Showing posts with label first impressions. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Romantic Reads: The Trouble with Love, a book by Toni Shiloh

Welcome Toni Shiloh to the blog!

Today, she's here to talk about her new novel, The Trouble With Love.

Enjoy!

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Interview with Toni Shiloh about her book

The Trouble with Love:

Alexis: Why did you write this book and call it “The Trouble with Love”?

Toni: The Trouble With Love perfectly sums up how Holiday views love: trouble. I wanted the book to have some fun moments but real moments as well and I think the title and the story hints at both.

Alexis: What is the leading lady of your story, Holiday Brown, like? Describe her looks, personality, mindset, dreams and character flaws.

Toni: Holiday is an African American woman in her twenties. She’s a bit stubborn, a bit sassy, but fiercely loyal to those she calls friends. She dreams of a life with happiness, but it always seems so out of reach, despite the fact that she’s an award-winning singer. When I wrote her, I used Mickey Guyton as an inspiration image of what I thought Holiday looked like.

Alexis: What is the leading man of your story, W. Emmett Bell, like? Describe his looks, personality, hopes, fears and worst habits.

Toni: Emmett likes to flirt with the leading lady, yet she doesn’t always get the little nicknames he gives her as flirting. He’s a little serious but that’s because his faith grounds him and keeps him from gaining a big ego. Afterall, being a Pulitzer prize-winning photographer could make a person think more of themselves than they should. I pictured him as Jesse Williams from Grey’s Anatomy.

Alexis: What inspired you to make Holiday an award-winning singer living in luxury?

Toni: I really wanted to write about rich heroines and I brainstormed and talked to the characters forming in my mind and I settled on a pop singer.

Alexis: Who in real life, would you compare Holiday’s singing voice to and why?

Toni: Hmm, I was thinking of Mickey Guyton throughout the time I wrote Holiday’s story. However, Mickey is a country singer and I was picturing a more pop vibe in Holiday’s voice.

Alexis: Why has W. Emmett Bell always been the “bane” of Holiday’s existence?

Toni: I’ll tell you a secret. Holiday had a crush on Emmett until he ruined it with judgment. From then on, every joke felt like a slight, every comment a judgment. Each hardened her heart.

Alexis: Why does Holiday believe that it would be too much “trouble” to fall in love?

Toni: Holiday’s father is an R&B legend and also a man who’s been married ten times. She doesn’t believe in love. Thinks it’s as elusive as a unicorn. I mean, how can she believe it’s something that last when her father is the example she has to go by. Not to mention all the other Hollywood romances that end in divorce.

Alexis: What was Emmett’s first impression of Holiday? Describe his relationship with her.

Toni: Emmett has known Holiday since their boarding school days so his impressions of her have gone through many changes. He would like to get to know her more, but all she sees is a judgmental Christian.

Alexis: How many ex-girlfriends are in Emmett’s dating history? Why didn’t it work out?

Toni: There’s only one I discuss in the story and to find out why it didn’t work out, you’ll have to read The Trouble With Love. 😊

Alexis: What is it about Holiday that makes Emmett want to know her better?

Toni: Actually, Holiday’s best friend (and Emmett’s sister) Tori suggests that Holiday give Emmett a chance. Otherwise, she would have been stubborn enough to keep on disliking him.

Alexis: What challenges do Holiday and Emmett have that interfere with their romance?

Toni: First, they don’t like each other. At least, Holiday has strong feelings of dislike. Emmett was a little zealous when he became a believer and said somethings to Holiday that soured her opinion of him. Not only that but she has to weed through her beliefs on love and God before they can have a happily ever after.

Alexis: What role does faith in God play in this storyline?

Toni: Holiday starts out as a nonbeliever, but by the end, she comes to believe that God is real and her need for Him, the realist thing in her world.

Alexis: What was the most challenging aspect of writing this story?

Toni: Never having stepped foot in NYC, I found writing about it a little challenging. Usually I make up a location, but this time I took a chance and set it in a known—well known—location. It was fun as it was challenging.

Alexis: How did you research this story? Did you visit Nashville (home of the music industry)?

Toni: I didn’t. I’ve never been to Nashville although I would love to. I actually watched many episodes of Songland, read books about New York City, and spent time on Google maps looking at various places Holiday visits.

Alexis: What do you want readers to remember most about The Trouble with Love?

Toni: That God has an everlasting love and is the example we should remember, not the broken relationships in this world.

Alexis: Tell us about your Faith & Fortune book series, of which The Trouble with Love is the first. What inspired you to create this series? How many books are in this series?

Toni: There are three books in the series. Holiday and her two roommates each have their moment as the lead.

Alexis: What can readers expect next from you as an author?

Toni: The Truth About Fame releases July 7, 2020. It’s book two in the Faith & Fortune series and I think you’ll love it as much as Holiday’s story.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Toni! Would you like to share closing thoughts?

Toni: Thanks for a great interview, Alexis. Readers, drop me any questions you may have in the comments.

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Author Bio:

Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and multi-published Christian contemporary romance author.

She writes to bring God glory and to learn more about His goodness.

Her novel, Grace Restored, was a 2019 Holt Medallion finalist and Risking Love is a 2020 Selah Award finalist.

A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and of the Virginia Chapter, Toni seeks to help readers find authors.

She loves connecting with readers and authors alike via social media.

You can learn more about her writing at http://tonishiloh.com.

