NBTM + #Giveaway: Living in the Shallows by Tani Hanes @TaniHanes @GoddessFish

Living in the Shallows

by Tani Hanes

GENRE:   New Adult/Romance

BLURB:

Aileen is a bilingual music student with a chronic case of poverty. She gets a dream job as an interpreter for a boy band making a movie in Japan. Having spent her life as a sheltered, shy only child in the rarefied world of classical piano, she is utterly unprepared for this new world, these boys and their frank physicality and openness. Theo, especially, the known playboy and unrepentant flirt of the group, makes her uncomfortable in a way she's never felt before, and ultimately Aileen, or Tinker Bell, as she's known to the boys, has to decide if she's ready to leave the sidelines and become a participant in her own life.

Excerpt:

The laughter and talking had stopped as soon as they entered the room and saw me. They stood, as if unsure what to do. The boy with the long brown hair recovered his composure first and held out his hand.

"Hello, I'm Theo," he said in a deep voice that didn’t quite match his young boy look. He had a British accent, too, though it was different from Betsey's. He added a smile as we shook hands, and I saw gray eyes and dimples to go with the perfect teeth.

The blond boy, whose eyes were a dark, rich brown, held out his hand next. "I'm Ronan, nice to meet you." For a moment, my jet-lagged brain refused to process the words because his accent was so thick. I desperately flipped back through all the movies I'd seen, trying to place it. Irish. This boy was Irish. Just as I was wrapping my mind around that, the redhead stepped forward.

"Hi, I'm Gethin, pleasure to meet you." He, too, had a lovely smile, but his eyes were green. And his accent was different, kind of British, but more sing-song, with elongated vowels, like English on a graceful roller coaster.

Was there something in my coffee besides coffee?

The curly haired boy stepped forward to introduce himself. I stared at him warily. He had stunning dark blue eyes, which contrasted with his brown skin, and the longest eyelashes I'd ever seen on a boy. Given what had come out of the other boys' mouths when they'd spoken, if he started speaking Icelandic or produced yet another English accent, I was going to jump right out the window.

He held out his hand, and as I reached for it, he said, "My name is Matthew, and I'm very happy to meet you." I nearly yanked my hand back. This boy was Scottish, sounded just like Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter, and looked like he should be breaking hearts on the Nigerian soccer team.

Interview with Tani Hanes

What inspired you to write Living in the Shallows

My students were all in a lather over their favorite band going on hiatus, and about the fact that they didn’t seem to be getting along as well as they used to, like they did at the beginning. I wanted to write something soothing, that would satisfy all of us (yes, me too!!), about young men who really loved each other, like kiss when they greeted each other level, and who loved the heroine, too.

When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

On some level I’ve probably always wanted to, but it always seemed so egotistical, you know? It’s always been a “back-burner” kind of dream…

What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?

I don’t know! I don’t remember a time I couldn’t read.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I like almost everything except westerns and sci-fi, which is ironic because the best, the only writing teacher I’ve ever had (hello, Wayne Wightman) is a very respected sci-fi writer.

What is your favorite book?

No! Watership Down, The Goldfinch, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lolita…I’ll stop.

You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

I still love Stephen King. This is a love affair that’s been going on for over thirty years lol. No one can write a character like he can, get you in that person’s head. I don’t even think what he writes is scary, though it always makes me cry. Except for Bag of Bones!! Terrifying.
If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?

This is kind of morbid, but I’d like to be around when a famous unsolved crime was committed, just so I’d KNOW, you know?

When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?

Well, I’ve written a seven book serial, so yeah, not so difficult! But these weren’t complicated or deep, it was just a matter of putting in everything I wanted to happen. Some scenes I looked forward to writing more than others, I suppose.

Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?

Of course!! Right now I have two cats, Lily and Moss.

What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?

Sushi!! I could eat it every day for the rest of my life.

Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?

Sounds so hackneyed, but just DO IT. If you’re waiting for encouragement, consider me it! Seriously, no one’s going to come and hold your hand through the process, it’s a solitary and sometimes isolating endeavor. The writing of something is a completely different act from getting it published or whatever, and accomplishing the first part is so satisfying.

AUTHOR BIO:

My name is Tani Hanes, and I am a 51 year old substitute teacher. Im from central California and am a recent transplant to New York City. The most important things to know about me are that I'm punctual, I love grammar and sushi, and I'm very intolerant of intolerance. The least important things to know about me are that I like to knit and I couldn't spell "acoustic" for 40 years. I've wanted to write since I was ten, and I finally did it. If you want to write, don't wait as long as I did, it's pointless, and very frustrating!

Author Links:

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Goodreads

Buy Link:

Amazon

Giveaway:

$50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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