FOR BETTER & FOR WORSE by Quint Emm Ellis ~ Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway

For Better & For Worse (The Sisterhood of the Tiny House Revolution, #3)
by: Quint Emm Ellis
Series: The Sisterhood of the Tiny House Revolution
Genre: Multicultural Interracial Christian Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 30, 2022

These ex-lovebirds are busy building a nest for one. But can she be convinced to make room for him, too?

Despite attending the same congregation and university, Ashe and Stephen's circles had never seemed to cross.

One class project changed everything...for the better; until secrecy and youthful indiscretion pulled them apart.

Will an unexpectant reunion in their adult years allow Ashe and Stephen to rewrite a history riddled with regret and heartbreaking choices?

Hi Quint. Welcome to Read Your Writes Book Reviews. How are you?
I’m great, thank you for asking! I hope you’re well, too 😀.

No problem. I’m good, thank you. Congratulations on the release of your latest book, For Better & For Worse, the third book in your Sisterhood of the Tiny House Revolution series. What can you tell me about the series?
Thank you very much! And right off the bat, I’ll confess that the series' name, “The Sisterhood of the Tiny House Revolution”, is a nod to the well-known YA series depicting one shared interest binding together four very different women, their experiences and outlooks.

My books offer me an opportunity to depict black women who (1) express different forms of introversion; (2) are grappling with a desire for a sincere relationship with the Lord, in juxtaposition to their insecurities, ambitions, shortcomings, strengths and desires; and (3) don’t have it all together, really, but instead rely on help from others to navigate it all in one sane and whole piece.

And in this series, specifically, I get to showcase black women who really dig tiny houses, too!

Lol. Can you please tell me about For Better & For Worse?
Sure! You know how you can see people all the time in certain areas but never actually meet them? This was Stephen and Ashe’s story. They were familiar strangers until one college class forced their paths to collide—and subsequently their hearts. Unfortunately, their burgeoning romance was cut short due to a perfect storm of challenges that would require choosing to risk one heart to be broken over another.

Years later, Ashe and the rest of the Sisterhood are each pursuing their dreams of constructing their tiny homes. And before long, Ashe realizes that Stephen intends on lending his hand…but he just might walk away with hers.

Sounds interesting. Tell me about Ashe and Stephen. Who are they and what events or life lessons have made them who they are today?
Despite being the second oldest of four, Ashe assumed a sort of maternal role when her and her brothers’ mom passed; helping her single father keep her ever contentious brothers in check with a mere word, touch or even look. In turn, she was doted on by all four men; but she’d grown up into her late teens without the comfort that a mother offered. She learned to think things through on her own; to observe before interjecting. And she learned to appreciate moments of solitude, quiet; which she found most in nature. In Stephen, she’d thought she’d found someone with whom she could share the quiet moments; who appreciated her internal world. Someone in whom she could confide, be vulnerable…be herself.

Being an only child, Stephen’s shoulders were weighted with the hopes and dreams of his attentive, uber-involved parents. Their roles as leaders in the church only added to the level of responsibility to which he’d grown accustomed. But a nearly devastating event in their family rocked his world and worldview. Though he felt closer than ever to his family, he also felt more of the need to break free from the bond that held him so tightly to them. That tug-of-war would follow him for years, particularly following the loss of the one woman whose apt observations of him had prompted him to, for once, release all his pretenses.

In romance books, I’m sort of a fan of second chance romances. Why do you like them?
I actually was never a fan of second chance romances until I started writing them! My favorite tropes are actually Marriage of Convenience/Arranged Marriage/Fake Romances. But one of the themes I like to depict is that of thick women who, of course, have to have the stereotypically handsome lead. What better way to kind of ground that idea than to have the roles reversed in their younger years? So that’s what laid the groundwork for my first novel.

Since then, I’ve gained an appreciation for the amount of relational ground that can be covered in second chance romances. You get to know the characters and their flaws. You get to watch them overcome that which hindered them in the past. And, once the two meet again, you already know that there’s a justifiable foundation of love present that’s just begging for an excuse to reveal itself. It’s about as believable of a version of insta-love as you can get.

For Better & For Worse is listed or described as a Christian romance. However, you have a warning that says, “sprinkling of mature content that may not be suitable for all audiences”. What does that mean exactly?
Thank you so much for asking for clarification. As one reviewer put it, my efforts lean toward developing “a clean Christian romance that still has enough passion and intrigue and [is] not too sexual or on the flip side too sanctimonious”.

On the description page of most of both of my series, I mention that there may be episodes within the series that feature a sprinkling of mature content. That is to say that some titles may include scenes that are more sensual than what is expected by readers who are specifically seeking a novel that unequivocally falls under the Clean & Wholesome category. I use the category of Clean & Wholesome as my standard when I make that statement; and I ask the question of whether I feel a Christian mother would feel comfortable with their teenage daughter reading its contents.

