Stacy Reid Interview - Her Wicked Marquess ~ JeanBookNerd

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USA Today Bestselling author Stacy Reid writes sensual Historical and Paranormal Romances and is the published author of over twenty books. Her debut novella The Duke’s Shotgun Wedding was a 2015 HOLT Award of Merit recipient in the Romance Novella category, and her bestselling Wedded by Scandal series is recommended as Top picks at Night Owl Reviews, Fresh Fiction Reviews, and The Romance Reviews.

Stacy lives a lot in the worlds she creates and actively speaks to her characters (aloud). She has a warrior way “Never give up on dreams!” When she’s not writing, Stacy spends a copious amount of time binge-watching series like The Walking Dead, Altered Carbon, Rise of the Phoenixes, Ten Miles of Peach Blosson, and playing video games with her love. She also has a weakness for ice cream and will have it as her main course.

Why is storytelling so important for all of us?

For me, it’s a story's power to transport us to another place and time, the capacity to feel hope and dream because of storytelling. We get to immerse ourselves in a new world every time we open a book. We bask in the characters' pain and joy, and many times are uplifted by happy endings so much so they can shape our perception and expectations of life. What is also amazing is that more and more stories are giving us people that we can see ourselves in and make us no longer feel so alone.

Tell us your latest news.

My second book to ever hit bookstores will be out soon, and I am so extremely excited about that. I've also lost 13lbs since last month. Does that count? LOL.

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?

There are so many, but I will speak about a recent impact. Historical Chinese Romance Dramas! 😊 I find of late, my stories are being described as slow burns. They are still very sexy, but I am letting my characters be at least 70% in love before getting to those hot times. I did not start out writing like this. I loved the hot wicked flash that burns the pages, and then comes love. I find myself watching Historical Chinese Romance with my heart in my throat because of how good the romance is, of how powerful the main leads hunger for each other is, and not a kiss is to be seen in a 50-episode drama. So, I challenged myself to write a few stories with my hero and heroine feeling each other really good before rolling in the sexy times. The very first story with this method is book 1 in the Sinful Wallflowers—My Darling Duke.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

Due to endometriosis I live with chronic pain, and sometimes I reach a breaking point. I often bounce back, but a few weeks ago, I decided it is just too hard. I am going to stop writing for a while. I even came up with a period of 2 years. A few days later, I opened my email to find 9 messages from varied readers. All messages were about how much they enjoyed my work, what it meant to them, especially during this pandemic, and how much they hope I continue to weave stories.

I was awed by their praises/encouragements, and man, I had all the feels. I was also a bit freaked out. How did they know I needed this? I normally get messages from my readers but not so much in a given day and certainly not with the same feedback. That night as I looked at the stars, I decided this was the universe's way of answering the silent doubts in my heart and a great reminder of how much I love writing.

What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?

I love this, and I want to read more! 😊

For those who are unfamiliar with your series; Sinful Wallflowers, how would you introduce it?

Meet young ladies who are tired of waiting for life to happen to them. They are grabbing adventure and love with both hands, and the journey to their happy ever afters are filled with loads of passion, ballroom dancing, wicked trysts, and gentlemen willing to do anything for the wallflowers they hadn't know they needed.

What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing HER WICKED MARQUESS?

Ha. A Historical Chinese Romance series called LOVE AND DESTINY. Ahhh. I was distracted for a full week, the amount of time needed to binge-watch 60 episodes. 😊

What part of Maryann and Nicholas did you enjoy writing the most?

Oh man, I loved all of it. One of my absolute favorite scenes to write was when Nicolas first sneaked into Maryann's room, and she upended his expectations in every way. Instead of finding a swooning, hysterical miss, he encountered a spitfire who enthralled him.

What are you most passionate about today?

Getting healthy.

Best date you've ever had?

Recently my hubby took me into a remote cabin deep in the forest of Jamaica. We were alone and surrounded by the Blue Lagoon, and it was the most peaceful and beautiful experience I can recall in a long time.

Tell me about your first kiss

I was fifteen, and my hubby sixteen! It was a quick brush of our mouths, but my knees went weak, and my heartbeat drowned out everything.

