Love Tools: Bluestone Series Book One
by Isobel Reed
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
What happens when the king of casual meets the queen of picking the wrong men?
Lily is running. From a dead-end job, a neurotic mother and all the losers she dared to date. Moving halfway across the world to Bluestone County seemed like a good idea at the time. So did reopening her estranged father’s hardware store. But now she isn’t so sure.
Small town living has its perks though. Wide-open space, clean air, and sexy cowboys. Well, one sexy cowboy. Jake. Who also just so happens to be the new bane of her existence. At least when he’s not talking, she can admire the view.
Jake is the king of casual. The love of his life has always been his ranch, and that was fine with him. He never really saw the point in long-term. But all that changes when a mouthy, blonde sasses him into oblivion. He should have known she’d be trouble as soon as he laid eyes on her. Now it’s too late. She’s all he can think about. All he has to do is convince her that he’s finally the right man.
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EXCERPT:
“You about done checking me out darlin’ or do ya want me to turn around and show you the back?” Her face flamed as her eyes flicked back up to his face and she caught sight of his cocky grin. Before she could attempt to deny what she’d been doing, his expression turned more serious as he took his turn running his eyes up and down her. “I didn’t know Matt had a daughter.”
Surprise, surprise.
“No s***. He wasn’t exactly father of the year.”
Lily couldn’t help but think of the irony. Her father had become friends with some guy young enough to be his son, yet he still couldn’t quite be bothered to pick up the phone and call his own daughter.
His smile became crooked as his glare intensified. “You always swear like a trucker, darlin’? Here, I thought English women were all class and manners.”
Is he being serious?
Letting out a huff, she couldn’t believe the nerve of this guy, “I’m sorry, have I stepped into the past? Are you gonna ask me why a little woman like me isn’t married next?”
“Alright sweetheart, calm down.” He sniggered, clearly amused by the steam coming out of her ears.
Stepping closer to him, she tilted her head up to meet his gaze. “I’m not or will I ever be your sweetheart. Now if you don’t mind, you need to get the hell out of my store before I call the police.”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Isobel was born and raised in London. She still lives along the River Thames with her husband and her substantial book collection. Ever the hopeless romantic, she fell in love with the genre from a young age and was inspired to write her own stories. When she's not feasting on romantic comedies or binge reading her hoard of contemporary romance novels, Isobel is writing.
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/isobelreedbooks
https://www.instagram.com/isobelreedbooks/
https://www.amazon.com/author/isobelreed
https://www.goodreads.com/Isobel_Reed
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/isobel-reed
Buy Links:
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJZ1QW41
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/love-tools
BARNES & NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-tools-isobel-reed/1142547867
APPLE: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6443957300
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63105785-love-tools
BOOKBUB: Love Tools: Bluestone Series: Book One by Isobel Reed - BookBub
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INTERVIEW:
If you could apologize to someone in your past, who would it be?
At school, in a PE class, we were playing badminton doubles. When the shuttlecock (what a name) came flying at me, I panicked and started swinging my bat like a girl possessed. This of course, was neither a good technique nor a good idea, especially when your partners head is in the line of fire. I whacked this girls head so hard. Like, really, really hard. I’m pretty sure I said sorry at the time, but she definitely deserves a non-concussed apology.
If you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as a pet, what would you have?
A unicorn. Because they’re pretty. Although, I’m not sure where I would keep it. I don’t think my husband would be too impressed if he had to share his home office with a unicorn.
How do you keep your writing different from all the others that write in this particular genre?
All authors have their own style of writing and writing Love Tools helped me establish my own style. Because I love reading contemporary romance, I often put myself in the shoes of the reader when I’m writing my books. I do this by asking questions when writing a scene. What is the purpose of this scene? How much description do I need in order to visualize the surroundings and the characters? And what about this scene is making me want to keep reading the book to find out what happens next? Asking these questions help me to balance out the books content. I don’t write anything for the sake of it, if it’s there, it’s there for a reason. The best books I’ve read, have that balance too. They are the ones that are page turners, and they are the ones where you stay up late just to find out what happens next. That’s what I strive for with every scene.
What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
The best has to be ‘show don’t tell’. Rather than telling the reader something, where you can, you should show it. Whether that is in the form of actions, the characters personality or in dialogue, it’s always better when a reader learns something on their own rather than having to be told.
The worst advice has to be ‘write only when you’re inspired’. While it sounds like good advice, in practice, it doesn’t help you write a book. The truth is, you’re not going to be inspired every day. While I don’t force myself to write every day if the ideas aren’t flowing, it is important to show up if you’re committed to finishing your story. If it’s been a week and still nothing, I give myself a small word goal. Even if I write only one hundred words in a day that ultimately end up being cut out, those hundred words inspire the next hundred and the hundred after that. So it’s important to keep going even when it gets hard.
Are the experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
They always say write what you know, and Love Tools is no exception. Lily, my female lead character, may not be based on myself, but she is based on women I do know. Strong women who sometimes don’t know their own strength. She doesn’t have a perfect life or family, I mean who does? And as a single woman in her thirties, she’s met her fair share of disappointing men, again, who hasn’t? But despite all the bad, she hasn’t given up on happiness. Hope is important. That’s something I’ve learned in my own life and a message I wanted to get across in this book. So even though some people may see Lily moving halfway across the world as running away, I see it as a sign of hope and taking back control of her own destiny.
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GIVEAWAY: