Hi! I hope you all are having a great Friday! So for the perfect weekend treat, I have a very special interview with the fantastic B. B. Reid for you all. She is one of my favorite authors, and it is a complete honor to interview her! I hope you all enjoy :)
B.B. Reid is the author of several novels including the hit enemies-to-lovers, Fear Me.
She grew up the only daughter and middle child in a small town in North Carolina. After graduating with a Bachelors in Finance, she started her career at an investment research firm while continuing to serve in the National Guard.
She currently resides in Charlotte with her moody cat and enjoys collecting Chuck Taylors and binge-eating chocolate.
I am honestly so excited for you all to see this!! So without further ado, I present the wonderful B.B. Reid!
ps: I will have all the links and books at the bottom, as well as within this interview
Interview:
J: To start off, why don't you introduce yourself to new readers.
B: Hi! I’m B.B. Reid, call me Bebe. I love fantasy. My all-time favorite to read is from the Sarah J. Maas. I also love to cook and bake. I have a Pinterest board dedicated to trying new recipes. My problem is that I don’t always have the time or energy to indulge so Ramen and Hot Pocket for dinner it is. When I was a senior in high school, I knew I wanted to work in corporate America, which I did for a time, but now I write romance and I haven’t looked back. I never imagined writing romance as a career, and I’ve been reading it since junior high.
Some quick facts about me: I love to laugh. My humor is often quick and dry. I eat chocolate every day without fail. I love witty, action-comedy movies like The Princess Bride. I love walking because it helps me clear my head and fill it with new ideas. I served in the National Guard as an MP for six years. My favorite color is orange followed closely by green and blue. I’m a bit of nomad. I move every year with the hope of finding my forever city to settle down one day.
J: That's great! I love chocolate too! So for the first question, I thought it would be fun to do an ice-breaker type question. The question is, "What's your best scary story?"
B: So I mentioned being a former MP in the National Guard. Well, I almost blew myself up. We were doing hand grenade training and when it was my turn to practice a proper live throw, I chucked it straight up into the air instead of down range. The instructor grabbed me just in time and thank fuck or else we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
J: That must have been terrifying! I'm glad your instructor saved you though! Let’s begin. Why did you choose to be an author as a career? Or in other words, what got you into writing and becoming an author?
B: It was pretty random. I had a hard time finding what I wanted to read so I decided to write it instead. My decision to share it with whoever found me was mostly because I never expected it to go anywhere. The joke was definitely on me, and I’m not mad at all.
J: I love that answer! I admire how you knew what you wanted and went for that! It's so incredible to see the journey you have been on. In the past couple years, you have written so many incredible stories and characters. After some of your success with those books, how has your life changed, if at all?
B: Oh, yeah! My routine has definitely changed. Instead of dragging myself out of bed at seven to shower, dress in business casual, and fight my way through traffic to sit in a cubicle for eight hours, I skip all of the above and bum it out on my couch. I’ve made some pretty big decisions in my underwear. Some days I pretend I’m twenty-seven years old and use my office. I’m also a restless person so cabin fever sets in pretty often. Pre-Covid, I would travel across the city to my favorite Starbucks to write for a few hours, see a movie, window shop, actually shop, have lunch with a friend, etc. The only time I get any real excitement is when I travel for a book signing.
J: Hey, you never know what could come out of thinking in your underwear :) I totally relate to the restlessness. As much as I love my home and the constant conversation, I need change. So, you've mentioned that you sometimes write at Starbucks, obviously pre-covid, but what is your writing process like?
B: First, I’ll try to flesh out as much as I can about the characters and the story in a rough outline, but I’m a pantser at heart. I don’t have a rigid writing schedule, but I prefer to write in the morning when I’m my most productive. Unfortunately, I prefer to do most work in the morning so my writing schedule is pretty sporadic. It works for me though. Living is part of the inspiration.
J: Many authors use different things for inspiration, like music and movies. Do you use personal experiences as inspiration in your books?
B: I have and I do use personal experiences, but I don’t rely on it. Our experiences are pretty limited even if we’ve been through a lot, and I don’t like to limit myself. The challenge is exploring concepts you’re not familiar with, learning, and making it your own. I have fun doing it.
Movies and songs have been known to inspire me though. Fear was a big inspiration for Fear Me. David was the first toxic male I remember being exposed to and from that moment I knew I was doomed. I wanted my own crazy, obsessed, dark and damaged hero but this time, he gets the girl.
Early last year, I was inspired to write an FFM by the song “Nights Like This.” I must have listened and sang along twenty times before I realized Kehlani was singing about a girl. When Ty Dolla $ign began rapping, my mind started turning…what if they were talking about the same girl? And so on…I’m a couple of years away from writing it, but I can’t wait.
J: Ok, so the next few questions are all about characters. Personally, I feel like characters make up a large part of a book. You have multiple books, with a variety of characters in them.
Who would you say is your favorite character to write about, and why? Is it easier to write certain characters than others?
B: I love writing the damaged characters like Keiran because I don’t feel constrained by boundaries. It’s easier to let the words flow when I don’t have to consider right and wrong. I also enjoy the goofballs and troublemakers like Jamie because they’re so much fun. It’s easy to get lost in what they’re doing.
I suppose if I had to choose, *grumbles* I’d pick Fear Me. I doubt I’d ever find an actor or actress who could satisfy the image I see of Keiran and Lake in my head. I don’t use muses when crafting characters so it’s hard to find someone who checks all my marks.
J: You have a new release coming out soon called Lilac! In honor of that, how would you describe Lilac in 3-5 words?
B: Filthy, exciting, and unique!
Thank you so much for doing this with me B.B Reid!
For those who have not read any of her books, you are in for a treat! They are so amazing, and I honestly urge you to go pick them up now! NOW!
This amazing author is coming out with a new release soon, so you can pre-order it now!!
I have all the links down below, so you can go check them out!
Links:
B.B. Reid:
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