Jessica Rao is everywhere we want to be...plus a book giveaway

We're excited to welcome Jessica Rao to CLC today to talk about her debut novel, Nowhere to Go but Everywhere. If you were around in the 1990s, it will make you feel nostalgic. If you weren't, it will give you a taste of what life was like back then. We had fun chatting with Jessica and hope you will enjoy our interview. Thanks to BookSparks, we have one copy to give away!

Jessica Rao is an award-winning journalist and media professional who has held contributor roles at CNBC and Gannett and overseen communications for Fortune 500 companies. 

In addition to her media career, she is the Vice President of the White Plains Library Foundation and she hosts and produces literary events. She lives outside of New York City with her family. Visit Jessica at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:
Helena Vinci might like grunge and Camel Lights, but she's not a fan of frat boys or anything else about Albany college life. When she drops out and takes a job waiting tables near the Capitol, her plan is to save up to see "the real world" out west. But soon she finds herself trapped in a new way, torn between two men - a sexy DJ and a fellow slacker with wanderlust - and a third, a politician who promises financial security, but at a price. When and how will Helena learn that you don't have to go on the road to find yourself?

Nowhere to Go but Everywhere is a piercing coming-of-age novel about the perils and pleasures of learning to chart your own path. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"With echoes of The Catcher in the Rye and a distinctly retro sensibility... this stunning debut is not to be missed!"
- Jacqueline Friedland, USA Today bestselling author of Breathing Under Water

"Among the most satisfying coming-of-age novels I've read."
- Art Bell, author of What She's Hiding

"Jessica Rao is the real deal. This book captures the tumult and boundlessness of late adolescent rebellion. I tore through this absolutely winning debut."
- Karen Dukess, USA Today bestselling author of The Last Book Party

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you?
It was long and windy -- it took a while to feel that my manuscript was ready and then getting myself organized to send queries another whole challenge.

How is Helena similar to or different from you?
On the surface, we’re pretty similar. We both went to the University at Albany, worked as waitresses, have red hair, wore berets. But our paths diverge on page one. I didn’t drop out, live with two relative-strangers or make the dubious decisions she makes. 

If Nowhere to Go but Here was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I love this question but I have to admit, I had to defer to my 19-year-old daughter and her friends to answer. 
The best answers I got: 
Sadie Sink as Helena
Florence Pugh as Sonya
Drew Starkey as Henry
Jake Gyllenhaal as Charlie
I suggested Jacob Elordi for Thomas, but they thought he was a little too hot. I thought he’d be good!

Which book made you fall in love with reading?
My favorite books as a kid in no particular order: Charlotte’s Web. The Cricket in Times Square. All the Beverly Clearly books. The Peanuts comic books. In middle and early high school, I loved The Catcher in the Rye, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Separate Peace.
 
What is your favorite thing about the 1990s?
I liked that we had more head space, more quiet. We weren’t always in touch, always with a device in our hands.

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
This is a tough one, but I think Drew Barrymore would do a great job. 

Thanks to Jessica for visiting with us and to BookSparks for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends October 6th at midnight EST.

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We're over the moon for Kate Robb...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Christina Dallimore

We're excited to have Kate Robb visiting today to talk about her upcoming rom-com, Solar Eclipse of the Heart, which will be available next week. The premise sounds fascinating and we enjoyed learning more about this novel, as well as other fun facts about Kate. Thanks to Random House, we have one copy to give away!

Kate Robb is the author of This Spells Love, Prime Time Romance, and Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance. She dated a lot of duds in her twenties (amongst a few gems) all providing excellent fodder to write weird and wild romantic comedies. She lives just outside of Toronto, Canada, where she spends her free time pretending she’s not a hockey mom while whispering “hustle” under her breath from the bleachers, a Pinot Grigio concealed in her YETI mug. She hates owls, the word “whilst,” and wearing shorts and aspires to one day be able to wear four-inch heels again. Visit Kate at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:

Annalise Harris lives by facts and figures. Raised by her uncle after her mother’s death, she’s always relied on logic to avoid the unexpected. So when her uncle passes away, Annalise is left reeling.

Luckily, she has an escape plan: a PhD program abroad to leave her grief behind. Unluckily, Mackenzie Smith, her new roommate, is not the woman she was expecting but a leather jacket–wearing, wannabe rock star, extremely attractive man. At least they’ll only be sharing space for a few months. Then she’ll be gone.

Except Mackenzie is more than he appears—and so is his jacket. When Annalise slips it on one afternoon, she’s struck by inexplicable visions that defy every law of logic. As Annalise scrambles to explain the impossible, she and Mackenzie grow closer.

There’s no rational reason a leather jacket should unlock visions—or for Annalise to fall in love just as she’s preparing to leave. But for the first time since losing her uncle, she feels something she thought was gone for good: happiness.

But can she trust it? And can she follow her heart—even if it means letting go of sense? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“As always, Kate Robb delivers a gorgeously written, wonderfully romantic, and deeply heartfelt exploration of two characters finding themselves and fighting for what they want and deserve from life.”

—Lily Chu, author of The Stand-In

“Solar Eclipse of the Heart is fun, lighthearted, and a reminder of the magic that can happen when we take a chance and step out of our comfort zone. This is a must-read for anyone who loves a sweet romance with a little bit of heat.”

