Never Never

Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher are high-profile romance writers, both having gained followings through multiple bestsellers and savvy use of social media. Unlike film directors or record producers, writers are often framed as solitary creators. While they can seek outside input, in the form of editors and other experts, the creation of manuscripts is largely solitary. Collaboration is a critical element in the production of films and music—making a collaboration between two successful writers such as Never Never undoubtedly unique. A collaborative manuscript is meant to reflect both writers’ creative energies and tropes without showing seams. In this regard, some of the most successful collaborations include Stephen King and Peter Straub’s The Talisman (1984), Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens (1990), Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s Beautiful Creatures (2009), and the best-selling romances of Christina Lauren, the collective pen name for writers Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings.

As for Never Never, interviews with Hoover and Fisher are deliberately coy concerning who wrote which parts of the novel. The two writers insist the development of characters and plot points were shared decisions. Their cooperation lends itself to the novel’s themes of