Meet Irene Bahrd
To celebrate the launch of Kick Out of It (Needing to Score, Book 1), Irene Bahrd’s new sports romcom novella, I present to you my favorite of favorites.
After helping Ireland win the World Cup, striker Ronan O’Leary spends the next year flirting with Nora Knightly, a stunning, ruthless reporter who interviewed him. Nora’s the epitome of off-limits, but when she moves to Ireland to cover his football club, Ronan lasts a total of three minutes before he throws caution to the wind and asks her out.
Reluctantly agreeing to date Ronan, Nora risks her credibility as a journalist, but the irresistible footballer is willing to give up everything—including his football career—for a chance at a happily ever after with his favourite night owl he’s been pining after for months.
Kick Out of It is a deliciously spicy romantic comedy novella, intended for mature audiences. Just because it's a romcom, doesn't mean you should forget to check your content warnings...
Irene Bahrd skyrocketed into the indie author universe in February 2023. Kick Out of It is her 29th self-published novel. And she’s not just prolific, she’s exceptionally talented.
Irene, thanks for letting me fangirl. How’d you get into this?
IRENE: My therapist told me I needed a hobby other than reading smut… so I started writing it. And now, 27 books later, I’m still enjoying it, and am an international best seller.
JEN: Twenty-nine. But wait. Haven’t I known you as long as you’ve been writing? And isn’t that only two years? How do you do it?
IRENE: Yes, my first book came out February 2023. I write eight hours a day.
JEN: Oh, I know this. You’ve said this to me before—that I shouldn’t compare myself to you because I’m still teaching fulltime. I’m not sure that’s completely fair. You’re a mom! That’s a more-than full-time job.
What's your favorite genre to read?
IRENE: I love anything with a love story. I am a bit of a mood reader, so I read a little of everything.
JEN: Who is your favorite author?
IRENE: Too hard to choose! I adore Emily Rath, Catharina Maura, Brittanée Nicole, Melanie Harlow, and BJ Alpha… and like 400 others equally.
JEN: I know some of those, but I’ll have to add BJ Alpha to my TBR. Your favorite narrator?
IRENE: I love Amy Hall, it was a dream to work with her. Teddy Hamilton is great when you need a growly MMC, but I like James Cavanaugh for golden retrievers. I also adore books narrated by CJ Bloom, Brandon Francis, Sophie Daniels, Angelina Rocca, Paige Reisenfeld, Jack Calihan, Gary Furlong… I’m an audiobook girlie so my list of favorite narrators is probably longer than favorite authors!
JEN: Same, girl. Same. You know well that I’ve been waiting impatiently for audiobooks of all your work. I’m excited about what’s coming next for you. Your favorite cover artist?
IRENE: LoveLee Creative
JEN: You design your own covers, though, right? You’re a fan of LoveLee?
IRENE: I did all of mine but the Love At All Cost series. Madi from LoveLee Creative did those.
JEN: Oh, those are great covers! I love all your covers, though. Your biggest influence?
IRENE: TL Swan
JEN: Great answer. I love TL Swan. Biggest friendly rival?
IRENE: I don’t have one, I am just happy to have a seat at the table.
JEN: Fair. On that note, what other authors are you friends with?
IRENE: My friends Eliza Anne, JL Quick, Ari Wright, AR Rose, Kelsey Woods, and Emerie Hart are a few authors I’ve become good friends with. They cheer me on unconditionally 🥰
JEN: What does your writing routine look like?
IRENE: 6 a.m. get up and kids ready for school. 9-10 a.m. emails and social media content. 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. write. 2-9 p.m. mom life. 9-2 a.m. write.
JEN: Um. I just mathed that. That’s less than four hours of sleep because we all know that stopping at 2 a.m. isn’t the same as falling asleep at 2 a.m. I certainly hope you’re taking time off.
[NOTE FROM JEN: Irene has since assured me that she does indeed take time off to read and to take her kids to Disneyland. So, that’s excellent!]
What's your favorite music? Do you work best with music or without?
IRENE: I love listening to playlists to get me in the right mindset to write but I prefer to write in silence. I listen to everything except country… don’t cancel me!
JEN: I would never! I love country music, but I know it’s not for everyone. What's your favorite snack or beverage while working? What do you need to have within easy reach in order to create?
IRENE: Anything crunchy I can dip - chips and salsa, hummus and celery, etc. To drink, an energy drink in the morning and for night either a sparkling water with a Liquid I.V., or a gin and tonic.
JEN: I’ve never put Liquid I.V. in sparkling water before! I’ll have to try that.
What time of day do you create best?
IRENE: I write at night, and when my kids are at school, I go through it and add in details here and there before I continue the story. I’m a night owl but I’m up at 6 every day because mom life.
JEN: Yeah, if I had my way, I’d move the whole of life back at least four hours. I’m a night owl who is forced to also be an early bird. What sort of themes do you most enjoy tackling in your work?
IRENE: Having characters who have a disability or are neurodivergent. There needs to be representation, especially for mental health.
JEN: As a neurospicy, adult-diagnosed, invisible disability having human, I greatly appreciate that. I love your writing so much and this is probably part of why I’m so drawn to it.
Tell me about your parodies. I love reading them. What brought you to writing them? It feels like you just leaning way (way!) into tropes. It’s delicious.
IRENE: My romcoms don’t follow a typical romcom outline: boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy fucks it up, boy grovels, boy wins girl. So, I decided to start writing romantic parodies. I adore Monty Python and Saturday Night Live, so I poke fun at tropes.
JEN: Where do you get the ideas for your books? What inspires you?
IRENE: I usually come up with an unhinged idea, then create a title, a cover, and throw it up onto Amazon to hold me accountable to write it.
JEN: Oh, I had no idea this was your process! I’m in the middle of a book like that right now. I’m using the KDP ticking timebomb to force me to stay on schedule.
That’s awesome. I really think the thing I love most about you is how open and giving you are to the community. You’ve been such a pal to me. I’m grateful. What advice would you give to authors starting out?
IRENE: Never throw away your work. If you feel like you want to rewrite a scene, create a new version of your document. Because you never know if the original version might work for something else later. And if you delete it, it’s gone forever.
JEN: My hearts, I know you will be as obsessed with Irene Bahrd as I am. You can find her on Instagram, TikTok, and her website. And please buy Kick Out of It today, its launch day! With this and all her books, you’re guaranteed a sexy love story with great humor and the most boyfriendable MMCs.
Are you a human author? A human who narrates audiobooks? A human who designs book covers? Or a human who does PR and promotion for other authors? I’d love to interview you, too. Let me know when you’re ready!