—Nisha J. Tuli, New York Times bestselling author of Not Safe for Work

“Robb puts a gentle speculative spin on this cute . . . forced proximity romance. . . . Their dynamic shifts into something straight out of one of the Hallmark Christmas movies they bond over watching together. . . . Add in a backdrop of holiday cheer, and readers are sure to find this endearing.”

—Publishers Weekly

What is a favorite compliment you've received on your writing?
I think the compliment I love the most is when people tell me they read one of my books in a single night because I know that feeling of being so into a book that I don’t want to put it down, and for someone to feel that way about mine is such an honour. However, the most memorable email I ever got about one of my books was when THIS SPELLS LOVE first came out, a woman wrote me in the middle of the night telling me that her new baby was in the NICU and she had to wake up every few hours to pump, and that listening to my book on audiobook brought her joy in the middle of the night. I am a mom as well and I know how rough those nights can be and to know my stories helped someone get through those hard nights makes me so happy. I still think about them often. 
 
How is Annalise similar to or different from you?
Annalise is probably the character I’ve written that is the furthest from my own personality (I am much more of a Mackenzie.) I make wishes on stars and turkey bones and hold my breath when I pass a cemetery (unlike my very practical MC who has scientific reasons why I shouldn't care about those things.) Funny enough, the most whimsical thing about her (her deep love of Christmas Hallmark movies) is not something I’m into either. I actually love watching dark crime/mystery shows in December.
 
If Solar Eclipse of the Heart was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Anya Taylor Joy has the perfect personality (and face for bangs) to play Annalise. For Mackenzie, I could see Glenn Powell playing him perfectly (he’s got the golden retriever act down.)
 
Which book made you fall in love with reading?
I was in love with reading as a kid. I could take down an entire set of Baby-Sitters Club books in a week. My first “romance” was a  YA fantasy book called Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (I still love it to this day.) Sophie Kinsella, specifically The Undomestic Goddess, made me fall in love with rom-coms. 
 
If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
Comedian Kathryn Ryan. She is funny and a bit of an asshole (in the best way) and I think she could relate to my life. She inspired Kirsten (Gemma’s older sister in THIS SPELLS LOVE), who is the character who is probably the most like me. 
 
If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I would take you on a book tour! We could head downtown Toronto’s Queen St. and see Annalise & Mackenzie's apartment. Maybe grab some lunch at La Tambour (where they filmed Heated Rivalry.) Then we could drive to St. Jacob for the Christmas Market (another scene from Solar Eclipse.) Then maybe up to Muskoka/Baysville where we could see the lakeside setting of Hannah Bonam-Young’s People Watching/ People Pleasing. 

Thanks to Kate for chatting with us and to Random House for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends October 5th at midnight EST.

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Tara Badstubner is making herself at home with us...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to introduce Tara Badstubner, whose debut, Every Room Remembers, will be available from Sibylline Press starting tomorrow. It's giving similar vibes to the eighties film Always. And a ghost story is perfect for this time of year. Thanks to Books Forward, we have one copy to give away!

Tara Badstubner lives in Pennsylvania and is busy creating her next novel surrounded by her husband, children, grandbabies, and several silly dogs. A former Artist-In-Residence for Bookgardan, Tara can be found at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:

After losing her husband Wyatt to a sudden accident, interior designer SJ Monroe believes she is alone with her crushing grief. But nothing is further from the truth. Wyatt, a ghost trapped in a liminal state, must watch in silence, unable to help, as the woman he loves rattles around their unfinished farmhouse in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He mourns all that remained unresolved in their marriage – the children they never had, the depression that stalked him, and the fractures in their relationship.

Over the following months, SJ survives, aided by the company of Wyatt’s dog, Hawk, and nightly drives to Wendy’s for her habitual fry and chocolate shake. She marshals the courage to take a restoration job for the historic Osprey House in her hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina. A vigilant Wyatt follows as she reconnects with family and finds new friends. Signs from the natural world urge her forward. But not everyone wishes her well. 

While trouble looms, an ever-watchful Wyatt resolves to find a way to speak to SJ from beyond the grave – to tell her to abandon the grief and guilt consuming her, and to claim her happiness. Will she hear him? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“Badstubner has created the most beautiful space: a novel we can sink into, that we don’t want to leave. This luminous debut is masterfully built and beautifully detailed, echoing with the fullness of life—the dark moments as well as the glorious light.”
—Stacey Swann, author of Olympus, Texas

“In prose as sure and subtle as a steadying hand on one’s shoulder, Badstubner’s characters find a way to walk into their unimagined futures, where love and memory, the author reminds us, have the power to outlast us all.”
—Kate Moses, author of Cakewalk: A Memoir

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you?
The road to publishing this book required a high degree of tenacity, patience and blind optimism.

How is SJ similar to or different from you?
SJ’s affinity for interior design is one point of similarity. I’ve always been intrigued by architecture and by what makes a home welcoming and beautiful. My own home has been a refuge for me many times over.

If Every Room Remembers was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I think Emily Blunt or Carey Mulligan would be interesting picks for the protagonist, SJ. As Wyatt, SJ’s husband, now a ghost, Michael Fassbender or Andrew Garfield would do a great job of capturing his reflective regret.

