The Role of a Writers Room in Crafting Intimate Scenes for Sunny Hostin's Latest Novel

Why Sunny Hostin Used a Writers Room for the Sex Scenes in Her New Book

Sunny Hostin Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Sunny Hostin received some assistance from her friends for her newest novel.

During the episode of The View on Tuesday, May 28, cohost Joy Behar inquired if the sex scenes in Hostin's book, Summer on Highland Beach, were based on her own experiences.

Hostin firmly stated, "No, I didn't. I have a writers room with both men and women. We collaborate on the writing because, being a repressed Catholic, I find it challenging to do it alone."

She went on to say, "I never realized how attractive my friends are! When we gather, both men and women, we approach the writing from a female perspective, and their input greatly contributes to the book."

Summer on Highland Beach, the third book in Hostin's popular Summer Beach series, is set on the shores of the oldest Black resort community. This community was established in the late 1800s by Frederick Douglass.

Hostin recently shared in an interview with We why she selected this historic location for the setting of her book.

"It's really important to me," Hostin said earlier this month. "I feel like we don't know a lot of our history. American history is still young, considering how long we've been a country. It's sad that many young people, and even older people, are not familiar with our history. There has been a tendency to overlook the true depth of American history, which includes a diverse range of people, places, and events."

After all, Sunny is well aware of the current perspectives of young people. She and her husband, Emmanuel "Manny" Hostin, are proud parents to son Gabriel, 21, a junior at Harvard University, and daughter Paloma, 17, who will be starting her freshman year at Cornell University this fall.

While working on her new book, Sunny mentioned that both Gabriel and Paloma were very supportive and understanding. She shared with Us that they gave their mother the space she needed to focus on her writing. Sunny explained that she likes to write at night as part of her process, so after helping her children, she would have dinner with the family and then retreat to her home office to work on her book. Gabriel and Paloma respected her need for privacy and allowed her to concentrate on her writing.

Sunny continued, “They sometimes come in and say ‘Good night, don’t forget to get some sleep.’ They check on me, which is pretty spectacular.”

Summer on Highland Beach is available now. 

Editor's P/S:

Sunny Hostin'