Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!
Today we are welcoming Ann Montclair, author of One Wet Summer to the blog! She is currently touring with Goddessfish Promotions. To promote her book, she is here answering some questions about herself and her book. She is also giving away 3 $10.00 Musa Publishing GCs to randomly drawn commenters from the tour. To be entered, make sure you leave a comment here, and to increase your chances, click here to find the tour list and leave comments on the rest of the blogs! If this book sound like something that you would enjoy, please use the buy links at the bottom of this post to pick up a copy!
Barb – Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing.
Ann – I’m a wife, mom, and teacher who decided life was too short and too precious to not pursue my dream of becoming a novelist. I‘ve always read and enjoyed romance, so it seemed natural to write in that genre. The Billionaire’s Bauble was my first book and One Wet Summer is my second.
Barb – What is your favorite part of writing?
Ann – My favorite part of writing is getting to know my characters. I love each one. They become my confidants and my friends.
Barb – What part of writing do you find the most challenging?
Ann – I find revision challenging because I tend to want things to be perfect, and that’s an impossible standard.
Barb – Tell us a bit about your new release – One Wet Summer.
Ann – One Wet Summer is a story about a young professional woman who takes a vacation and falls for the hotel owner. She doesn’t want or need any complications in her life, and this man has a ton of baggage she feels unable to adequately unpack. It’s a sensual, contemporary romance set in steamy Savannah, Georgia.
Barb – What challenges did you face bringing this book to market, if any.
Ann – I sent it to a few places and they all wanted it, but I could only choose one publisher. I’m glad I went with Musa Publishing because they are very involved in my success and truly want every book they publish to meet a standard of excellence—that appeals to me.
Barb – Do you have a favorite character in One Wet Summer?
Ann – Of course, I love my heroine, Maura Fields. She is a school teacher who loves good food and sports. She is a blend of all the best qualities of my mom and daughter, Laura and Morgan: thus, the name Maura.
Barb – When you write, do you start with an outline, or do you let the characters take the story away?!
Ann – I have a one page outline, very loose, and I tend to follow it unless the characters do something I can’t stop. My next novel, Good Things Come in Tall Packages, features two characters from One Wet Summer that unbeknownst to me hooked up when I wasn’t looking.
Barb – What is your favorite all time book – or is there more than one?
Ann – I love reading and enjoy many genres. I tend to be absolutely in love with whatever I’m reading at the moment. Right now that would be Lee Child’s 61 Hours and Nora Robert’s Carnal Innocence.
Barb – Where can your fans keep in touch with you?
Ann – My website http://www.annmontclair.com
Or via email ann@annmontclair.com
Barb – What do you have in the works, and when can your fans expect your next book?
Ann – Good Things Come in Tall Packages will be released in August, and my Tudor romance, Lady in Deed, is due near Christmas.
Barb – Do you have anything else you’d like to add?
Ann – Thanks for hosting me. I love sharing a bit about my stories with would-be fans.
Maura Fields loves her uncomplicated, independent, single life, but things quickly change when a summer vacation opens the door to an unexpected world of passion and desire. Wealthy Savannah hotelier Ben Driscoll had his playboy lifestyle upended when his ex-wife died, entrusting him to care for their daughter—a child he sequesters and vows to protect from future heartache and disappointment. Can the wall Ben has built around his heart withstand the assault from the intriguing, beguiling Maura, or will it crumble, leaving him vulnerable to the undeniable attraction and unbridled need to make her his own?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Maura had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Why not? What was she here for? Fun. And escape from the responsibilities of catering to children. This man looked like more fun than she had ever had, and Savannah was certainly an escape from the confines of her seventh grade classroom at Atlanta Mills Middle School. Ms. Fields was just Maura today, and damn, it felt good.
“My name is Maura Fields,” she said, and she giggled as his lips pursed—as if he were tasting her name and found he liked its flavor. “Maura Fields: single woman, no complications. Are you married, encumbered in any way? I hate to be so blunt, Ben, but I am a woman alone on vacation, and I don’t want to find myself taken advantage of, even by someone as beguiling as you.”
He looked taken aback as his blue eyes rounded and one eyebrow arched. “Ms. Fields, I am not married. Does that make you feel more at ease with my invitation?”
“Why, yes, it does!” she couldn’t help but exclaim.
“So, I will see you at four, ready to swim?” he inquired again, but this time it sounded like a statement, a predetermined actuality. Maura liked an assertive man, especially one so dapper. She nodded her head affirmatively, not trusting herself to make a dignified sound.
Ben bowed slightly and slowly raked his brilliant eyes over her body, toe to top. With an appreciative smile playing about his sexy mouth, he said, “Maura, you’re the best thing that has happened around this old place in a very long time.”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I was born in Los Angeles, California, where my parents and grown daughter now reside. I currently live in the Finger Lakes region of New York with my sexy hero, our handsome son, and a pile of lazy dogs and ferocious cats. I enjoy a plethora of hobbies including but not limited to attending concerts, hiking and cycling, cooking, and gardening. I love to dance, to dress up, and I’ll go just about anywhere a good time can be had.
I’ve built a satisfying career as an English professor at a small, rural community college, and now I’m also writing and publishing romance. I’ve finished and sold a few contemporary titles, and I’m working on perfecting a Tudor historical, and penning a modern day romantic suspense.
I plan to spend the rest of my life reading and writing in my little cabin in the woods.
My biggest wish is that each of my readers will be inspired to believe in and find their own happily-ever-after.
Ann can be found:
Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter
Her book can be purchased at Musa Publishing
I’d like to thank Ann for dropping by and sharing. Make sure that you leave a comment in order to win a gift card. And make sure you visit the blogs below to increase your chances to win!
June 18: The Reading Nook
June 18: REVIEW ONLY Reviewing Shelf
June 19: Sugarbeat’s Books
June 20: Writers and Authors
June 21: From Me to You … Video, Photography, & Book Reviews
June 22: Tamaria Soana
June 25: REVIEW ONLY Reviews by Molly
June 26: Rachel Brimble Romance
June 27: Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer
June 28: It’s Raining Books
June 29: Love to Read Romance
I appreciate you hosing me today!
Hi Ann!
I’m happy to host you today! The book sounds really interesting! Good luck with this tour!
Thank you for hosting Ann today.
Loved your first book and look forward to the new release!
Hi Ann…I also work at a community college (as a librarian) and I occasionally teach English. I like the Savannah setting for your book. It’s such a great city…but not in the summer! UGH…too much humidity for me. I always preferred the winter there.
@capefearlibn
The heat in Savannah inspired the steamier parts of my story! 😉 Thanks for stopping by!