Some titles in and outside of this series may include scenes where there’s more “heavy petting” and/or sexual innuendo than in a Clean & Wholesome novel. There may be the allusion to or pointed references to closed-door scenes. I also am not against including the occasional mild-to-medium swear word, if it seems to serve the scene, the story, or the character (though I steadfastly avoid F-bombs and gd’s). So I also wanted to forewarn of that possibility, because some may find it offensive; or a reader may just not be in the mood for encountering one or a few swear words, or scenes detailing the main characters’ kiss/es or implicit desires. And I completely get that.

In my first novel, for example, I wanted to depict the struggles that women (and men) can experience while wanting to honor the Lord, all while facing real and strong physical desires. I wanted to acknowledge that reality, but also depict the most hopeful outcomes even in those cases. The novel also includes some moments where curse words might genuinely be used by different characters out of hurt, frustration, or empathy.

From that novel, onward, I decided to err on the side of caution and add a disclaimer to ensure that those who choose to pick up any of my novels won’t be too surprised should they encounter such things.

Thank you for explaining that. What was your favorite part of For Better & For Worse to write and why?
I don’t want to give too much away, but I can say that the alternating “flashback” scene was great. I think I’ve seen similar scenes in movies. And perhaps I’ve even read similar depictions in books. I just knew that the arrangement of those scenes would be something really fun to orchestrate and imagine as a writer, and hopefully just as fun to imagine as a reader.

Can you tell me about one of your favorite scenes from the book, and why is it a favorite?
It’s probably one very brief moment when Ashe is addressing Stephen as her hands grip the back of the chair in which she’d just been seated. The moment depicts what can make forgiveness so hard. It’s a scene that illustrates how the difference in how easily or how difficult it can be to forgive someone is really a matter of how our heart is positioned toward them. Sometimes, it can be easier to forgive someone you love deeply, even if they’ve hurt you; it’s a lot harder to forgive someone for whom your feelings don’t run as deep, no matter their level of repentance. I think it’s just an honest observation that can be a source of frustration no matter which scenario one finds themselves in.

I may be thinking too deeply about that scene, to be honest. I just know that the image of her, holding the back of the chair and being so pensive, vulnerable, and brave; I just feel like that was a very Ashe moment.

I like that statement on forgiveness. I think that’s totally true. Forgiveness is definitely a difficult thing to understand when it comes to understanding how sometimes it’s easier than other times. How are all of the books in the series connected, and do you plan on writing more books for the series?
The books follow four newly-minted girlfriends whose love stories overlap throughout the short period in which they’ve committed to realizing their tiny house dreams. Part of the fun I was hoping to achieve is for the reader of the series to be able to recognize aspects of other characters’ love stories, even while reading the romance of the main character; I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of how, in real life, various storylines are developing all at the same time, and maybe even in the same room.

With the release of For Better & For Worse, three of the four ladies’ stories have been told. The last member of the group, Rachael, is waiting in the wings. And she’s telling me that she’s been ready to share her story. But she also jokingly adds…that I’m just saving the best for last.

I like that. Quint, thank you so much for answering some questions for me.

She watched him visibly flinch before grinding his teeth, seemingly steeling himself against her onslaught.

She made a move to rise from the table.

“Now, Ashe,” he said, grasping her hand to stop her advancement. “We have to talk about this. If we’re going to work together you can’t just walk away again.”

“Me walk away? Again?” she hissed, looking up at her surroundings before calmly reclaiming her seat, glaring at him.

In as low a volume as she could muster she continued.

“You’re the one that walked away, Stephen. Well before I ever left.” And there it was; the quavering in her voice. The dreaded tightening of the throat that threatened to turn her words into the mewings of a lamb. But she couldn’t stop now. “And you didn’t feel the need to resolve things, then.” She wrenched her hand from his. “So if you have even an inkling of compassion reserved for me, don’t pretend to feel any obligation to patch things up, now.”

After managing to detangle her legs from the bench, she faced him. “As a matter of fact, the best thing you can do for me right now is leave me alone.”

She turned to stomp away, crashing into the muscled arm and shoulder of a man that’d been walking up to their table.

“Hey! Slow down there,” Luke grumbled good-naturedly as he steadied her with a gentle hand on her elbow.

Ashe swallowed, her eyes glistening even as her expression shifted from shock to embarrassment.

“Sorry,” she said quickly as she darted around him to continue her escape toward the house in search of a bathroom.

Stephen stood to follow her; but Luke smoothly slid his body to block his path.

“I’m telling you, Man. Whatever it is, it’s best to let it go for now.”

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The Sisterhood of the Tiny House Revolution Series:

"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."

- Toni Morrison

Quint Emm Ellis enjoys penning plots centering around unabashedly nerdy, introverted, cinnamon-roll mantic, passionate, fallible women who happen to be black, who happen to be Christian, and who happen to love an uplifting and, possibly, inspirational story.

She enjoys listening to audio books, watching movies, finding great deals and spoiling her cat and dog rotten. Her dream is to be able to walk around in loose pajama pants all day and geek out while mastering niche crafts like music production, film editing and electro etching.

Places to find Quint Emm Ellis:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

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