FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I love hearing from readers, and I try to reply as much as possible, but I do get a lot of DMs and emails these days, and there are a few questions that get asked a LOT so I thought I’d answer a few of those here. If anything changes, I will update the answers.
I saw a video of you/saw you in person and I couldn’t help but notice that, uh…
I shake a lot, yes. I have Parkinson’s Disease. I don’t mind talking about it and I love to joke about it. It’s objectively a very silly disease. Right now I’m still comfortable signing my name and maybe a personalization but I can’t write longer inscriptions in books anymore.
Are any of your characters based on real hockey players?
NO. I never directly base my characters on any real people. I’ve been a hockey fan since the eighties, long enough to be very familiar with the different general types of hockey players. Flashy, cocky players like Ilya Rozanov; stoic leaders like Scott Hunter; exhausted veteran enforcers like Ryan Price, etc. One of my inspirations for Heated Rivalry was, obviously, the extremely entertaining rivalry between Crosby and Ovechkin. But I was also inspired by other sports rivalries, by other fictional stories, and by my love of the enemies-to-lovers and forbidden romance tropes. My characters are original, and I work hard on creating them.
Are there fake rachel reid accounts on social media?
Unfortunately yes. I’ve spotted fake ones on X, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok and some of them have a lot of followers. My ONLY actualy social media handles are:
Instagram: rachelreidwrites
Bluesky: rachelreidwrites@bsky.social
TikTok: rachel.reid26
I really only use Instagram these days. If you are contacted by anyone claiming to be me and they are using any other account, it’s not me. If I DM you with an offer to “promote your work,” that is for sure not me. If you want to talk to the real me, it’s pretty easy! You can email me at rachelreidauthor@gmail.com
I see you’re listed as a happy customer for a book-related service. should i give them all my money?
No, sorry. Those are scammers. I have never paid anyone to promote my books, review my books, or help with marketing. I have never paid to have my books selected by a book club, or to be featured on a website. I have definitely never used a ghost writer. I only write one book a year at best these days, and I am with a very large publishing house who does all that stuff for me (not ghost writing. The other stuff). Lately I’ve been getting a lot of emails from authors asking about my experiences with these services and it really bums me out. Please be careful out there, authors.
are the old Game changers photo covers gone forever?
Once the remaining stock is sold out, yes. Originally the entire series was going to be released in mass market paperback format (the smaller paperback size) but it was later decided to re-release the entire series in the larger trade paperback format with new illustrated covers. All six Game Changers books have now been released in trade paperback format and are available to buy. I’m very excited about this decision, but unfortunately it means there will never be mass market paperback editions of Tough Guy, Common Goal or Role Model with the original covers.
Ok but I’ve seen pics of paperbacks of Tough Guy, Common Goal, and Role Model online…
Those were one of about forty author copies that were shipped to me for promo purposes. I used them as contest prizes, as charity auction items, and gave a few to friends.
Are the Game Changers books available in trade paperback format?
YES! They were re-released on November 26, 2024. All six books are now available with illustrated covers.
What kinds of changes did you make to the updated versions of the Game Changers books?
As each Game Changers book has been released in paperback format, I’ve taken the opportunity to clean them up a bit first. Mostly I just fixed some typos and continuity errors, as well as some factual mistakes that were completely on me (the drive time between Montreal and Ottawa, for example). I also fixed a few things that were bugging me, like some of the language I’d originally used that I felt could be more sensitive or inclusive. There were no changes to the plot or story.
Will I ever see Ilya and Shane again?????
Ilya and Shane have never left my brain, so I think writing more about them is inevitable.
Will I see Ilya and Shane…on television?
YES! Can you believe it???? Written, directed and produced by the incredible Jacob Tierney, no less! The six-episode series will be on Crave (in Canada) with the first two episodes streaming on November 28, and then one episode each Friday until December 26. You can follow the show’s official accounts, heatedrivalrycrave on Instagram or TikTok, for updates and fun content. You can also follow me because I am going to be talking about this show A LOT. It’s basically all I can think about. It’s so good.
Can I watch the show if I don’t live in canada?
Yes! Heated Rivalry has been picked up by HBOMax in USA and Australia, MoviStar+ in Spain, and Sky Television in New Zealand. Stay tuned as more homes get announced for the show all around the world! Heated Rivalry is a Canadian production made for a Canadian streaming platform (Crave), and it takes time to sell it to platforms in other countries. It’s not a matter of the producers choosing to put the show in other countries; streaming services in other countries have to buy the show. It’s being shopped by a company called Sphere Abacus. This article offers a great detailed explanation of why the show was made without securing a home outside Canada first, and also how the shopping of the show works. In short: the producers didn’t want to compromise the story to appease potential international partners, and I am grateful for it.
Will there be a follow-up to Time to Shine?
No, sorry. I loved writing Landon and Casey but that book was written as a one-shot set in its own fictional version of the NHL and is not connected to the Game Changers universe, or anything else.
I like one of your audiobook narrators more than the other one. Can you have them re-record the audio for the other books?
No. It’s just not how audiobooks work. The first three Game Changers audiobooks were produced by Tantor Audio and were narrated by Tor Thom. The rest of my audiobooks were produced by HarperCollins and mostly narrated by Cooper North. None of my audiobooks were produced by me personally. Both Tor and Cooper have lots of fans, and I’ve heard lots of positive things from readers about both of them, so it just comes down to personal preference.
Have you considered having your books translated into [insert language]?
I love it when my books are translated, but I have no control over it happening. The way it works is that a publisher that specializes in translations to a particular language contacts me/my agent and they buy the translation rights. So far language rights for my books have been sold to French, Chinese, German, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Thai, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Portuguese language publishers, and there are more in the works! Once those rights are sold, everything is completely in the hands of those publishers. Chinese translations of Game Changer and Heated Rivalry are available through DxD Press, a Czech translation of Heated Rivalry is available though Zoner Press, and German translations of Heated Rivalry and Time to Shine are available through DP.
I’ve seen people posting pics of Ottawa Centaurs T-shirts online! Where can I get one?
Those were available through my online store but I am no longer selling them. Stay tuned for the official Heated Rivalry show store, coming soon!
Do you have a newsletter?
No because I don’t have much to say, honestly. Instagram is the best way to get news from me: rachelreidwrites
Are you doing any in-person events?
Yes! You can see all of my upcoming in-person and virtual events here.