Which book made you fall in love with reading?
The very first book that completely captivated me as a child was Eloise. I have vivid memories of sitting on my bedroom floor with the book open in my lap, studying those detailed black-and-pink illustrations, especially the one of her bedroom. To me, Eloise was living the high life: a home at the Plaza, an elevator ready to take her anywhere and a pet turtle!

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
First, I’d be amazed that anyone was interested, but I suppose I’d go with Rachel Weisz. She has a fabulous husky voice.

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I would take you to a beautiful gem of a garden called Chanticleer. We’d ramble along the paths and take our sweet time, and then I’d take you to a nearby French café for lunch.

Thanks to Tara for chatting with us and to Books Forward for sharing her book with our readers!

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends September 29th at midnight EST.

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Excerpt and Giveaway: If Not You

We're celebrating the publication of Ellen O'Clover's latest novel, If Not You, today with an excerpt for you to check out. This, along with an amazing cover and sizzling enemies-to-lovers premise, is sure to draw you in right away. Thanks to Berkley, we have one copy to give away!

Synopsis:
Mattie French has always known how to tell a good story. It’s why she stopped at nothing to land her dream career as a copywriter at a scrappy independent advertising agency. In fact, if it weren’t for one person, Mattie would probably be the most-talked-about rising star in town.

Campbell Porter is a senior copywriter at Chicago’s slickest agency. Absurdly talented, incredibly aware of it, and the bane of Mattie’s existence since they were interns together, Campbell is always just…there, with his golden-boy smirk and the familiar gaze that never fails to taunt her across a crowded room.

Mattie would love nothing more than to avoid Campbell forever. But when their agencies are pitted against each other to compete for a luxury resort account, it’s her chance to prove she can beat him—and earn the promotion she covets. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“This is my favorite read of the year. If Not You shows the beautifully devastating reality of yearning and life’s inevitable failures. Ellen O’Clover’s writing is stunning, smart, and never lets go of your heart for a single second. I will never stop recommending this book.”

—Julie Olivia, USA Today bestselling author of If It Makes You Happy

"The settings are enchanting, the writing is sublime, and readers should expect to fall deeply in love with both Mattie and Campbell. I certainly did. The saddest part of this book was turning the final page because I never wanted it to end."
—Lauren Connolly, author of PS: I Hate You and Love in Plane Sight

Excerpt:

It wasn’t until we left for college and then, eventually, moved to our own place in Chicago that I knew what it felt like to belong somewhere without the constant pressure of needing to earn my place. To be the quietest, or the politest, or the most talented, just so no one would look at me too hard and think: Is it time for her to go? “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you for a whole month,” Ava says, now. “Who will bang the water pipe for me? Who will tell me when the outfit I’ve put together is an embarrassment to all of womankind?”

Who will be there for me, I think, when you’re gone? But I don’t say this, because it isn’t fair.

“I only go if we win next week,” I tell her, instead. “Very high probability I’m not going anywhere at all.”

“Please.” Ava’s done with her nails and leans backward into the couch, careful not to disturb Pancake. Lev’s fish tank burbles from across the room. “You and Dexter are the best there is.”

“Well,” I say. My voice is even, but I can’t quite look at her. “Campbell Porter’s also going to be there.”

Ava gasps, closemouthed, like a lawn mower wheezing to life.

Her eyes are wide. “You didn’t tell me.” 

“I didn’t want it to be real.”

“Why is that man haunting you?” Ava demands. She sits forward, fingers splayed wide to dry. Behind her, warm light glows from beneath our ancient microwave. “Of all the agencies in Chicago.”

“Well, Wicksteed wants the best.” 

“Which is you.”

“And Campbell.”

Ava rolls her eyes. “Says who?”

“Cannes,” I say, flatly. “Adweek. Should I go on?”

“Well, I think he’s nothing but a washed-up prep school jock who gets off on putting others down.” She lifts one hand, pointer finger extended. “And, he’s too handsome for his own good.”

I let out a great gust of a sigh. “That’s not exactly an insult.” “It’s the truth,” she says. “You can’t trust anyone who’s that smart and that good-looking. Except us, of course.”

“So you think he’s smart,” I say, and Ava rolls her eyes again. “I think you think he’s smart.”

It’s the worst thing about Campbell. That he’s always accosting me with how exceptional he is.

When I don’t respond, Ava pins me with a look. “You need to ignore him, Mattie.”

“That’s the plan,” I say, though even now I’m picturing Camp-bell’s face. Haunting me, indeed.

“I know how you get around him.” 

I scoff. “How do I get around him?”

Ava hesitates, trying to spin up the word. Finally, she lands on, “Attack-y.”

“Attack‑y?”

“You know what I mean!” Pancake stirs at the rise in her voice, looking up. The crocheted blanket on the back of the couch, a housewarming gift from Mrs. Zimmerman, slips onto her back and she bolts out of the room. “He distracts you, Mattie. Don’t let this become about him.”

I’m insulted she would suggest it, and I feel my face going hot. “He doesn’t distract me.”

“You don’t need to prove anything to him,” Ava says, gentler. “That’s all I meant.”

But I do need to prove something to Campbell Porter. That I can do the one thing I’ve never done: beat him.

Credit: Noah Berg

Ellen O’Clover writes stories about love, identity, and belonging for both teens and adults. She grew up in Ohio and studied creative writing at the Johns Hopkins University before moving west to Colorado, where she lives in a little green house under a giant aspen tree with her rocket scientist husband and two perfect bulldogs.

Visit Ellen online:

Website * Instagram * TikTok

Thanks to Berkley for sharing the excerpt and book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends September 21st at midnight EST.

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It's easy to fall in love with Kristyn J. Miller's stories...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to have Kristyn J. Miller back at CLC today to talk about her latest novel, Fall into Place. If you're seeking a romance that will put you in a seasonal mood, look no further! We enjoyed chatting with Kristyn again and her answers to our questions were fun to read. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have THREE copies to give away!

Kristyn J. Miller is the author of Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts and Given Our History. A lifelong history nerd with a background in museum work, she finally earned her M.A. in history and museum studies at University of New Hampshire in 2023. In between novels, she spends her free time wandering peat bogs, sampling craft beers, and restoring her old colonial house in rural Maine with her husband.

Visit Kristyn online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:
Lenore’s life is falling apart. Propelled home from Manhattan to rural Vermont to spend one final autumn at her family’s historic apple orchard before it’s sold, Lenore struggles to say goodbye. Not only to French Hill Farm, but to everything that once inspired her art. Soon enough, entries in her late grandmother’s journal reignite memories of Lenore’s childhood―and the crush on the groundskeeper's son she's since tried to forget.

Callan’s path has been laid out for him for as long as he can remember: live, work, and die in Whitbury, Vermont. He’s taken over for his father as the groundskeeper at French Hill Farm, but now that it’s soon to be sold, his future has turned abruptly uncertain. The last thing he needs is a distraction―like Lenore French showing up out of the blue, looking even better than he remembered. As his best friend’s little sister, she’s always been off limits, and the last time they saw each other, he blew his chance anyway.

Lenore has long believed that her dreams are too big for the small town she grew up in―the same town Callan believes he can never outrun. But one last autumn together could paint their hometown―and each other―in a brand new light. (Courtesy of Amazon.) 

“With prose that makes you want to linger on every page and a love story more delicious than an apple cider doughnut, FALL INTO PLACE feels like being wrapped in a warm flannel blanket.” ―Victoria Lavine, international bestselling author of Any Trope but You

"A perfect fit for romance readers craving a tender and cinematic love story to read under an antique quilt, with a warm cider and a smile." 

―Jacqueline Firkins, author of Marlowe Banks, Redesigned

"Enchanting as a New England farmhouse in the fiery color of fall, this is the perfect autumn escape." ―Ellen O'Clover, author of The Heartbreak Hotel

What is a favorite compliment you've received on your writing?
I love when readers reach out to tell me how much they identified with a character. For me, reading is all about empathy and human connection. It’s so fulfilling to hear that someone felt seen in some small way by the stories I’m telling. 

How is Lenore similar to or different from you?
I relate to Lenore’s struggle to rediscover her artistic side. Burnout is very real, and once you set a creative outlet aside in favor of work, relationships, whatever the cause, it’s not always easy to find your way back to that thing you love. 

If Fall into Place was made into a movie, which songs would be on the soundtrack?
I had a very succinct playlist when I first began drafting, which was quickly overtaken by Noah Kahan’s entire discography. A lot of his music has themes that overlap with Fall into Place, and it felt fitting that he’s also from Vermont. In particular, I think “The View Between Villages” really encapsulates Lenore’s complicated feelings toward home—that tension between the beauty of rural New England and the uneasy memories that linger there. 

Which book made you fall in love with reading?
This is such a hard question to answer because I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember! The earliest book I remember liking is Do You Know What I’m Going to Do Next Saturday by Helen Palmer, which no one has ever heard of because it’s been out of print for years.

What is your favorite autumn activity?
I love a good apple orchard! My parents used to sell their woodwork at a craft market in this little town called Oak Glen, which was famous for its apple orchards. It was one of few places in our region of Southern California where you could actually see the trees change color. I think that really solidified autumn as my favorite season! 

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it?
I like the idea of Cate Blanchett. Which may or may not have something to do with me being a big Lord of the Rings fan! My life would be comparatively less eventful to narrate. 

Thanks to Kristyn for visiting with us and to St. Martin's Press for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends September 15th at midnight EST.

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We can’t say we’re sorry for loving Rebecca Wait ...plus a book giveaway

Courtesy of Rebecca Wait

We're excited to welcome Rebecca Wait to CLC to celebrate the publication of her latest novel, I'm Sorry You Feel That Way. It sounds like an interesting story about motherhood and sibling relationships. We had a great conversation with Rebecca and we know you'll enjoy what she has to say. Thanks to Harper Perennial, we have THREE copies to give away!

Rebecca Wait studied English at Oxford University and spent more than a decade teaching English in London secondary schools while writing novels. She has also taught creative writing courses for adults. She now lives in Buckinghamshire and writes full time. Visit Rebecca at her website.

Synopsis:

Alice and Hanna haven’t spoken in years—but where better to reconnect with an estranged sister than at a funeral?

Years earlier, their mother Celia and aunt Katy had their own tempestuous relationship. Katy was pretty and easy to love; Celia was unassuming and “unprepossessing,” according to their mother. But in her teens, Katy began to change, in bits, then bounds— until finally, her doctors arrived at a diagnosis that then took all the family’s energy, though they refused to admit it. Celia was on her own, developing hang-ups that come from a family suffering in silence.

