by Michelle Garren Flye
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BLURB:
Carole Barnes once believed she would make her own way in Hollywood, but those days are long gone, leaving behind only a dark, slimy secret that Carole has never shared with anyone. Now she hides in the bright sunshine of the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. As far away as she can get from Hollywood. But what to do when Hollywood comes knocking in the form of a sexy movie star?
Connor Wallace has everything going for him—looks, talent, a successful career—but what he really wants is to perform magic on stage. His love of magic leads him back to his mentor Walt Bryson. At first, he’s pleased when Walt suggests his assistant Carole produce a documentary of his transformation from movie star to magician. He’s worked with Carole before—but the ambitious girl who had a crush on him is gone now, leaving a beautiful, withdrawn woman.
It’s the perfect arrangement. Carole knows she can make a success of the movie and Connor wants to work with her. But as they grow closer, Connor determines to find out her secret. Can love overcome the boundaries of fear? Or will Carole’s past return to plague them both?
Connor Wallace has everything going for him—looks, talent, a successful career—but what he really wants is to perform magic on stage. His love of magic leads him back to his mentor Walt Bryson. At first, he’s pleased when Walt suggests his assistant Carole produce a documentary of his transformation from movie star to magician. He’s worked with Carole before—but the ambitious girl who had a crush on him is gone now, leaving a beautiful, withdrawn woman.
It’s the perfect arrangement. Carole knows she can make a success of the movie and Connor wants to work with her. But as they grow closer, Connor determines to find out her secret. Can love overcome the boundaries of fear? Or will Carole’s past return to plague them both?
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EXCERPT
She reached for a handful of popcorn and her hand brushed his. When she turned her head and met the gaze of the same pair of clear blue eyes as those on the screen, her heart skipped a beat and she froze. For an eternity of a half second, neither of them moved, then he slowly turned his hand over and folded his fingers over hers. “Is this okay?”
“Yes.” She breathed the single word, then added, “And no.”
“No?” He raised his eyebrows.
“I really want some popcorn.”
“And I still really want to kiss you.” His eyes flickered down to her lips. Then he sighed and released her hand. “I guess one of us should get what they want, huh?”
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My Five Go-To Places for Inspiration
By Michelle Garren Flye
Inspiration is hard to come by sometimes, and writers need it all the time, so when writers find those places that do inspire us, we may return often. Here are my top fiveplaces I think of as particularly inspiring to me.
1. Anywhere on a boat. I took sailing lessons several years ago, and I’ve been on two cruises. The combination has convinced me that if I could have a boat big enough for an office for me, I could write nonstop. Fortunately, I live on the coast of North Carolina, so there’s usually a boat I can hop on for a quick ride, even if it’s just a ferryboat.
2. Las Vegas, baby! I would never have believed it, but this city is full of a gritty, neon-kind of magic. It may be the city’s storied history or it may be a kind of show girl glitter, but either way, I love visiting this city, and I usually come away with an idea or two.
3. Our local community theater. The Masonic Theatre in New Bern, N.C., was first introduced to me by my five-year-old daughter who was a starfish in the play “Little Mermaid, Jr.” Since then, she’s been in several plays there, I’ve been in two with her, and we’ve both gone to see many more. It’s a wonderful, historic, haunted (but not really), magical place and it’s inspired at least one of my books, and will no doubt inspire more. I would love to set up an office backstage or up in the balcony or just in the back row and write away.
4. The beach. I love walking on the beach with the waves lapping at my feet, whether it’s in June or January. And I can imagine that Blackbeard once trod on those same sands…
5. My office. Yep. I love to travel, but I also love being at home, and I have a perfect office. I have bookshelves full of my favorite books, from Edgar Allan Poe to Hans Christian Andersen. And a delightful collection of toys and knickknacks that I’ve accumulated over time and from dozens of places. There’s a little china swan from my trip to Germany with my son and all the pictures my family has had made on our trips to Disney World, starting with the one from my honeymoon in 1995. Yes, this office is my haven and it’s full of inspiration for me.
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Michelle Garren Flye is an award-winning romance author of eleven novels and counting. Her short stories have been published by the romance anthology Foreign Affairs, Opium.com, SmokelongQuarterly.com and Flashquake.com, among others. She has served on the editorial staffs of Horror Library, Butcher Shop Quartet and Tattered Souls. Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the mother of three and lives in North Carolina.
Links:
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Michelle Garren Flye will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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Thanks for having me on your blog!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your guest post today. Very interesting to discover where authors get their inspiration.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteLoved the excerpt, sounds like a great book!
ReplyDeleteHow many drafts did you have to write before you were finished? Congrats on the release. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteI think I need to give Vegas another chance...
ReplyDelete--Trix
Did you design the cover? Congrats on the release. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteDid you design the cover? Congrats on the release. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteDid you major in writing in college? Congrats on the release. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteHow long ago did you come up for the idea for this book? Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteWould you ever like to see your book turned into a movie? Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDelete