ℚ♫ What My Friends Don't Know: The Alex Chronicles [1] - Tracy Reed

For our second interview today, we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Tracy Reed to talk about What My Friends Don't Know (19 January 2016, Tracy Reed, 360 pages), a Contemporary Romance, book one of The Alex Chronicles series.

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

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A very warm welcome to Tracy Reed; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter.

Today Tracy has shared with us some of her music for The Alex Chronicles series - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for What My Friends Don't Know?

"The inspiration for What My Friends Don’t Know was a result of watching a lot of Romantic Comedies and Sex And The City.   I thought it would be fun to write something similar, but with Christians."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"How much of me is in this book or characters?  This is a good question.  As for experience, I used to own a boutique.  Now it’s an online store, so I know a little about the retail fashion industry.  Personality wise, there’s a little bit of me in all of the girls."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover.  Can you tell us about your cover for What My Friends Don't Know - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I’m very excited about my cover.  I do all of my covers.  I use basic stock images and tweak them in Photoshop.  There’s no deep artistic process for the cover concept. It’s one of those, I know it when I see it things.

The original cover had a couple with only the man’s face showing.  I changed it because I didn’t want anyone to think Alex was a guy.  The other reason I changed the cover, was because I had rewritten the story.  As I was doing the rewrite, I realized the cover didn’t convey the maturity of the characters, so I changed it.  I felt the image of a curvy woman better conveyed the tone of the story…sensual, intriguing, eye-catching and it would look good in people’s hands while sitting on the beach."

You just cannot go wrong with a corset!  ;-)

Why should we read What My Friends Don't Know and The Alex Chronicles; what sets it apart from the rest?  What makes your series unique?

"You should read this series because it’s fun.  Just kidding.

If I was a reader, I’d read this series, because I would want to know the answer to the question, “How is it possible to have been married and no one ever know.”  Talk about a secret.

What makes this series unique?  Good question.  This series is unique because it shows Christians in a different light.  Or better yet, it introduces you to the type of Christians I know…smart, successful, rich, fashionistas, flawed and looking for love."

Can you tell us something quirky about What My Friends Don't Know, its story and characters?

"Man, I’m ashamed to say, I don’t have any quirky stories or details about the characters.  Let me see…uhm…I try not use the names of family and friends except as middle names.  In part two, there’s a new character whose first name is my last name…does that count?"

I think it does :-)

Who would you recommend What My Friends Don't Know to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I recommend this book to anyone who likes reading romance.  There are no warnings or disclaimers.  It’s a good story for both women and men."

If you could / wished to turn What My Friends Don't Know and the The Alex Chronicles series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Funny you ask me this.  This is series I think would be good on cable.  I say that because I know what happens in the next two books.  Oops, I just gave something away.

Yes, the next two installments are both in the editing phase.

There’s no doubt Idris Elba would be Moses Adair and possibly, Henry Simmons as Terrence Pierce.

 Alex and the girls are a little more tricky.  I’m not sure.

The story is set in Southern California with side trips to New York, Paris, Atlanta and Brazil.

As for a director, it would have to be someone who really understands the characters and the message and not afraid to push the envelope."

What do you like to write and read about?  Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I like romantic comedies, romantic suspense and pure romance.  I don’t necessarily write what I read, because there aren’t that many Steamy Christian Fiction writers.  So I write books in the genres I like and add a faith element or make the majority of the characters Christians."

What is your writing process?

"My writing process is simple.  I’m a pantser.  When I get an idea, I kick it around a while and if it sticks, then I start thinking about possible dialogue.   Or I’ll hear about a situation or phrase or something simple and it will spark a story idea.

Once I feel motivated to write, I sit down and start writing.  After the initial draft, I read it to make sure it makes sense.   And if it does, I’ll do a lite edit and followed another read through. 

After repeating that phase, I hand it over to my mother.  She’s my proofer and she reviews the faith content.  After I review her notes, I do another edit and proof and then it’s off to my beta readers.  Once they finish, I review their notes and make any necessary changes and then it goes to my editor."

What is in store next?

"I have a book of poetry.  More like love notes...in fact, the book is called “Love Notes”, scheduled for release at the end of the month.

Then I have The Good Girl Part Deux, scheduled for the end of March.

I’m working on the second book in the Generational Curse series which I’m hoping to release this Summer.

Part Two of the Alex series is in the pre-editing phase.  It should be ready for late Summer."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"A quirky thing…I sometimes hum when I eat.

I had three dogs in the past.  Unfortunately, all three passed away several years ago.  I didn’t want to take on that responsibility again until a couple of years ago.  I have been longing for a new four legged baby.  I really want a little dog.  I came close last year, but the timing wasn’t right.  I’ve narrowed my choices down to a Yorkie, Chinese Crested, Shih Tzu, Poodle or a poodle mix.  I have allergies, so my choices are limited."

From left to right: a Yorkshire Terrier, three Chinese Crested, a Shih Tzu, three Poodles and three poodle mix.

Gosh, allergies do complicate matters when it comes to our furry ones... we wish you all the best finding your next companion!

Thank you again for taking the time to be with us today, and best wishes for the rest of the tour and your forthcoming releases!

What My Friends Don't Know
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