My day for the 

"Bring Back That Lovin' Feeling" Blog Tour

So honestly, as of this morning, I still didn’t know what I was going to write about.  For “bringing back that lovin’ feeling,” there really aren’t a lot of TV shows, movie franchises, etc. that seem to get better with time.  In fact, most of them get kind of played out and redundant, and it seems like the actors even get tired of the worn-out storylines.  (Note I am NOT speaking about GOT, which has just wrapped its best season EVER, not that it could ever be considered anything less than awesome—it’s just now even MORE awesome.) 

But never fear, there’s another way we’d decided we could “bring back that lovin’ feeling,” which is through movies, books, etc. that once DIDN’T work for us but now for some reason do.  I’m going that way today, and—don’t kill me—I’m going to say that at first, I hated the movie Elf.

Like, seriously hated it.

Don’t get me wrong—I’m a huge Will Ferrell fan, which I think was why I wasn’t all about Elf when I first saw it.  I’d watched him on SNL for years, and then he started getting more and more movie roles in more and more raunch coms (a favorite genre of mine).  I think I must have had in my head that (despite the clear PG rating) Elf was going to be another off-color ad-libbed comedy for which Will Ferrell is so famous.  Not so.  In Elf, my favorite potty-mouth is essentially an always annoyingly happy child, and the worst curse he can come up with is “son of a nutcracker.”  Boring, no?

Enter my children.  Especially at Christmastime, if you can look at something through the eyes of a child, it suddenly becomes totally different.  

My kids wanted to watch Elf because their friends had told them how funny it was.  And I was like, “I saw that ten years ago, and it’s not that funny.”  But of course we watched it, because they wanted to watch it.  And suddenly it was funny.

I mean really funny.  Like Will Ferrell, top of his game, ad-libbing hilarious—just minus the profanity (unless you count “cotton-headed ninny-muggins” as a swear word).  There’s a reason it’s a total cult hit—the humor is not always simply in the jokes themselves, but many times lies in the way the other characters respond to the utter silliness that Buddy the Elf exudes.  Plus, who doesn’t like a good Christmas movie with a great moral?  And what's now on my must-watch list every December, right up there with A Christmas Story and A Charlie Brown Christmas?  You guessed it--Elf.

Make sure to go to Deborah Nam-Krane's blog tomorrow for her post, and ICYMI, go back and read two great posts by Kerrie Olzak and Morgan Cain!

LINKS by Lisa Becker 

is now available on Amazon and Kobo!

Watch the Book Trailer

Links Book Blurb

In high school, Charlotte Windham was a typical student going through an awkward phase -- glasses and all. She harbored a crush on Garrett Stephens, the teen heartthrob everyone can’t help but fall for during that unfortunate ugly duckling phase of one’s teen years. Flash forward fifteen years later, and Charlotte and Garrett have a second chance encounter at a Los Angeles restaurant. However, this time around, Charlotte has leveled the playing field. She’s a bestselling novelist and no longer “Glasses,” the humiliating nickname Garrett called her in high school. In short, she’s a catch now and, thanks to corrective eye surgery, it’s not just her eyes that see better…so does her heart! Garrett hasn’t fared poorly either, transforming from teen heartbreaker to adult lothario. A now successful professional golfer, he’s recently suffered a major setback in the form of a possible career-ending injury. With the upper hand, can Charlotte forgive Garrett for his past ways, and for his more recent Don Juan lifestyle? Will she even want to? And, can Garrett change his ways for a second chance with Charlotte, who may just be the perfect fit for him?

Links Excerpt

I stand but hesitate when I see Tamika's disapproving look. Fi notices as well. "It's okay, T. I got this," she says, motioning for me to follow her back. When we get to her small office, she closes the door and gestures for me to sit on a red vinyl chair, circa 1972. She stands in front of me, leaning against the desk, and crosses her arms in front of her chest. "Spill!"

"Where should I start?"

"At the beginning." She walks around to her chair behind the desk and pulls out a yellow legal pad.

For the next half hour, I go over my encounter with Garrett, from the moment we bumped into each other and he didn't recognize me, to the embarrassment of being called 'Glasses.'

