Interview with Kristen Hope Mazzola, Author of Brick Wall #30

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

My husband, known to my readers as The Yeti, was the initial spark for Harry. He’s active-duty military and nearing the end of his career, and I’ve watched the toll that years of injuries and a physically demanding job have taken on his body. That experience shaped Harry: a veteran goalie who has given so much of himself to the game and has to consider what life might look like beyond it.

But once Harry really came alive in Northbend, his story became his own. As I got to know the man beneath the goalie gear, what he needed from his love story fell into place in such a beautiful way. With Tina and her son, Theo, he finds somewhere he can be cared for, too. Watching this quiet, protective man discover how much room he has in his life—and his heart—for them was one of my favorite parts of writing Brick Wall #30.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

For Harry, I’d pick “Hold You in My Arms” by Ray LaMontagne. There’s something about the warmth and quiet intensity of that song that feels so much like him. Harry isn’t a grand-speech kind of man. He shows you how he feels by paying attention, showing up, and making room for you in his life. Underneath all that goalie gear is a man with so much tenderness to give. For Tina, I’d choose “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves. I hear so much compassion and hope in that song, and those feelings belong in Tina’s story. She’s a widow, a mother, and a woman who still has so much life ahead of her. I wanted her to have room to love her past and be excited about her future. Finding love with Harry means discovering that her heart can hold both.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My reading tastes are actually pretty different from what I write. I tend to reach for thrillers, crime fiction, memoirs, and true crime. I still read romance from time to time, usually romantasy, but it’s never been my go-to genre as a reader. When it comes to writing, though? Romance, hands down. I love falling in love with my characters over and over again—building their worlds, giving them hopes and dreams, and discovering the little things that make them who they are. Then I get to watch them fall for each other as it all unfolds. There’s something so beautiful about creating a life for these people and helping them find someone to share it with.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I just started Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea. Waiting in my TBR pile are The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart, The Midnight Train by Matt Haig, His Wife’s Daughter by K. Webster, Within the Realm of Dreams and Nightmares by K.B. McKay, and Becoming Free Indeed by Jinger Duggar Vuolo with Corey Williams. A little suspense, a little escape, and something personal—it’s a pretty good snapshot of my reading tastes.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Harry’s first dinner on Greek Street is one of my favorite scenes to write. Hockey is a huge part of this book, and readers spend plenty of time in the crease with him, but I especially loved the moments when his world began opening up beyond the rink. He walks into this wonderfully involved family, where several conversations are happening at once, everyone has an opinion, and someone is always offering more food. Watching him find his place in all of that made me so happy. He’s answering questions, listening to the boys’ plans, and holding Tina’s hand beneath the table while life carries on around them. Harry has built a very full career and a very small personal life. I loved giving him moments where he starts to discover how much more he wants. That dinner holds so much of what makes this story special to me: humor, tenderness, family, and the excitement of finding yourself wanting a future you hadn’t pictured before.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

My writing process requires noise-canceling headphones, two basset hounds, a beverage, and a very specific snack. The headphones are a must, sometimes with smooth instrumental holiday jazz playing (regardless of the time of year) and sometimes with nothing at all. My basset hounds, Flash and Stevie, are usually scrunched into the recliner with me. I also need something to mindlessly sip while I reread paragraphs, usually soda water or Diet Dr Pepper. Then there’s the book-specific snack fixation. Sometimes it’s an old favorite; sometimes it’s something new. But I’ll reach for it throughout the writing process, and once the book is finished, I usually can’t look at it for a few weeks. For Public Enemy #91, it was Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies, and I haven’t touched them since final edits. For Brick Wall #30, it was Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins. Apparently, every book comes with a love story and a snack casualty.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

“You can’t light yourself on fire to keep other people warm.” I believe that so strongly that I wrote those words into Hat Trick. Caring about people doesn’t mean you have to give away every piece of yourself. You’re allowed to have boundaries, and you’re allowed to take care of yourself, too. When it comes to writing, I always come back to Stephen King’s words: “In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.” Writing brings me so much happiness, and I hope that carries through to my readers. If someone gets to step away from a hard day, laugh, fall in love, or feel a little less alone because of something I wrote, that means so much to me. I get to spend my days creating stories that make me happy and then share that feeling with other people. That’s a pretty beautiful thing.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

“You made something beautiful out of the broken pieces,” Tina says those words to Harry about a bowl from their kintsugi date, where they repair broken pottery with gold. He notices an imperfect line he had wanted to fix. She’s glad he left it. That moment holds so much of what I hope readers take away from this book. It’s okay to feel broken. You can carry grief, have scars, or find yourself facing a future that looks nothing like the one you planned, and still have so much beauty, love, and life ahead of you. You don’t have to become the person you were before everything changed to deserve those things. I loved giving Harry and Tina a story where there’s room for everything they’ve been through and everything they still get to become. If readers close the book feeling a little more hopeful about their own next chapter, that would mean the world to me.