Tuesday, March 28, 2017

**GIVEAWAY** Interview with Michelle Major - Review - Meant For You

I used to review Michelle's HQN Special Edition novels for RT Magazine and I really miss her and all the wonderful SE authors, so when I saw she was also writing for Montlake I grabbed this novel right up!
Read our interview and my review courtesy of RT Book Reviews and then enter for a chance to win a fab prize from Michelle.
Contest details below
Enjoy!!
ISBN-13: 9781503943667
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: 03/28/2017
Length: 268pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/IndieBound/Audible

Overview:
Single mom Jenny Castelli has a temper to match her red hair. When the former mean girls of her high school insult her son, Jenny fires off a big lie - that she's engaged to a rich, handsome guy and is bringing him to their ten-year reunion. Now she needs to find the perfect fake fiancé for one night. And only one man fits the bill.
Geek turned tech entrepreneur Owen Dalton already had his heart broken by Jenny Castelli. Still, he finds himself agreeing to her proposition - even as he struggles to remember that the chemistry sparking between them isn't real. But when Jenny's ex makes a play for custody and Owen is forced to deal with the family who always treated him as "second best," their arrangement suddenly becomes very personal. And that lie they've been telling everyone? It isn't nearly as big as the one they've been telling themselves.


Michelle is offering 
One signed Print Copy of Meant for You
Plus
a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card US ONLY!!
Please use The Rafflecopter form to enter
Good Luck!!




Hi Michelle! I’m so excited to have you visiting the blog again to talk about your latest Montlake release, Meant For You.
Tell my readers a little about the novel please.
Jenny Castelli is a single mom, raising her son, trying to get a new business off the ground and caring for her own mother. The last thing she needs is a run-in with the one-time mean girls from her high school, who still seem to be able to push all of her buttons, especially when they make snide comments about her son and her high school boyfriend, who dumped her when he found out she was pregnant. Jenny goes on the defensive, claiming she’s got the perfect life, including the perfect fiancé in rich tech entrepreneur Owen Dalton. Now all she needs to do is convince Owen of that.
Owen had his heart broken by Jenny once before but can’t seem to say no to her when she needs him. But this time around there’s something Owen wants in return. Both Jenny and Owen have to risk their hearts to find happiness in this second chance romance.

I loved Jenny and Owen’s story, I also loved that Jenny was such a diamond in the rough and was a bit of a bad girl in the novel.
Tell us about the birth of her character.
Jenny was the best friend/sidekick of hero from the first book in this series, Kissing Mr. Right. Honestly, I didn’t really see her as getting her own book at the start. But the more I wrote snippets of her character, the more fun she was and readers loved her from the beginning. It was a really fun challenge to go deeper with her and Owen was such a perfect balance for her character.

Which star, Owen or Jenny behaved better during the writing process?
Jenny is all sass and spunk and Owen is so steady and stable but Jenny was the character who was easier to write. Especially the scenes that involved her son, Cooper and her mom, because being a mom and a caregiver is so important to Jenny. Owen had some surprises for me…and for Jenny. J

This novel is part of a series of connected books.
Do you have a set number of books with these characters and setting?
This book is the fourth in the series. Normally, I tend to think in terms of ‘3’ at a time – but for this series I added a fourth just for Jenny! Right now my Crimson, Colorado book for Harlequin Special Edition has seven books with three more coming soon. With that series it seems like every time I introduce a new character they just HAVE to have their own book!

Okay Michelle lets get a little personal now.
Your bio says that after college you pointed your car west and ended up in Colorado where you worked on a dude ranch.
I would have been terrified traveling so far from home, were you?
I grew up in Ohio but always wanted to live near the mountains, so I was really excited to move to Colorado. That was back in the ‘olden days’ before cell phones or email, so I checked in with my parents once a week from a payphone. I did a lot of camping on my own (with only my canine companion!) and now it’s hard for me to imagine one of my kids living in a tent for most of a summer! I’d freak out – my parents were way cooler about it than I’d ever be.

Did that lifestyle experience help when you started writing romance?
A lot of my books are set in Colorado, and I think travelling around the state, meeting new people and discovering new places, gave me a deeper appreciation for all the wonderful things the mountains have to offer. I definitely sprinkle some of those quirky details into my stories.

Michelle the heading on your website says Life, Love and Happy Endings.
Why is a happy ending so important to you?
There are so many difficult things to deal with in life – whether big and scary overarching questions of the world or little details and everyday hardships. When I read or take time to watch movies or TV, I want some hope in my life. That’s what first attracted me to romance – the hope and the promise of a fulfilling ending at the end of the story. It was an escape from the real world and the feeling of those butterflies in your stomach when a book is so good can’t be beat. I hope I give that to readers with my books.

