I don’t remember if I was following Ingrid when we were just bookstagrammers or after she announced that she was publishing her debut. It all happened a year ago and I’ve enjoyed watching Ingrid go on a journey to becoming a fellow indie author. Her debut The Last Rebound has also been on my TBR for a while and I finally read it recently—it was fun and sexy and I devoured it in one sitting. I love that while it was a sports romance, we got more than one type of sport and we got to see these incredible men fall in love while still balancing everything else in their lives so well.
Ingrid works full time and spends as much time outside of that writing and reading whatever her heart desires. Like a lot of us romance authors, she also dabbled in fanfic that then inspired her to write more original stories. Ingrid also has some great advice for aspiring (and existing) authors!
More importantly, you’re getting some insight into her next book! I’m so stoked for this one, because it sounds like it’s going to be a fun time!
The Last Rebound is out now and available in Kindle Unlimited!
1. BEING AN AUTHOR
Who or what inspired you to write?
I always have story bunnies in my brain, but I didn’t really write them down until 2012 when I wrote my first fanfic. I have several great friends who pushed me to start writing original stories, and being on bookstagram taught me about self-publishing. That helped me a lot with actually sharing my writing with the world.
What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?
The best part for me is the freedom to publish the story the way I love it. The worst part is getting the book out there to the right audience. I love writing, but I’m so bad at promoting myself!
Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?
I wanted to keep full control over my stories. I still have a fulltime job next to my writing, and I’m a mood writer as much as I am a mood reader. Self-publishing means for me that it’s much easier to make my own plan and timeline, and it’s easier to shift with that when the words just aren’t coming out.
When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?
I read a lot, and I put my characters in the most ridiculous situations in my brain. Sometimes they end up in my stories, but most of the time they just live in my head.
If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?
They would definitely all be romance, but the moment someone asks me for recommendations my brain shuts down. Lately I’ve been loving Kathryn Nolan, Annabeth Albert, and Lauren Blakely. They’re all great with queer representation, which is something I focus on as well.
What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?
Turn off your brain and let your fingers take the lead. It may sound counterintuitive, but I tend to overthink each word I write so I get more done when I stop thinking.
Get an editor who knows how your brain works, but who you can accept criticism from. They’re here to help you.
Your first draft won’t be perfect, and that’s okay. It would be weird if it was.
Write the story that YOU want to read. Don’t just write what is popular. You’ll burn out much faster and it shows in the end product.
Most importantly: have fun with it!
2. ROMANCE AS A GENRE
Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?
I love reading about love. It’s amazing to be taken on a journey of the love the characters discover. In a world where everything seems to be bad at times, it’s so great to be able to escape into a world where you know it will all be okay.
If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?
I’d love to write a mystery. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll combine the two and write a romantic suspense novel!
What are your most and least favorite tropes?
I love sports romance, but enemies to lovers is amazing as well. My least favorite trope is accidental pregnancy, mainly when there is a lot of miscommunication between the characters because of it.
What are some tropes you want to write in the future?
I’d love to write an enemies to lovers!
What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?
I believe representation is very important, and there can always be more diversity in that. I think it’s important to write the best version of the world we live in, and that comes with including the whole range of humanity without making each character a caricature of their gender, race, or otherwise.
If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?
Carter and Evan can’t keep their hands off each other in The Last Rebound, and it was a lot of fun writing their sex scenes. I’m pretty sure they would have been shouting in my brain if I didn’t write it as an open door romance. I basically had no say in it, haha!
3. YOUR BOOKS
What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?
I love sports, watching it and writing about it. So it was clear to me that my first novel would be a sports romance. I was talking to (fellow author) Kiira/K.H. Anastasia about how mean it would be to take two athletes who play ‘opposite’ sports, and have them fall in love. After I chose baseball and ice hockey, two sports with seasons opposite from each other, the story flowed pretty quickly.
Can you briefly tell me about your debut?
The Last Rebound follows Carter, a bisexual baseball player, and Evan, a gay hockey goalie. Neither is looking for a relationship, but their attraction to each other is too big to ignore. Carter just came out of a long relationship, so he decides a rebound is okay. Turns out the joke’s on him and there’s so much more there!
Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?
I keep saying that I am Carter and Carter is me, but I love Evan just as much. The story I’m currently working on is about Lucas, who is Carter’s best friend, and at the moment he’s my favorite. I think.
How much of yourself do you put into these characters?
As I said before, Carter is basically me. Aside from the bisexual guy part. And being a baseball player. I think I put pieces of myself in every character, or sometimes who I want to be.
What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?
I really want to tell queer love stories.
Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?
Love, and with that love comes hope. One of my best friends and I always tell each other there’s always hope.
What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?
I’m writing my second book right now, called Plane Attraction. There’s a hint of some of the plot in The Last Rebound already, now I just have to write it! This story follows Lucas, a straight bar owner, and Bailey, a bisexual architect with her own business. As the title might suggest, there’s planes involved in their romance!
When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?
I hope they will feel hope, optimism, and maybe even some will be seen!
4. AUTHOR’S CHOICE
Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks—ebooks to read, paperbacks as trophies to show off my favorites!
Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense
Single or Dual POV
Standalones, series or standalones in a series
Music or silence when writing—Music, but only instrumental
Plotter, pantser or plantser—Plantser. More on the pantser side
Water and tea, coffee or….wine?
Cold or warm weather
Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?
Illustrated or photo cover?