When Celia has her own children—twins Alice and Hanna, saint and sinner, and their eternally disapproving brother Michael—her parenting is, predictably, unconventional. Alice and Hanna seem caught in the unforgiving hands of fate, doomed to repeat the cycle of Celia and Katy as Hanna spins out of control upon entering university.

At the wryly beating heart of I’m Sorry You Feel That Way are sisters, grappling with how family dynamics curdle or calcify over time. Bookended by funerals, where the foibles of human nature and the humor found at the nexus of denial and despair are inevitably on display, I’m Sorry You Feel That Way is a whipsmart addition to a growing body of work by a gifted stylist. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"It's a tender tribute to anyone who's ever felt not quite at home—even or especially at home." 

- Ariel Courage, author of Bad Nature

"A brutally funny and whip-smart novel about dysfunctional families, with some of the best fictional sibling relationships I've ever read."

- Hannah Beckerman, author of The Forgetting

What is a favorite compliment you received on your writing?
I’m not very receptive to compliments; they just slide off me. How joyless of me. Though the opposite is true as well, and I don’t get derailed by criticism, so I suppose it works out even. I do remember someone once told me my prose is very ‘clean’ and I appreciated that, though admittedly it makes my prose sound like a wellness regime. I try to be precise in writing what I mean, without too many flourishes.
 

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing I'm Sorry You Feel That Way?
The whole experience was quite messy. I was teaching high school English in London while working on the book, which is fun but exhausting, and I was pregnant and always tired. Then Covid hit, so I was teaching my students over Zoom, and we were all going slightly insane. Weirdly, the more stressed I felt, the more jokes seemed to creep into the book. I hadn’t set out to write a comedy, but I think I ended up writing to cheer myself up. Then I did the edits on pretty much zero sleep, with a newborn baby strapped to my chest, so that was a wild ride too, and god knows what bizarre changes I made to the manuscript. That whole period's a bit of a blur. 
 

If I'm Sorry were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I’d want Florence Pugh to play Hanna – she’d capture her steeliness and humour perfectly – and for Alice, Saoirse Ronan. You know, if either of them happened to be free. 
 

Which book made you fall in love with reading?
Hard to trace it back to the very first time, though the Narnia books stand out in my memory. As an adult, if I need to fall back in love with reading, I return to some Jane Austen – Persuasion is my favourite – or, in another mood, I re-read Melissa Bank’s brilliant and underrated The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing.   
 
What is your favorite thing about autumn?
Rain! I live just outside of London and we get a lot of rain. I love it. Sunshine is wasted on me. 

What was the last thing that made you laugh?
My five-year-old daughter, last night, was crying with laughter at an objectively very unfunny joke, and seeing her in that state made me laugh a lot too. She’s got this lovely, helpless, gurgling laugh. 

Thanks to Rebecca for chatting with us and to Harper Perennial for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends September 7th at midnight EST.

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Kat Mackenzie’s latest experiment has chemistry...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to have Kat Mackenzie here to celebrate the publication of her latest novel, Experiments in Offline Dating. This virtual vacation romance sounds absolutely delightful. Thanks to HarperCollins, we have THREE copies for some lucky readers!

Kat Mackenzie is an American who just happened to find herself living abroad for ten years and accidentally traveling to over forty countries in an attempt to taste all the food. She holds degrees from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Oxford but has discovered that they serve her best collecting dust on the shelf while she pens comedy-forward stories about women who travel.

Visit Kat online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:
A sharp-witted enemies-to-lovers romcom about a podcaster who embarks on a matchmaking tour of Ireland and gets trapped with a grump who pushes all of her buttons.

Maya Davis is chronically terrible at dating. So much so that she's turned her catastrophic dating experiments into a full-time job. Hellbent on dating "offline" for her second podcast season, Maya travels to Ireland to meet the world-renowned local matchmaker, and gets set up on a slew of horribly funny meet-ups that are exactly the type of comedy gold she was looking for.

At the town’s annual Matchmaking Festival, Maya wins a blind date with a surly local sheep farmer. But while she's had every bad date in the book, nothing could have prepared her for the apocalyptic, full-body-cringe that is the worst date of her life!

All she wants to do is forget it ever happened, but when the mischievous matchmaker talks her into a whirlwind dating adventure, he fails to mention that it's with the one person in Ireland that she just can't stand - her blind date catastrophe!

Trapped together, Maya and Tadhg journey across picturesque landscapes and green countryside until their constant verbal sparring feels increasingly like chemistry. And the more time they spend together, the more Maya begins to wonder if perhaps she’s not so catastrophic at love after all.

Brimming with humor and delicious tension, this heartfelt travel romance is the perfect escape!

What is a favorite compliment you received on your writing?

Hmmm. It always touches me to hear that I gave someone hope about rising from the ashes of their current situation. I absolutely love when people go traveling and visit the sites, pubs, and restaurants that I recommend in my books. I have also been told that my writing is a masterclass on insults, and I find that particularly delectable!

How is Maya similar to or different from you?

Actually, Maya is more similar to me than my last FMC Alice. I’m pretty calm and I tend to just go with the flow. I use humor as a competitive sport. Dates don’t stress me out the way they do Maya, and unlike her, the scientific part of my brain has long since atrophied. But I do have six foster-fail rescue pets!

