LET'S WELCOME THE AUTHOR OF: Crossing Hearts: Rebecca Crowley

LET’S WELCOME

AUTHOR OF:

REBECCA CROWLEY

Rad-Reader:  What inspired you to write this particular story?

Rebecca:  First, thank you so much for hosting me!

I’m a huge soccer fan, and one thing I love the most about the sport is how internationally diverse it is. I randomly learned that Jose Mourinho – one of the most famous managers in Europe – had begun his career as an interpreter. I began to think about what it would be like to be a player who relied on an interpreter to communicate with his team, and Rio was born!

Rad-Reader:  Was Eva leery of Rio’s interest in her because of Hector Gonzalez?

Rebecca:  I think that had some part to play, for sure. A greater factor, though, was her own fear of commitment.

Rad-Reader:  Did you interview anyone who had come to this country not knowing the language and played a fast-paced sport?

Rebecca:  Sadly not, but I can think of several professional footballers I’d be delighted to interview if they’d like to give me a call! ;-)

Rad-Reader:  Why did Eva get so offended when Rio asked if she was Mexican? 

Rebecca:  Eva wasn’t so much offended as she was wary. Rio was already knocking hard on her professional walls, and she didn’t want him to get more personal.

Rad-Reader:  Was she ashamed to be called Mexican?  Or was it the way he asked it?

Rebecca:  Definitely not! Eva is a massive advocate for her community, but in that moment, discussing her personal life was, well, too personal. :-)
Rad-Reader: At first I thought she might be but then as it went I start to see what you are saying about her.  Sometimes Latine cultures from different cultures don't like to be called out by another so I didn't know if she was getting defensive or was embarrassed.  She was a proud Ameri~Mex.  

Rad-Reader:  Why did she keep giving mixed signals to Rio about liking him?

Rebecca:  Eva – like all of my heroines – is super flawed. Personally, that’s my favorite kind of woman to read about – one who’s strong but imperfect, smart but not beyond making mistakes, and just as eligible for being saved by the hero as he is by her. The back-and-forth with Rio is symptomatic of Eva’s own struggle with what she wants and what she thinks she’s capable of when it comes to romance.
Rad-Reader: Better known as 'conflict' what makes all our juicy stories so much better.

Rad-Reader:  Rio finally gets a green light because she says she wants a real relationship then he freezes.  Why?

Rebecca:  A bit like Eva, Rio also wrestles with self-doubt. When Eva finally gives him the green light he’s knocked for a loop, and rather than steam in, he decides he needs to take a step back and make sure he offers her the very best version of himself. Which is dumb, of course, because he’s already exactly who she wants!

Rad-Reader:  Both coaches and managers in Chile and Atlanta okayed him to play and they had to have seen him limping.  Then why did they not ever stop him from playing? 

Rebecca:  Players failing to self-report injuries – and teams continuing to play players after they’ve been injured – is an unfortunate problem in professional soccer. From the player’s perspective, most teams have more than one person for each position, so the players are constantly fighting to prove they deserve the starting spot, even if it means hiding an injury. On the flipside, some managers are so intent on winning that they’ll risk their players, either by not substituting them when they may have been injured (particularly head injuries which are difficult to diagnose immediately) or playing them before they’re fully recovered.

The result of all of that is that if a player says he’s okay to play, most managers won’t be in a position to disagree, especially if he’s one of the stars who’s potentially crucial to a win. They don’t want to miss out on using one of their top players, and they also don’t want to undermine a player’s ability to self-report his own fitness. Nine times out of ten this isn’t a problem, but in Rio’s case, sometimes it blows up in everyone’s faces.

Rad-Reader:  Roland even uses Eva a scapegoat asking her to be his eyes and ears knowing they are in a relationship.  Why?  Why he could see with his own eyes.

Rebecca:  Unlike the examples mentioned above, Roland is a responsible manager! Or at least trying to be. :-P On the face of things he has to trust Rio’s self-reporting, but he also wants to protect Rio from overdoing it. 

Rad-Reader:  Why didn’t Eva address his hurtful words about her mother and about ever talking to her like that again after the ER event?

Rebecca:  Hopefully I’m not spoiling anything by saying that moment is one where Eva comes into her own. She’s stoic in the face of what she knows is his deliberate effort to hurt him, because on some level she understands that he’s at his absolute rock bottom. She doesn’t necessarily let him get away with it, but she stands firm and refuses to engage.
Rad-Reader: Less says more. :) 

Rad-Reader:  What was Rio’s thought about pushing through the pain all the time?  Didn’t he get that he could do more damage and even do it bad enough that he could maybe not ever play again?

Rebecca:  Rio is sweet and sexy and STUBBORN! He’s so focused on making the most of his opportunity to play for Atlanta Skyline that he thinks moment-by-moment and doesn’t take a long view. To be fair, any professional athlete’s career can be over in a second, so maybe it’s not surprising that he has a “no day but today” mentality.

Rad-Reader:  If your book was made into a movie who would you want to play…

Eva:  Demi Lovato

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/141370875784189321/

Rio:  Alexis Sanchez

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/181340322471500156/

Rebecca:

Eva:  I’d go for Elizabeth Rodriguez

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/3b/38/e4/3b38e4caf55b62645e5a94f5174b08ee.jpg

Rio:  Okay, you rumbled me. He’s totally modeled after Alexis Sanchez!

Rad-Reader:  What song best describes your couple or your story as a whole?

 What Ifs - Kane Brown ft. Lauren Alaina

Rebecca:  The song I listened to a lot while writing it was 

‘Pura Vida’ by Don Omar:

Rad-Reader:  What is your favorite vacation as a kid that you can remember and why?

Rebecca:  Probably visiting my grandparents in either Virginia Beach or South Florida (they were snowbirds who lived between both locations). There’s nothing like sea, sun, and sand – and spoiling when you’re a kid!

Rad-Reader:  What is your favorite dessert?

Rebecca:  Tough one! I love a really good tiramisu, but I also tend to veer toward fruity things, like raspberry pannacotta or apple crumble. Yum!

Rad-Reader:  Do you like to visit coffee shops or restaurants to find new material for books?

Rebecca:  To be honest, between a full-time job, toddler mamahood, oh and occasionally seeing my husband (!!), I don’t get much time to sit and dream. I would love to, though!

Rad-Reader:  Does music ever give you new ideas?

Rebecca:  Always! I have definitely written an entire book based on a single song lyric. ;-)

Rad-Reader:  Do you use storyboards for your books?

Rebecca:  I don’t, but I’m not a particularly visual person. I’m not into having lots of pictures in my home or office, either – for whatever reason I get more inspiration through my ears than my eyes.

Rad-Reader:  What is your next project and when will be coming out?

Rebecca:  Book #2 in the Atlanta Skyline series – Defending Hearts – will release on 19 September! I’m super excited to introduce everyone to Rio’s teammate, wingback Oz Terim.

Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers buy your books?

Rebecca:  Crossing Hearts is available from:

Kensington * Amazon * Amazon UK * Barnes & Noble * Kobo

Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers find you on the Web?

Rebecca:  You can find me on the web at rebeccacrowley.net 
on Twitter as @rachelmaybe 
on facebook.com/rebeccacrowleywrites 
or sign up for my newsletter at eepurl.com/ch5wYv.

Thanks so much for being with us it was fun to work with you.  I t was also fun to have gotten your player correct too that you had modeled your story after.  One in the win column for once.  Come back when your next book is coming out and be sure and let us know so we can share in on our Shout out page.  Well, you didn't run fast enough for you too are now a 1 Rad-Reader Misfit.  Thanks again for your special time with us,
Char