Fi takes notes furiously on her pad and grins, nods, and cringes at all the appropriate times. When I finish, she puts her pen down and asks, "Do you want the 'best friend experience' or the 'brilliant legal mind experience'?"

I can't help but laugh. "Are they mutually exclusive?"

"They are," she says nodding.

"Okay. I want the best friend experience."

She rushes around from behind the desk, wraps her arms around me soothingly. "I'm so sorry, hon. That sounds just awful. Let's go get margaritas tomorrow and drown our sorrows in tequila and lime wedges."

"Thanks, Fi. You're the best."

"Anytime," she says, rubbing my back. She pulls away and walks around to the back of her desk. She sits down and puts the legal pad to the side. I can't help but notice the writing scrawled across it.

"Just for kicks, what would you have said if I had asked for the 'brilliant legal mind experience'?"

"You sure you want to know?" Her lips pull into a grim line. Honestly, I'm not sure I do want to know, but curiosity gets the better of me.

"Lay it on me," I say.

"You need to get laid. Not the kind of bland, missionary style sex you had with Alex. You need hot heat, sweating up the sheets, crazy animal sex."

I bust out laughing. "That's your brilliant legal advice. Crazy animal sex?"

"Yes. That's my brilliant legal advice," she says with complete seriousness. "Listen, hon, it's been a year since that insecure jerk Keane dumped you. I have no doubt it's been even longer since you've, well, you know." She wags her eyebrows up and down. "Before that, you only seriously dated Travis the cheater and Alex who, let's face it, despite being completely gonzo for you, was a cold fish and a bore. It's time to stop comparing every man to this fantasy of Garrett Stephens and just do it with him to get it out of your system. He asked you out for Saturday night. Go! Enjoy!"

"I don't compare every man to Garrett," I snap at her.

"Don't you?" she asks, looking down at me sternly.                

"I'm offended you even suggested that." She looks at me, her sharp eyes boring into me, like she can read my every thought and knows I'm full of it. I imagine this is how she bears down on witnesses on the stand. I don't like being on the receiving end of that look.

"Even if that's true," I start and she nods her head, "and I'm not conceding it is." I point my finger at her. "Even if he did mean to ask me out, there's no way it's a good idea. He's a total player. It would only be one night of fun and I don't think I could get over that kind of hurt."

"Then you need to get over it now. Sorry for the tough love, hon, but you need to move past the fantasy of this man and find someone passionate and amazing who is deserving to love you for all of the great things you have to offer including your messed-up childhood and your incredible success today."

About Lisa Becker

Lisa Becker is a romance writer whose previous novels include Click: An Online Love Story, Double Click and Right Click. The books, about a young woman's search for love online in Los Angeles, have been called, “a fast read that will keep you entertained,” “a fun, quick read for fans of Sex and the City,” and “hard to put down.” The first in the series was optioned for a major motion picture.

Lisa’s writings about online dating have been featured in Cupid’s Pulse, GalTime.com, Single Edition, The Perfect Soulmate, Chick Lit Central and numerous other book blogs and websites.

As Lisa's grandmother used to say, "For every chair, there's a rush." Lisa is now happily married to a man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone!

Social Media Links

Website: www.lisabecker.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ClickAnOnlineLoveStory

Twitter: @lisawbecker

Instagram: lisawbecker

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/1486731.Lisa_Becker

YouTube: https://youtu.be/BSwM4S3l9Pc

Get the latest release from USA Today bestselling author Susan M Boyer today!

Private Investigators Liz Talbot and Nate Andrews have worked their share of domestic cases. So when Tammy Sue Lyerly hires them to find out what her husband is hiding, they expect to find something looney but harmless. After all, this is the guy who claims to have been a DEA agent, a champion bull rider, and a NASCAR driver. But when he turns up dead the morning after Liz and Nate deliver incriminating photos, Tammy Sue becomes the prime suspect.

Questioning the truth of Zeke Lyerly’s tall-tales, Liz and Nate race to uncover small town scandals, long buried secrets, and the victim’s tumultuous past to keep Tammy Sue out of jail and the case from going up in flames.

My latest release in the Java Jive series, 

BREW OR DIE, is on sale today!

Get it here:  RH   Amazon  B&N  Kobo  iBooks  BAM!

