, because so much of it was inspired by my early dating life with Tim. The series just represents this dream come true for me. This is something that I have had in the back of my head for years before I ever started writing. To be able to take readers on this journey with me and actually put them there with Club Crackers Book Club House is going to be so much fun. It just feels like a culmination of all of my hard work. It’s a gift to the readers.
FFW: Congrats on Things We Never Got Over coming to TV! Is there a release date for that yet? What has that process looked like? Did you ever dream of having your books turn into movies/shows?
LS: I have because it's always been just this funny thing for me to have this whole world and all these characters in my head. They really exist to me. They're real to me. And I try to make them real to readers by putting them on the page, and now, they're going to be a TV show. Amazon, MGM Studios is developing Things We Never Got Over. I can't believe it. I have a big, scary goals journal that I write in every year, and I write down something that I really want but that is pretty much impossible. For two years in a row, I wrote: A TV show. So I'm very excited to see their vision. It’s going to be awesome.
FFW: What are you looking forward to most about the release of Story of My Life in March next year?
LS: This is one of my favorite books that I've ever written in small-town Pennsylvania. It’s kind of a similar vibe to the Riley Thorn series. But it's my love letter to readers. It's so bookish-themed. My heroine's a romance novelist, and the hero is a blue collar, grumpy contractor, guy who doesn't have time for a relationship. I fell in love with this story, so I'm really excited for readers to get their hands on it in March.
FFW: Do you have any authors or books that you’ve been into lately?
LS: Oh yes, I just finished Liane Moriarty's Here One Moment. 10 stars! I went to LA last week, and I read it on the plane there and back. It’s amazing!
FFW: For Things We Never Got Over super fans, could you share with us who would be your dream cast to play Naomi and Knox?
LS: I'm super open. I can't wait to see casting ideas. Anybody who's going to bring these characters to life, I'm going to be happy with. My readers have had a lot of ideas, and that has been so much fun to see. Somebody who keeps coming up for Know is Charlie Hunnam. So I think I'm open and my readers have a lot of very exciting, interesting ideas that they're sharing.
FFW: Over the past few years, your readership has grown significantly, was there a defining moment when you realized your books were taking off?
LS: I think in recent years, what really escalated everything was BookTok. When I released Things We Never Got Over. I loved the story. I was so proud of the book. I felt really good about everything, but I had no idea how readers were going to feel about it. So I just sent it off into the world, and somehow BookTok found it, and they fell in love with it. They loved the story the way I loved the story. That was such an amazing experience to be part of. It was all of these readers out there championing this story. It was so exciting, and I'm so grateful for it.
How to submit an entry for a chance to stay at the Book Club House:
Simply share a story about the characters in your own book club and submit an entry for a chance to book one of three different two-night stays at the Book Club House for up to eight guests for $0 a night by visiting HomeToGo.com/BookCLUBHouse.
For the latest on this ultimate club adventure, follow @ClubCrackersUS on Facebook and Instagram. Keep up with Lucy Score on Instagram and TikTok.
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