Stout made family a major topic throughout her novel because “family, no matter how crazy, is very important because the are the only ones you’re going to get.” Once in Korea, Grace swears off the music industry, until she begins falling for Korean pop star Jason.

In her novel, the main character Grace decided to go to a boarding school in Korea to get away from her record-producer father, famous older brother and a mother who always blames her. The main message that Stout wanted the readers to take away from her book is that “there is always hope to be found in very difficult situations.” She accomplished this by writing about a girl going completely out of her comfort zone and putting herself out there, drawing most of that from her own experiences.

“Hello, I Love You” is Katie Stout’s debut young adult novel about a girl who moves to Korea for her senior year and falls for a K-pop star. “Go out and live and have really awesome experiences to put yourself out there because that’s where inspiration comes from,” Stout told Ex Libris members. Her time in China became a major inspiration for her novel. Throughout her college experience, Stout was the senior editor of the school’s newspaper, did journalism work for a Christian non-profit charity and went to China to teach English. Stout attended the University of West Georgia and began to write “Hello, I Love You” in her senior year. Although she always knew she wanted to write, she never knew in what aspect that would be. She described herself as “the nerdy kid.”Īlong with many other teenagers, when Stout was trying to decide what her future was going to hold, she was indecisive. Stout spent her high school years home schooled in Peachtree City, Stout said all she did was read and write growing up. “I think that it inspires our kids to see that someone local can make it,” Hanie said. When Ex Libris sponsor and media specialist LeighAnne Hanie saw the email, she looked up the book and saw that it was on the list of Most Highly Anticipated Young Adult Novels of 2015 and contacted her back. Stout’s publicist contacted most of the schools in Fayette County, suggesting Stout come and speak to book clubs in the high schools because she grew up around this area. The Prowler interviews Katie Stout, who came to speak to the Ex Libris book club during their October meeting, about her motivation to write “Hello, I Love You.” “It’s so cool how we can get the author to come and get more explanation on the book,” said senior Kacey Yonkovitz, treasurer of Ex Libris. While members usually eat and socialize before the discussions begin, this month those who read Stout’s book talked with her one on one and got their copies signed.Īfter the officers gave a brief overview of the books for their November picks, the club split up into groups, and Stout answered any lingering questions on the minds of the students about the book and the writing process. 7, the club welcomed debut author Katie Stout, who wrote the young adult contemporary romance “Hello, I Love You.” However, last month, the club only chose two books, “Hello, I Love You” and “Vango” in honor of a special guest coming during the October meeting. “She showed us that it is possible to follow your dreams.”Įx Libris picks three books their members can chose from each month.

“Talking to a published author was a really fun experience because she was so down to earth and very personable,” Ex Libris book club president Lydia Powell said.

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