In honor of release day, I'm doing a HUGE giveaway with a $25 Amazon gift card, 5 ebook copies of BREW OR DIE, 2 copies of the DEATH BEFORE DECAF audiobook, 2 copies of the MUG SHOT audiobook, and 20 MP3 downloads of the song "What If I Fall" from BREW OR DIE.

Scroll down to enter!

Isn't the cover gorgeous?  

The art was again made especailly for the book 

by the amazingly talented artist Niloufer Wadia!  

Check out her other gorgeous work here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blurb - Any Way You Build It

When single-mother Sarah pulls up in front of the house her aunt left her she has three goals; help her kids be happy and healthy, find a job and stay away from men. The last year has been a hellish roller-coaster and now she needs to create a stable life where everyone, including her, has their two-feet firmly planted on the ground. What she didn’t count on was a sexy neighbour who made keeping her focus and her balance way too hard.

Todd has two rules, never date locals and even more importantly never date women with kids. Growing up with his own mother and a revolving door of ineffectual step-fathers Todd has vowed never to put anyone in that position. He’s perfectly happy living his life with his Peter-pan syndrome undisturbed – until Sarah and her two adorable children move in across the street and turn everything upside down.

Todd isn’t the kind of guy who can stand back when someone needs help and Sarah clearly needs a lot. When Sarah gets injured Todd has no choice to step in and be a good neighbour who lends a hand, because he’s definitely not helping her because he likes her, after all that would be crazy.

Opportunity, proximity and attraction mean two neighbors determined to remain single have quite a struggle on their hands.

If you like tree houses, indoor camp outs and shameless flirting you’ll love Any Way You Build It.

Any Way You Plan It is Book 6 in The Upper Crust Series

Book 1 – Any Way You Slice It

Book 2 – Any Way You Dream It

Book 3 – Any Way You Fight It.

Book 4 – Any Way You Plan It

Book 5 – Any Way You Want It

About the author – Monique McDonell

I am an Australian author who writes contemporary women's fiction including chick lit and romance.

I have written all my life especially as a child when I loved to write short stories and poetry. At University I studied Creative Writing as part of my Communication degree. Afterwards when I was busy working in public relations I didn't write for pleasure for quite a few years although I wrote many media releases, brochures and newsletters. (And I still do in my day-job!)

When I began to write again I noticed a trend - writing dark unhappy stories made me unhappy. So I made a decision to write a novel with a happy ending and I have been writing happy stories ever since.

I am the author of six stand alone novels  and novellas including Mr. Right and Other Mongrels and Hearts Afire and the Upper Crust Series. Many of my novels focus on an Australian characters meeting and visiting US characters.

I live on Sydney's Northern Beaches with my husband and daughter where I enjoy drinking copious amounts of coffee and long walks on the beach.

To learn more about my books, my writing, my caffeine obsession and my upcoming books please visit  www.moniquemcdonell.com.au.

Links:

Amazon Book Link

Amazon author page

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Blog

Goodreads

PLAYING HOUSE, Laura Chapman's new rom-com, is out today!  If you're an HGTV fan, you'll love this story.

Get it today!

Today we've got an interview with Laura, and excerpt, AND a giveaway!

INTERVIEW

Caroline Fardig: HGTV couple drama is so huge and in the news right now.  Were you inspired by current events or did you happen to predict the fall of some of the HGTV supercouples?

Laura Chapman: This was definitely a case of life imitating art—to a degree. I came up with the idea for this story after spending a weekend binge-watching various HGTV shows after a bit of a hiatus. Somewhere around hour ten, I turned to my colleague (we were killing time between sessions at an academic conference) and said, “What if all of this is fake?” That was back in Fall 2015 and I finished the first draft last spring. I went through quite a few rounds of edits on this one. I’ll admit that when news broke about a certain couple’s massive break-up, I had a moment when I wished the story was ready to publish. Then I felt like a jerk, because there are kids involved.

Caroline Fardig: I loved Bailey and the gang.  I know you intended this as a standalone, but will we ever see these characters again?  Like maybe Waverly having her own story?

