ISSUES #22: MAY 2016
JULY 2014 ISSUE
BRITTNEY REEL: reel talk
“ always write what you feel. Don’t sugarcoat it
and try to anticipate what you think people
want to hear. .”
Brittney Reel is an up and coming author about to release her second novel. Some authors just have a flair for expressing their thoughts and pulling the reader in. The best authors have you up at night when you should be sleep, trying to see how a chapter ends. They have you sitting in the driveway after you’ve made it home to hear your audio book conclude a chapter. Brittney is an author of this ilk.
Brittney’s passion is writing and it shows. She writes novels and is a freelance writer for magazines like ‘Hope For Women’ and for ‘Girls On The Grind’. She tends to put an uplifting and inspirational twist on her articles and they are a voice of positive influence to her readers. You can read a few samples of her work here:
HOPE FOR WOMEN Magazine article: BETTER HURTS
GIRLS ON THE GRIND Magazine article: WOMAN OF EXCELLENCE
HOPE FOR WOMEN Magazine article: CAN I JUST HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE?
Brittney is a native of West Memphis, AR. Born and raised. She is a lifelong church girl whose father is Rev. Ronnie Reel, pastor of the Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church in West Memphis. Brittney is a college student and also sings in the gospel group, The Reel Family, with her dad and her two sisters.
Brittney’s current novel is “Bridgette’s Redemption”. It’s a Christian-based novel that tells the story of a young woman caught up in scandal and emotional turmoil and her struggle to regain her center. Bridgette’s Redemption was released November 20, 2013, written and self-published by Brittney via www.lulu.com. “I had a deal with another publisher but I wasn’t really crazy about the terms. I was lucky enough to get out of the contract and sought out a publishing agreement that I could live with.” Brittney shopped around and opted to release her first novel on her own. She promoted the book through appearances at summits and speaking engagements, TV appearances and a book signing through her church. So far, so good.
PBI: Sooooo.. I know you hear this question all the time but, is the lead character in Bridgette’s Redemption you?
B. REEL: Well, yes, I do hear that one a lot. I draw some points of reference from my own upbringing and experiences growing up, but Bridgette is not me.
PBI: Yes, she does kind of mirror you a bit. What was your inspiration for writing this book?
B. REEL: Yeah well, there are some similarities to real life. My father is a pastor and.. there’s a lot of different perceptions of what a pastor’s kid is supposed to be. Growing up I understood what the perception was and, knowing how I am and knowing how my sisters are, I wanted to paint a real picture of what it’s like growing up in that light. To show the human side. I mean, we’re human too and subject to the same errors and faults as anyone. I wanted to show how we have to go through the same process as any other woman to find our desired destination.
PBI: So where do you find inspiration for the articles you write? Personal experience?
B. REEL: Basically I grab my inspiration from what’s going on.. what I see happening with others, what I hear on the news or whatever’s going around me. I do also include things I experience personally. I pretty much write whatever I feel for Girls On The Grind but with Hope For Women, they typically have a theme for each issue. I’ll come up with something related that falls under the umbrella of the topic and go from there.
PBI: I kind of get the notion that you’re the Love Doctor since you write a lot of pieces on relationships.
B. REEL: (Busts up laughing) That’s what they say! I haven’t healed myself yet but, hey…
PBI: Oh so does that mean you’re in a relationship currently?
B. REEL: I AM in a relationship, yes.
PBI: So that means you’ll have plenty of fodder for future books and articles.
PBI: Now you have another book that you’ve finished right? What’s it called?
B. REEL: The new one is called “Dear Brittney”. Now that one is, like, my personal relationship journey that I’ve been through so far. It’s Christian-based as well but what I wanted to do was take a different approach this time. I wanted to be as real and as raw as possible in this book and to show how ultimately your relationship with God is the main relationship you should focus on. In Bridgette’s Redemption there were a lot of instances where people concluded I was Bridgette when it wasn’t exactly about me. So I felt in Dear Brittney it would be good to write from personal experience and show everyone the different relationships you go through. It was also important to show that you can get past any kind of hurt that you’ve ever caused or experienced.
Brittney on the set of Local Memphis Live TV show. About to interview and discuss Bridgette's Redemption.
PBI: The real and the raw, huh? That sounds like your dad will have to read the ending of the book first THEN go back and read the rest of it afterwards.
B. REEL: (Laughter) Yep!! When I was writing Bridgette’s Redemption, I let my mother read it. I was nervous while she was reading it but it was fiction though. But THIS TIME I don’t think I’m going to be able to let her read it until it’s out. I’m not even trying to see her face, or hear.. you know? It’s raw. That one’s got me nervous a bit but I feel like that’s the story that needs to be out.
PBI: When is the release date for Dear Brittney?
B. REEL: It will be released in November 2014. There’s a chance it would come out sooner but my target is November.
PBI: So what do you see for yourself going forward? Is writing a bridge to another passion?
B. REEL: No, writing is my thing. I AM also working on my Bachelor’s in Business Management. I have two years to go with school but writing will always be my thing. I could see myself maybe branching off and writing plays down the line but I want to have a bestseller in the next 5 years.
PBI: Any closing advice for young writers contemplating a writing career?
B. REEL: I’d have to say.. always write what you feel. Don’t sugarcoat it and try to anticipate what you think people want to hear. There is an audience for what you have to say so write what you feel. Tell your story.
Brittney is definitely an inspiration in prose and as a person. You can find Bridgette’s Redemption online at these retailers..
ON NOOK (via Barnes & Noble and others..)
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v. ray