You are a very socially connected person.
Do you think we’re becoming too connected, do you put the kabash on tweeting while out to dinner or do you revel in this 24/7 society?
My kids are 11 and 14, and it’s so strange to my husband and I that they don’t really remember a world without social connectedness. We definitely have limits as a family. I do love being connected – writing is such an isolated job – and I feel like I’ve made real friendships online through social media. The romance community is so strong online. But I also try not to let it take over my life and I actually lock myself off the internet when I’m writing because it’s too much of a temptation!!

Michelle thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions.
Will you be attending any events in the near future?
Well, I’m SUPER excited to be attending RWA in Orlando as a RITA finalist for my book Christmas on Crimson Mountain. It’s my first time finaling and still feels so surreal. Now I just have to find the perfect dress! Wish me luck. J



 My Review courtesy RT Book Reviews
Connect with Michelle - Website-Facebook-Twitter

Meet Michelle:
Michelle Major is a bestselling and award-winning author who’s written more than a dozen sexy and sweet contemporary romances. She loves second-chances love stories, smart heroines, and strong heroes. A Midwesterner at heart, she’s made the Rocky Mountains her home for more than twenty years. Michelle is thrilled to share her books with readers who can connect with her through her website, www.michellemajor.com.





Today's Gonereading item is:
bookplates! Click HERE for the buy page




--> a Rafflecopter giveaway

115 comments:

  1. Oh neat that you found more of her books with a new publisher.

    Fun how this book was not planned nor Jenny planned to get her book and then it was. Oh wow, getting in the car and heading west sounds like a fiction story now.
    Great interview, ladies!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know right just to get in your car at that young an age. Makes me shiver :)

      Delete
  2. Working on a ranch and camping all summer sounds like a wonderful adventure. So cool!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds lovely! Hope she finds her Owen.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so excited to read this book! The cover alone has me intrigued! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds like a great book, can't wait to read it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I enjoyed this interesting interview and would love to read this captivating novel.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Excited to read!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks good, I added it to my Goodreads TBR pile.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looks very interesting! Thanks for the interview

    ReplyDelete
  10. Looks very interesting! Thanks for the interview

    ReplyDelete
  11. New to me author but looking forward to checking out the books

    ReplyDelete
  12. Even though I say I want to read less straight romance books I seem to end up being enticed towards them. Love second chance and a woman raising her child alone. Hmmm... thinking!

    ReplyDelete
  13. From what I've seen about Meant For You, I am excited to read it and the other three books in the series.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love the cover--it makes me smile and feel fuzzy inside! I love the reviews and they make me want to read this fun, swoony mystery and romance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Its a great cover and it does invoke that warm fuzzy feeling!

      Delete
  15. I really want to read your book!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Congrats on your new release📚. I did what I could on Rafflecopter, but I don't Tweet. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Funny how things end up happening. Fantastic interview and I love this trope.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. life is stranger than fiction and its where the best fiction comes from :)

      Delete
  18. Congratulations Michelle! Major accomplishment!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Congratulations on the new release. It sounds like an interesting plot.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh sounds so good! I love the cover!!! So romantic!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh sounds so good! I love the cover!!! So romantic!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I think this book looks great. Know this will be a good read. Keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sounds good would love to read.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sounds great! Thanks for the awesome giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Sounds great! Can't wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  26. This sounds like a great book! Thanks for the chance to win!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Would love to win, thank you, sounds good

    ReplyDelete
  28. 😍 Great giveaway. I've got my fingers crossed!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. fake fiances and camping all summer sounds like a fun romantic romp!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Looking forward to reading this.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Nice site i will be checkung it out again!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Thanks for the review, sounds great!

    kimberlybreid at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  33. Looks like a great book! Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thanks for the review. I look forward to reading this.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I love when characters fall in love without intending too!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Can't wait to read. Thank you for the giveaway too!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Love all your books Michelle ;)

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thank you so much for the opportunity! New to your blog and loving it!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Thank you so much for the opportunity! New to your blog and loving it!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Sound like a wonderful read ..Awesome cover!!!

    ReplyDelete
  41. This sounds like an amazing read, thanks for the chance to #win it!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Sounds like a great book~I hope that I win :-)

    ReplyDelete
  43. The book sounds really good. Loved the interview too. It would be a dream to just hop in a car and drive cross country (although for me it would just be a vacation and back home again)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kim. What she did would have freaked me out, my parents too!

      Delete
  44. 'Meant For You' sounds like it will be a great book! I can't wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Great giveaway hoping to win my first...

    ReplyDelete
  46. loving the idea of this book and since I can't really leave my "mom" life I will have to live through the book.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Sounds like a book I would enjoy. Thanks for the chance!

    ReplyDelete