Rae: Welcome to the blog. With the cold days of winter still upon us I have a Mocha Almond Coconut Milk Latte with a drizzle of chocolate and caramel in my mug. What is in your cuppa?
Eva: I am still in my peppermint mocha era. One packet of peppermint hot cocoa in a huge mug of coffee with a mountain of whipped cream. I need my coffee to taste like candy and rainbows.
Rae: I find that reading is better when I can pair my book with a beverage and a tasty treat while in my cozy nook. What do you need to have for yourself when you are settling in to read?
Eva: My absolute must is my emotional support water bottle, but a truly great reading binge requires the gooseneck holder for my kindle and the little miracle device that allows me to turn pages without lifting my arm.
Rae: When you start to craft your book do you prefer pen and paper or type away?
Eva: I need a keyboard for drafting. It’s the only way my hands can keep up with my thoughts. But for editing, I go old school with printed pages and a kaleidoscope worth of colored pens and tabs and highlighters. I am an absolute office supply junkie.
Rae: Do you have any particular rituals while plotting, or writing partners while you get all the words in?
Eva: I am, much to my chagrin, a total pantser. What my little nerd heart wouldn’t give to lay out a detailed plan with all those color-coded tabs and actually stick to it. Alas, If I know exactly how the story unfolds, I lose the will to write it. But I have been lucky enough to have the same two amazing critique partners for the past fourteen years. They are the ultimate sounding boards, and just reading their writing makes me better. But owing them pages helps me remain focused.
Rae: How extensive was your research while plotting out this book adventure?
Eva: This particular book is an interesting mixture of a ton of research and yet not much at all, depending on how you look at it. I have done exhaustive research into POTS and many of the commonly co-occurring conditions in the decade since my diagnosis. I also spent six days a week in a handful of private gyms during a five-year period. Those experiences were for me, though, to help manage my chronic illness. By the time I started this book, I felt comfortable that I could to do it justice. Though I did have to google a few things about caring for a pet pig.
Rae: Congratulations on your debut novel Work It Out. It is so refreshing to read a book with chronic illness represented, I think this book is going to connect with readers. What inspired you to write
a book with a character who has POTS?
Eva: I wanted to see someone like me, someone who goes to the gym knowing the chances they fall off the equipment and end up a meme are never zero, but who goes anyway. I also wanted to push back against the classic fitness industry toxic standbys that scream things like “No excuses!” That thinking make me very sick and very hard on myself for years before I was able to accept that accommodating my body and her needs was not an excuse and the fact that I will never be able to run a marathon or even climb a flight of stairs without feeling dizzy does not make me less than. I am enough just the way I am wherever I am in my journey. It’s time I own that. Also, with POTS diagnosis on the rise, particularly in long COVID patients, I wanted to shed more light on the possible cause of symptoms women especially are told far too often are “just anxiety.”
Rae: Both Jake and Rayah have had to worth through a past layered with pain and perception from others in their community. The tenderness and care to your characters allows readers to experience the highs and lows on an intimate level while enjoying plenty of banter, scorchin heat, and a satisfying happy ever after. Were there any unplanned events or characters that you did not anticipate while crafting this story? I feel there is always one character who decides to do something unexpected 😉.
Eva: The most entertaining part of being someone who writes by the seat of my pants is how frequently my characters surprise me. With Jake, as strange as it sounds, I never quite knew what outrageous thing was going to come out of his mouth next. But I think the scene that surprised me most was when the team gathers in the kitchen for a staff meeting. I always intended for them to be a family, but the way they teased and taunted and just obviously love one another in all their own weird, awkward ways—and the seamless way Jake had slipped into the family—hit me hard.
Rae: What was your biggest obstacle while writing this book and the series?
Eva: I wrote the first draft of this book during COVID shutdown. With my chronic illness and how medically fragile other members of my family were, it was a terrifying time. There were a lot of days that it was laugh or cry. Sometimes I did both. But spending time Jake and Rayah, and sharing their antics with my critique partners, was a great way to get through.
Rae: What hero or heroine do you connect with most?
Eva: There is always more of ourselves in our characters than we intend. I expected to connect most with Jake and his potsie struggles. But I walked away more than a little obsessed with Blaine too. 😉
Rae: What is next on the horizon? Will there be more fun from Explosion?
Eva: Book two has me back in Bigbone and loving it, with possibly the last two characters you’d expect.
Rae: Thank you so much for hanging out with me today and I can’t wait for everyone to read Work It Out.
Eva: What fun questions! Thank you so much for having me.
Rae: Readers be sure to check back later today at 1PM for my review. Then, at 3 PM I’ll have an exclusive excerpt from Work It Out! Mark your calendar and be sure to check back later today.
1. What is your must read book? Why? Saving Grace by Julie Garwood. I read it for the first time over fifteen years ago, but the twist at the end of the first chapter still gives me goosebumps.
2. If I visit your hometown, where are you taking me, and what’s the best place to grab a bite? My hometown is a tiny blip, nothing but fast food for miles. My high school was literally one hundred years old and surrounded on three sides by corn fields. But Columbus is close and has so much to offer! Our zoo is one of the best in the country. For a casual lunch, you can’t go wrong with wings from Rooster’s.
3. What is one thing readers would be surprised to know about you? I am probably the shiest person you’ll ever meet. I usually blame it on growing up as an undiagnosed autistic. I love having new friends, but I’m still learning how to put myself out there to make those connections. So, if you see me out in the world or on social media, please take mercy on my poor, omnivert soul and say hi!
4. What is your guilty pleasure? Amusement Parks. It’s an entire production now with my POTS, but I love the rides.
5. What are you afraid of? Letting people down. That part of Rayah, her need to care for all her chicks in all the ways, very much comes from me.
6. Tats or No Tats? If tats, how many and what did you choose for your first one? I have one that I got on a whim right after I turned 18. Since that was in 2002, of course it’s a butterfly, though I opted for hip placement rather than lower back (thank goodness). I’m not opposed to getting more. I just have a hard time choosing!
7. Binge watcher or weekly viewer? Which show(s)? Binge! I have to know the whole story. Cliffhangers are actual torture. My all-time favorite comfort watch has to be Lucifer, though I love all things Bridgerton too.
8. Is there a book you have read that you would love to see made into a movie (besides yours 🙂 )? I am dying for the Black Dagger Brotherhood series to finally come to Passionflix! I’ve been wishing for that one for years. #ZsadistForever
9. What is the one thing you cannot live without? Writing retreats. A couple times a year, my girls and I sneak away for a weekend to work and gab and eat amazing snacks. Prioritizing that part of my life makes me a better human all the way around.
10. What is the one career that gives you the shudders? Public speaking. It sounds so cliché, and I do it sometimes. But as a daily gig, it would leave me hallowed out and stressed.
11. If I opened your handbag/bag/briefcase, what item would I be shocked to see? You’d be most shocked that I don’t carry one. I’ll carry a bag when I work away from home, but I stress too much about losing things. Most days I only carry the bare essentials.
12. What app on your phone/ipad gets the most use? Tiktok. I get sucked in to book reviews and puppy videos, and before I know it, hours have slipped by.
Eva Siedler and her sexy aircraft mechanic husband have built a crazy home in Central Ohio filled with almost as much neurodiversity as love. By day she wrangles two teenage boys with the supernatural ability to misplace anything, her POTS symptoms, and carpools. By night she writes funny, spicy love stories packed with strong, sassy heroines, big-hearted heroes, and tons of wacky small-town shenanigans.
Represented by Jordy Albert of The Booker Albert Literary Agency.
For more info on Eva Siedler you can find her here