If Experiments in Offline Dating was made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?

Oh my goodness - this one is so difficult. I think I’d like Aiden Turner for Tadhg with his gorgeous Irish accent, or a messy, bearded Henry Cavill. But Maya is impossible. I actually had a line in my book about which actress she looked like (since Jackie is always comparing people to actors), but I had to take it out because I just couldn’t decide! We would need someone with a wry, comic deadpan, and a mess of curly hair! 

Note from Melissa: Glad to throw my hat into the ring. 😉

Which book made you fall in love with reading?

So so so many. But perhaps one of the first that truly made me laugh was Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. More than anything, I want my books to make people laugh. It is my only goal.

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 

Ha! I love this question. I’m going to say David Attenborough, because I am a scientific anomaly which should be studied.  

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see? 

Right now? I travel a lot, but at the moment I’m at my family home in Louisiana, so I’d take you kayaking in the swamps and then for a Cajun foodie tour, and then off to New Orleans for a pub crawl and music… and probably more food, let’s be honest. 

Thanks to Kat for chatting with us and HarperCollins for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends August 30th at midnight EST.

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Spotlight and Giveaway: The Last Pirouette

We're excited to share Janette DeFelice's debut novel, The Last Pirouette. Both the premise and the cover look really interesting. Thanks to Wildbound PR, we have THREE copies to give away!

A haunting, emotionally charged novel about the burden of being a woman, the grip of childhood trauma, and a mother’s fight to reclaim her life before losing her daughter—and herself—forever.

When Delia lands a coveted spot with a prestigious New York ballet company, she steps into a world of beauty, betrayal, and brutal ambition—while her mother, Victoria, is left behind to confront the wreckage of her own unrealized dreams and long-buried trauma. A cryptic prophecy shadows their lives and as Delia’s path toward womanhood is marred by injury and manipulation, Victoria embarks on a tender, midlife metamorphosis—rekindling her own desire and learning, too late, that letting go is not the same as giving up.

Told with lyrical grace and unflinching honesty, this haunting, feminist portrait of art, sacrifice, and rebirth reminds us: life dances on, a tragic ballet. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

“The Last Pirouette by Janette DeFelice is filled with striking imagery and emotional intelligence; it's a novel that understands how women carry the weight of other women's lives, and the liberating journey towards finding their own.”
—IndieReader

"DeFelice has a true gift for storytelling, and a gentle and graceful voice to carry us through the many twists and turns of a novel that reads like nonfiction. Heart-breaking. Crushing. Beautiful."
—Sondra R. Brooks, author of Not Good Enough Girl

Courtesy of Janette's Facebook page

Janette DeFelice is a health sciences professor, author, essayist, former professional dancer, and physician who chose motherhood over medicine. Her work explores performance, motherhood, ambition, trauma, and the female experience. She lives outside Chicago with her husband, twin teenagers, and an orange cat.  Visit Janette at her website and on Facebook.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends August 25th at midnight EST.

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Spotlight and Giveaway: The Best I Never Had

We're excited to celebrate the publication of Amy Buchanan's latest rom-com, The Best I Never Had. If you like the fake-dating and/or forced proximity tropes, this one is definitely for you! Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have THREE copies up for grabs!

They staged a romance, faked a breakup, and this time around, anything can happen—even something real.

Thea Pappas has always been the storm in her own life—fiery and unpredictable—traits that led her and her younger sister, Addy, through a series of foster homes. But with Addy's whirlwind engagement, Thea is determined to be the perfect maid of honor, even if she finds it odd that she hadn't heard of the fiancé until the ring was on Addy's finger. She believes she can survive a week in the Blue Ridge Mountains with a group of strangers without causing any trouble.

But upon arrival, Thea realizes these aren't strangers. Among the familiar faces is Owen Hayes—the man who, three years ago, paid her to pretend to be his girlfriend at a family wedding. Now, he's looking at her with the same panicked expression.

Owen's life has always been about control—managing his mother's matchmaking schemes, his family's expectations, and the career path he never truly chose. Thea was his one rebellion, a beautiful lie that ended with a "heart-destroying" fake breakup. Now, with his younger brother's wedding underway and his mother on the prowl, Owen begs Thea to reprise their roles. One week. Same fake breakup. No feelings.

But as old sparks reignite and the lines between pretense and reality blur, Thea and Owen will have to choose: carry on their greatest performance yet or admit the truth—that it was never fake at all.

"THE BEST I NEVER HAD is a fun twist on two of my favorite tropes, fake dating and second chance romance. With a hilarious cast of secondary characters, a dreamy forced proximity setting, and some serious steam, this is a must read for any rom com fan." 
—Falon Ballard, USA Today Bestselling author of Change of Heart

"Deliciously hot, poignant, and brimming with tenderness, Amy Buchanan is at her best in this smart, sexy romp that paints a deeply romantic portrait of love, identity, and the family we choose for ourselves."
—Heather McBreen, author of Wedding Dashers

"The Best I Never Had is brimming with irresistible charm, sharp humor, and poignant moments that will tug at your heartstrings. It has the perfect ingredients for a five-star romance: a seemingly prickly female main character who's a softie at heart; a cinnamon roll leading man who's sexy as hell; lovable side characters that will keep you in stitches; and yearning for days. For. Days. This was a joy to read!" 

