FORT WORTH, Texas — Colleen Hoover has been busy.

The East Texas native is one of the bestselling authors of the past decade, with more than 35 million books sold across over 25 written works and counting. Hoover was born in Sulphur Springs and grew up in Saltillo, where she still resides.

Her first brush with the big screen came in 2024, when Sony released the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni-starring “It Ends With Us,” based on her 2016 book. The film proved to be a massive financial success, earning $351 million worldwide against a $25 million budget.

Just over a year later, Paramount released a film adaption of her 2019 book “Regretting You,” which starred Grapevine native Mckenna Grace. The film earned $90 million against a $30 million budget.

Now, Hoover’s next film adaption — “Reminders of Him” — hits theaters this weekend.

“After prison, a woman attempts to reconnect with her young daughter but faces resistance from everyone except a bar owner with ties to her child. As they grow closer, she must confront her past mistakes to build a hopeful future,” the film’s synopsis reads.

After serving as an executive producer on her previous two adaptions, Hoover co-wrote and produced “Reminders of Him.”

Ahead of the film’s release, Hoover and “Reminders of Him” director Vanessa Caswill spoke to the Star-Telegram at Landmark’s Inwood Theatre in Dallas. The conversation ranged from Hoover adapting her own book, collaborating with Caswill and casting country music star Lainey Wilson in the film.

[This interview has been edited for clarity and length.]

Q: Vanessa, I want to start with you. We’re here in Dallas, have you spent much time here or in Texas generally?

Vanessa Caswill: I’ve been here once before. It was on a tour, so I didn’t get time for very much, but I like what I’ve seen.

Q: We have to get you some barbecue or cowboy boots or something to celebrate the occasion.

Colleen Hoover: Or some Tex-Mex.

VC: Yeah, I love that.

CH: She needs some good queso.

Q: Speaking of Texas, Colleen, I know that “Heart Bones” is set in Texas. Is that something you want to see on the big screen one day?

CH: Oh yeah, I would love that. I think I’m gonna take some time off and regroup, but if I start writing another script, it’s gonna be that one. I’m excited to see that one on the big screen. It’s more YA (young adult). But, yeah, I love the Galveston area.

Q: The film incentive program here in Texas got so much better last year.

CH: Yeah, I know that’s exciting. Hit up Matthew McConaughey like, “Hey, let’s film a beach movie.” [Laughs]

Q: Vanessa, I wanted to start with you on “Reminders of Him.” You’ve worked on several book adaptions before in “Little Women” (2017) and “Love at First Sight.” I’m curious how you balance audience expectation with the reality of the movie you want to make?

VC: I read the script first and didn’t read the book, so I read it as an audience member, who’s not a book fan. I really value that experience because I wanted to hold the audience and non-book readers in my mind the whole time, but equally, I really wanted to honor the book and make sure that fans felt like they were getting the story that they remember. I think it’s just about having a sense of balance around it and making sure that it feels like a film, in its own right. That the script could be the first thing ever and having that in my mind, as well as just trying to bring as much as we possibly could out of the book.

Q: Colleen, I know this is your first screenwriting credit. I would just love to hear about the writing process of you and co-writer Lauren Levine. Are you rereading the book and pulling out notes from when you first wrote it? Or how did that process go?

CH: Oh, Lauren and I have known each other for like a decade. She was the one who bought rights to one of my first books [”Confess”] that was ever adapted to a miniseries. We’ve always wanted to write a script together, but this one, we just blocked off a few weeks and then spent a lot of time together, where we were on each side of the desk. At the time, I didn’t know script formatting. I knew what I wanted in the script, so it was a lot of dictation at first, and she would put it how it needs to go. Then we would just pass the script back and forth. She would get in there and change things that she saw, and then I would read it, and give my notes and change things. It was just a really collaborative process.

Then, when Ness (Vanessa) came on board, there were a lot more changes, because she came with a bunch of great ideas. I would say it was just so collaborative and ongoing. I’m shocked at how it just doesn’t stop. You don’t just turn in a script, and then it’s done. It’s a constant, even the day of filming, we would change a line here and there. It was really a great learning process.

Q: As far as the script goes, Vanessa, I’m curious what your philosophy is with the source text. Are you strictly following the script or also looking at the book? Do you ask Colleen for advice? What’s your thought process when making an adaption?

VC: Yeah, I mean, I guess once I’ve read the script and really liked it and knew I wanted to direct it, then I just use the book as like a bible. I’ve read it so many times, I have it all marked up, I’ve listened to the audiobook loads. I don’t know, each time I read it I was finding more visual stuff out and more emotional things. I just kept on using it the whole way through.

CH: She was very good about bringing to us, like, “Hey, I really missed this from the book. Can we add this back in?” That made me feel really good because when you’re writing a script, you’re just slicing away everything [laughs] and trying to make it shorter. So, when the director comes in and is like, “I really like this from the book.” Thank you, it made me feel good.

Q: Colleen, I believe this is the fastest adaption of yours from publish to release. “It Ends with Us” was about eight years, “Regarding You” was about six years and “Verity” will be about eight years. “Reminders of Him” is coming just over four years after publication. I know four years doesn’t seem like a long time, but I’m curious for you what it’s like to have an adaption made so quickly?

