On Tour with New Release That April in Santa Monica (Love Is a Beach Book 1) by Melody DeBlois and Meet the Author

I’m usually not one for too-good heroines, but the excerpt made me curious about this one.

That April in Santa Monica (Love Is a Beach Book 1) by Melody DeBlois will release October 23 in the Contemporary Romance genre.

Madison receives acclaim for running a talent agency for people with disabilities, but she doesn’t know how to take care of herself. When her altruism becomes life-threatening—a matter of either develop healthy habits or die—she joins a reality TV show that pairs her with hot, raven-haired Brandon. He is witty, sexy, and her teacher. That makes him off limits.

After a successful run on a soap opera, Brandon stepped away from empty fame and now focuses on his work as TV’s most noted health teacher. He has one fast rule—never fall for a student. But when he meets Madison, their chemistry is combustible. There’s no hiding their conflict or their attraction, especially when it’s all caught on film.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48106063-that-april-in-santa-monica

“Okay,” he said, stretching forward on his mat and lying on his six-pack of a belly.

She lay opposite him, turned her face, and rested it on her mat, shutting her eyes. “Maybe I’ll just chill for a spell.”

“Not so fast. Now lift the upper part of your body in cobra position.”

“Say what? You want me to impersonate the national snake of India?”

He was opposite her on his mat so that they were facing one another. A little too close. Her heartbeat? So not at ease. He began to demonstrate, the show off with his spectacular pecs and deltoids oiled and coconut-scented. If someone snapped his picture, they could put it in a how-to book. A perfect pose, no less.

“You can do this, Madison.”

There it was, all that confidence he had in her—much more than she had in herself. She edged forward off the mat and groaned as she lifted her upper body.

He gave her instructions. “Weave the spine back and forth. Straighten your arms. Breathe. Widen your chest. Breathe. Raise your collar bones and look at the sky. Breeeaaathe. That’s it!” Was he staring at her cleavage? “You’re getting the hang of it.”

She didn’t have the strength and collapsed; her face buried in the beach. She came up spitting pebbles from her mouth. “Laugh at me, and I’ll make you pay.”

He brushed the sand from her cheeks with the balls of his fingers. “I wouldn’t think of it.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Born in California, award winning author, Melody DeBlois follows the sun. When she isn’t swimming laps, she’s writing sweet and sassy romances. Her heroines are self-reliant and smart and her heroes are kind by nature and love dogs. She lives in California during the summer and spends winters in Arizona with her husband. She has plotted her novels while hiking the beach or trekking across the desert. Her most treasured possession is family.

Hi Melody, and thank you for being here!

What started you on the path to writing?

I spent every morning, when I was around three or four, in a room with a phonograph. I listened to stories pertaining to mythology, a little Shakespeare, and fairytales. Quite the combination, I know, but it started me on a lifelong ritual. In that, when those records ended, my imaginings began. In a sense, I’ve never left that room. It’s my place in the world.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

With the aid of strong coffee, I plant myself at my desk and go to where I left off in the WIP the day before. That’s usually around five in the morning, and I don’t emerge until I’m starving. I eat a daily avocado, toast, and return to work on marketing for my upcoming release. Before that, I came back to my manuscript and worked until around three. Then, weather permitting, I swim laps. That really helps to get rid of the kinks from sitting in one place. If not, I go to the gym. It’s not as fun but necessary for someone as sedentary.

How do you keep from resenting your duties when you have to stop writing to take care of them?

The thing I love as much as writing is reading, and what I love even more is listening to stories. No doubt it goes back to my youth. While I’m folding boring laundry, cooking, doing dishes, or even brushing my teeth, I’m plugged into an audiobook. I listen to several a week on subjects from how to write blog posts to research on tea to fiction like “Where the Crawdads Sing”. I don’t resent my duties as much as I look forward to them so I can listen.

Has your environment /upbringing colored your writing?

My fifth-grade class was in the library bungalow. There, I got hooked on reading. I went through book after blessed book. It’s where I met Louisa Alcott and Mark Twain and so many more. My friends and I put on plays out in the fields at recess and after school. “The Wizard of Oz” was a crowd-pleaser, as was anything, Disney. As a new adult, I took my love for plays and staged the neighborhood productions of “The Nutcracker” and “Oil”, which was a take-off on “Grease”. It was when I started writing the plays that I got the idea for my first book “Waiting for the Magic”.

What do your friends and family think about your being a writer?

Since I was never really anything else, no one is surprised. But it was a long road from that first book to publication. I worked in bookshops for fifteen years and in a funeral home for ten. Through it all, people always called me a writer. They knew I got up early to write before work, and I had a critique group that met each week at the house. Plus, at every job, I was very graciously allowed to write when we weren’t busy.

What is a hidden or uncommon talent that helps/makes it harder to write the story?

I am a social butterfly/recluse. I love people, but I need to be alone. It makes me think of Victor Hugo who didn’t get dressed (and wrote naked) until late afternoon. Then he’d arrive at the pub, and it was all over red rover as far as his writing went. I’m the same—well, not the naked part. But at 4:50 pm I’m off to the pool. The lifeguards set their clocks to my arrival each day since 5:00 is their break.

What is the biggest surprise you had after becoming a writer?

I was surprised by how many friends were rooting for me all these years. Their support has been priceless. I look forward to writing for a fanbase—finally. It’s been a lifelong dream.

What does your writing space look like?

Book lined walls, a glass-doored curio cabinet filled with leather-bound classics and writing awards. A smallish desk boasts a rose-gold container full of pens with The Wild Rose Press logo, a laptop, and a candle. Along one wall is a treadmill desk that I had to stop using. On a table is a mass of writing books and Bose noise-canceling headphones.

Is there anything about the writing life that you think is misunderstood by the public?

People have a misguided notion that writers spend their days waiting for the muse. No, instead, they show up each day and write. They write while nursing the flu, or so tired they can barely keep their eyes open. They write when writer’s block rears its ugly head. When the writing all but dries up, they research. Somewhere between research and good habits teeters that stealthy, unpredictable muse.

What has been one of your most rewarding experiences as an author?

Getting to do an interview about my passion for writing. It’s been quite a thrill, and I am honored to be able to finally express the things bottled up inside me for years. Thank you for helping to make that possible.

Website: https://www.melodydeblois.com/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Melody-DeBlois/e/B07XBV66Y8/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

FB: https://www.facebook.com/melodydebloisbooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeBloisMelody

This post is part of a Tour. The dates can be found here:

https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2019/09/vbt-that-april-in-santa-monica-by.html

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

$50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3170

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