Ryder’s Guardian by TL Travis and Ann Lister

January 12, 2021 • News

CJC: I loved the opening of Ryder’s Guardian, learning how he grew up and how he came to be in the present tense. Was that something that was planned beforehand to provide readers with his back story?

TL: Yes and no. I’m a total pantster so I don’t know what I’m going to write until I sit in front of the computer and get into my characters mind. I played the role of Ryder in this story and Ann was Max. I always like to give a backstory for my characters so the readers can understand where they’re coming from.

AL: When we first started this project I really only knew my character’s POV and backstory (Max). I followed Tammy’s lead on Ryder and once the first couple of chapters were written I was able to get a better idea of story flow for both my character and for Ryder. It was a matter of slipping into the right headspace but once that was accomplished, the story unfolded nicely.

CJC: What was the dynamic/process like while co-writing this project together?

TL: OMG we had a blast! Ann and I share a lot of similarities so writing this was fun. We literally fed from one another. We’d each write a chapter, send it to the other one and create the next one based upon what the other wrote. We also gave each other the creative ability to change/alter in each other’s chapters we felt we needed to make the story flow better. The trust we have in one another made it easy to do that without worry.

AL: I full-heartedly agree with Tammy on that one. Co-authoring with her was so much fun and it didn’t feel like work at all. I’d write my chapter and then send it to her thinking I knew what was going to happen in the next chapter I’d be writing but then after reading what she’d write, we’d sometimes run on in a completely different direction. It kept the process fresh and exciting for me, kind of an adrenaline rush when I’d sit down to read her new chapters.

CJC: A lot of song lyrics are intertwined within this story. Was that something that was solely used for this book or do either of you like to write songs as well?

TL: I wrote all the lyrics for this book, as Ann and I do for our Rockstar’s. The lyrics I write are always with Ivan Moody, the lead singer for Five Finger Death Punch in mind, and they are meant to flow with the particular scene for which I insert them into.

AL: Since my character worked as a personal security guard for Ryder, I wasn’t writing lyrics for this story which was different for me. I do write the lyrics for my solo rockstar stories though and I feel whenever authors roll details such as lyrics into their rockstar stories they are breathing realism into it. It adds such a wonderful layer to the story and it also offers the reader more insight into the character because song lyrics come from the heart.

CJC: Without giving too much away, which was your favorite scene to write and why?

TL: That’s a tough one. Ryder is total smartass, just like me so when the Spiderman scene popped into my head it was fun. By the same token, every time Max wore his heart on his sleeve it took my breath away.

AL: There were so many great scenes in this book for varying reasons! I loved how Max was so confident doing his job – especially when Ryder was being his typical smartass self and might not have been taking the situation as seriously as Max would have wanted him to but I loved how they worked so well together. The perfect yin and yang for each other.

CJC: If you could only describe this book in one word, what would it be and why?

TL: HAWT!

AL: Yes, the story is HAWT but my one-word answer is going to be: HEART because there is so much of it in this story. That’s more than one word but I’ve never been one for writing anything succinctly!  LOL.

CJC: After readers finish Ryder’s Guardian, what would you like them to take away?

TL: All the feels, all the emotions, that Ann and I poured into it. We crossed-over many characters from our other books into it so our hope is the readers will enjoy Ryder’s Guardian so much they dive into our backlists 😊

AL: There are a lot of lessons learned in this story as the characters develop. I’d like the readers to feel how much both Max and Ryder grew as their relationship blossomed and all the feelings they experienced for the first time. Lots of feels, as Tammy said. One lesson they both learn is how not to judge a person from what you see on the outside. And yes, if you enjoy reading rockstar romance, then I would urge you to check out our backlists!

I absolutely loved reading this story. The way Ryder and Max’s relationship developed and the love/romance/suspense between them. There is something for almost everyone and I would highly recommend this story. If you like rock stars especially, then you won’t be disappointed.

Ryder’s Guardian featuring Jamieson is now available for purchase here!

Stay up to date with all of TL Travis and Ann Listers latest releases via their respective pages.

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