Wine and Love … #CrushedTour {+ Giveaway}

It’s a pleasure to be a part of author Deborah Coonts’ Masquerade Book Tour for her current release, CRUSHED, the first installment in her Heart of Napa series.

Title: Crushed, a novel of wine and love

Author: Deborah Coonts

Publication Date: March 9, 2016

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: The Heart of Napa, Book #1

As part of the tour, the author has graciously answered some questions and is hosting a tour-wide giveaway for one (1) digital copy of the Lucky Series by Deborah Coonts and one (1) $50 Amazon Gift Card. Please see the end of the post for more details.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the book:

In Napa Valley, he who has the best grapes wins.
          And in the pursuit of perfection, dreams and hearts can be crushed.
          Sophia Stone is a widow on the brink of an empty nest, stuck in an unsatisfying job managing the vineyard for a mediocre Napa vintner. Faced with an uncertain future she wonders how do you choose between making a living and making a life? Between protecting your heart and sharing it? Five years ago, after her husband was killed in an accident, Sophia put her heart and dreams on ice to care for those around her. Now her home, her dreams, and her family’s legacy grapes are threatened by the greed of the new money moving into the Valley. Sophia has a choice—give up and let them take what is hers, or risk everything fighting a battle everyone says she can’t win.
          Nico Treviani has one goal in life: make brilliant wine. A woman would be an unwanted distraction. So, while recognized as one of Napa’s premier vintners, Nico finds himself alone… until his brother’s death drops not one, but two women into his life — his thirteen-year-old twin nieces. In an instant, Nico gains a family and loses his best friend and partner in the winemaking business. Struggling to care for his nieces, Nico accepts a job as head winemaker for Avery Specter, one of the new-money crowd. And he learns the hard way that new money doesn’t stick to the old rules.

CRUSHED is available at the following sites: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and GoodReads.

Please join me in giving Deborah a warm welcome as she answered some questions about her writing. Welcome, Deborah.

What inspired you to write this story?

Deborah:
The courage of all of the women I meet.

Which character was the hardest to write and why?

Deborah:

The protagonist, curiously. I thought I knew her when I started—turns out I had some things she could teach me. Also, she starts out a bit timid and afraid—not traits that are easy to write and make heroic. But, it’s her growth in the story that make her heroic, so that was great fun. On the other hand, the male lead, Nico, leapt off the page and threatened to take over the story at each appearance!

If your book was made into a movie today, who would you like to see playing the main character?

Deborah:

Sophia? Ashley Judd.

What is the best writing advice you've been given that you like to pass along to others?

Deborah:

Do it because you love it, and never, ever stop.

What do you hope readers take away from reading your book?

Deborah:
A bit of compassion for themselves and their own messy journey through life. All of us have messy journeys, but we tend to beat ourselves up for our mistakes rather than stop to take solace and joy in what we have accomplished. And don’t let fear define you and rob you of your dreams.

Do you have any projects you're currently working on?

Deborah:
Ha! Always! I’m doing the edits now on two thrillers. One with a female helicopter pilot and a Coast Guard Commander that take place in the world of Big Oil out in the Gulf of Mexico. I’m a pilot—I had to write about a female pilot eventually:) The other thrill has a young woman, late 30’s, a former undercover cop who is now is Witness Protection. She comes home one day to find a dead man in her bathtub. Suffice it to say, there are complicating factors, not the least of which is a genetic health issue and a cutting edge treatment program that complicate her life dramatically. A fun psychological thriller.

Deborah, thanks for joining us today and sharing this look at your writing. It’s always interesting to learn where a writer gets their inspiration.

You can also find Deborah on tour at the following blogs:

May 16
The Book Bag (Guest Post)
EskieMama Reads (Spotlight)
Hope. Dreams. Life... Love (Spotlight)

May 17
My Creatively Random Life (Character Interview)
Charline's Blog and More... (Guest Post)
100 Pages A Day (Spotlight)

May 18
POTL: All Things Books, Reading and Publishing (Guest Post)
Underneath the Covers (Spotlight)
A Writer's Life (Spotlight)

May 19
Thoughts in Progress (Author Interview)
Grammy's Book Shelf (Spotlight)
Masquerade Crew (Top Ten List)

May 20
BB's Book Reviews & Promotions (Author Interview)
Boom Baby Reviews (Character Interview)
DJ's Book Corner (Top Ten List)

Author Deborah Coonts

Deborah Coonts’ mother tells her she was born in Texas a very long time ago. Deborah isn’t so sure—her mother can’t be trusted. These things we are fairly certain of though: Deborah was raised in Texas on BBQ, Mexican food and beer.

She is the author of WANNA GET LUCKY? a humorous romantic mystery set amid the glitz, glamor and gaudy of Las Vegas that was a NY Times Notable Crime Novel and double RITA™ Finalist and received several starred reviews as have the five sequels. CRUSHED the first novel in her Heart of Napa series is out now. Deborah can usually be found at the bar, but also at her website.

For more on Deborah and her writing, visit her website and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, Pinterest, and Instagram.

This is a tour-wide giveaway. The giveaway is for one (1) $50 Amazon Gift Card and one (1) digital copy of the Lucky series by Deborah Coonts. The giveaway ends on May 27. The giveaway is open Internationally and readers should void where prohibited.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have you ever toured a winery or would you like to? If you have toured, what was your favorite part?

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