Featured Interview With Teece Reeder
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hey! I am Teece Reeder! I was raised out in the country in a town called Randleman, North Carolina. I am truly thankful for growing up in such a quaint and tight knit community. We love our people, our high school football team, and our rooted bonds run deep. I reside in a small mill town now that is contained within the city of Asheboro, NC. My grandparents actually “courted” and strolled together weekly on the way to a prayer meeting on the street I live on. Heritage and legacy are of huge importance to me.
I am blessed to have two adult sons, Seth and Luke, who are making me immensely proud as they follow their individual callings. My husband and I have big dreams of getting back to country living someday, but in the meantime, we have our doggies and cats, and some chicks coming this Spring. I just don’t truly feel at home anywhere unless I have chickens.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I honestly can’t recall a time when I wasn’t fascinated with books. Our home was always filled with bookshelves, and stacks on the bedside. My Mama read to me constantly as a little girl and after we read, we discussed the passage we had just passionately inhaled.
I remember getting a notebook and a black ink pen when I was five years old, and after spending a good amount of time filling those pages with my imagination I was given a journal for my sixth birthday and I began to make notes in it. From that point, writing became more than a passion, it became my oxygen. It was my faithful companion, it was my shield, it was my light on many dark nights of my childhood that I needed to escape.
I remember Mama letting me have a pajama party when I was about seven and all the girls asked her to read a story. I couldn’t help but giggle in my sleeping bag, as I drifted off to sleep while the eerie silence hung over every little girl who now was terrified by the brilliant words of Edgar Allan Poe’s, The Tell-Tale Heart.
I am truly thankful my Mother had studied English and introduced me at a young age to so many different works. Looking back I think that was my first and last pajama party!
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love so many, but I always revert back to the classics. Hemingway, and his writing style is something I will never grow tired of. By far he is one of my top five favorites of all time. I began my writing journey with poetry so I have a strong admiration for poets. Sara Teasdale, Robert Burns, Poe ( of course), Sylvia Plath, Thoreau. I have Teasdale on my bedside table now, and have since I was a child, it never leaves me.
Who inspires my writing? Oh that’s a big question! To say everyone sounds quite insane, but it is true. I see inspiration in most every person I ever meet. Every person has a story living inside them. Every person has known hurt, heartbreak and love. Just listening to so many people as they talk casually, watching them sparkle as they are heard, has really become a method of writing for me.
If I have to narrow it down to an author I would say Kate Chopin. She was so ahead of her time, she was a rebel in the 1800’s, and no matter who tried to silence her words are heard clearly to this day. I love that she pushed, she spoke about taboo topics and was never apologetic about her style or her words.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is “A Million Thoughts of Grace”. It is based on a true story. A beautiful woman, who I had the honor of knowing. Grace is a fighter, Grace is a dreamer, a believer in all the wonder of her child, B.B. Her life was plagued with obstacles and hurt, but when she least expected it, an unconventional meeting changed her life and her daughter’s forever. This is actually the first book in the series, and I am absolutely thrilled about writing these books and finally giving them to the world.Grace deserved to be known and B.B has her long awaited opportunity to voice her horrific secrets in, “Route Two Box 505. Both books are set in a small, North Carolina town and it brings an intriguing group of colorful characters for everyone to love or hate.
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