Author Interview: Holly Tierney-Bedord, author of ‘Boots on The Ground’ and ‘Weekend Immune System’

So today I’ve an interview with Holly Tierney-Bedord, author of, among many others (take a look at them here) ‘Boots on the Ground,’ a wrestling romance novella that is up for review tomorrow (very much recommended by the way!). I have to say that I had planned for this whole interview to revolve around the unusual premise of the book, but then I picked up ‘Weekend Immune System,’ a choose your own ending book that I reviewed here, and I was so intrigued that my questions changed! Anyhoo, here we go!

So Holly, first off let me just say it’s great to have you here! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I live in Madison, Wisconsin with my husband Bill and our little dog Tyler (who happens to be celebrating his birthday today). When I’m not writing, I work for a group of local restaurants, handling their social media and marketing.

I just finished Weekend Immune system, and I have to say I loved it! Can you give us a little bit of background on it and what inspired you to write it?

I loved Choose Your Own Adventure books when I was a kid, and thought it would be fun to read a book like that for adults. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find much out there that interested me, so I decided to try writing my own book in that style.

I’d say the planning on it was immense and you probably had each scenario imprinted in your mind, did you have a favourite direction to go?

Weekend Immune System was a bit of a logistical nightmare. Writing it, linking it, editing it… It was all a lot tougher than I expected. Some books I write pretty quickly, but that one was in the works for a couple years. There were times I set it aside, having had enough for a while. And when I was finally done and was proofing it for the zillionth time, I’d find myself rereading certain parts over and over again, and probably completely missing other parts, even with the help of notes and charts I’d created that were meant to ensure I covered all of it. I had a few beta readers helping me out with it also, but even after all that I still find errors in it. It’s one of the more difficult writing projects I’ve taken on.

Have people told you what guided their choices?

Good question! Not exactly. The feedback I’ve gotten has either been really positive, with people jumping in and going after every ending, or the exact opposite, where people are confused and frustrated by the book, try maybe one path, and then say, “Well… That was different.”

You have a great range of books in terms of diversity, where do you get your ideas from?

I’m influenced by situations around me, tv shows I like, people who amuse or inspire me… I guess I have a wide range of interests, and I want to write about all of them!

Lastly, it’s chick lit May so I can’t let you leave without asking who your favourite chick lit author is?

Sophie Kinsella is the queen of chick lit. I adore her writing style and her great sense of humor. Her books are funny and clever, and they can be read really quickly, because they’re so polished.

Well, Holly, it was so lovely to have you here, thanks so much!

Thank you so much for having me, Bernadette! It’s been an honor!

Not at all, and of course we’ll be seeing more of Holly tomorrow with my review of ‘Boots On The Ground,’ a wrestling novella that is chock full of romance and comedy!

Connect with Holly! The Links:

Website

Blog

Twitter:  ( @hollytierney)

Facebook

Holly’s Amazon Page