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July 30, 2013

#PlottingPrincesses welcome @ReeseRyan! & Making the First Move

Howdy, Reese, and welcome to the PP.
Put on your tiara and let's have some fun!


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.
What are your three favorite books of all time? Pride & Prejudice, Little Women, and Water for Elephants

Morning, afternoon, or evening person? I’ve learned that I work best in the early hours of the morning. Unfortunately, I don’t always go to sleep early enough to take advantage of this fact.

Music--with or without? What kind? I write with music most of the time. My musical taste is very eclectic. What I’m listening to is determined by either my mood, or the mood I want to set in the scene. I listen to everything ranging from Classical & Jazz to Rock and Hip-hop.

First or third POV? My debut is in first person. My second novel—which releases December 30th—is third person, alternate view point. Right now I’m preferring third person alt, but for me the choice is based on the story and characters.

How's tricks? Do you juggle multiple projects? I’ve got that crazy, monkey mind going on so I’m always thinking of new ideas. I have two completed manuscripts that I need to revise, several partial manuscripts I plan to get back to, and a couple of new stories brewing. So yeah, I definitely juggle multiple projects.

What's harder: beginning, middle, or the end? The beginning and the end are so crucial. They both stress me out.

Revisions: Love 'em or hate 'em? Revisions are tough. That’s where the real magic happens. But I enjoy it. It’s a thing of beauty seeing a scene or the overall story really come together after a tough round (or two) of revisions.

How did you come up with that title?  Actually, the original title for Making the First Move was Too Good to Be True—which kind of says it all. Another Harlequin author has a book by this title already, so the book was renamed.


Best advice anybody ever gave you? I’ve gotten so much great advice from fellow authors. But the most helpful advice to me, as a writer, came from a podcast I heard where best-selling author Kimberla Lawson Roby talked about the importance of outlining. I’m not as much of a stickler for it as she described, but at the time I imagined myself a pantser—yet I didn’t have any completed manuscripts. Once I started to outline—first just scenes, then eventually sketching out the overall story—I completed three manuscripts in a relatively short period of time.

Fill in this blank: My ideal fictional hero would think me gorgeous no matter… I’m gonna borrow a line from India.Arie. “I’m not the average girl from your video and I ain’t built like a supermodel.”

What's your favorite dessert? If I had to pick just one, right now I’d say it’s a Gigi’s Cupcake piled high with buttercream frosting. Don’t ask me to pick just one kind though. Trying a new flavor is the best part.

What's your favorite type of hero/heroine and why? I prefer heroes and heroines that are more like real people, with real people problems. So I’m a fan of the flawed hero and heroine. I love sharing the character’s journey of growth and redemption.

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.

Excerpt:

I follow the tantalizing aroma of breakfast. Raine stands at the stove barefoot in jeans and an undershirt. He turns toward the sound of my footsteps. His eyes light up and he breaks into a grin that flexes every muscle in his face. The last time someone was this glad to see me, I had to take him for a walk and give him doggy treats.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” He leans in to kiss me then quickly returns his attention to the skillet. “Hungry?”

“You cuddle. You spend the night. You make breakfast.” I shake my head. “Are you for real? ’Cause I’ve seen this in Lifetime movies. It doesn’t end well.”

When he looks away quickly, I’m afraid I’ve offended him. But then the right side of his mouth turns up in a half smile.

“Consider yourself the beneficiary of two decades of trial and error,” he says. “Or maybe this is all part of my evil plan.” He raises his eyebrows up and down manically.

“So there is an evil plan. Well, that’s a relief.” I smile. “But I shouldn’t be surprised. There’s a lot more to you than you let on.” I gently trace the sword tattoo on his right arm with my fingertips.

Raine offers a quick smile before he focuses on his cooking again. He slides a spatula underneath the omelet he’s cooking and gently flips it. “Like I said, things were crazy for a few years. My mother likes to call it my ‘Tattoo Period.’”

Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Making-the-First-Move-ebook/dp/B00CC68FMU/ 

Barnes & Noble Link:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/making-the-first-move-reese-ryan/1115148406 

iTunes Link:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/making-the-first-move/id653078144?mt=11 

Website:  ReeseRyan.com 

Making the First Move Blog Tour Grand Prize * $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card

* Digital copy of Making the First Move by Reese Ryan

* Digital copy of The Winning Season by Alison Packard

* Digital copy of Knowing the Score by Kat Latham

* Digital copy of Personal Assets by Kelsey Browning

* Digital copy of Derby Girl by Tamara Morgan

Rafflecopter Code:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

18 comments:

Sylvia said...

Welcome Reese! Glad you came by the PP blog. Loved your excerpt and I hope you sell a lot of books.

Kathy Ivan said...

Good morning, Reese! Welxome to the Plotting Princesses. I love the cover of your book. Carina Press covers totally Rock! The excerpt is great, too. Pulls you right into the scene, which is always the best. Congratulations on the release.

Janie Emaus said...

Thanks for this interview. I love the excerpt.

chris keniston said...

sounds like my kind of book - another one to add to my TBR pile.

So glad you joined us today!

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, Reese! Congratulations on your new book. The cover is beautiful. I'm sure you are over the moon. Happy writing.

Rayne Golay said...

Nice to meet you, Reese. Best wishes for your book.

Liz Lipperman said...

Terrific interview, guys. And Reese, I agree with the other--you do have a great cover. Loved the excerpt.

Pamela Stone said...

Welcome Reese. Great conflict. Beautiful cover. You are so right about revisions being where the magic happens. I love 'em. Wishing you the best of luck with your books.

Phyllis said...

Hi Reese! Welcome to Plotting Princesses. You wear the Tiara well, I might add.

I found the excerpt enjoyable and I have a number of friends to send your way.

Best Wishes for numerous sales!

Melissa Keir said...

I love the Carolinas and miss them terribly. I haven't been back there in a while but used to spend two weeks there every year.

Your cover is amazing and I love the excerpt. Thanks for sharing!

Liz Flaherty said...

Great interview once again. I love the whole Bohemian Southern Belle idea, Reese, and it absolutely fits you!

Reese Ryan said...

Thank you so much for having me today!

Sylvia: Thanks so much for the well wishes!

Kathy: Thx! I agree, Carina Press has really been rocking the covers. Excited that you liked the excerpt.

Janie: Thanks, Janie!

Chris: I'm thrilled to be here. Thank you so much!

Vicki: Thanks, Vicki! And thank you for your work in setting up today's post. I appreciate it! I'm definitely still in the googly-eyed, dreamy stage.

Rayne: Nice to meet you, too, Rayne! Thanks!

Liz L.: Thanks so much, Liz!

Pamela: Thanks Pamela! I come out of revisions bruised and bloody, but it's completely worth it.

Phyllis: Thanks so much, Phyllis! I sometimes jokingly refer to myself in third person as "The Princess." So I'm pretty thrilled to be wearing the tiara today. In fact, you may have to pry it from my fingers at the end of the day. ;-)

Melissa: Thanks for your comments on the cover and excerpt! I've only been here in North Carolina for four years, but my family and I absolutely love it.

Liz F.: Thanks so much for your comment, Liz! Also, I love that you've gotten to know me enough that the Bohemian Southern Belle fits. ;-)

Angela Adams said...

We have the same taste in books, Reese! Best wishes with your new release!

Reese Ryan said...

Thanks, Angela!

Karilyn Bentley said...

Hi Reese! Welcome to the blog!! I love your cover! Gorgeous. Best wishes for many many sales!

Reese Ryan said...

Hi Karilyn! (Love the spelling of your name.) Thanks so much for the kind comment and warm wishes!

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