Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Welcome Cate Lord Today/Contest

Welcome author Cate Lord today. She has a brand new release, Lucky Girl, to share with us plus she sits down with me so I can pick her brain. *grins*

Also one lucky person who comments today will win her new book (E-book format only). So make sure to leave your email address in your comment so we can contact you in case your name is drawn. Contest will run till Wednesday Evening Sept. 14th. Winner will be announced on Sept. 15th.

To get us started can you tell us a little about what you are working on or have coming out?
Sure! J  My latest book is a contemporary romantic comedy called Lucky Girl, released this month in trade paperback and ebook by Entangled Publishing. It’s written under the pseudonym Cate Lord, because it’s very different in style and tone to my six medieval romances written as Catherine Kean.  Readers buying a Cate Lord novel are going to get a funny, sexy, quirky romance, whereas a Catherine Kean book is dramatic, emotional, and enriched with historical detail.

Lucky Girl is the story of American beauty editor Jessica Devlin, recently dumped by her fiancĂ©, who flies to England to be maid-of-honor in her cousin’s wedding.  There, Jess runs into marketing exec Nick Mondinello, a gorgeous Brit she met briefly in an embarrassing incident two years ago, and whom she never expected to see again.  She’s convinced Nick is completely wrong for her.  She does her best to fight her growing attraction to him, but fate keeps throwing her and hottie Nick together.  She refuses to believe he could be her Mr. Right.  How could Sex God Nick be attracted to Plain Jane her?  He wouldn’t be... unless she was one very lucky girl! J

If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why?
Hmm.  I’d say Lucky Girl, because it’s my latest novel. The story also contains elements common to all of my books: humor; romance; emotional conflict; and character growth.  

If you could entertain a character from a book, who would it be and what would the evening be like?
I’d entertain Jess from Lucky Girl.  While I wrote the book, she became like a best friend to me.  I really enjoyed getting to know her, and would love to have a girls’ night out with her, starting with a few hours of shopping, then dinner at a trendy bistro, then maybe a Chick Flick movie.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Just one? J  I admit I have a few. J  For example, I can’t write unless I have fresh organic coffee or Earl Grey Tea at hand.  I write a few sentences, sip my yummy beverage while I review what I’ve written, and then put the cup down and write some more.  Oh, and chocolate or a chewy oatmeal raisin cookie go really well with that coffee. J

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
How real my characters become to me. They’re like living, breathing people. I love all of my characters.  I’m always sad when their books end and I am no longer spending my days with them.

If you had a reporter follow you around for the day, what would the readers get to see in your daily schedule?
Well, the reporter would see me stumble out of bed before it’s light; my daughter’s in High School so our days begin about 5:20 a.m. Coffee brews (yay, coffee!), my family and I eat breakfast, and once my daughter’s out the door at 6 a.m., I brush the cat (he loves this), check email (this takes while, since I get a lot), clean up the kitchen, do some laundry and household chores, snuggle the cat, then shower and make myself presentable to the world.

By
11 o’clock I am usually at my computer to complete blog posts or other PR commitments.  I have lunch with my husband who works from home, snuggle the attention-demanding kitty again, then return to my computer to work on my manuscript-in-progress or more PR. Sometimes in the late afternoon I do a Yoga routine.  Then I cook dinner.  My husband, daughter, and I eat together about 6 p.m., then it’s more chores or some reading, playing with kitty, or TV watching before bed about 9:30 p.m.
What does your workstation look like?
I write on my netbook perched atop a stack of cookbooks on the dining room table, and use an ergonomic keyboard.  To the right of my computer is another stack of books: thesaurus, dictionary, and any reference books I might need for my work-in-progress.  To the left, my kitty, a three-year-old rescue who considers me to be his personal slave, is curled up in his cat bed, snoozing.  Whenever I’m writing, he’s there. My workstation isn’t very conventional, but it works for me.

Are you the type of individual who gets weepy at the end of a good movie, or a sad movie, or do you just stay neutral through it all?
Oh, yes, I get weepy!  I actually love a good cry now and again.

What are you working on now?
I have several projects in the works right now.  They include the glimmer of an idea for a follow-on book from Lucky Girl.  After all, Jess has three beautiful English cousins who deserve stories and happily-ever-afters of their own.  I’m also writing two paranormals: one contemporary and one set in the Middle Ages.

Where can readers find you on the web?
I’d love for readers to visit my website at http://www.catelord.com to learn more about me and my upcoming appearances.  I can also be found on Facebook and Goodreads.

For fun:

What is your favorite pizza? Margherita

What is one thing scientists should invent? Self-cleaning clothes.  I can never get to the bottom of the laundry pile.

Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning

When you looked in the mirror this morning, what was the first thing you thought? Where did those big suitcases under my eyes come from?


Anything else you would like to add?  Thank you, Dawn.  This was a fun interview! J
 

Lucky Girl by Cate Lord
Entangled Publishing
 Buy HERE

Jessica Devlin isn’t looking for love. Heartbroken after being dumped by her unfaithful ex-fiancĂ©, she’s determined to have a fabulous time during her vacation in England where she’ll be maid-of-honor at her cousin’s wedding. After working overtime as beauty editor of Orlando’s O Tart magazine, avoiding dating, and putting on ten pounds, Jess is ready to toss her past like an empty lipstick tube and party like a single gal.

