I was nothing more than a shy college co-ed who loved my friends, my books and sports. I was determined to take sports journalism by storm and make my own way in a man’s world. I told myself nothing would stand in my way.
Then in walks Phoenix West.
He’s the stuff dreams are made of. Tall, dark, handsome and the best college baseball pitcher around. I decided he would be the one I’d give myself to.The one I would rearrange my goals for.
Then I found out I was nothing more than a pawn in a cruel game. I was a young girl with stars in my eyes but that day transformed me into a fierce woman with a hardened heart and tough exterior.
Years later, I’m stomping my Louboutin’s over anyone who stands in my way, and shaking sheets with the elite men of my city. Life is fabulous. But you know what they say; things happen when you least expect them. And I wasn’t expecting Phoenix to come waltzing into my city, onto my team and pushing his way into my heart. With one look, I know I’m in danger of losing my carefully crafted life.
He’s the player who broke my young heart, but I won’t let him play me again. What I didn’t know is that Phoenix is playing a whole new ball game. And this time around, he’s not playing fair.
An Excerpt From West Bound
Coming soon : September 29th, 2023!
When life breaks you at an early age, one of two things happen. You either let the pain consume you, becoming a withering victim who cowers and hides from the world, or you let it fuel you. You let the rage and embarrassment of your naiveté spark a fire that destroys all evidence of that weak person who once existed. You burn it to ashes and welcome the emergence of a new you into the world.
You nurture this new person. You feed it the confidence that the old you never had. You vow to never let anyone push you over; that you’ll never be a doormat. And you bloom into the woman you were always destined to be.
Dare I say–ironically–a phoenix.
A rebirth.
A warrior, badass bitch who will step all over whoever she needs to in order to always rise above the flames.
And that is exactly who I, Vivian Kelley, became.
A no holds bar, sweet faced, bitch who takes no prisoners and leaves a wake of carcasses of those she chewed up and spit out. Particularly men.
So what if I’m known as Vixen Vivian. I wear that name like a fucking badge of honor. I earned it. I know what I want and I know how to get it. Obstacles be damned.
So when a breaking development comes across my desk that rattles my very core, all I can do is scream at that meek little girl to stay gone because I’m in charge now, and I won’t let anything or anyone hurt her again.
Q&A About West Bound
What was the inspiration for this book?
My inspiration for The Pieces Left Behind was my own personal struggles with mental illness. It was a cathartic process that helped remind me I am worthy and good enough and needed.
What comes first for you: the title or the story?
The story definitely comes first. I have to at least get a few chapters in before a title finally hits me in the face. I still don’t know what book 3 will be titled, but my characters are talk, talk, talking.
Speaking of titles, how did you come up with your book’s title?
The Pieces Left Behind is literally a result of what is left when we lose a loved one. The little pieces that are left and how we can be put back together. Never whole, but together nonetheless. West Bound is a play on the MMC last name and the fact that these two characters were absolutely bound to be.
Are you a planner or a pantster?
Pantster. Pantster pantster. I always thought I was a plotter until another author said absolutely not.
How long did it take you to write this beauty?
West Bound has taken me 3 ½ months, start to release. The Pieces Left Behind was much the same. 3 ½ months from mid February to release in May.
What did you learn about yourself while writing this book?
I learned that I am a very emotional writer who must have heartbreak as much as a happy ending. I am definitely not the type of author who can write sunshine and rainbows the whole way through. I need the angst, I need the push and pull. If you aren’t a fan of 3rd act breakups, miscommunication, tears, anger or heart swoons, then I’m definitely not your cup of tea.
Obviously, this book is absolutely perfect, but what would you like to improve on as a writer in general?
I can’t pinpoint an exact area in which I need to improve because I feel like every aspect of my writing process can benefit from improvement. I’m new to the publishing world, so I know it’ll take some time before I can hit THE END on a book and feel like it’s the best I’ve written. A long long time.
What do you want people to take away from your book?
I want readers to walk away with a feeling that they got a full story. That I didn’t leave them wondering what happened when…? Or that I left them with so many unresolved and unanswered questions, or any holes in the story. I want them to close the book with a big breath and think, “wow. That was it. That was the book that had me wanting more”. And maybe give them a little bit of a book hangover.
What do you love most about this book?
What I love most about this book is Vivian’s (the FMC) fire. She is all sass and confidence and fierceness to a level that I want to have when I grow up. She’s definitely one of those FMC that you read and think, forget book boyfriend. Vivian is my hot book wife. She’s next level hot.
Lastly, what do you want to say to your potential readers?
To any potential reader: If you want an emotional roller coaster with a sprinkle of comedy and a happy ending, I beg you to take a chance on me. I promise to make you cry but also piece you back together. You’ll probably want to message me a hundred times while reading to yell, cry and scream at me. But I hope by the end you’ll thank me for the journey. Because I’m just a mom…who loves to write…standing in front of the world…asking them to love her.
Meet Ryan Marie!
𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦. Ryan Marie is a big city girl living in a small town literary world. When she’s not busy being just mom, you can find her building the next Happily Ever After with diverse characters who are everyday people. She loves a good love story, but won’t hold back when adding some gut wrenching drama that will have readers in tears. But don’t worry…you’ll always get that HEA. Adopted by Texas, she’s a proud southerner and enjoys introducing readers to southern slang and all the bless your hearts you can handle.
Q&A With Ryan Marie
Obviously, the natural first question is to ask you what got you into writing. But my real question is: what made you decide to publish?
I was primed and ready to be a sports journalist when I was in college when motherhood came knocking, first. I put those aspirations on hold while I raised my kids, but the desire to write was always there. For ten years, I wrote down ideas and plots and even chapters of stories that would build. At any given time, I had a dozen characters speaking to me, begging me to let them out. I finally joined an author group run by Melanie Harlow, and they helped me realize that I needed to put my fear of rejection aside and “just do it”. Their support and encouragement is the sole reason why I decided to publish, and I am forever grateful to that group of women. The reception to my debut has been amazing. It’s been so overwhelming at times and I feel like I’m living a dream.
Did you ever publish the first book you wrote? If yes, tell us about it. If not, tell us about it anyway!
I can’t say what book came first, but The Pieces Left Behind was not the original book I intended to publish. I spent months on a book I titled Beat Still My Heart. I nurtured it and loved it and worked for months on it. I was close to final editing when some weird and still unexplainable glitch happened and I lost everything! Vellum story, backup files. All of it. Just gone. I cried for a week then said, “nope. Get up”. I was determined to put something out within my timeline and went through my rolodex of stories. I had a series in mind about a group of close knit friends who all experienced their own trials and tribulations in love and they just yelled in my ear. I lost Beat Still My Heart in February and by May, The Pieces Left Behind was ready. I ended up putting myself on the same timeframe for West Bound and already have book 3 in the works. Obviously I work better under pressure.
What is your favorite part of writing?
My favorite part of writing is developing the characters. I explained to a friend that developing these people and their backstories can be much like method acting. I take on so much of their emotions, and past and future and put myself in their shoes when I write them, that I feel that really helps me get a true and realistic character that readers can connect with. Whether it be a male character, female or even a kid, I absolutely love building their worlds.
What do you want your readers to take away from your work?
I hope readers can walk away with a sense of connection, or that feeling of finally being heard. My debut novel is incredibly emotional and deals with issues that many writers won’t touch. But for me, I needed to put it out there. Some of the events in The Pieces Left Behind are true and it was so cathartic to finally let it out. I hope that readers who may have experienced a similar situation can finally feel seen. I’ve had a few readers contact me and say thank you for writing something that so many authors won’t because of the controversy of it, but that they felt relief having read even a fictional story about what they have suffered from. Knowing someone can take away that saying “it will be okay. You’ll be okay” is more rewarding than any chart position or stars.
If you could give any piece of advice to aspiring authors/writers, what would it be?
I am quite the newbie when it comes to publishing, but if I could give any advice to aspiring authors it would be what I was told. Just do it. What’s the worst that can happen? There will always be critics but more than that, there will be those that love you. Connecting with readers, no matter how small or large the audience, is one of the best feelings. The pride of knowing I put myself out there and I’m living my dream is worth every bump.
What does your writing set-up look like?
Oh boy. My set-up. If anyone ever saw how I write, they’d be mortified. My work station varies from place to place. The kitchen counter, the sofa, a traditional office, my bed. I write wherever and whenever it strikes me. I always thought, “I’m a plotter, a planner” but I am so not. I will literally be writing one story and all of a sudden, an idea will hit me that I just have to write. I don’t map it all out with sticky notes or timelines and that would probably send most authors into a panic attack. I just can’t function that way. My mind is on constantly and I just let it communicate to my fingers and sit back while it works.
When you’re not writing, what are you doing?
When I’m not writing I’m busy being mom. I have three children –23, 20 and 10– and two of them are still home. I’m very fortunate to have been able to be home for all of my kids and I love being the mom who’s packing snacks, and making signs and cheering them on the loudest at their sporting events and activities.
What is the one story you’ve been desperate to tell?
My debut novel, The Pieces Left Behind, was actually the story I was most anxious about and the one I wanted to put out the most. I hadn’t originally planned on it being first because of how emotionally heavy it is. That was probably the reason why I wanted it out, as well as the reason why I was skeptical.
Lastly, give us some of that good ol’ shameless self-promo. What can we expect to see from you in the future?
Okay…here we go. My second release, West Bound, hits Kindle today (9/29). Book three is already in development and Book 4 is practically complete (I let the character talk and one was louder than the others. But he needs to wait). That will be the end of the Magnolia Creek series. But we won’t see them go forever. A next gen of Magnolia Creek will be the first book of a new 4 book series titled Dare Bros. The series is about 4 wayward, trouble-making boys who grow up to be powerful men, determined to take on the world. That will take me to the end of 2025. After that, I have another sports romance planned, a taboo age-gap, a bully romance told as a kind of twisted Romeo & Juliet theme, and in between those I’ve got a series of short stories that can and will be found on Vella. I just have so much going on in my head that if I hold it all in, I might implode.
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Ivy Whitaker 