Laura Chapman: I’d never say never—and I do kind of, sort of have the inkling of an idea for a spin-off with Waverly—but at present there are no concrete plans for a follow-up. I could also see a story with Renee, the producer, but I have too many other stories on deck to be written for now.

Caroline Fardig: Are you interested in interior design at all—did you have to research a lot or were you simply describing your dream homes?

Laura Chapman: I definitely have an interest in interior design. After as much home improvement TV as I’ve watched in my lifetime, I—like many others like me—am under the impression that I am secretly a talented interior designer. I’ve devoted many, many hours to watching home décor shows, reading blogs, and so on. And that was before I decided to write the book. I’m still developing my own sense of style in my home. It’s a slow process, but I’ve started to acquire more and more pieces I love, and it’s coming together. I’m particularly proud of my office and bedroom. Here are a couple of photos.

Caroline Fardig: This book got a little steamy!  (But in a good way—I thought it was artfully done.)  Were you nervous about going the full monty, so to speak?

Laura Chapman: Yep. Totally. I’ve been reading romance novels since I was twelve, and I’ve always been fine with that. But writing it and knowing that one day my mom—and maybe even my dad—might read it made me question myself. My little sister has made me promise to tell her what pages get a little sexy, because she would rather skip those than imagine me coming up with them, I guess. Bless her, but I get it. That said, those scenes were kind of fun to write—but definitely strange to edit. Particularly with word choice. There are some words I have a hard time using, and they’re not included in this. Like 30 Rock’s Liz Lemon, the word “lovers” “bums me out unless it’s between the words meat and pizza.” Also, certain words for body parts and such.

Caroline Fardig: There were several black moments where I remember forlornly thinking to myself, “This situation is unfixable.”  Yet (without giving anything away) you were able to bring it all to an extremely satisfying close.  Did you know how your characters were going to end up before you started writing, or did you let them guide you as the book progressed?

Laura Chapman: I work from an outline, so I usually know the destination before we get in the car, so to speak. That said, the stories do always take some twists and turns along the way—though nothing major that changed the ending. Going with the road trip analogy, I like to think of those elements as unexpected roadside attractions we’re stopping by on our way to the big show. I wasn’t completely certain how the final scene, the climax would play out until I wrote that scene. And as a fun fact, the epilogue that appears in this story originally started as a scene to play out in the second half of the book. I cut it—and another scene I loved—because I needed to speed up the pacing. Fortunately, I was able to salvage that and give it a new purpose.

I’m so glad you enjoyed this book. Thank you for reading it and for having me on the blog.

About the Book

She's a work in progress . . .

Bailey Meredith has had it. As an assistant at a prestigious interior design firm, she’s tired of making coffee and filing invoices. She’ll do just about anything to get out from under the paperwork and into the field for real experience. Then she sees an ad for a job that seems too good to be true.

He's a fixer upper . . .

Wilder Aldrich knew she would be perfect for the crew the moment he saw her. His hit home improvement show only hired the best, and Bailey had potential written all over her. It isn’t just her imaginative creativity and unmatched work ethic that grabs his attention. There’s just something about her.

With chemistry on screen, it’s only a matter of time before sparks fly behind the scenes as well. But with Bailey’s jaded views on romance and a big secret that could destroy Wilder and everyone he cares about are either of them willing to risk it all for love?

Now Available! Find it on:

Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Excerpt from Playing House

Keeping a close distance, she followed Waverly up the cracked path to the house. Bailey took quick mental notes of her surroundings. The exterior needed a lot of work. The sagging roof missing gutters made her think they’d find the inside in similar disarray. They stepped through the front door, nearly tripping over Wilder Aldrich, who was measuring the entryway.

“Hey!” He sprang to his feet and out of their way. “What did I tell you about waiting until I gave you the all clear?”

“You were taking for-frickin’-ever, and some of us were freezing our tits off.” She pursed her lips and took on a warrior stance, seemingly daring him to say something else.

Conceding victory to her, Wilder turned and flashed an apologetic grin at Bailey. “Hey.” He offered a hand. Warmth permeated through the thin material of her glove. “Welcome to Casa de Waverly.”

Giving him a smug grin, Waverly sipped her coffee and faced Bailey. “Do you have a smart phone?”

