Q&A: Urban Romance Author Harlyn Bryan

Harlyn Bryan (1985-) was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin. At an early age Bryan expressed an interest in the arts, specifically writing, sketching and painting. Throughout her pre to late teens Bryan penned numerous poems, song lyrics, and short stories. In 2007 she self-published the novel Wounded to much local success. Her second novel, Wildfire, was released in May of 2017 with the second edition of Wounded following in November 2017. Bryan currently resides in the southern US with her husband and their three children.

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As a book bloggin’ and book luvin’ Princess, I’m always curious to find out how authors got the ideas for their books.  How did you come up with the idea for your book?

It started off with how do I make a man completely unlikeable yet charismatic enough that he becomes a guilty pleasure and morphed into how do I really tell a story that IS someone’s REAL story – an unpleasant one.

Can you tell us what your book is about?

Wounded is based around lead characters Nick Maguire and Sierra Vincent. Nick is a big time gangster whom took over after the tragic loss of Sierra’s boyfriend years before. The story follows their journey coming together and learning to trust again after their circumstances in life.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters of your book?

Sierra is a survivor. She has lost a lot and has seemingly overcome it by progressing in life but she is drawn back to the chaos. Something calls her to the dangerous yet charismatic Nick whom is struggling with his own demons and a sudden aspiration to get out due to her influence in his life.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would that be?

Never stop what you are doing. Keep going and don’t take a hiatus. This is your calling.

What would you say is one of your interesting writing quirks?

I’ve had some moments where I talk out a really emotional line aloud to see if it’s potent and draws about any emotion from me as I go. If I can generate an emotion from myself I feel like I can snag a reader.

Do you hear from your readers?  What do they say?

I do and the first page of Wounded are comments from some of my original reader base. They’d been privy to my start and progression as a writer and had fallen in love with Wounded though it was outside of their normal genre.

What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

I honestly cannot think of one at this time so I’m sure that means it’s coming! Not everyone is a fan or impressed with what they’ve read and I think I’m good at taking in what I can do better and understanding what does and does not work. I did get a review that said that I dragged the ending out a bit too long with another novel which was emotionally draining. I was not offended in any way by the statement because it was emotionally draining for me at the time of writing it but at the time I was catering to a fan base that did not want me to end the story so I kept going to keep them happy.

What has been your best accomplishment?

Changing the viewpoint of a reader. Making them understand a character, circumstance, or way of life that they had prior not been sensitive to.

Do you Google yourself?

Guilty! I was checking to see if my book had gone to different distributors though. I am forever marketing nowadays and learning the trade.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

10 at the very least.

Fun question – if you were princess or prince, what’s one thing you would do to make your kingdom a better place?

I’m a foodie so I’d probably host some sort of celebration where we would all eat and be merry with a plethora of different treats and events contained.

Do you have anything specific that you would like to say to your readers?

Enjoy the ride! Be shocked! Be uncomfortable! Be changed by what you read. Otherwise there is no purpose…

About the Book:

Title: WOUNDED
Author: Harlyn Bryan
Publisher: RaeOv Sun Publishing
Pages: 282
Genre: Urban Romance

BOOK BLURB: 

Sometimes there is a sense of comfort in chaos that peace cannot provide. After a tragic murder on the streets of her old neighborhood Sierra Vincent left town vowing to never return to the place of her nightmares. It is by chance that she meets and falls for big time hustler Nick Maguire and from that point forward she finds herself once again entangled in the web of a war that she did not create. Follow her path back to a place she never wished to go and to a person that she believed she had left behind.

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