—Mia Sosa, USA Today Bestselling Author of When Javi Dumped Mari

Credit: Erinn Brown
Photography

Amy Buchanan’s affair with romance and books started at three, when she watched Beauty and the Beast and couldn’t decide if she was more obsessed with the prince or the library (The library. Definitely the library). After decades of devouring love stories written by others, she decided to share the ones pinging around in her brain. She writes fun and spicy contemporary romances with relatable heroines, swoonworthy heroes, and loving found families.

She lives in Central Florida with her three littles, two pups, and one husband. On top of writing, she uses her Masters in Higher Education Administration to run a scholarship foundation for first-generation college students. When not working, she trolls travel sites for luxury rentals outside of her travel budget and–poorly–trains for half-marathons.

Visit Amy online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram * TikTok

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends August 23rd at midnight EST.

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Lisa Roe makes family baggage worth carrying...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Jordan M. Roe

We're excited to have Lisa Roe here today to talk about her latest novel, Big & Lily. It sounds like such an interesting story and it is getting rave reviews from authors we love. We hope you will check out our interview with Lisa, as it was a lot of fun. There's even a tie to our interview from earlier this week, so see if you can find that. Thanks to Harper Perennial, we have THREE copies to give away!

Lisa Roe graduated from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and spent many years as an advertising creative director and copywriter in New York City before she accepted the tougher job of stay-at-home mom and turned to writing fiction—mostly to entertain her kids, but then to tell her own stories. A classic first born, reluctant empty nester, and Dr. Doolittle wannabe, Lisa lives in New Jersey with her husband, David and three incorrigible dogs. Big & Lily is her second novel.

Visit Lisa online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:
The Ackerman sisters couldn’t be more different. Big is the glue to her family – the person everyone depends on – but she’s struggling to keep it all together with her retired husband, senior mother, and adult children all under one roof. Her younger sister Lily seems to have it all – a charming and successful business owner with a loving husband.

But when Lily finds out her husband cheated on her with one of their employees, her “perfect” life falls apart. Shocked and overwhelmed, Lily does the only thing that makes sense to her – she runs away from it all. She signs up for an Alaskan adventure and gives Big no choice but to join her.

Arriving in Alaska alongside a group of strangers, Big and Lily quickly realize they are unprepared for a week in the wilderness as they navigate freezing rivers, unmarked trails, and more than one near-death experience.

A trip that was supposed to be a comforting escape from their lives back home in suburban New Jersey quickly becomes a far more meaningful experience. The defenses they’ve used to protect themselves begin to crumble, and they’re forced to face everything they’ve spent decades avoiding: resentment, regret, envy, and the terrifying possibility that the other one’s life might not be as easy as it looks.

"You will devour this delicious novel like you might a bag of trail mix in the outback. It's sweet. It's salty. It's everything you need as a reader to keep you nourished." 

— Steven Rowley, New York Times bestselling author of The Guncle

"A heartwarming, fast-paced story, Big & Lily follows two sisters whose thrilling—and at times perilous—adventure in the wilds of Alaska teaches them everything they need to know about what really matters in life." 

— Amy Poeppel, bestselling author of Far And Away

“Big & Lily is a hilarious thrill ride that had me doubling over in stitches. Wildly entertaining, heartfelt, and powerful—this story grabs hold of you and hangs with you well after the last page.”  

— Annie Cathryn, multi-award-winning author of The Friendship Breakup

What is a favorite compliment you've received on your writing?
I’ve been so grateful to have received some lovely comments from readers. It means the world to me when someone says they relate to a specific character in one of my books, because not only are my characters like family to me, but there is a little piece of me in each of them. 

I must say though, I just received the compliment of a lifetime when a reader, who recently discovered my debut novel, Welcome to the Neighborhood wrote, “If Tina Fey doesn’t option this, I’ll be shocked!” It doesn’t get much better than that! 

Which character is more similar to you, Big or Lily?
Let’s just say that Bridget and I have a lot in common. As the eldest of four, I’m the stereotypical Big Sister with all the classic traits: in-charge, organized, goal-oriented, and reliable, with a skosh of perfectionism and a dash of anxiety. While my two younger sisters are nothing like Lily, I do take the responsibility of mother henning them very seriously, whether they like it or not. 

If Big & Lily was made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Speaking of Tina Fey… 

I always cast my books before I start them. And nine times out of ten, the lead is Tina Fey! (Now you can understand the pure delight I felt in hearing that reader’s comment!) Tina would make the perfect Bridget aka Big (are you listening, Tina?) She could easily handle the Big Sister who wants to kill her younger sib but is still willing to die for her any day of the week (and almost does in the book!) For Lily, I picture Jennifer Lawerence. She’s beautiful, sharp witted and smart—the perfect baby sister. 

What is the last book you read that you would recommend?
I recently read and blurbed Maddie Dawson’s upcoming novel, Set Your Life on Fire. It’s the story of two strangers who take an unplanned trip across the country, with different reasons to reach their destination quickly, and how their lives change during their travels. I’m a huge Maddie fan, always delighted with her engaging voice, her irrepressible characters, and her quirky take on love and romance. Unfortunately, readers are going to have to wait until November 10th—although it is up for preorder now. 

