7:12 AM
Hola readers!
Today I'm joining a blog tour for a book published from Alexis Goring and we'll be jumping in for an interview as well as my review of the book which I had the privileged of reading on the web.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Newly single food critic and newspaper reporter Traci Hightower is done with dating. After the man of her dreams left her at the altar on their wedding day and ran off with the woman she thought was her best friend, Traci resolves to focus on work and resigns herself to being a bachelorette for life.
Marc Roberts is a political reporter who is known as Mr. Nice Guy, the one who always finishes last. However, Marc’s compassion and kindness are of invaluable help to his newly widowed sister Gina Braxton who is trying to raise her two kids in the wake of her firefighter husband’s death.
Traci and Marc may be the perfect match, but they don’t know it yet. With God’s guidance and the help of Gina’s matchmaking skills honed by her career as a bestselling romance novelist, there is hope for a happily ever after for these two broken hearts.
Author contact links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PennedbyAlex
Website: http://www.screenwriteralexis.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/capturingidea/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7260528.Alexis_A_Goring'
“God is Love” blog: http://capturingtheidea.blogspot.com
This book is one I looked forward to reading because I love supporting authors and I'm really into contemporary Christian books - especially ones centered on romance (think Denise Hunter). I was surprised by this book...and this was both a good and a bad thing. The writing style is fresh and at times fun, the plot being a bit cliche but when brought the right way, would have been nonetheless charming: Boy meets girl, they fall in love, something tears them apart toward the end but that's resolved and then they live happily ever after. However, in this book I felt the plot twist was a little too predictable but that's not too big an issue - this is, after all, feel good romance.
Sadly the romance was rushed and that was the biggest mistake and left much to be desired. The characters are endearing, but I would have liked to have seen more of them fall in love instead of a rushed overview, then the plot twist. It left me feeling left-out and when I could have been endeared, I was kinda drawn back from the lack seeing the two main characters go on dates and see their personalities.
Overall, this book is a sweet Hallmark book, predictable (a little too much), but a Hallmark movie type nonetheless. I think I would have enjoyed the book a whole lot more if the author had chosen to go less with that route, but otherwise it's fairly well-done.
“God is Love” blog: http://capturingtheidea.blogspot.com
My Review:
This book is one I looked forward to reading because I love supporting authors and I'm really into contemporary Christian books - especially ones centered on romance (think Denise Hunter). I was surprised by this book...and this was both a good and a bad thing. The writing style is fresh and at times fun, the plot being a bit cliche but when brought the right way, would have been nonetheless charming: Boy meets girl, they fall in love, something tears them apart toward the end but that's resolved and then they live happily ever after. However, in this book I felt the plot twist was a little too predictable but that's not too big an issue - this is, after all, feel good romance.
Sadly the romance was rushed and that was the biggest mistake and left much to be desired. The characters are endearing, but I would have liked to have seen more of them fall in love instead of a rushed overview, then the plot twist. It left me feeling left-out and when I could have been endeared, I was kinda drawn back from the lack seeing the two main characters go on dates and see their personalities.
Overall, this book is a sweet Hallmark book, predictable (a little too much), but a Hallmark movie type nonetheless. I think I would have enjoyed the book a whole lot more if the author had chosen to go less with that route, but otherwise it's fairly well-done.
Kara's Interview with Alexis A. Goring:
Kara: What inspired you to write this novel?
Alexis: I heard stories of jilted brides before and am familiar with the plight of “Nice Guys” who are shy around women. So, I thought that it would be a good idea to write a story that would encourage jilted brides and nice guys to not give up on finding true love.
Kara: Was the process harder then you thought it would be?
Alexis: Yes! At first, I thought it was a great idea to center the plot on an inheritance letter but then I had no idea how to make that believable. So I thought of taking out that detail and restructuring the story to make it easier to write. But after working on research and mentoring sessions with my book editor, I am so glad that I kept that detail in the story!
Kara: Did you listen to any soundtracks while writing?
Alexis: Yes! I love romantic movie soundtracks and instrumental soundtracks. I also have several “stations” on Pandora: Britt Nicole, Jordin Sparks, Blanca, Cece & Bebe Winans, Diana Ross, Michael Bublé, Amy Grant, Mariah Carey, Lady Antebellum, Faith Hill, Celine Dion, and the song list goes on!
Kara: If you could pick one character similar to you, which one would you choose?
Alexis: Carla because she’s creative, feisty, sweet and brilliant!
Kara: Were any of your other characters modeled after real life people?
Alexis: No.
Kara: What was one thing you learned while writing this book?
Alexis: Re-writing makes your story better! So let go of the idea that the first, second or even the third draft is perfect because as my editor says, “A story can always be better!”
Kara: What advice would you give young writers striving to become published?
Alexis: Keep moving forward toward your dream! Study the art of storytelling, read books about the craft of writing, connect with writers who share your passion for the written word, study writing in college and grad school. Hire a good book editor who loves to mentor new writers, and most importantly, keep Jesus Christ as Lord of your life and everything else will fall into place.
Check out the other blogs that will feature the book!
April 17: Saved by Grace [http://savedbygrace7.blogspot.com]
April 18: Ink From An Earthen Vessel [http://www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com]
April 19: Emily Rachelle Writes [http://emilyrachellewrites.blogspot.com/]
April 20: Tell the World [http://www.thegreaterpurpose.blogspot.com]
GIVEAWAY:
And what's a blog tour without a giveaway?! Check it out readers!
Two winners will receive a free e-copy of “A Second Chance”.
http://christiswrite.blogspot.com/p/life-literature-blog-tour-services-for.html
1 of your thoughts
Thanks for kicking off the blog tour, Kara!
ReplyDeleteTessa
www.christiswrite.blogspot.com
Comments make me smile, lift my spirits and give me the motivation to continue writing. In return I'll comment on your blog, because you're awesome and deserve it.