Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: Partner Pursuit by Kathy Strobos @kathystrobos @GoddessFish

 

Partner Pursuit

by Kathy Strobos

GENRE: Women's Fiction with Romance/Romcom/Chicklit

BLURB:

When a workaholic lawyer meets a fun-loving music marketing executive for opposites attract, friends-to-lovers adventures, which partnership will she choose?

Workaholic lawyer Audrey Willems is not going to take any chances with her bid to become a partner at her New York law firm—especially with only six months until the decision.

Until she bumps into Jake—her new neighbor.

Jake is a fun-loving music marketing executive who might just be The One.

He’s funny, caring, supportive—and able to kill water bugs in the bathroom.

But Jake will never date a woman married to her job. His father was a workaholic lawyer who never had time for family.

And she’s just got the case of a lifetime—the one she needs to win to make partner.  Working 24/7 at the office may not even be enough hours to pull off a victory.

If only she had not met him now.

Audrey is determined to prove that she can juggle
work and romance—even if managing court cases, candlelit dinners, and bike rides around Manhattan is a lot harder than it looks.  She keeps canceling dates for yet another case crisis.

But when making partner is like a game of musical chairs and the last seat is a business-class alone, which partnership will she choose?

Excerpt:

Water bugs were at the top of the short list of things she hated about summer in New York. She grabbed the vacuum cleaner and rubber gloves from the closet. She pulled her socks up over her work pants so the bug couldn’t crawl up her legs. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and wrapped a scarf around her hair. She didn’t want it flying into her hair. She pulled on the rubber gloves. [skipped section]

She carried the vacuum cleaner across the bedroom to the sliding door and put it down. She wanted her weapon at hand should the bug escape into the bedroom. She went outside into her garden and peeked over the fence. The light was on. Jake was up. She slipped through the hole in the fence and, with the dim light peeking through the curtained windows, carefully followed the path to his sliding door. She banged loudly on the glass. Biscuit barked.

Jake, pulling back the curtain and opening the sliding door, looked shocked. Jake was bare-chested. All hard muscle. She flushed.

“Wow, is this like a 1960s cleaning visit fantasy?” he asked. “Not that I ever had that dream, but you know, I do like the James Bonds from that period—especially the headscarves. I’m not sure about the socks over the pants though.”

“Very funny. A giant water bug has invaded my bathroom, and I need you to kill it.”

“You look pretty equipped to do the job yourself.”

“Yes, well it’s up in a corner I can’t reach.”

“Okay. But I’m not particularly fond of them myself.”

“It’s tough being a boy,” she said.

“I thought you were one of those women who could do it all.”

“No one can do it all. And I especially can’t do water bugs.”

He grabbed his t-shirt from the couch and pulled it on. He started to put on his sandals and stopped. “Do I need to add the socks?”

“I’d recommend it unless you don’t mind if it crawls on your foot. You might want to put on long pants as well.”

“Too hot. But I’ll add the socks in case I try to step on it. I’d better get a heavy shoe as well. C’mon, Biscuit, we’re going to battle a bug.

They walked back through the two gardens in the warm night air. Audrey opened the sliding door and picked up the vacuum cleaner, slinging the hose over her shoulder.

He said, “You know, it’s the vacuum cleaner slung over your shoulder that really adds that flair.”

“You’re just jealous because you’ve only got a shoe.”

Interview with Kathy Strobos

What made you want to become a writer?

I’ve always loved reading so I think that made me want to be a writer when I was a child. Plus, I loved playing and making up stories. And now, I get really happy when I’ve written a good scene.

What inspired you to write Partner Pursuit?

I had a hard time finding work/life balance when I was a corporate lawyer in New York City, so I wanted to write a novel exploring that. And I also had a hard time finding a boyfriend, so I was quite familiar with the ups and downs of single life.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Partner Pursuit?

Audrey is a corporate lawyer working in a NYC law firm, and Jake is a music marketing executive. Audrey is a workaholic, very driven and a little lacking in self-confidence. Jake is fun-loving and confident. He is very passionate about his job as is Audrey. Jake also has a dog called Biscuit.

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

My favorite author is Sophie Kinsella because she inevitably makes me laugh out loud. I think she’s a brilliant comic writer. Plus, I think she also addresses substantive issues in a humorous way.

Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?

My next book is Is This For Real?, which is releasing hopefully in January. Here’s the blurb:

An opposites attract, friends-to-lovers, slow burn, fake dating romantic comedy

Love is all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. Usually me. I admit it, I’m a relationship-recluse. Ironic, given that I write romantic comedies. So, I’m on a sabbatical from dating.

Which is why fake dating my best friend Rory is foolproof. Rory suggested it because he needed a date for work functions. And I can use our experiences as fodder for my romcom novel. Plus, my sister doesn’t know it’s not real and she is thrilled that I’m not walling myself off emotionally. Her words, not mine. But I do wish she would stop saying that she always suspected there was something more between me and Rory. She should realize that we’ve been friends forever so I’m immune to his appeal.

We would never work. Rory is such a romantic; he still believes in that perfect love similar to his parents’ marriage. My parents fought bitterly. So, we are better off as friends. I can’t risk losing our friendship, even if this might be my chance—before his ex-girlfriend wins him back.

Those flickers of attraction? Easily extinguished by cold water reality—like a two-mile hike in drenching rain over sand with wheelie luggage.

But our relationship is not sticking to the plot—or is it?

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And I’m in the middle of writing my third book which is called Caper Crush. The protagonist is an artist whose painting is stolen right before a critical exhibit, so she is trying to find it with the help (or as she views it, hindrance) of her uncle’s partner’s nephew. And then my fourth one will probably have another lawyer protagonist.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

This book was my first book, so I learned so much writing this book. And I think I most enjoyed watching it all come together and how much it improved since the early drafts. The first draft didn’t have Malaburn or Whitaker, and I was advised to add more tension, so I added them. I also learned how to write description, which I still find hard, but I’ve definitely improved since my first attempts.  

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Kathy Strobos is a writer living in New York City with her husband and two children, amid a growing collection of books, toys and dollhouses. She grew up in New York City and graduated from Stuyvesant High School and Harvard-Radcliffe University magna cum laude. She previously worked as a lawyer. She left law to pursue her dream of writing fiction full-time and getting in shape. She is still working on getting in shape.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Twitter

Buy Link:

Amazon

Giveaway:

$30 Amazon/BN GC

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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