The winner of an e-ARC of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU by Jessica Scott is
Lisa
Congratulations, Lisa! Please send your email address to
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
Showing posts with label Until There Was You. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Until There Was You. Show all posts
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Today's Special - - Jessica Scott
It's my pleasure to welcome Jessica Scott to the Romance Dish today. I was first introduced to Jessica a few years back at various romance internet sites where we both posted - at the time, she was on active duty in Iraq - and I've followed her writing, and military, journey since then. She's a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats, three dogs and two escape artist hamsters, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She has commanded two companies, served in Germany, Korea, Fort Hood and Iraq. She says she's a terrible cook and an even worse housekeeper but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon. Her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house. Her debut novel, Because of You was released last November and October brings another new book, Until There Was You. You can find Jessica on the internet at her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. Sign up for her newsletter here.
Welcome, Jessica! Congratulations on the upcoming release of
UNTIL THERE WAS YOU. Please tell our
readers what they can expect from this book.
Evan & Claire are
an opposites attract storyline. They battle so often and so much when they
actually start getting along, neither of them can believe it. Here’s the
official blurb:
From the back
cover:
He plays by the rules, she’s not afraid to break
them. Now these two strong-willed army captains will prove that opposites
attract . . .
A by-the-book captain with a West Point
background, Captain Evan Loehr refuses to mix business with pleasure—except for
an unguarded instance years ago when he succumbed to the deep sensuality of
redheaded beauty Claire Montoya. From that moment on, though, Evan has been at
odds with her, through two deployments to Iraq and back again. But when he is
asked to train a team prepping for combat alongside Claire, battle-worn Evan is
in for the fight of his life.
Strong, gutsy, and loyal, Captain Claire Montoya
has worked hard to earn the rank on her chest. In Evan, Claire sees a rigid
officer who puts the rules before everything else—including his people. When
the mission forces them together, Claire soon discovers that there is more to
Evan than meets the eye.
He’s more than the rank on his chest; he’s a man
with dark secrets and deep longings. For all their differences, Evan and Claire
share two crucial passions: their country and each other.
Thanks so much for
having me here today! I’d say the military experience makes it harder b/c I
speak the lingo and understand so much more intuitively than non military
readers. I don’t say or think improvised explosive device, I say/think IED. I
don’t say physical training uniform, I say PTs and everyone around me gets
that. So forcing myself to translate makes things a lot tougher, you know?
That’s usually something I save for the round of revisions.
That has to be difficult when using acronyms is the norm. My late husband was career military (though we didn't meet until after his retirement) and I was forever asking him to translate the lingo.
Many scenes from books
and movies end up on the “cutting room” floor.
What’s the one scene you would never cut from UNTIL THERE WAS YOU?
Oh wow. In my last
book there were a couple of scenes that made it through every single draft. On
this one, I can’t think of a single scene that survived since the first draft.
I think the one scene that could not change, though, would be the one where
Claire first learns Evan’s secret. It’s probably my most favorite scene.
Most military-set
romances are romantic suspense yet your books are straight romance. Was this a conscious decision you made before
you started writing or did the characters dictate their story to you?
Well, first off, I
suck at writing suspense. Love reading, can’t write it worth a damn. But that
not withstanding, I did make a conscious choice to write these books as
contemporary romances. I wanted to showcase real things soldiers were facing
and have more emotional connection to them, if that makes sense.
That makes perfect sense! I know a lot of readers who enjoy romances in a military setting but don't want the suspense.
It’s a stand alone
novel. Originally, it was connected and the last book of the trilogy but my
editors worked with me to change things up to make the storyline more powerful.
There’s actually no overlap between UNTIL THERE WAS YOU and BECAUSE OF YOU.
You’re a wife, mom, active
duty Army officer and author. That’s a
lot of balls to keep in the air! How do
you balance all of your roles?
I don’t. Some days, being a mom wins. Some days, being a soldier wins. Other days, being a writer takes precedence. Anyone who tells you they’ve got everything covered, well, that person isn’t me. I drop things all the time. My housework for instance. There is a mountain of laundry in my hallway that I should be deeply ashamed of. Instead, I’m writingJ and happier for it, I should add.
I imagine the
above-mentioned roles also bring a great deal of stress into your life. What’s your favorite way to relax and “get
away from it all?”
Every so often, when
things get really out of control, I go get a massage. It’s therapeutic in a lot
of ways.
I'm a firm believer in the therapeutic benefits of massage.
