Holly Stephens is a new name for my
readers, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I'm
32 years old from Louisiana. I've been married for going on eight years and we
have one little boy who is about to turn six. He's my world and he makes it
nearly impossible for me to write LOL
I've been writing for
about four years now but finally worked up the nerve to actually do something
with my stories. I have a notebook full of ideas so hopefully I'll be around
for a while. My day job consists of selling plumbing. I'm not joking. We're
like interior designers for your kitchen and baths. You'd be surprised how
serious some people take picking out a toilet.
On a side note, LSU
Football is a religion in my house (even though I prefer baseball). Mardi Gras
is a major holiday for us. I love everything Disney related and I hate clowns.
Much like y'all, I LOVE
to read. I use to think I'd be lost without my iphone, but now I think if I
were to lose my Nook I'd have a panic attack.
Your book is a new adult conteporary
romance? Why this genre and what do you think about
the New adult hype?
To be honest, when I started writing SRC I didn't write
it to be new adult. I wrote it with the mindset that it was just contemporary
romance. Not that I mind the new adult label. So when the cover/synopsis came
out and people began talking about it, that's what it was labeled. When I sat
and really thought about it, it made sense.
As for the new adult
hype, I know a lot of authors/readers are one side or the other on their
opinion. For me, I think it's a great addition. You have YA then you have CR.
Why can't we have something that's in the middle? If there are people writing
and people reading, does it really matter what a books labeled?
There is a strong subject behind the
love story and happenings in your book that I don’t
want to reveal too much now. But how
did the idea of this book come out, what was your
inspiration?
Like
all good ideas, this one started in the bathroom LOL Music is what drives me so
as I was getting ready for work one morning, I had Pandora on and Fall For You
by Secondhand Serenade came on. And that one line- This time I will fall for
you, over again- really hit me. From there the idea started. A guy and a girl
falling in love all over again- a second chance at love. Then I heard The
Script's, For the First Time, and the song itself- this couple kind of seeing
each other for the first time again just built to the story. I think that's
when the amnesia idea came to me. I wanted them to have this second chance,
this moment where they really see each other for the first time even though
they've known each other for years.
And as it is all about second
chances, do you believe in them?
I think everyone
deserves the notion of a second chance but you have to earn it. Does that make
sense? Like, don't tell me you're going to change- show me. If I've seen that
you're serious, that you're not just pulling my leg, then yeah I believe in
them. But it's like that saying goes. Fool one once, shame on you. Fool me
twice, shame on me.
This is your first published book
right? How does it feel to be a published author now?
It's
surreal. A few weeks ago we were down in New Orleans for Mardi Gras and having
dinner with a friend of my in-laws. HE asked what I did for a living and I
automatically said, "I sell plumbing." Apparently that was the wrong
answer for my husband and in-laws because they promptly said, "SHE'S AN
AUTHOR!" LOL I was a little taken aback by their outburst because I'm not
used to telling people that. To me it's my side job- one that I'm very proud
of- but still. It's not my fulltime job. But regardless, it's a wonderful
feeling of accomplishment. It's like, I've been talking about doing this for so
long and now I have!
And what changed in your life? Can you
tell us a little about your journey from writing to publishing?
Honestly
nothing much as changed. I'm a little more stressed because now that I have one
book out I have deadlines I want to meet for more books to come. And finding
the time now to write those is proving impossible. Thankfully, my husband is a
little more understanding now that I have one book out. He's more apt to take
over a few household responsibilities while I sit down and write.
Sam and Lily were so natural and
realistic together, it felt just right. And Chloe was so mean
and cold, I literaly felt it. =) How
do you create your characters? Do you set a goal in the beginning of your story or find their
place a long the way?
No, the goal was set at the
beginning. I wanted Chloe to be that force you hated. I didn't want people to
feel sorry for her. And Sam & Lil, given their history, they needed that
natural ability about them. Same with their friends. Even though all this time
has passed I wanted it to feel like- once the inital getting over what they
were pissed about was out of the way- that they all had this great vibe between
them. And her dad? Oh he was also a villian. I had this big powerful man who
always gets what he wants in my head.
There is also Sam’s amnesia,you have
put the details and behavior very believable out there. What type of research did you have to
do?
When I first started mapping this story out I
googled amnesia and read about the different types. Dissosiative was the
perfect diagnosis for him. It wasn't this long term condition and the patient
only loses a minimum amount of time. It's not like reverted back to being a
kid. But over time, the memories return. I knew the moment I wanted him to
remember and how it was to happen so it was a perfect fit. But yeah, I spent
weeks reading up on amnesia.
There are very sad moments along Sam
and Lily’s story, was there a particular scene or
chapter, you had difficulty in putting
into words?
A couple. The scene when they have the
fight about Toby, that was hard for me to have him pretty much defend Chloe to
Lil. It was hard to write because I love her so much and Sam? He's not a
malicious person so for him to pretty much tell her that maybe he's got a
stronger relationship with Chloe was hard.
What should we expect from Holly
Stephens next?
OH! A lot! LOL I have a packed
schedule of things to come that I'm really excited about. Originally I had a
book, Risque Business, that I had planned to release this summer but I've put
that one on hold for the start of a new series I'm working on.
AND... there is a second,
Second Rate Chances, book in the works. I had never imagined writing a second
book for it but a source of inspiration struck and now I'm planning it all out.
The only thing right now that I can tell you about it, is that it won't be Sam
and Lil centered. They will be there but I'm going to focus on another
character we've already met.
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