What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?

Sailing.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done?

Sailing. LOL. It was on a Hobie Cat, and I went with my hubby. He had no experience, just a hunger to be on the wide-open ocean. We went, and man, we bobbed on the water, lost sail way out in the ocean, caught it back, and just rode the waves grinning like fools.

What is one unique thing are you afraid of?

Snakes. I am very upset I even had to type it.

What was the best memory you ever had as a writer?

When I received my first offer of publication from Entangled Publishing. With utmost vividness, I still recall my shock and excitement, that I screamed and cried, and the pure hope I felt that my dream might be realized. I've had many wonderful experiences since, but nothing seems to trump that.

TEN QUOTES FROM HER WICKED MARQUESS

How wicked does one need to be to achieve the illusion of ruination?
Revenge was an art.
"I close my eyes to sleep and I feel it…a presence at the edges of the shadows…waiting for me….to maybe leap."
A pretty, clever little schemer, getting me to ruin you without even a touch between us.
"What is one of London's most notorious rogues doing in my bedchamber?"
"Run," he murmured. "I have no problem chasing you."
A tight, hungry feeling was trapped somewhere inside her, and being secreted in her chamber with the marquess made her yearn to just be.
"You hold my stare so fiercely, an undeniable fire in your gaze." His thumb moved in a firm caress across her cheek. "I want to touch that fire, and I can only do that by possessing you."
The shade cast about him rendered him in a light she had never seen before—a dark protective force with wings of shadows and cunning golden eyes.
“I am afraid of years from now looking back on my life and feeling the keenest of regret that I had not lived. Of never feeling again the way I feel with you.”

JOURNEY TO PUBLICATION

I started dabbling with writing at about 12 years old. Right about when I started reading romance. There was a sense of knowing from then that this is what I wanted to do. But I buried the desire because of a lack of encouragement from family and teachers. Years passed, and I graduated from University with a degree in Human Resource Management, and within a few weeks, I got a job offer. Instead of celebrating, I cried buckets. I was so unhappy.

Hubby and I were recently married, and all the household bills were his responsibility. But when he saw my crying and blubbering how much I want to write romance stories, he encouraged me to refuse the contract and write. That moment was pivotal in my journey. My parents/sisters/friends all told me I was silly and selfish, and that writing was not “real” work. My hubby's family thought I was a burden to him and needed a reality check.

My hubby told everyone to go hang and let me know in no uncertain terms—it was him and me against the world, and his shoulders are broad enough to carry anything while I chase my dreams. His support was a breath of fresh air and strength I needed. I started writing with this determination and hope in my heart that was unmatched by anything I've ever felt.

My hubby read everything I wrote and gave me such amazing feedback. About a year after writing and querying agents, I saw a call for submission from Entangled Publishing seeking Historical Romance. I crafted The Scandalous House of Calydon series from that call. I submitted the first book and a pitch for more in the series, and they loved the idea.

Man, as stated before, I still recalled how I screamed and cried, how I hugged my hubby and rained kisses all over his face. That was in 2013, and over the next seven years, his support has remained unflinching and amazing. What was even more rewarding is that he could quit his job in 2015 and start his own business because of our success!

That is the short and spicy version! 😊

Miss Maryann Fitzwilliam is too witty and bookish for her own good. No gentleman of the ton will marry her, so her parents arrange for her to wed a man old enough to be her father. But Maryann is ready to use those wits to turn herself into a sinful wallflower.

When the scandal sheet reports a sighting of Nicolas St. Ives, the Marquess of Rothbury, climbing out the chamber windows of a house party, Maryann does the unthinkable. She anonymously claims that the bedchamber belonged to none other than Miss Fitzwilliam, tarnishing her own reputation—and chances of the dastardly union her family secured for her. Now she just needs to convince the marquess to keep his silence.

Turns out Nicolas allows for the scandal to perpetuate for his own reasons… But when Maryann’s parents hold fast to their arranged marriage plan, it’ll take a scandal of epic proportions for these two to get out of this together.

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