Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf: Guest Post: Holly Schindler

Holly Schindler has kindly agreed to guest post here about her newest release “Playing Hurt”; a moving story about two broken characters that together find ways to heal their wounds, face their fears and ultimately discover what true love is.

The Author:

Find Holly Schindler on the Web: Official Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter

Guest Post

On Clint, My Last-Minute Addition:

When PLAYING HURT released March 8, I was so incredibly excited for readers to dive into the book, and to meet Chelsea. In fact, I thought the person they’d connect with in PLAYING HURT would be Chelsea. I thought they’d feel for her situation, ache for the loss of her much-loved basketball. They’d find themselves torn between the two men in her life: Gabe, the sweet boyfriend waiting for her at home in Missouri, and Clint, the alluring resort guide she meets on vacation, whom she’s completely attracted to, and can’t quite seem to say no to. And I thought they’d all relish experiencing a summer of love vicariously through her.

But I was really surprised, when the book released, to learn that the person most readers were connecting with was Clint. They sympathized with CLINT’S story—the sudden loss of his girlfriend, the life-changing emotional hurt he experienced. It was a complete surprise to me, honestly.

And in truth, he was the last person I added to the book.

He was present in the first manuscript I drafted, of course…way back in about ’04, ’05. But the original book was written entirely from Chelsea’s point of view.

In fact, it wasn’t until the last rewrite (in ’09) when I finally added chapters told from Clint’s POV, invented a backstory for him.

Because I was drafting brand-new material for Clint’s chapters, that last rewrite felt far more like drafting a new book than it did revising. It was a pretty hard-core “rewrite”…but so worth the effort. I honestly can’t quite imagine PLAYING HURT without Clint’s point of view, his story.

Here’s a short excerpt from Clint’s POV, which describes his initial feelings for Chelsea as he (and his childhood friend, Kenzie) wait for Chelsea to arrive for a fishing trip:

“Is that your ball player?” [Kenzie asks.]

I nod. Kenzie shades her eyes. “Broke her hip, huh?” she says, her voice sour.

“Yep,” I say, motioning another cluster of vacationers toward the dock…

“Too bad somebody didn’t break her FACE,” Kenzie mumbles, so quietly she probably doesn’t even think I’ve heard.

But I have—and it makes my eyes shoot back up the path stretching toward cabin number four. Kenzie obviously sees Chelsea as some sort of competition, and this is the perfect opportunity for her to nitpick, to convince me Chelsea really isn’t THAT pretty.

She can’t, though—because Chelsea’s damn near perfect. But without flaunting it. Khaki shorts, white T-shirt. None of that obvious look-at-me crap girls put on in the summer, tiny sundresses and skimpy shirts and that don’t even hide so much as a belly button. Chelsea’s breasts and waist and hips tug at her simple clothes, filling them out in all the right spots, turning a plain old pair of shorts and a T-shirt into one of the sexist outfits a girl has ever worn.

Ouch.

PLAYING HURT:

Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?

Blurbs:

“Is teen love ‘real’ love?...Clint and Chelsea, two ex-athletes…explore the sometimes painful, sometimes passionate road to healing. Schindler does not sugar-coat the agonies and heartbreaks of first loves, first losses, and first disappointments. Anyone who says ‘kids today have it so easy’ should pick up a copy of PLAYING HURT.”

—Brian Katcher, author of PLAYING WITH MATCHES and ALMOST PERFECT

“If you’re a fan of romance, good luck putting this one down. PLAYING HURT is a delicious, tantalizing love story that will captivate you until the final, satisfying sigh. Holly Schindler’s lyrical writing is an absolute delight to read.”

—Kristin Walker, author of A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL

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My Review: Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

Review

Blog Tour

This is part of Holly Schindler's Playing Hurt Canadian blog tour! There will be tons of great posts, and a giveaway at the end! So keep up with this awesome tour and follow the blog schedule!