Finally, the much anticipated release of
Reckless is just around the corner. For those of you who have already read
Thoughless and
Effortless, you are more than likely just as excited as I am for the conclusion of Kiera Allen's story. If you haven't read these yet....GO, NOW! The following interview may contain spoilers!!!
S.C. Stephens paints a picture of a young girl torn between two loves. Kiera was innocent and naive when she met Denny and thought he was her true love...until she moves halfway across the country to be with him and meets Kellan Kyle. *swoon* Kellan is the embodiment of what every girl dreams of falling for - a sensitive and gorgeous Rock Star with a bad boy image. Denny is what every girl needs - a brilliant and responsible man who wants a woman that is "his heart", and to be hers. Added bonus to Denny? He's Australian. Don't we all love an accent?
In
Thoughtless, we learn the events that take place in the sordid love triangle. In
Effortless, we see the journey of Kiera and her chosen love. Now, in
Reckless, we have the conclusion to the story of Kiera and that love. Will we have a HEA between Kiera and her man? Or will life get in the way, and tear them apart? Find out on March 5th!
Now, I have to give a big thank you to the author of this brilliant trilogy, S.C. Stephens, for allowing me to pick her brain a little on the process behind this story, and the characters that had me enthralled from page 1.
Stephens: Thank you for having me!
As I mentioned,
Thoughtless and
Effortless follow the journey of a slightly confused Kiera Allen and the uncomfortable love triangle she finds herself in after moving halfway across the country with her boyfriend Denny Harris. I know that I myself was torn between the two, and who I ultimately wanted Kiera to end up with. While you were writing the stories, did you know how you wanted the story to develop, or did you find yourself rooting for one character of the other?
Stephens: While writing Thoughless, I tossed around several ways to end it - girl with boy A, girl with boy B, [or] girl alone. The original ending I gave it scrapped all of those ideas and ended on a more tragic note. I had a love/hate relationship with that ending. So after some well written reviews, I reworked it into the ending it is today. I will say, I fell completely, head-over-heels, madly in love with Kellan Kyle while writing Thoughtless.
Didn't we all? I have read the ending you mentioned, and I was devastated by it. You say that you had a love/hate relationship with it. Why?
Stephens: I liked the original ending because it was different - unexpected - but I wasn't 100% in love with it.
"After some well written reviews", you worked it into the ending that it is today - clearly some of those that had read it with the original ending weren't feeling it down to their bones either. (P.S. You can read the illusive original ending here:
Thoughtless Original Ending )
Stephens: The original group that read the story were the ones that got me thinking about changing it. Then a fan shared the song "Run" by Snow Patrol. I immediately saw a different ending. I saw Kiera walking through the crowd to be with the man she was clearly supposed to be with. I sat down with the story again, and the rewrites practically wrote themselves!
And, boy am I glad they did! That original ending would have required a box of tissues every time I re-read the story - which I'll admit I've done at least half a dozen times already. One of the things that has me so captivated with this story is that fact that it's not traditional romance, and some might even say that some of the events are taboo. Were you worried about how this would be recieved?
Stephens: No. I never intended to share the story when I started writing it, so the subject matter didn't cross my mind at the time. It was just a daydream about a guy and a girl in a horrible situation, and an endless curiosity about how they got themselves there and how they were going to get themselves out of it. I enjoy writing strong emotions - angst, guilt, pain, loss. I also enjoy writing sexual tension. The cheating aspect of it was a way for me to explore all of those things at the same time.
Was there anything in particular that you would credit as the inspiration behind your writing? You've mentioned you like writing strong emotions and sexual tension, as well as Snow Patrol bringing the final scenes to life for you.
Stephens: Music. Kellan came about while I was listening to music running on the treadmill. It's the entire reason he's a singer in a band. I "saw" him singing while listening to the songs. Then I imagined what he would be like offstages, and how girls would react to him, and how he would react to girls. Then I started wondering how someone could be with a guy like that. How do you trust a man who could have just about anyone?
Valid points. So we know where the influence for Kellan came from. You also wrote a great cast of supporting characters. Who would you say you most closely identify with, or who did you have more fun writing?
Stephens: As more time goes by, I see how similar to Kiera I really am. We have a lot of the same quirks and insecurities, although she tends to blurt things out much more than I do. [But] My favorite character to write for is Griffin. He cracks me up. He's so arrogant, cocky and full of himself. And he has the best lines. I love it when the band starts picking on him.
Poor Griffin. I actually feel a lot of sympathy for him...it's got to be a burden carrying around that ego. Speaking of all these characters, when you did choose to publish the story, did you have any idea that you would have such a sensation on your hands?
Stephens: No, not at all. When I finally decided to share the story, I really didn't think many people would read it, let alone like it. I'm continually shocked by the tremendous amount of support the series receives. I never expected anything like this.
Reckless comes out on March 5th. Will this be the conclusion to the series, or just to Kiera's story?
Stephens: This will be the final story told through Kiera's eyes. I may eventually pick up the series again with one of the support characters - most likely Griffin and Anna - but Reckless completes the journey for Kiera.
Here's hoping for Griffin and Anna! *fingers crossed* I do have a pretty timeless appreciation for The Hulk. Can we expect
Reckless to follow along the same lines as the first two books, or will we see noticeable changes?
Stephens: I think this on is a bit different than the previous two. Kiera has grown a lot since Thoughtless, and I think it really shows in this book.
OMG! I cannot wait for this one to release! I am sure that I will be a miserably tired mess from Monday to Wednesday, since I won't sleep until I've got it downloaded and read start to finish. Will you be reading on your E-Reader or hard copy? Want a chance to win your own signed hard copy? Here it is!
P.S. S.C.Stephens posted one of the CUTEST keychains on her blog earlier this week. In addition to the signed giveaway, the winner will receive one of these Thoughtless inspired pieces, winner's choice of pink or black.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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