Bridget Morrissey
Author Interview - Bridget Morrissey
Author of Love Scenes
Sloane Ford was raised by Hollywood―with A-list celebrity parents, she was quite literally born to be a star. Now an out-of-work actress in her 30s, Sloane’s next gig lands her on the set of a film written and produced by her own family. But what her darling relatives don’t tell her until day one of filming is that the male lead is none other than Sloane’s worst nightmare: Joseph Donovan, Irish heartthrob and horrible former co-star.
Joseph Donovan may be a Hollywood sweetheart, but he’s no dream to work with, judging from past experience. His impressive good looks and sexy Irish accent don’t earn him redemption in Sloane’s book. But, the show must go on, and so Sloane rolls her eyes and gets on with production. But everything that can possibly go wrong on this project, does―and it’s not long before the film finds itself without its leading lady.
As Sloane steps up to take on the starring role, she’s forced to confront her long-standing hatred for Joseph Donovan. But as sparks begin to fly on set, it’s not long before an off-script romance develops….
Author Interview - Bridget Morrissey
Author I draw inspiration from: I could never pick just one! Almost every book I read inspires me in one way or another. It’s been harder for me to keep my focus these days, but some recent books that have pushed me out of creative ruts include The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (out in 2022), Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant, and You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle. They’re all romances, because that’s where my brain feels safest and happiest. Each really reminded of how magical and transformative a great love story can be.
Author Interview - Bridget Morrissey
Favorite place to read a book: Somewhere cozy, with a blanket wrapped around me and a cup of coffee just within reach.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: I recently read Love At First by Kate Clayborn. Will Sterling, her romantic hero, would be a competent and enjoyable elevator companion. We’ve both lived in Chicago, so we’d have a good amount to talk about to kill the time. Will is a doctor, so he’d be calm under pressure. He’s also excellent at leaning against things. All wins as far as I’m concerned!
Author Interview - Bridget Morrissey
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: Probably after I finished my first full manuscript and actually wanted to write another. Up until that point, I’d convinced myself writing a book was a little side project I was doing just for me. In retrospect, that makes no sense, but that’s how I felt at the time! I had to shift a lot of my longstanding goal posts to make room for the idea of me as an author. Now I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: I love books in all formats, but paperback definitely hits a special place in my heart.
The last book I read: An Emotion Of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi. She writes sentences that stop my breath and captures intensity and darkness in a really visceral, moving way. I absolutely loved it.
Author Interview - Bridget Morrissey
Pen & paper or computer: Computer! I am a Daughter of the Dot Com, through and through.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: An adult version of Lulu in Not The Girls You’re Looking For by Aminah Mae Safi. She has these sharp edges that mask her vulnerabilities. I find myself really drawn to people like that. I just know Lulu and I would get into a lot of good trouble together. Then we’d have some secret cries too.
Author Interview - Bridget Morrissey
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: gymnastics coach. Which might be cheating, because that’s my actual second job! I am the head coach of a competitive gymnastics program. If I were completely wiping the slate clean and imagining a totally different life for myself, I would probably want to be a physical therapist who focused on athlete recovery. Which is still kind of the same world. It’s a big part of me.
Favorite decade in fashion history: 1970s, for sure. That pops up in my wardrobe a lot. Right now I also find great comfort and joy in the fashion of the 1990s. It’s definitely because the pandemic has made me even more aggressively nostalgic than usual, but please give me grunge, give me mom jeans, jelly shoes. All of it! It’s what my soul needs at the moment.
Place I’d most like to travel: The idea of travel is so enchanting and forbidden right now that I’d truly be happy to toss a dart at a map and go there. In a beautiful post-Covid world, I’d love to go to Ireland, homeland of Love Scene’s Joseph Donovan (as well as most of my ancestors).
My signature drink: Cold brew with oat milk, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and honey. It is my life. My passion. My one true love.
Favorite artist: I’m interpreting this as musical artist, to which I once again balk at choosing a singular favorite! I love to love widely! It’s all so mood dependent, but some evergreen favorites of mine include (but are not limited to): Laura Marling, Tori Amos, Simon & Garfunkel, Fiona Apple, Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, Sufjan Stevens, Eryn Allen Kane, Fleetwood Mac, Usher, Something Corporate, and literally every single R&B song that played on Chicago’s B96 radio station in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s.
Number one on my bucket list: Definitely to leave the country. I’ve never been outside of America!
Anything else you'd like to add: You can learn a back flip. You really can. Even if you think you’re too old, you’re not!
Find more from the author:
Instagram: @bridgetjmorrissey
Twitter: @bridgemorrissey
Author Bio: Bridget Morrissey lives in Los Angeles, California, but hails from Oak Forest, Illinois. When she’s not writing, she can be found coaching gymnastics or headlining concerts in her living room. This is her adult debut.