We never tire of
hearing how a new author receives “the call.”
The story of your first sale is unusual and fascinating. Will you share it with us?
Last year, right after
the Navy SEALS got Bin Laden, the romance world went nuts for military romance.
Sue Grimshaw had just been hired on at Ballatine Bantam Dell and I saw a blog
where she said she was looking for a military romance that was not romantic suspense.
I sent her a note on twitter because her old email address had bounced and
well, the rest as they say is history. Seriously, DO NOT do this unless
editors/agents say they’ll accept pitches that way.
What’s next?
Next up is finishing
up BACK TO YOU which will tie into BECAUSE OF YOU. That will be the last book
in this leg of the Coming Home series. After that, we shall see where the muse
takes me!
Thank you for visiting with us today, Jessica. It's been a pleasure! Do you have a question for our readers?
Tell me how you decide to try a new author?
I’m giving away a digital eARC of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU to someone today!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m giving away a digital eARC of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU to someone today!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here’s the official excerpt! UNTIL THERE WAS YOU by Jessica Scott, Excerpt You can preorder UNTIL THERE WAS YOU at these ebookstores or wherever ebooks are sold! B & N | Amazon | Powell's| iBookstore
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Guest Review - - Until There Was You
Until There Was You
By Kristan Higgins
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Cordelia “Posey” Osterhagen fell in love with bad boy Liam Murphy when she was fifteen and he was the bad boy with a motorcycle and guitar who was playing the lead in the fantasies of every girl in school. But Liam fell for Emma Tate, a blonde beauty from a wealthy family, and after high school followed her to California where they married.
Fifteen years later Liam has returned to Bellsford, New Hampshire. He still wears jeans and a leather jacket, still rides a motorcycle, and still raises Posey’s temperature with a single bad-boy-radiating look. Despite appearances, however, Liam has changed. He is now a widower with a teenage daughter who has her mother’s niceness and her beauty. His daughter is the most important thing in Liam’s world, and he’s not dealing well with her growing up and dating. In fact, the first time he asks Posey out, his purpose is to spy on his daughter and her date.
Posey’s life is complicated by her competitive cousin Gretchen, a celebrity chef who has moved to Bellsford and plans to renovate and reinvent Guten Tag, the old-fashioned German restaurant owned by Posey’s parents and by Posey’s reawakened interest in the birth mother who gave her away. Then there are Posey’s feelings for Liam. A word from him has a near orgasmic effect on Posey, but half the women in town, including Cousin Gretchen, are pursuing him. Posey is convinced she doesn’t have a chance.
But Liam is discovering Posey is all woman, despite the way she dresses. He finds himself thinking about her too much. If Liam can only accept that being a good father doesn’t mean giving up a life of his own, he and Posey may find their way to an HEA.
I’m a Kristan Higgins fan. Her books always make me laugh and leave me feeling that I’ve met characters I’d love to spend more time with. Until There Was You proved no exception. I smiled, I giggled, I chortled, and I guffawed. Liam’s interactions with his daughter’s boyfriend are terrific, exactly the kind of response one might expect from a former bad boy turned doting father. The elevator scene where Posey thinks Liam is having a heart attack (Actually he’s having a panic attack) is broad comedy at its best.
Once I, a woman who gains ten pounds from smelling a doughnut, forgave Posey for having a metabolism so fast that she has to eat candy bars and ice cream daily, I loved the character. She’s bright and funny and self-deprecating. I also found her job fascinating. She owns a salvage yard, Irreplaceable Artifacts, and builds architectural models of buildings that are being torn down. The only jarring note was her repeated exclamations of “Beiber” and “Holy Elvis Pressley” in lieu of swearing. I found it hard to believe a thirty-three year-old woman who expressed her sexual fantasies so freely would restrict her expletives in such a fashion—even when they are only in her head.
Liam is definitely a swoonworthy hero. To borrow a line from a country song, he’s “a real bad boy” who became “a real good man” with a high S.Q. (Sexiness Quotient) and a tender heart. Some of the best scenes are those between Liam and his daughter that show their love for each other and conflict that is part of a teen’s struggle for independence and a parent’s protective instincts. Since Higgins uses the hero’s point of view (I think for the first time), I felt as if I knew Liam in ways that I have not known her other heroes.
Posey does have a dog, Shilo, a Great Dane, but Shilo plays a lesser role than do the dogs in earlier books. Cat lovers will be pleased that felines (five) get their share of attention. Higgins gives Posey a quirky but loving family. I particularly liked her relationship with her super-intelligent surgeon brother Henry and his partner Jon, a high school home economics teacher.
