Ask the Author: Stephanie Reid
Answered Questions (2)
Stephanie Reid
Hi Selenay! I'm sorry I took so long to reply to this question. I didn't see it until today. I've been on a bit of a writing hiatus for the past year. My husband's work schedule has changed and we moved to a new home, both of which impacted my writing schedule. But I'm committed to finding time to write in 2017! I've started plans for a new book called "Alone Together." It's a standalone, but centers on a secondary character from "Burn for You" in The Protector Series. It's the story of Preston, an agoraphobic true crime novelist. Despite never leaving his house, he'll find himself entangled with a single mom whose digging into her own unsolved mystery will land them both in danger.
Stephanie Reid
Great question! I have always been an avid romance reader and during my master's program, I was sitting in class, listening to the professor talk about the process of change and how Carl Rogers (aka "The Father of Counseling") theorized that relationships healed. He believed that if he showed his clients "unconditional positive regard" and accepted them exactly as they were, it would create the conditions under which a person could change and grow and heal. I immediately thought of all my favorite romance novels, all those wounded heroes and heroines who often led dysfunctional lives until they met that person who loved them just as they were. And it changes their lives.
My author friend Brenda Rothert has a favorite quote from "Bridget Jones" where Darcy says, "I don't think you're an idiot at all. I mean, there are elements of the ridiculous about you. Your mother's pretty interesting. And you really are an appallingly bad public speaker. And, um, you tend to let whatever's in your head come out of your mouth without much consideration of the consequences... But the thing is, um, what I'm trying to say, very inarticulately, is that, um, in fact, perhaps despite appearances, I like you, very much. Just as you are." Things change for Bridget after that moment. It's hugely impactful to be accepted for who you are.
So, to make a long story longer, from that lecture on, every time I picked up a romance, I began to think about those theories of change and I noticed that the best romances, the best stories, had believable characters who were changed in some way because of their relationship with the hero or heroine. And I began to get story ideas of my own revolving around this theory and before I knew it, I was writing a book.
And that my friends is how I got the idea for Talk to Me. :)
My author friend Brenda Rothert has a favorite quote from "Bridget Jones" where Darcy says, "I don't think you're an idiot at all. I mean, there are elements of the ridiculous about you. Your mother's pretty interesting. And you really are an appallingly bad public speaker. And, um, you tend to let whatever's in your head come out of your mouth without much consideration of the consequences... But the thing is, um, what I'm trying to say, very inarticulately, is that, um, in fact, perhaps despite appearances, I like you, very much. Just as you are." Things change for Bridget after that moment. It's hugely impactful to be accepted for who you are.
So, to make a long story longer, from that lecture on, every time I picked up a romance, I began to think about those theories of change and I noticed that the best romances, the best stories, had believable characters who were changed in some way because of their relationship with the hero or heroine. And I began to get story ideas of my own revolving around this theory and before I knew it, I was writing a book.
And that my friends is how I got the idea for Talk to Me. :)
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