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Back Cover Blurb for The Trouble With Love:

I, Holiday Brown, have it all. A platinum record. Multi-million dollar home in Manhattan that I share with my two best friends. Life is looking fantastic until my roommate’s brother decides to bunk in our guestroom while his house gets renovated.

W. Emmett Bell has always been the bane of my existence. He’s annoying, stubborn, a know it all, and just might be the most gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on.

But I refuse to fall for him.

Then his sister’s threatened by a stalker and dynamics change. His unwavering faith isn’t quite as self-righteous as I’d always thought, and maybe he has a good side I’ve overlooked all these years.

Or maybe it’s all too much trouble.

The Trouble With Love is the first book in the Christian Chick Lit series: Faith & Fortune.

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Buy The Trouble with Love on Amazon

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Connect with Toni:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authortonishiloh
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tonishilohwrite
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/tonishiloh
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tonishiloh
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/tonishiloh
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/toni-shiloh
My BookCave: https://mybookcave.com/profile/toni-shiloh/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gcMfqT
Blogs Toni contributes to: www.inspyromance.com and http://diversitybetweenthepages.wordpress.com

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: "Just Let Go" by Courtney Walsh

About the Book:

Title: Just Let Go

Author: Courtney Walsh

Release Date: June 5, 2018

Genre: Contemporary Romance

For Quinn Collins, buying the flower shop in downtown Harbor Pointe fulfills a childhood dream, but also gives her the chance to stick it to her mom, who owned the store before skipping town twenty years ago and never looking back. Completing much-needed renovations, however, while also competing for a prestigious flower competition with her mother as the head judge, soon has Quinn in over her head. Not that she’d ever ask for help.

Luckily, she may not need to. Quinn’s father and his meddling friends find the perfect solution in notorious Olympic skier Grady Benson, who had only planned on passing through the old-fashioned lakeside town. But when a heated confrontation leads to property damage, helping Quinn as a community-service sentence seems like the quickest way out—and the best way to avoid more negative press.

Quinn finds Grady reckless and entitled; he thinks she’s uptight and too regimented. Yet as the two begin to hammer and saw, Quinn sees glimpses of the vulnerability behind the bravado, and Grady learns from her passion and determination, qualities he seems to have lost along the way. But when a well-intentioned omission has devastating consequences, Grady finds himself cast out of town—and Quinn’s life—possibly forever. Forced to face the hurt holding her back, Quinn must finally let go or risk missing out on the adventure of a lifetime.

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About the Author:

Courtney Walsh is a novelist, artist, theatre director, and playwright.

Her debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, hit the New York Times and USA Today e-book bestseller lists and was a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category.

Courtney lives in Illinois with her husband and three children.

Visit her online at www.courtneywalshwrites.com.

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Guest Post by Courtney Walsh:

It’s funny where inspiration can come from. An overheard conversation in the line at the bank. A story filtered through generations. A rumor that, if true, would make a juicy story… inspiration is everywhere.

Even in the movies, you watch with your kids.

When I first started “plotting” (I put that in quotes because I don’t really plot, but I do have a loose map of where I’m heading) Just Let Go, I had a few ideas about my opposites attract love story that I really loved. I knew I wanted to explore the idea of accepting an apology you never got, and I wanted to take a deeper look at how we can’t really move forward until we let go of the past—and I knew I wanted my hero to be an adrenaline junkie who’d never really had to work for his success. You know those types of people…everything comes easily for them. They’re practically born on top.

And that made me wonder, what happens to someone like that when their bright light starts to flicker?

As I was brainstorming the story, a writer friend of mine pointed out that there were similarities to the Disney/Pixar movie Cars. My hero, Grady Benson, was in a predicament a lot like the one Lightning McQueen finds himself in. I’m a huge fan of Pixar movies, so I liked this as inspiration for one of my novels. I found that Grady’s character is a bit like Lightning’s, though his journey is different.

It was fun to think through that cartoon, which I’ve seen a million and two times, from a story perspective. I gained a new appreciation for the incredible storytellers at Pixar.

Inspiration really is everywhere, and writers are always watching and listening for it. I guess I never expected those countless viewings of cartoons to influence my writing, but a good story is a good story, animated or not.

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My Review:

This story is wonderfully written and the main characters are not easily forgotten.

Courtney Walsh is a skilled storyteller who holds nothing back when she delves deep into her characters and shows the reader how their backstory affects their role in Just Let Go.

The dialogue in this story is fresh and witty. As a reader, this story kept my attention from Chapter One through The End.

The plot was solid and takes turns may surprise even the most experienced reader cannot guess. As a romantic, I loved that the heroine worked in a floral shop. It's a great backdrop for a story that includes romance. The heroine's romance with the hero did not easily unfold after her unfavorable first impression of him. The fact that he had quite the reputation following him only added an extra layer of conflict to the story as it presented all sorts of roadblocks to his desired romance with the heroine.

This story seemed to be family-oriented and that made me smile.

Just Let Go is well-deserving of a five-star review!

*Celebrate Lit provided me (Alexis A. Goring) with a complimentary copy of "Just Let Go". My opinions in this book review are my own.
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Giveaway Details:

To celebrate her tour, Courtney Walsh is giving away a grand prize of a library of Courtney Walsh’s books and a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/d0a4/just-let-go-celebration-tour-giveaway

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