Bailey stared blankly for a second, still dazzled by seeing Wilder up close. But she quickly snapped to attention and dug her phone out of her coat pocket.

“Good,” Waverly said after inspecting it. “While you’re on the job, I’d like you to snap some photos for our social media accounts. I’ll want to vet everything before we post it, but we need to start building the buzz for the next season while we’re filming. In exchange, we’ll cover your phone payments to take care of your data usage. Understood?”

“I can do that.”

“Good. Now . . .” She pulled out her own phone. It was the latest model that had come out on the market a month ago. With all of its reported bells and whistles, it put Bailey’s poor phone to shame. “I’m going to make a quick call. I’ll be back in a few minutes, and we can get started on,” she gestured around her, “this mess.”

She spun on her heel and waltzed out of the room, cooing into the phone.

Wilder cleared his throat, and Bailey turned to give him her full attention. She estimated he was only a couple of years older than herself—maybe in his late twenties or early thirties. He looked younger in real life than he did on TV. He was leaner and a little shorter—though she still had to crane her neck a little to meet his gaze.

He was also more handsome. Not the GQ model, your tongue-sticks-to-the-top-of-your-mouth kind of sexy. But he was hot in the same way the guy you sat next to in Chemistry was. It was enough to distract you from formulas and Bunsen burners every so often, but not enough that you’d ever set the lab on fire or forget to finish your final exam.

So far, he seemed much more serious. Where was the guy who scared Waverly with a stuffed dummy in a closet in the last episode she’d watched before calling an end to the marathon?

He was, she realized, studying her every bit as closely, with those hazel eyes speckled with green. Noting that, she didn’t feel quite as rude taking mental notes on the man in front of him.

At least she looked good. She’d laid out three outfits that morning in the hotel room. The first was a long, silky turquoise tunic that she’d paired with a pair of black leggings and knee-high boots. It was similar to the clothes Waverly favored on screen—only hers weren’t name-brand knockoffs. Then she had the casual jeans, a gray T-shirt that she could dress-up with a navy blue blazer. And there was option three: dark-wash, fit jeans, a chambray shirt, and a scarf. It was an ensemble that fell somewhere in the middle. It was the one that looked the most like her when she inspected herself in the mirror.

It was the one that felt most like her now in the middle of the foyer.

She wondered what he saw when he looked at her. Did he see a confident young woman ready to tackle major projects adeptly? Or did he see someone who was desperate to create, no matter what happened? Both were correct, but which one shone through right now?

Like a light switch, that triggered something in her. She offered her hand again. “We haven’t officially met. I’m Bailey Meredith.”

About the Author

Laura Chapman is the author of First & Goal, Going for Two, Three & Out, The Marrying Type, and Playing House. A native Nebraskan, she loves football, Netflix marathons, and her cats, Jane and Bingley. She loves talking to readers. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also get the latest news from her website, blog, and monthly newsletter.

***Giveaway***

This month, during the Playing House blog tour, you can enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win one of 1 free Audible copy each of The Marrying Type, First & Goal,  Going for Two or 1 $20 Amazon gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LAURA'S LINKS

Facebook: www.facebook.com/laurachapmanbooks

Twitter: www.twitter.com/lchapmanwrites

Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurachapmanwrites

Website: www.laurachapmanbooks.com

Blog: www.change-the-word.com

Newsletter: https://eepurl.com/bddSyb

To wrap up the “I’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” blog hop, I’m taking losing that lovin’ feeling a step further.  We’re going to explore co-stars who’ve lost that lovin’ feeling and by doing so, made us as viewers lose it, too.  

It’s double the drama, folks!

There are a lot of famous rivalries between co-stars, even dating back to the days of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.  But I’m going to focus more on the ones that ruined shows for me (or in rare cases made them better).

Battleground:  Castle

The Contenders:  Nathan Fillion vs. Stana Katic

The Winner:  No one, because the show ultimately got cancelled.  (Although Stana got fired before the final axe came down on the show, so technically Nathan won this one.  It is his character’s name in the title, after all.)

