Tracy Reed & 'What My Friends Don't Know' @readtracyreed @GoddessFish #Contemporary #Romance

Today we have author Tracy Reed visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* I am a single Christian woman who loves God, Fashion and Cute Guys. Not all women who write Christian fiction will admit to that.
* The subjects I write about are considered taboo in Christian fiction. If you want to read about Christians dealing with unrequited love, apprehension to give love another chance, arranged marriages, physical attraction, divorce, annulment, controlling their urges, infidelity, abortion, dating younger men, being a single mother, slipping up and sleeping with your estranged ex, standing up for yourself, being honest about not liking your in-laws, still being attracted to your ex, battling postpartum depression, having challenges in your walk with Christ or if you aren't too proud to admit you sometimes get angry and yell at God, then you're in the right place.
* The people that read my books have a thing for designer clothes and accessories and aren't ashamed to admit it. To them a cute Christian guy on their arm is the finish to the perfect outfit. Sort of like lipstick, you don't have to have it, but it sure makes you feel prettier when you do.

Today Tracy Reed will be talking about the best and worst pieces of writing advice she's ever received.
* What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received? This is such a good question. The worst piece of writing advice I received, was don’t read anything in the genre you write. The best piece of writing advice, I received, was read as often as you can as well as read in your genre.
* When I first started writing, I was looking for a mentor or someone I that would read my book and critique it. I was very new to writing and clueless. I have a couple of friends in book clubs and I asked them to review my book. I knew they would give me honest feedback. It wasn’t until I joined RWA, that I realized what I had done was assembled a team of beta readers. These women caught things I missed.
* As a writer, you encounter a sea of opinions and advice. Some of which is good and some you wonder about. I like reading and the thought of not reading romance books, because that’s the genre I write, didn’t thrill me. At one of my RWA meetings, this same question about came up. I can’t remember the speaker, but she said, it was detrimental to your writing, to read books in your genre.
* I’m so glad I took her advice, because reading other romance books, helped me see where I needed to improve my work and how to fix some of the glitches. Yes, I try not to let some of the stories I’ve read find their way into my work, but I use my outlet reading as a way to re-charge my creativity.
* For example, I’m headed on vacation and I have to review the print version of WHAT MY FRIENDS DON’T KNOW as well as a book of poetry for next month, LOVE NOTES. But for pleasure reading, I’m reading two series, one is romantic suspense and the other is romantic comedy. The romantic suspense has me wondering if I can write one. I would love to write a romantic comedy, but I’m not sure I have the comedic timing. We’ll see. I might have a comedic bone in me after all.
* Here’s my best piece of writing advice for any aspiring writer: Write the book and read as often as you can.
{Please note: after clarifying part of this post with the author, the author said she’d meant to say, ”No, the speaker didn't say it was detrimental. She meant that it was helpful to read other writers' work. The person that told me it was detrimental, was another writer..} A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * Alexandra “Alex” Miller and her best friends are more like sisters. They live by the code that a good girlfriend will stick by you and be honest with you not matter what.
* They’ve been friends over twenty years and have seen each other through marriage, divorce, broken engagement, death and other minor crisis. But it’s the secrets they’ve failed to trust each other with. Each of them is holding on to a secret they believe could destroy not only their reputation, but their friendship as well.
* Alex and her best friends, Chloe, Taylor, Kendell and Dionne all long for one thing, a happy ending. As they’ve gotten older, they’ve discovered, not everyone gets the fairytale happy ending they want, but the reality life has orchestrated for them. ~ Excerpt ~ * I couldn’t move. That was the most uncomfortable experience I’ve ever had, much worse than my first pelvic exam. In fact, right about now, those stirrups are looking pretty good, because that would distract me from all the memories that brief encounter resurrected. It’s been over twenty years and he still makes my stomach jump.
* “Who was that man?” Bas asked.
* I couldn’t dance around his question like I did last night. “Uhm...did I ever tell you how I got the money to start my business?”
* “Does it have anything to do with the couple we just met?”
* “It has everything to do with them.” I took a deep breath and continued. “My girlfriends know about Jonathan, but only a handful of people know about Terrence.”
* “Come on, let’s sit down.” He guided me back to the club chairs, we sat down and I stared out the window.
* “I spent the summer before my junior year and my junior year of college working at Motif Magazine in Paris. The short version, Terrence and I met at the Louvre. We were both trying to see the Mona Lisa. Unfortunately, so was everyone else. Instead, we spent the afternoon exploring the museum and by closing time, we were in love. He was in Paris working for his father’s company.”
* “That’s your ex?”
* “Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to be married and no one know?” He looked perplexed. “Let me answer it for you. Yes.”
* “Excuse me?”
* “Towards the end of summer we were hooked at the hip. We spent all of our free time together. Instead of going home for the holidays, I stayed in Paris and spent them with Terrence. Spring came and the air was filled with love. He proposed and two weeks after Valentine’s Day we got married. When his parents found out, they came over and yanked him out of our apartment. The last time I saw him was that morning.” Buy The Alex Chronicles: What My Friends Don't Know here... iTunes Find Tracy Reed here... Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Website Thank you for joining us here today, Tracy Reed! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Tracy Reed will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

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