Mackenzie Blair Talks Inspiration for The Quarterback

It’s fun looking back on a book and remembering the inspiration for certain scenes.

In one scene of The Quarterback, there’s a very specific bed at a boutique hotel. (I’ll leave it at that, so there’s no spoilers.) This was inspired by a trip I took with my mother back when I was in middle school. Yes, not the expected place to draw inspiration from for a romance novel! But we were on a road trip and ended up in a small Midwest town. There weren’t any motels just B&Bs. So my mom, back when there was no internet, simply stopped when she saw a sign.

The proprietor ushered us in and explained the rooms had different themes. Why she didn’t warn a mother and daughter duo that they were romantic themes I have no idea! But there I was, age thirteen, trooping along with my mother to the “caveman room” which had leopard print everyone, including the fuzzy frame around the mirror above the bed. My mom did not look up. I did. She was (and still is a bit naïve) so she just found it funny.

We moved onto the next room and there was a hanging bed on iron chains. It swung when you sat on it. My mom found it hilarious, but started to realize perhaps this place was a bit too much for her daughter. I think I had turned beet red at this point.  It was so mortifying.

We ended up at another B&B with a floral bedspread and very innocent needlepoint pictures.   I truly wish I remembered the name of that place, because as an adult, I’d really like to see the rest of those rooms in that B&B.

Another scene that I drew from real life is the French Cinema class. I took one in college and those films were naughty! I was truly entertained because the films screened in the basement of the Math Department and I always wondered what those Ph.D. students thought of the films’ frolicking laughter and squeals and moans and groans they heard each Tuesday night as they tried to teach differential calculus next door. All of us in the class agreed our significant others very much approved of our screening nights, making Tuesdays much more interesting.

I hope you enjoy these moments in the book!

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About The Quarterback

In walks Trevor Kim, a gorgeous, pierced, tattooed fellow Bodine student who does massages—without happy endings—to pay for school after his family kicked him out for being gay. Trevor takes one look at Matt and breaks all his own rules about mixing business with pleasure.

Matt needs to keep his scholarship, win the National Championship, and survive his asshole father. Instead, he falls in love. Trevor needs to accept that the football god is meant to end up with him rather than a perky cheerleader. It’s time for a happy ending for both of them.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/the-quarterback

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About Mackenzie Blair

Mackenzie Blair is an award-winning screenwriter in Los Angeles who’s written for shows and films you’ve probably heard of.  Mackenzie grew up in the South but fled the humidity for earthquakes, university, and a brief stint in finance. As a cynical idealist, she prefers to write happy endings whenever possible.

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of The Quarterback, one lucky winner will receive a $30 Riptide gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 16, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!