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Please tell my
readers a little bit about your book.
Making the First
Move is
about two people who struggle with painful pasts in a way that threatens their
prospects for a happy future. Melanie Gordon obsesses over her career as a way
to hide from the pain of her father’s death and a devastating break-up. Raine
Mason is a selfless, committed philanthropist who has a mysterious past that
left him with physical and emotional wounds. Their relationship and the obstacles it
encounters provide them both with an opportunity to reassess their lives and
shed learned identities that are holding them back.
Describe the genre
of this particular title, and is it the only genre you write in?
For me, contemporary romance encompasses many things. The typical love-in-the-here-and-now stories we expect, but also new adult, romantic suspense, and romantic women’s fiction. This title and my December release are both contemporary romances, but both stories are very much about the heroine’s journey—as much as they are about the romance that is central to it. However, future stories in the works include a new adult trilogy and a romantic thriller.
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| Reese Ryan |
For me, contemporary romance encompasses many things. The typical love-in-the-here-and-now stories we expect, but also new adult, romantic suspense, and romantic women’s fiction. This title and my December release are both contemporary romances, but both stories are very much about the heroine’s journey—as much as they are about the romance that is central to it. However, future stories in the works include a new adult trilogy and a romantic thriller.
What
inspired you to write your first book?
A fellow copywriter told me about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). It sounded insane, but I was also intrigued. I started my first fiction novel since high school while participating in the event the following year. Making the First Move was a NaNo project I started in maybe the first or second year I participated. A few years later I went back and finished it.
A fellow copywriter told me about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). It sounded insane, but I was also intrigued. I started my first fiction novel since high school while participating in the event the following year. Making the First Move was a NaNo project I started in maybe the first or second year I participated. A few years later I went back and finished it.
I tried NaNoWriMo
last year for the 1st time! Loved it! How
did you get into romance writing?
It was only within the last two years that I really came to realize, and embrace, the fact that I’m a romance writer. I was an avid YA reader in middle school and high school. Several years later, when I started reading fiction again, it was during the height of Chick Lit’s popularity—a genre I still love. So I hadn’t read very many pure romance novels and I considered myself a Chick Lit and then a women’s fiction writer. When Carina Press acquired this novel as a contemporary romance I started to really examine all of my stories. They deal with the heroine’s journey and family drama—yet a romance is always central to the story. It was one of those moments when you finally figure out what everyone else already knows.
It was only within the last two years that I really came to realize, and embrace, the fact that I’m a romance writer. I was an avid YA reader in middle school and high school. Several years later, when I started reading fiction again, it was during the height of Chick Lit’s popularity—a genre I still love. So I hadn’t read very many pure romance novels and I considered myself a Chick Lit and then a women’s fiction writer. When Carina Press acquired this novel as a contemporary romance I started to really examine all of my stories. They deal with the heroine’s journey and family drama—yet a romance is always central to the story. It was one of those moments when you finally figure out what everyone else already knows.
Ha! Took me until my
fifties to figure writing was my passion. Life got in the way. Who first introduced you to the love of reading?
My parents. I thank them for that in the acknowledgements
of every book I’ve written.
My parents are my
loudest cheerleaders! I met you at a meeting of our local chapter of Romance Writers
of America. Has your membership helped?
One
of the best things I did as a writer was to join RWA—even when I thought I was
strictly a women’s fiction writer. Membership in my local Heart of Carolina
chapter and two online chapters has brought me a wealth of knowledge and
encouragement. Also, being a member of other local writing groups has
introduced me to some outstanding local writers and to my current critique
group.
Will you share some
encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract?
I
had three completed manuscripts when Carina Press acquired Making the First Move. I’d sent queries to a few agents on two of
the manuscripts—including this one. Then
I stumbled across a pitching session to another digital-first publisher. They
requested the full manuscript. That opened my eyes to this medium. So I
submitted to several others. Out of the five publishers I submitted to I
received two contract offers and one request for a revise and resubmit. So
while it has become more challenging to get published traditionally, the
rapidly changing industry offers so many opportunities for new writers. So keep
writing. Keep improving your craft. Learn as much as you can about available
options and choose the one that’s right for you.
Share three fun
facts about you that most people don’t know.
1) I just might be the oldest blanket
baby in the history of blanket babies.
2) As a kid I hated playing outside
because I didn’t like that outdoors smell my great aunt in Mississippi refers
to as “fresh.”
3)I conquered my fear of heights to
climb Dunn’s River Falls in Jamaica. Now I’m trying to work my way up to
ziplining in the Costa Rican rainforest.
What’s next for you?
What’s next for you?
Jamie Charles—the best friend character in Making the First Move—gets her own story, tentatively titled Love Me Not. It will be released in
December. I’m currently planning my first novella—a contemporary romance based
on Leslie Morales, another character in Making
the First Move and a new adult trilogy.
BOOK BLURB
Melanie Gordon has spent the past five years obsessing over her career to dull the pain of a devastating breakup and the loss of her father. Her effort pays off when she receives the promotion that could be her big break. Only it means returning to her hometown to face her past while leaving behind the man who could be her future.
Melanie Gordon has spent the past five years obsessing over her career to dull the pain of a devastating breakup and the loss of her father. Her effort pays off when she receives the promotion that could be her big break. Only it means returning to her hometown to face her past while leaving behind the man who could be her future.
Selfless (and
insanely sexy) philanthropist, Raine Mason, is committed to his cause. But his
passion for rescuing high-risk young males from the road to disaster is fueled
by his own dark and tragic past.
When Raine is ready
to take his casual friendship with Melanie to sizzling new heights, her one-way
ticket to Cleveland is already booked. But a steamy night of passion leaves
them both wanting more, even if Melanie is afraid to admit it. She reluctantly
agrees to a long-distance relationship with no promises and no commitments.
Melanie may finally
be ready to give Raine her heart…but then she discovers startling news that
causes her to question everything she knows about him. Worse, he’s harboring a
dark secret from his past that threatens to shatter any hope of a future for
them unless he can convince her that their love is worth the risk.
EXCERPT LINK HERE
A little bit about the author
Reese Ryan writes
sexy, contemporary fiction filled with colorful characters and sinfully-sweet
romance. She secretly enjoys torturing her heroines with family and career
drama, reformed bad boys, revealed secrets, and the occasional identity crisis,
but always rewards them with a happily ever after.
Born and raised in
the Midwest, she now resides in Central North Carolina with her husband and
young adult son who tolerate her propensity to sing and dance badly. A
self-proclaimed Bohemian Southern Belle, she treads the line carefully between
being a Northerner and a damned Yankee–despite her insistence on calling soda
pop. Reese gauges her progress by the number of “bless your lil’ hearts” she
gets each week. She is currently down to two.
Visit Reese online
at ReeseRyan.com.
Follow her on
Twitter @ReeseRyanWrites.
Her blog The Reese Ryan Diaries
Amazon Author Page
Connect on Goodreads
Connect with her on Facebook.
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