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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Interview and Giveaway: The Return of Brody McBride (The McBrides #1) by Jennifer Ryan

Published: March 4th, 2014

Description:

The black sheep of Fallbrook is back … and he's in for the surprise of his life. 

Former bad boy, now-decorated Army Ranger Brody McBride is home and on a mission: Find the woman he never should have left behind and right the wrong he did eight years ago. 

When the man she loved broke her heart and skipped town, Rain Evans picked up the pieces. But along with heartbreak, Brody left her something infinitely better than she could have imagined: two beautiful daughters. One she gave birth to, and the other she rescued from the woman who helped destroy her relationship with Brody. 

Brody is shocked to discover he's a father, and he's more determined than ever to win back Rain and protect his girls. Can they rekindle the love they once shared and become the family they were always meant to be? Or will a danger from their past return and ruin everything? 

MB's INTERVIEW
Thank you, Mrs. Jennifer Ryan

In your book, the first (true) lover is back and the feelings reignite. (Why) Do you think that girls/women still wish that they're first to be the one?
As someone who met her first love in high school and has spent the last twenty-two plus years happily married to him, I may be a bit biased in answering this question. Most women when they find the "one" want to know that they are the "one" for him, too. Being the man's first and only "one" makes them feel special, and that's what women want. To know the man they love has never loved another the way he loves her. The basis of a great romance is exactly that. Finding your one true love. 

How hard is it as a writer to “find” new, fresh romance stories? 
The romance is nearly always the same between the man and the woman, it's the circumstances in which they meet, fall in love, and the obstacles they face and have to overcome to be together that present the challenge. I find inspiration in everyday things that I turn and twist to make my couple struggle to be together. It's work. They've got really want it, because life happens and it's how we stick together and work through our issues that we really find the one who will stick with us through thick and thin. 

In The Return of Brody McBride, Brody is coming home to make amends with Rain the woman he has always loved. He doesn't expect to find her raising his two daughters, one of them she bought from the woman who helped destroy his relationship with Rain. She loves Brody, but he left her. Can they overcome the obstacles standing between them to be the family Brody, Rain, and their daughters want?

What kind of people read romance and for which of them do you write?
All kinds of people read romance. I've received some really wonderful emails from men, who said they loved my books and I even made them cry. The suspense aspect appeals to them most, but then they become involved in the couple too. 

While most of my messages come from women, they are a diverse group of people. I don't write for any one type of reader. I keep in mind the themes that speak to people, like love and family, but I always write the story I'd want to read. I've tackled some tough issues, like domestic abuse, lying about being pregnant to trap a man into marrying you, unplanned pregnancies, and being a single parent. These are issues that touch all our lives, but people don't always talk about it in an open way. Maybe they read one of my books and feel they aren't alone and see the strength in my characters and find the strength within themselves. Maybe it's not their story, but the story of someone they know and the book inspires them to help in some way, or brings them an understanding that draws them together, instead of keeping them apart.

I hope all those who read my books find something that touches and inspires them. 

It is good when your lover sincerely says “Do what makes you happy” and means it, isn’t it? Which are the qualities that a man must have in your books? But in real life?
I truly am married to a man who says exactly that to me and means it with his whole heart. I try to instill that kind of strength of character in the men in my books. My guys are all strong, confident, protective, and kind. No matter how they might act sometimes, they've got good hearts.

Let's face it, not all guys in real life are six-foot-two hotties with rippling muscles. But the same qualities exist in them that are in my characters. It's just a matter of finding that someone special, who at the core is innately all those things that are important to you. 

Do you feel it's neccessary to slip between the lines some advices or to share from your life experinces or a romance story is/should be only entertainment?
A romance with a message should be entertaining. Let's face it, if we don't connect with the characters and story, we aren't going to read it. Advice and wisdom are a part of all my stories, but I try to weave it into the story as an innate part of my characters and their lives. 

In The Return of Brody McBride, Brody has a lot of making up to do for past deeds, but first, he has to earn Rain's forgiveness, and forgive himself for what he's done. If Rain is going to make a life with Brody again , she'll have to learn to trust him again, but he needs to earn it, because trusting someone once it's been broken isn't easy. I think they'll make it.

About the author:
JENNIFER RYAN, author of The Hunted Series, writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances. 

Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home, and how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper. 

Please visit her website for information about upcoming releases. 

Author's Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

4 comments:

melissa cushing said...

Women always love to try and tame the bad boy.... It is the thrill of the chase! Thanks for the post and giveaway!!!

Kai said...

Bad Boys are the kind that will push the heroine to her limit. They know how to have fun. They have this alpha attitude and yet they can be protective and loyal.

Torialeigh said...

have to agree wth the first comment lol

Anonymous said...

We love bad boys because they are fun and no boring characters.