Here Come the (Barefoot) Brides {+Giveaway}

I’m delighted to welcome author Roxanne St. Claire back to Thoughts in Progress today to share some exciting news. Roxanne has a brand new trilogy of novels, featuring three destination wedding planners based in Barefoot Bay, which launched earlier this month with BAREFOOT IN WHITE.

Fall in love with Willow Ambrose as she comes face to face with a history she is determined to put behind her. After fighting a battle with the scale for much of her life, Willow has shed pounds and her past. But Nick Hershey is as sweet as the candy kisses he tempts her with, and Willow thinks she's finally ready to give her heart (and brand new body) to this hunk of a Navy SEAL. But the closer they get, the more the past threatens to tear them apart. 

BAREFOOT IN WHITE came out this month and it will be followed by BAREFOOT IN LACE (late summer, 2014) and BAREFOOT IN PEARLS (late fall, 2014). 

Roxanne has graciously answered some questions for me and is giving away a copy of BAREFOOT IN WHITE. Please see the end of the post for the giveaway details.

Here’s a brief description of BAREFOOT IN WHITE:

The resort and romances that bloomed after a hurricane hit these gorgeous sands is now home to The Barefoot Brides, a destination wedding business run by three women who are quite skilled at arranging the perfect “I do’s” on the beach...but haven’t found a happily ever after of their own. Yet. That’s about to change with this brand-new full-length novel now available in digital and print!
          Up first, Willow Ambrose, a wedding planner who’s fought a battle with the scale for much of her life, but she’s finally won the war. By putting her past behind her and cutting off all contact with anyone who knew her “before,” Willow has carved out a new body and a new life. But when she comes face to face with someone who left an indelible mark on her heart years before, all that threatens to crumble.
          Navy SEAL Nick Hershey is on medical leave, doing a friend a favor as a stand in “man of honor” at a beach wedding. He might not be that interested in the nuptials, but the wedding planner catches his eye the minute they meet. When he realizes Willow is really a girl he knew in college — and a girl he unintentionally hurt to the core — he knows he has some making up to do.
          Willow has learned how to beat every temptation...but Nick’s sweet as candy kisses just might be the one thing she can’t resist. But the closer they get, the more their history threatens to tear them apart. Can these two fighters win one more war together...and beat the odds to find forever love?

Please join me in welcoming Roxanne.

Thank you for having me here today! I’m excited to answer your questions and will pop in and out during the day if any commenters have questions, too.

Mason - Where do you do most of your writing and are there specific things you need to have around you as you write?

Roxanne:
I write in two places -- at my desk in my office where I have written nearly forty novels. What I have to have is quiet! That was a little challenging when my kids were younger, so I became very adept at writing while they were in school. But a few years ago during the summer, I was hitting a productivity block and I started writing with friends and we created “Writers’ Camp.” 

We meet about twice a week at someone’s house, set up our laptops on the dining room table and WRITE. There are four of us, all published, writing different types of books. On breaks, we brainstorm and help each other out, we laugh a lot, and we follow one basic rule: everyone has to produce 1,000 words before lunch and shoot for 2,000 in the afternoon. We are amazingly productive! Last year, we published 14 books between the four of us, a million words total! 

Mason - Do you have a typical writing day and or there any writing related rituals and/or quirks you have to perform to be able to write?

Roxanne:
I don’t have too many “quirks” -- I just usually have a set number of pages/words I’d like to complete before the end of the day. I write faster toward the end of a book, but the beginnings are slow and painful as I set up the story and characters. I’m mostly a “fly by the seat of my pants” writer and that can be fun, but treacherous, too.

Mason - Now that your book is published, what surprised you the most about your story coming together and/or the publishing aspect of it?

Roxanne:
What surprises me, every time, is that the story DOES come together. I don’t know all the thematic elements, the layers of conflict, or the big emotional touch points when I start a book. It’s a leap of faith, every time. And, yet, every time, when I’m done, all that stuff is magically on the page. I hope!

Mason - If your book was made into a movie, which actors/actresses (past or present) would you want to play your main characters?

Roxanne:
I’m sorry, I can’t answer that question. These people are so real in my head and they don’t look like ANY actors I know. But I will say this, I would be over the moon with joy if someone did want to make a movie from my books and series! I’m sure I’d be thrilled with whoever got the parts!

Mason - When you go into a bookstore besides looking at your own book(s), what other genres do you browse?

Roxanne:
I rarely look for my books in bookstores! It’s too frustrating when they’re not there, plus I read almost exclusively on a Kindle. But I love to peruse non-fiction, because I read a ton of it. My non-work related passion is theology, and I love to read books on the subject. Because I’m an ereader, it’s fun to pick up a “coffee table” book and get lost in the beauty of the production.

Mason - What is the one thing you wish readers would ask about, but they never do?

Roxanne:
Gosh, after 40 books, I don’t think there’s a question I haven’t been asked! There are questions I wish they would NEVER ask! Like: “Where do you get your ideas?” (I have no clue!) and “Will you read my manuscript?” (Probably not.) I’ll answer anything, so I guess that’s why I get asked everything.

Mason - What can readers look forward to next from you?

Roxanne:
The next two books in the Barefoot Bay Brides trilogy. Right now, we’re celebrating the release of BAREFOOT IN WHITE, followed by BAREFOOT IN LACE and then BAREFOOT IN PEARLS -- a trilogy of stories about destination wedding planners who find their own happily ever-afters!

Roxanne, thanks for joining us today. The writing camp sounds like it’s not only productive, but lots of fun. Fourteen books between four authors in one year is amazing.

Here’s a bit of background on Roxanne.

Roxanne St. Claire is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels of suspense and romance, including three popular series (Barefoot Bay, The Bullet Catchers, and The Guardian Angelinos) and multiple stand-alone books. 

In addition to being a six-time nominee and one-time winner of the RITA Award, Roxanne’s novels have won the National Reader’s Choice Award for best romantic suspense three times, as well as the Daphne du Maurier Award, the HOLT Medallion, the Maggie, Booksellers Best, Book Buyers Best, the Award of Excellence, and many others. Her books have been translated into dozens of languages and are routinely included as a Doubleday/Rhapsody Book Club Selection of the Month.

Roxanne lives in Florida with her family, and can be reached via her website, www.roxannestclaire.com or on her Facebook Reader page, www.facebook.com/roxannestclaire and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/roxannestclaire.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is for one copy of BAREFOOT IN WHITE. If the winner is a U.S. resident, they can choose either a digital or print copy. If the winner lives outside the U.S., the book will be given as a digital copy. The giveaway will end Wednesday, May 28. When notified, the winner will have 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instruction. The widget may take a few second to load, please be patient.

Thanks so much for joining us today. Have you ever had any dealings with a wedding planner or have you ever tried your hand at being a wedding planner?

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