Could I Be The Next Big Thing?

Everybody wants their fifteen minutes of fame. Writers want theirs every single time they've got a book release. So with book 2 in my Aisle Bound series releasing on March 11, I'm really hoping I could become The Next Big thing. Can't do it alone, though. We authors all help each other promote because we so deeply care about supporting each other, and the wonderful world of books. So thanks to Misty Waters for thinking of me for this blog hop! Now, onto my questions:

1. What is your working title of your next book (or story)?

The title is A Fine Romance, which also happens to be the name of the romance store featured in the story. So glad my publisher let me keep it!

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

When I lived in Chicago and saw the vibrant downtown neighborhoods open with every sort of retail day and night, I got the idea for a romance store. I was a wedding planner at the time, and thought it would be terrific to have a place people could duck into to grab a picnic basket full of treats, a card, and a heart shaped blanket to turn a ho-hum Wednesday into a special date night. Creating the store in my book required a lot less start-up capital than creating it for real.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Contemporary romance, with a strong bent toward romantic comedy.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

How did you know that I can't start writing until I've got physical models? My hero Sam is the darkly brooding and gorgeous Dylan McDermott, who I've lusted after ever since I saw his sexy chest in The Practice. My heroine Mira is based on Olivia Wilde.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Will she turn her back on a life of wealth for a sexy chocolatier – when she doesn’t even like chocolate? 

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

This book was part of a 6 book deal I executed with Carina Press prior to signing with my wonderful agent, Nephele Tempest of The Knight Agency.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

See the above question - when I signed that deal, I only had one completed book, and went into massive panic mode about the contracted deadlines looming in front of me. This book was nothing more than a one sentence idea at the time. So I gave myself five months to write it, but finished in a little less than four.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

It has the humor of Victoria Dahl, the Chicago setting of Julie James, and the overall feel of Christie Ridgway and Louisa Edwards. I think. Or, those are just authors in my genre that I'd be thrilled to be mentioned in the same sentence as.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Um, the aforementioned contract? No, the honest answer is that I am a sucker for romance. I'll do anything to squeeze a little more of it out into the world, because I honestly believe it makes life better.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Mouth-watering descriptions of bakery treats and gourmet chocolate truffles. The feel of a whirlwind vacation to Chicago. A group of friends that make you laugh and want to join their tight circle. Oh, and truly awesome (if I do say so myself) sex with drizzled chocolate sauce.....
 

Here's the part where I tag five other talented, awesome authors who might just be The Next Big Thing:

Joya Fields writes edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense and spooky, sexy contemporar romances with a ghost-ly twist. Hereafter, the 2nd in her Hauntings at Inner Harbor series, recently released, and is a must-read!  Follow her on Twitter @JoyaFields

Amanda Usen (oh yes, another author in my genre I'd love to be compared to!) writes fabulously sexy foodie romances. You might as well scoop up both Luscious and Scrumptious at the same time, because I guarantee you'll want to read them both.  Follow her on Tiwtter @AmandaUsen

Stephanie Draven (hang on, I have to fan myself just thinking about this book) just released her 1920s erotica collection It Stings So Sweet. Seriously, the hottest book I've read in years. You'll want to download immediately to your e-reader, AND buy the paperback to keep next to your bed. Follow her on Twitter @StephanieDraven

Kimberly Kincaid's novella  Love on the Line releases next month. It puts a whole different meaning on 'heat in the kitchen', and I can't wait to read it! Follow her on Twitter @KimberlyKincaid

Natalie Damschroder is a fellow Carina Press author who writes strong heroines with even stronger heroes in her romantic adventures. If you need a little adrenaline surge to get you through these long, last days of winter, check out Behind the Scenes. Follow her on Twitter @NJDamschroder