But when she steps into the church on her cousin’s wedding day, she sees the one man who could sabotage her plan—James-Bond-gorgeous Nick Mondinello. She’s never forgotten the London marketing exec who held her in his arms after her beloved grandfather’s funeral two years ago. Ambitious, and lusted after by women everywhere, Nick is completely wrong for guarded, Plain Jane Jess.

Could Spy Man Nick ever fall for her? Nope. Not unless Jess is one lucky girl.

Sneak Peek PG Excerpt:

I started down the sweeping gravel drive. Already, my stress was fading like the last splashes of sunshine. Now, my head swirled from too much alcohol, sugary cake, and. . . Nick.

Whee!

I smiled into the breeze tugging at my gown. How totally dumb to get giddy over a few conversations, and him touching my arm—but those moments were mine. All mine.
No one could steal, distort, or shatter them.

Most of all Sex Crazed.

I’d savor those memories for days, like a mint I’d pull out time and again and twirl around on my tongue to revive the zingy flavor, but would never dream of crunching.

While I walked, stones skittered under my sandals. The trees whispered in the breeze. Were those big ol’ cranky oaks talking about me?

Boy oh boy, I must be really drunkie-wunkie. I knew trees didn’t talk or get cranky. Honestly I did.

My toe hit a half-buried stone. Ow! I stumbled, struggled to regain my footing, and stepped hard on the hem of my dress. The seams under my breasts and arms pulled taut, followed by a faint ripping noise.

“Crap.” Righting myself, I squinted down at my gown. I couldn’t see past my humongo-bingo-bongo breasts. Was the silk torn? Were my womanly attributes going to burst out?
As discreetly as possible, I slid my hand up to feel along my underarm and bodice seams.
Yes! I was still intact.

Bending down at an awkward angle, I brushed a gray smudge off the silk. It took several swipes to get rid of the smudge, but I managed.

On the last smack, I heard laughter. Swaying slightly, I straightened, blinked, then focused on the cars parked in rows on the lawn.

Tilly and Andrew’s white limo gleamed nearby.

Two ushers stood beside it, their backs to me. Both held metal cans.

Hmm. What were they doing?

I walked closer and heard a soft whhoooshht.

“Don’t forget to slather the door handles,” Nick said, his voice coming from the other side of the car.

“Nick, are you sure we have enough shaving cream?”

“Shaving cream?” I blurted.

Nick straightened and stared at me over the roof of the limo for two long heartbeats. My pulse jumped from a smug-chicky thud-thud to a crazy bam-bam.

“Jess, Jess, Jess.” His tone held a warning note.

Resisting a delicious shiver, I sidled closer. “Nick, Nick, Nick.”

“What are you doing out here? I thought you’d be enjoying another G & T.”

So, he’d been keeping tabs on me, huh? Watching how this Chicky Dee held her drink as part of his panty-interrogation plan? “I thought I’d go for a twilight stroll. Keep out of trouble—unlike you bad boys with your shaving cream.”

“One of Andrew’s friends owns the limo rental company. He won’t mind.” Nick’s gaze slid to the other ushers then back to me. “You’re not going to tell on us, are you?”

“And if I am?” I echoed his teasing tone.

“Tsk-tsk. Wrong answer, Jess.” He stepped from behind the limo, a can of shaving cream
in his hand. “I’ll have to find a way to keep you quiet.”

How exciting. Would he lather me all over with shaving cream? Force me to join them? This could be very, very fun. “Keep me quiet?” I said. “How?”

He fingered the can’s trigger. White foam hissed out into his palm before he arched an eyebrow.

“That doesn’t scare me.”

His brow arched higher. More foam spurted out until it filled his hand. Enough to toss like a mucky snowball.

“Want this in your hair?” he said, his voice husky and low.

Barely resisting a shudder, I shrugged. “It will comb out.”

He grinned. “On your face?”

“It’ll wash off.”

Eyes narrowing, he moved closer. His gaze slipped to the neckline of my gown then locked on my breasts. “On your. . . dress?”

Chills skittered over my skin. Hoo-eeee!

11 comments:

Lucianne Rivers said...

Hey Cate. Can't wait to read Lucky Girl. What period in the middle ages are you writing about?

krisgils33 said...

fun interview!! thanks for sharing. i'm really excited about your new book!

krisgils33@yahoo.com

Wynter said...

Congrats on your new book - sounds great! Humongo-bingo-bongo breasts? That's funny!
Can't wait to read Lucky Girl.

Susan @ The Book Bag said...

Gotta love blog tours! I have been seeing this book everywhere. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!

suzebomb(at)gmail.com

Unknown said...

Great interview, Cate!

Shadow said...

Great post! I love the sound of Lucky Girl. Who wouldnt love a british hottie? Thank you for sharing and for the awesome giveaway!!
shadowluvs2read(at)aol(dot)com

Abigail Sharpe said...

Oy, I hear you on the eye luggage! Some mornings I look at myself and think, how the hell did that happen?

Not so sure on the coffee, though. I like my caffeine carbonated.

Good luck with the release!

Charlie said...

What a fun interview and the book sounds wickedly entertaining. Good luck with it, Cate!

Shadow said...

This sounds great! I love the trailer and excerpt! Id love a chance to read this! :) Thank you for sharing and for the giveaway!
shadowluvs2read(at)aol(dot)com

DawnsReadingNook said...

Susan you won the E-copy Of Lucky Girl from Cate. Congratulations.

Susan @ The Book Bag said...

Awesome!! Thanks for making me a winner! I am so excited to read this book!

Thanks again!
Susan