Ah, Castle and Beckett.  Caskett.  (Quite a fitting mash-up for a murder mystery show, no?)  Their witty banter and sexual tension in the first three seasons was some of the best on TV.  Then something weird began to happen.  Maybe it was the writing; maybe it was the behind-the-scenes stuff.  I don’t know.  But either way, I would rename nearly every episode in Season 4 “The One Where Castle’s Balls Are in Beckett’s Purse.”  It’s evident that he’s falling for her (onscreen—and maybe off screen?) but she’s not having it (maybe on and off screen). 

Anyway, in Season 5, when Beckett reluctantly decides Castle’s not so bad and they get together, it’s way forced.  At least at this point the powers-that-be decided poor Castle could go retrieve his balls, so there’s that.  Generally, the fire between them that was so characteristic at the start is all but extinguished by now.  (Word was, they couldn’t stand each other off screen.)  However, once someone (besides me) figured out it wasn’t working, there were a lot less Castle/Beckett scenes and a lot more Castle/Espo/Ryan scenes, which—let’s face it—were always the best, anyway.

Complaining aside, something absolutely magical happened at the beginning of the the final season.  I don’t know if it was the writing or what, but the episodes were back to Season1-3 awesome.  So awesome, in fact, Castle is going to be included in my post on the next blog hop, “Bring Back That Lovin’ Feeling,” where we’ll discuss how we fell back in love with a show that previously wasn’t getting it done for us.  But you’ll have to wait a couple of months for that one.

Battleground:  Victorious

The Contenders:  Victoria Justice vs. Ariana Grande

The Winner:  Ariana, who got her own spin-off, Sam & Cat.  Oh, and her singing career kind of went nuts, too.

Yes, I watch Nickelodeon’s teen programming.  Sometimes even without my kids.  Don’t judge—you do it, too. 

Victorious was one of the best of the best.  They had a super-talented group of leads who were as good (if not better) at singing as acting, and they all had comedic timing in spades.  What went wrong?  Well, if you believe the gossip sites, some people wanted more money/their own tour/etc. 

Bottom line, Nick execs and the talent couldn’t come to an agreement, so the children of America (and their parents) suffered as a result.  Then of course, there was the requisite Twitter war between Victoria and Ariana.  Then there was the deleting of posts and denial that the ambiguous passive-aggressive accusations were directed at each other.   Whatever.  Victorious just ended with no wrap-up. 

So we had to move on to the Victorious/iCarly spin-off Sam & Cat, which is a good show, but it’s no Victorious (or iCarly).  Oh, and it got cancelled after only 2 seasons because of some dirty pics of “Sam.”  Classy.

Battleground:  Charmed

The Contenders:  Shannen Doherty vs. Alyssa Milano (and the show execs)

The Winner:  Alyssa, Rose McGowan, and the rest of us.

After Shannen Doherty couldn’t get along with her female castmates on the set of 90210, what did anyone think would happen when she was cast on a new show full of women?  Well, she exited Charmed also, only making it through three seasons this time.  There are lots of articles out there that state Alyssa gave the execs the old “either she goes or I go,” but there are just as many that say Shannen had always butted heads with the show execs, and that was the reason for her character being killed off.  So, who knows?  Either way, when Rose McGowan came on the show as Shannen’s replacement of sorts, the focus changed up a bit.  The show got more campy and less serious, more about romance and less about kicking demon ass.  Which for me was fine—I thought the first three seasons were sometimes a little dry, anyway.  Some viewers lost that lovin’ feeling, but I wasn’t one of them.

So there you have it—the big wrap up of the “I’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” blog hop!  Thanks to Lanea, Kerrie, and Jami for participating, and especially to Deb for the cool idea!  Join us in a couple of months for the “Bring Back that Lovin’ Feeling” blog hop.

Isabella Louise Anderson is on my blog today with a guest post, info about her new release, and a giveaway!

 

 

Three Fun Facts about “Cards From Khloe’s Flower Shop”

 

Fun Fact #1: There were three drafts of this book, though what some many don’t know is that a man played a leading role, along with Khloe, Gabby, and Connie. Richard was a businessman, who was married to his high school sweetheart, and while his wife thought they were happily married, Richard was cheating on her with a much younger woman (a waitress he met at a restaurant while having a business lunch). Without any words, he and the woman started their affair, where Richard was pleasured in ways he hadn’t been in years. Soon, the woman fell in love with him, and Richard promised to tell his wife he wanted a divorce, but he just couldn’t do it—his wife did it for him. In front of hundreds of people, who came to the opening of her art gallery, she courageously divulged to a roomful of people—including her husband—that she knew about his infidelity, and that night, when she came home, she kicked him out. In the end, Richard and his wife took the time to get to know one another again, and he vowed to change and even proposed to her again.

