Hey, ya’ll!
Okay, this one is different. I told myself that this year, I will feature a few fiction books and fiction authors for Indie Author Tuesdays. I love me a juicy romance, a crazy drama or a mystery. The first feature of the year and first fiction feature is L.M Reynolds!
The book: Funny Meeting You Again
Issa romance, ya’ll.
Being that this is a novella (that I enjoyed reading) I ain’t sharing NOTHIN’. I will say that I loved the focus of peace, friendship and unity between the women in this book. I love me some drama but not too much in a romance novella. I just want the love, the relationship rise and falls. And boy do Nedra and Montrell got some stuff going on. I adored the rawness of the characters. Like, yes, give us love but give it to us in a way that may resonate. Love is beautiful but we must be real, honest and open. I won’t assume but I feel like Reynolds wanted to convey that as message: We’ve all got some shit. But we must face, deal with it and evolve. I liked Nedra but I liked Sissy the most. Not too sure why. I just did. Check out the synopsis below:
NEDRA
Montrell Loving was not a man I would choose for myself or any of my friends. He’s gorgeous sure, but in the two years I’ve known him, he’d been nothing but standoffish, with a revolving army of women. So, imagine my surprise when one day he isn’t. And it’s me those deep eyes are turned to. It’s me he’s saying all the right things to. But why now?
MONTRELL
Nedra Davidson was not the objective of my brother's dual bachelor/bachelorette party in Vegas. The objective was to get wasted and convince my brother, my best friend, not to marry his lady. What was the point? I didn’t expect one chance encounter to embed sexy thoughts of Nedra, the maid of honor, in my brain. Especially not two months later, when I had no choice but to stop hiding from her. She had no clue how much I wanted her. No clue that she wouldn’t be able to resist me either.
Nedra never expected to find love again, not when she had her booming business to look after. Montrell was not the type of man to let his desires slip through his fingers. Can Nedra open herself to the love of a man she never expected? Can Montrell hold steady to a love he never knew he needed?
Stand alone, non-traditional HEA, BBW infused. May contain triggers such as but not limited to- possessiveness
L.M Reynolds Interview
Does this story come from a real experience or is purely fictional?
Mostly fictional. *Wink wink* I love creating well-to-do characters with insecurities or mental health issues. It's where my heart is. The men are inspired by those I've encountered before. I knew that I wanted Nedra to be the voice of reason in the group and that part was really easy for me. I'm usually the nurturer of the group.
2. What was your process like creating Nedra and Montrell?
Funny enough, Montrell came first. I saw him peeping in on this thick, beautiful woman and decided he needed to have her. I wanted him to be a playboy and for him to change his ways because he wanted Nedra to take him seriously. As I kept writing and talking to my then-boyfriend, I realized that there are really good men who do want to settle down for real, and sometimes life throws you curve balls. You deal with them and learn from them. They had a lot to learn. So did I! Once I understood Montrell, finding his complementing partner was easy peasy.
3. There were A LOT of curve balls for those two! Was there a message you were conveying with the various snafus between them?
Lol. That’s funny. I had not known that question was next. I wanted people to know that mistakes and lessons aren’t linear. That we should follow our intuition even in the unknown and to give each other grace. Also just be honest about your stuff. I didn’t know this as I was writing the book. It was just a fun piece. A let’s just see if we can do it. I normally wrote paranormal romance but this was the first book I ever published.
Who knew?
4. What inspired you to write Funny Meeting You Again?
Oh man, I have a list! During the pandemic, I was at home and doing nothing. The kids were still in school. We didn't know too much about it yet so I spent that week or two reading and discovering novellas and I fell in love. Like a bite-size romance, I can devour in the time it takes for me to cook a meal! Sign me up. So that's what I did. Then I thought of Montrell and he is very persistent.
5. Did you hit writer's block during your writing journey? If so, how did you crumble the wall?
Not during this book. I wrote it in about a month's time but this was the first book I would show to the world, so doubt crept in a lot. I was excited though. When I do get writer's block, I allow myself the time to let my creator rest. I read, I journal, do yoga, do nothing, play games, relax, sleep, and live life. I don't believe in forcing anything. What will be, will be. What is for me, will always be for me. So, my book, my words, will come when the time is right.
6. Samantha, Sissy, Nedra…I noticed there wasn’t any cattiness, girl vs girl vitriol in Funny Meeting You Again. Was that intentional? If so, why?
Yes! Very intentional. One, I don't really have much experience in cattiness. I had bullies, and mean girls in school but as an adult, I don't take that behavior and I take my peace seriously. So in order to write these women, they had to come from a place of authenticity. If you are successful (in whatever way that is for you) and mostly of sound mind, there should not be haters among you and that positive energy radiates outward. Two, why? This is a love story. I feel like you can still have drama and tension without folks cutting others down all the time. Not that I wouldn't write it but it should never be the main focus of this small book. Let's just get to the juicy bits!
7. So, I’ve read a few installments from Funny Meeting You Again. What is the order? Are you working on any new installments?
Thank you!! And yes, I am. Funny Meeting You Again is book one then comes Funny Thing Is and last is Funny I Found You. I'm working on the last book in this main series. They do follow right behind each other but they are standalones and can be read in any order. Though each book has spoilers from its predecessor. So, proceed with caution! I plan to write shorties for some of the couples we've met so far, especially Jordan and Lexi in Funny Thing Is. I've had a few people want to know what they are up to. And maybe a new series in the same world. There are a lot of single people in this world. lol
8. Any new projects coming out this year?
I do! I plan to release Funny I Found You (contemporary romance) and I am in an upcoming anthology titled Midnight Magic (paranormal romance), that comes out in October. With a bit of magic, The Legacy Witch (paranormal romance) will follow shortly after that.
Snag your copy of Funny Meeting You Again!
Can Nedra open herself to the love of a man she never expected? Can Montrell hold steady to a love he never knew he needed?
10 years in this thing (slurps my luxurious ramen noodles and sips my bougie instant coffee). Anyway…I wanted to celebrate a decade as an indie author with the release of my eighth poetry collection, Rising From the Shadows. Pre-orders are now available for a December 10th release!