I really wanted to give this book a five-star rating because there are so many things I love about it, but it has one flaw I could not get past. There are too many secondary characters. I’m a reader who prefers contexts and loves ensemble books, and one of my pet peeves is a hero or heroine who exists in a vacuum with no family or friends. But just a quick recounting allows me to list more than twenty-five characters, a number of whom serve no discernible purpose. I would have been happy to see Posey’s friend Kate and her son, whose relationship hit my ick button, omitted. Until There Was You has many of Higgins’s trademark strengths, and her fans will likely forgive the flaws. I recommend it with the caveat that readers may find themselves lost in the mix of characters at times.
~Janga
By Kristan Higgins
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Fifteen years later Liam has returned to Bellsford, New Hampshire. He still wears jeans and a leather jacket, still rides a motorcycle, and still raises Posey’s temperature with a single bad-boy-radiating look. Despite appearances, however, Liam has changed. He is now a widower with a teenage daughter who has her mother’s niceness and her beauty. His daughter is the most important thing in Liam’s world, and he’s not dealing well with her growing up and dating. In fact, the first time he asks Posey out, his purpose is to spy on his daughter and her date.
Posey’s life is complicated by her competitive cousin Gretchen, a celebrity chef who has moved to Bellsford and plans to renovate and reinvent Guten Tag, the old-fashioned German restaurant owned by Posey’s parents and by Posey’s reawakened interest in the birth mother who gave her away. Then there are Posey’s feelings for Liam. A word from him has a near orgasmic effect on Posey, but half the women in town, including Cousin Gretchen, are pursuing him. Posey is convinced she doesn’t have a chance.
But Liam is discovering Posey is all woman, despite the way she dresses. He finds himself thinking about her too much. If Liam can only accept that being a good father doesn’t mean giving up a life of his own, he and Posey may find their way to an HEA.
I’m a Kristan Higgins fan. Her books always make me laugh and leave me feeling that I’ve met characters I’d love to spend more time with. Until There Was You proved no exception. I smiled, I giggled, I chortled, and I guffawed. Liam’s interactions with his daughter’s boyfriend are terrific, exactly the kind of response one might expect from a former bad boy turned doting father. The elevator scene where Posey thinks Liam is having a heart attack (Actually he’s having a panic attack) is broad comedy at its best.
Once I, a woman who gains ten pounds from smelling a doughnut, forgave Posey for having a metabolism so fast that she has to eat candy bars and ice cream daily, I loved the character. She’s bright and funny and self-deprecating. I also found her job fascinating. She owns a salvage yard, Irreplaceable Artifacts, and builds architectural models of buildings that are being torn down. The only jarring note was her repeated exclamations of “Beiber” and “Holy Elvis Pressley” in lieu of swearing. I found it hard to believe a thirty-three year-old woman who expressed her sexual fantasies so freely would restrict her expletives in such a fashion—even when they are only in her head.
Liam is definitely a swoonworthy hero. To borrow a line from a country song, he’s “a real bad boy” who became “a real good man” with a high S.Q. (Sexiness Quotient) and a tender heart. Some of the best scenes are those between Liam and his daughter that show their love for each other and conflict that is part of a teen’s struggle for independence and a parent’s protective instincts. Since Higgins uses the hero’s point of view (I think for the first time), I felt as if I knew Liam in ways that I have not known her other heroes.
Posey does have a dog, Shilo, a Great Dane, but Shilo plays a lesser role than do the dogs in earlier books. Cat lovers will be pleased that felines (five) get their share of attention. Higgins gives Posey a quirky but loving family. I particularly liked her relationship with her super-intelligent surgeon brother Henry and his partner Jon, a high school home economics teacher.
I really wanted to give this book a five-star rating because there are so many things I love about it, but it has one flaw I could not get past. There are too many secondary characters. I’m a reader who prefers contexts and loves ensemble books, and one of my pet peeves is a hero or heroine who exists in a vacuum with no family or friends. But just a quick recounting allows me to list more than twenty-five characters, a number of whom serve no discernible purpose. I would have been happy to see Posey’s friend Kate and her son, whose relationship hit my ick button, omitted. Until There Was You has many of Higgins’s trademark strengths, and her fans will likely forgive the flaws. I recommend it with the caveat that readers may find themselves lost in the mix of characters at times.
~Janga
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