 

While Richard and his infidelity was fun to write, along with the sizzling sex scenes, I’m grateful to my beta readers for encouraging me to delete Richard’s character from the book, and for this reason, I think it emphasizes three strong female characters that I hope my women readers will relate to.

 

Fun Fact #2: I have a favorite local flower shop that I love to go to. Each time I go into it, I’m in awe of the place, (as of recently, it has expanded, and it was everything I’d imagined Khloe’s Flower Shop would be). The flower shop premise came to me because I’ve always loved sending and receiving flowers. That being said, I’ve also wanted own a flower shop, and wrote the vision of how I’d want it to look like, how I’d run my business, and, of course, to read the messages written on the cards, (each one would tell a story, I’m sure).

 

Fun Fact #3: Not only did Khloe Kardashian inspire the main character, she inspired the name for the title of the book. Now, before you get on my case for the silly “reality” show—a guilty pleasure of mine—I wrote this book in seventeen days, during NaNoWriMo, which I’m proud of. I had no idea about what this book would be about, names, characters, or anything like that, but thanks to my seeing Khloe and Lamar on the cover of my USWeekly magazine, I instantly had a direction and started writing.

 

**I hope you enjoy this book as much as I loved writing it!

 

About the Book

 

As the owner of a successful florist shop, Khloe Harper trusts her instincts. She has a strong bond with her family and friends, but after being betrayed by her last love, she's kept herself at arms’ length from romance. When dashing entertainment attorney Derek Thomas walks into her store, Khloe’s interest is piqued. What at first seems like a business relationship quickly turns into romance, and Derek slowly plucks away the petals she’s been hiding behind. Just as Khloe lets down her guard, she discovers that Derek may not be worthy of her love after all.

Frumpy Connie Albright has a faux fascination with an imaginary man named Walt, thinking that by sending herself flowers from him she’ll feel less out-of-place with the “mean girls” she works with. When she comes face to face with her possible prince charming and thinking she might have a happy ending, when a truth is revealed, she wonders if she’ll ever have a Cinderella story.

A recently widowed senior, Gabby Lewis, isn't ready to give up on love—which means releasing herself from survivor's guilt and taking a chance on finding happiness and companionship again. After signing up for an online dating site for senior citizens, much to her surprise, she’s matched with Harry, an energetic and loving man, who quickly eases himself into her heart. Will Gabby take the leap of falling in love again, knowing it’s possible to have two loves of her life?

As each woman’s story develops through flowers and cards sent from Khloe's shop during the Fall months, they begin to learn that love can only truly blossom when you trust your heart.

 

 

Tour Schedule

 

February 20 – Chick Lit Plus – Review

February 21 – Caroline Fardig – Guest Post

February 22 – Novel Escapes – Q&

February 23 – Books Dreams Life – Q&A

February 28 – Granny Loves to Read – Review

February 28 – Book Lover in Florida – Review & Guest Post

March 3 – Spunky N Sassy – Guest Post

March 6 – Jersey Girl Book Reviews – Review & Guest Post

March 6 – Rainy Day Reviews – Review & Guest Post

 

Author Links

Website/CLG: https://chicklitgoddess.com
Website: https://www.isabellalouiseanderson.com
Facebook/ILA: https://www.facebook.com/Isabella-Louise-Anderson-Author-253277964716883/

Facebook/CLG: https://www.facebook.com/chicklitgoddess/?fref=ts

Twitter/ILA: https://twitter.com/ILA121209
Twitter/CLG: https://twitter.com/ChickLitGoddess

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/chicklitgoddess/
Snapchat username: mrsanderson1981 

Book Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Isabella-Louise-Anderson/e/B00IWCNQFO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/isabella+louise+anderson?_requestid=117584
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

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