Stranded in Love
by Victoria
Grant
GENRE: Contemporary
Romance
BLURB:
If
a gold medal was awarded for Worst Day Ever, Laney Calderone would win it
today, hands down. She’s just discovered she's pregnant, her fiancé abruptly
dumps her when she tells him, and her new car refuses to start as a brutal
snowstorm hits Toronto.
Good Samaritan Tyler
Hammond offers to take her home; however, with the heavy snow falling and his
patience dwindling, Laney’s gold medal day isn’t over yet.
Storms intensify both
outside and in as Laney finds herself inexplicably attracted to this tall, dark
and very handsome but infuriating stranger.
Can Laney fight her
unwanted yet increasing desire for this man long enough to get through the
relentless storm? And will Tyler let her walk out of his life as easily as she
came into it?
Excerpt:
Tyler took Laney into his arms and
pulled her close. The music changed to that unforgettable jazz melody she knew
so well, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed Stephen on the balcony
with the band leader, a devilish grin on his face. Up to his old tricks again.
“You look ravishing tonight,
Ginger.” Tyler whispered in her ear. “Did I ever tell you red is my favourite
colour?”
Laney tried to move to the rhythm
except her feet would not obey. She felt clumsy and self-conscious dancing with
Tyler with so many people watching, especially her family.
“You feel a little tense, my love.
Relax and enjoy.”
She closed her eyes wishing she
could walk away, but that wasn’t going to happen. Tyler held her tight and
guided her effortlessly around the floor. The mesmerizing scent of his cologne
reverberated through her senses and she surprised herself when she realized she
was smiling. The Tyler Trap, she thought. You’ve gotten stuck in it again, you
idiot!
With a deep sigh, she let herself
surrender and leaned into him. He smiled and pulled her even closer. It didn’t
matter to her anymore who saw them, who noticed they were so close; she didn’t
care.
As she floated around the hall Laney
became immersed in her surroundings. The Christmas tree lights twinkling, the
distant chatter and laughter of the guests, the captivating tune, and the
wonderful feel of this amazing man in her arms.
Laney wanted to freeze time again.
This man, this music, this moment. She rested her chin on his shoulder and let
him take complete control. They moved as one, oblivious to every eye on them as
they soared in the clouds, leaving all the other guests back on Earth.
Interview with Victoria Grant
Can you tell us a
little bit about the characters in Stranded
in Love?
I’d
love to. The heroine is Miss Laney Calderone, the twenty-four-year-old only
daughter in Toronto’s wealthy and powerful Calderone family. She grew up with four
older brothers so she had to learn how to be feisty and strongminded. She has a
kind heart and a forgiving nature, but as the story begins, she’s experiencing
the worst day of her life.
The hero is 32-year old Tyler Hammond, who is a successful business owner, he’s in the middle of a nasty divorce, and he’s not having a banner day, either.
The
secondary characters include Laney’s ex-fiancé, Ramone DeSantis; her parents,
Eve and Boyd Calderone; her four brothers; and Tyler’s soon to be ex-wife,
Tracy.
Can you tell us a
little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?
Stranded in Love is Book #1 of the
Calderone Family Romance Series. Book #2, Write
to Love, will be released next year, and is the story of Noel Calderone,
the youngest brother, and what happens when he meets sassy mystery author KC
Dunlop. Book #3 will continue with the
brother’s love lives, Charles is next, followed by Stephen then Jamie. To wrap
up the series, Book #6, which I’m currently working on will be about their
parents, Eve and Boyd, told partially in flashbacks, to recount their love
story.
How long would you
say it takes you to write a book?
Depending
how many hours I can devote each day to it, on average I’d say it takes me 2-4
months to write a 55,000 - 60,000 word novel.
What is your favorite
childhood book?
I
read a lot when I was a child, still do, and just loved The Wind in the Willows. I read it again once in a while to bring back
the warm and happy feelings I got when I first fell into the pages.
If you could spend
the day with one of the characters from Stranded
in Love who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular
character, where you would go and what you would do.
What
a great question! I would choose to
spend the day with Laney Calderone. She’s a remarkable lady with a fun sense of
humour who works hard but takes time to enjoy the finer things in life, so we
have a lot in common. We could spend the
morning shopping or at the spa, and once we were all pretty and pampered, we
could step onto the family yacht and enjoy an afternoon sailing on Lake
Ontario. And if any of her handsome brothers happen to come along, then I would
end the day with a smile.
What was the hardest
scene from Stranded in Love to write?
The
hardest scene to write was the love scene. I’d never written one before and the
first draft read like a wrestling match – not good! Lol. So,
I read lots of love scenes in lots of romance novels, and edited mine, and read
some more, and continued to edit mine until it read like it should. I learned
to focus more on feelings and emotions rather than body parts so the end result
is a touching scene that shows two people falling deeper in love and committing
to each other mind, body and soul.
What made you want to
become a writer?
I
have always enjoyed writing stories, even from a very young age. Growing up, I
enjoyed creating characters and designing plots for them. My teachers suggested
I find a career that involved writing, which sounds easy enough, but when life gets
in the way and the bills have to be paid, I had no choice but to work in an
office for twenty-five years, but I’m here now and dedicated full-time to my craft.
I love writing romance stories and always end with the happily ever after – no
cliffhangers for my characters. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun and take
the characters on a roller coaster ride, tormenting and exasperating them
before they reach their satisfying conclusion.
It’s exciting for me and comforting, too, as
well as that necessary escape from this everyday world that can be so harsh and
demanding. It’s enjoyable to fire up my
laptop and know that I’ll be entering a world where anything can happen.
Just for fun:
(a Favorite song: When I’m With You by Sheriff
(b Favorite book: The Big Four by Agatha Christie
(c Favorite movies: The Way We Were
& Love Actually
(d Favorite tv shows: Castle & Frasier
(e Favorite Food: Chocolate
(f Favorite drink: English Breakfast
Tea
(g Favorite website: mine! :D www.victoriagrantromance.com
Thanks so much for
visiting with us today!
Thank
you for letting me be here today! I had
fun! I invite all your followers to open up Stranded in Love and jump into the
exciting world of Laney Calderone and her family.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Born
in England to a Monty Python-loving dad and a Lawrence Welk-loving mum - tea
drinkers all - we moved to Canada when I was seven. "Say book, say
look" my new classmates would hound me just so they could have a good
chuckle at my accent. But being incredibly shy, this was a great way for me to
make friends.
My
love of words and a creative imagination prompted English teachers to urge me
to write for a living, especially after I got a letter from the Prime Minister
who thanked me for writing to him! So
cool for a twelve-year-old!
Through
the years, I wrote while I earned a living as an Administrative Assistant in
various companies; then I owned a Wedding Coordination business for six years
(talk about romance!), all the while being happily married to the love of my
life.
These
interesting jobs plus wedded bliss gave me oodles of ideas for romantic plot
lines, tall, dark and handsome heroes and feisty, beautiful heroines, and, of
course, the happily ever afters.
I
currently live in Mississauga and spend time with family and friends, and
struggle daily with the wine and chocolate that somehow magically appear in my
house...
And,
amidst the endless cups of strong tea, while the dead parrot sketch and Cole
Porter songs whirl around in my brain, I write. I will always write romances
because I love creating fascinating characters whose lives I can make
completely miserable before I give them their happily ever after.
Victoria
Buy
Links:
Giveaway:
3 signed paperback copies of the book (North America Only)
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1 comments:
Thanks for hosting me today!
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