B.M. asked Violet Reigns:

Violet, you mention in your latest book Breathless that the story 'Well Hung' is inspired by a thread hinted at in Todd Salt's story 'Office Tie'. How closely are the two stories connected?

Violet Reigns Hello B, and thank you for the lovely review! Much too kind.

The two stories are completely separate and stand alone. I didn’t want to write anything closely connected to Todd’s story, even though he gave me his blessing to write it.

We were chatting about writing and I mentioned I was intrigued by a moment in his story where one of the girls in the office says, “You know, I actually talked my boyfriend into hanging himself for me last month.”

I told Todd I really wanted to know how she did it, as the character never explains. Todd said go ahead and write the story. When another author you respect passes the baton, it’s a privilege to develop the material.

There are a few subtle references to Office Tie which create a connection, but that’s all. I suspect anyone who has read both stories probably wouldn’t pick up that they’re connected, the references are that subtle. Plus, after writing Well Hung, I went back and read the scene in Todd’s story. Turns out the woman who says the line in Office Tie is a brunette. My character, Polly, is a blonde.

LOL

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