CH: It didn’t feel quick. I’m shocked it’s only been four years. The other ones I sold before I even wrote “Reminders of Him,” so it’s felt like a very long process to see the other three come to the screen. I think that’s more along the normal lines. But with “Reminders of Him,” right after I wrote it, Lauren and I knew we wanted to adapt it so we had already started working on the script right after it published. I think that helped. We weren’t waiting for someone to come along and buy the rights like I did with all the other ones. This one, we were like, “Oh, let’s just get the script written, and then shop it around and see what happens.” I think that’s why it went a bit quicker, because we kind of had a sense of control and then a completed script to turn in when it was time to sell it.

Q: This movie is about redemption, regret, hope. But motherhood is a huge theme in the book and in the movie. Colleen, I know you have children. Vanessa, I’m not sure about you. I have close friends who have kids and they talk about how it completely changes your worldview. As creative people, how has having children made you rethink the way you make your art?

CH: I don’t think you can not incorporate being a mom when you’re writing about a mom. I think that a lot of this story came from the fact that, I had created Kenna’s character and the struggle she’s going through, but then I had to put myself in her shoes. I was like, “Oh, this poor women.” I could not imagine not being able to hold my child right after birth and connect to it and know, like, “Who is this child?” So, yeah, I think it definitely impacted writing the book.

VC: Yeah, I have two daughters. I think that any stories about mothers and daughters really get me. Being a mom is the great work of my life. And the thing that I feel like I fail at all the time [laughs]. I think that’s definitely just a real deep connection to this story being about these two mothers. There’s so many things I love about this story, but I think that’s the one that gets me. I’m processing as I work through it.

Q: The romance is also very strong in this movie. You both have experience in this genre, so I’m curious if there’s a secret weapon that you know you need to deploy for it to be a successful romantic story?

CH: A secret weapon. Oh, man.

VC: I think one of the most exciting things about this, and any romance, is when there’s forbidden love. Where there’s a real push-pull dynamic. The character’s heads want one thing, and their bodies want another, and maybe their heart wants something else. I think we have that in this story. It’s kind of like the fact that they can’t, or they don’t want to, or they actually hate each other, but they don’t. Is a thing that makes it have a lot of chemistry and tension.

CH: Also one of the things that when I write, I’m very much a lover of beta males and not very much alpha males. Even though I feel like Ledger has alpha male qualities, he’s also gentle, and he loves this little girl. He’s trying to do right by his best friend. I don’t think that’s a secret ingredient, doesn’t answer your question. But I know for me, in order to really get into it, like, my husband is such a kind human, and I’m really drawn to that. I put a lot of him in my books, just how they treat people around them and aren’t cocky. I don’t know if that’s a secret to romance books, but it is for me. That’s what I like.

Q: I feel like Tyriq [Withers] and Maika [Monroe] are so good in this movie. Colleen, when you’re writing, do you envision certain actors in mind for the characters? And then Vanessa, what did you see in these two that made you cast them in the movie?

CH: I don’t see people when I write. I usually get my first draft back, and the editor is like, “What color hair do they have?” Because I don’t describe them at all. I see more of a personality, but they’re always a blur. One of my favorite things is when a book releases and then readers do their fan casting for who they can see in the film, and I’m like, “Really?” I’m always shocked. I never thought about that. For me, it’s not at all like, “Oh, do they match the eye color or are they the same height? Are they this or that.” You could put anyone in that role as long as they can embody the emotions. That’s the most important thing to me is putting someone in a role that wants to be there and respects their job and the character. We got really lucky with our cast.

VC: I mean, there’s nonnegotiables as well for this cast. With Kenna, we knew that she had to have this certain degree of toughness as well as be lovable. Ledger, he’s an ex-football player, he needs to be physically imposing. But ultimately, it was their real raw connection to the material and the fact that they were willing to go there. It wasn’t just like a part that they’re going to play on surface level. They were going to like really meet the material and I think both of them have open hearts and deep connections. Then they’re so perfect physically and able to embody the qualities that those characters need to.

Q: You also have Lainey Wilson in this movie. She was on “Yellowstone” and is now making her feature film debut. How did you get her in the movie?

CH: You might want to answer that. I don’t really remember exactly how it came about.

VC: She auditioned. We knew that she was keen, and I met with her. She actually read for a couple roles, but we had such a great meeting and immediately hit it off. Do you remember when I got off [the phone] with her and was just like, “Oh, my God, she’s amazing. I love her.” Straight away I knew if she was keen, we should 100% have her in it.

CH: I think the challenge was, she’s so busy. I think we probably would have liked her in an even bigger role and have her on screen more. But someone with that caliber and that schedule, you take what you can get. But maybe one of these days, she’ll have more time to do more acting. I think that she enjoyed it.

VC: She really enjoyed it.

CH: She was just a joy and has been so kind.

Q: I just feel like she has so much personality just with her voice and vibe. I mean, it’s just a character itself.

CH: Yeah, no, that’s very true. You get what you’ve seen with her, authentic all the time. Just the same persona. But then on set, she was able to kind of switch it up a little. I think that she’s got the chops for it. I think she should definitely pursue this.

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