What is a question you would want someone to ask you?
So far, with all the questions I’ve been asked about Big & Lily, surprisingly no one has brought up the fox in the book. I’d love to talk about not only my obsession with woodland creatures, foxes in particular, but about the lore of crossing paths with a fox who can, and I paraphrase, help you make decisions and changes and find your path when you are lost, all important themes in Big & Lily. 

What is something you had a good laugh about recently?

I’m afraid to admit that I’m someone who cracks up at stupid Instagram reels and memes of dogs being weird and people falling down and mom stand-up comics and My Therapist says jokes. I forward them to my bestie and wait for her to respond with a hahahahhaha or LOL or ROFL and then send one back. And so forth, and so on, ad infinitum…

Thanks to Lisa for chatting with us and Harper Perennial for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends August 18th at midnight EST.

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Amanda Sellet gives us something to say “oui” about...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to welcome Amanda Sellet to CLC today to celebrate the publication of her latest rom-com, My Best French Wedding. We've featured some of her books in the past and are glad we got a chance to chat with her this time. Her answers to our questions were enjoyable to read and we hope you will like them too. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have FIVE copies to give away!

Amanda Sellet is a former journalist and the author of rom-coms for teens and adults, including By the Book, which Booklist described in a starred review as, “impossible to read without laughing out loud.” She loves old movies, baked goods, and embarrassing her teen daughter. Visit Amanda at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:

Will it be l’amour the merrier or too haute to handle when rival reporters with a tangled history compete to tell the story of the year at a ritzy destination wedding?

Once upon a time, Walter was Hildy’s favorite person—until he crushed her teenage dreams. A decade later, she has a new beloved: the magazine she built from the ground up. Unfortunately, getting rid of Walter isn’t as easy as shedding her romantic illusions. He’s always around, vying for the juiciest scoops on the elite wedding circuit and provoking her into public displays that don’t scream “mature and sophisticated media maven.”

When Hildy scores exclusive access to the wedding of the season—a week-long parade of luxury in southern France—it’s a chance for her magazine to finally make its mark. Except Walter isn’t sitting at home crying; he’s right there in France, trying to steal Hildy’s story. Again.

Now it’s a head-to-head battle to see whose coverage will make it to print. The problem? Between the champagne and the chateaux, it’s easy to lose sight of the prize. Hildy knows better than to believe in fairy tales, but Walter is doing his best to convince her they could have a part deux.

In this gender-flipped twist on His Girl Friday, Hildy has seven days to prove she is totally over it, living her best life, and definitely not hung up on the past . . . or Walter.

“Sellet is one of the wittiest writers out there.”

―Dahlia Adler, author of Soon by You

“A joyful escape, a loving tribute to a fabulous film, and a perfect fit for armchair travellers who enjoy a lot of push in their push-and-pull love stories, and a lot of “com” in their rom-coms.”

―Jacqueline Firkins, author of The Goode Girls of Maple Lane

“Amanda Sellet is a comic genius.”

―Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

What is a favorite compliment you've received on your writing?
When I was still working for a newspaper full-time, I wrote a story about one of the top restaurants in Chicago. A few days after it ran, I got a call from the very famous chef’s personal assistant, asking me to hold, and then the chef himself got on the line to thank me. He told me that no one had ever written about his food so well, and since he and his restaurants had been featured in media outlets all over the world, that was thrilling to my early career self. Plus I care deeply about food, so I loved the idea that my words might have been able to bring that sublime meal to life for readers. 

How is Hildy similar to or different from you?

On the surface, Hildy is a bold and confident extrovert who acts first, whereas I am much more likely to lurk in the background making snarky comments and second-guessing myself—though I did give her some of my insecurities to balance the bravado. Nor do I share her economic privilege, to put it mildly; my background is closer to Walter’s in that respect. 

Where Hildy and I align most closely is probably our career ambitions. Writing books is a quieter lifestyle than running a magazine, but both pursuits demand a level of persistence that can appear borderline delusional from the outside. You gotta want it, as my middle brother likes to say. 

If My Best French Wedding was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
For Hildy, I’d go with someone curly-haired who has enough of an edge to handle the rapid-fire dialogue, so maybe Zendaya or Odessa A’zion. And for Walter, I think Andrew Garfield has the right slightly shy vibe, and his hair is also on point. 

Which book made you fall in love with reading?
As a very early reader, I couldn’t get enough of Greek mythology and fairy tales and the Arabian Nights, but if we’re talking books in the strictest sense rather than collections of stories it was probably somewhere between The Light Princess by George MacDonald, The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley, whichever Madeleine L’Engle I read first, and Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series. The years between second and fifth grade may have been my peak reading era!  

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it?

Emma Thompson would be my first choice, though Tina Fey might be more fitting. 

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
The first stop would be my local indie, The Raven Book Store, to meet the majestic resident cats, Sammy and Dean, and do a little shopping. Assuming you aren’t gluten-averse, we would follow that up with a Tour de Beurre, as I have dubbed my self-guided downtown bakery crawl. Bougie donuts, a twice-baked croissant, homemade pie—there are so many options, depending on your tastes (and your tolerance for buttery pastries). Plus we might run into a few local author friends and join them for a beverage and a chat, which is one of my other favorite treats.  

Thanks to Amanda for visiting with us and to St. Martin's Press for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends August 17th at midnight EST.

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Listen to this book on Speechify!