Welcome Harlequin Mira author, Sheila Roberts....



 Hi Sheila! So thrilled to have you here and be a part on your ongoing tour. I've heard so many good things about your latest release and just love the cover. I will downloading onto my Kindle as soon as we are finished talking...so, let's get started!

1)   Did you set any goals for 2013?
My writing goals were pretty much set for me by my publisher. I have my various due dates written out and posted on my desk so I can make sure I stay on track.

2)   What is the best part of the writing process for you?
Hmm. That’s hard. I enjoy it all. I think my favorite part is reading through and tweaking what I’ve already written. I entertain myself all over again.

3)   The worst part?
Big edits that involve moving around scenes. Ugh. That gets complicated!

4)   Tell me where you write?
I have an office set aside for my work. And my desk doesn’t even face the window. The only view I have is the words on the page.

5)   Tell us about your latest release?
I’m very excited about “What She Wants” which is about a group of poker buddies trying to solve their woman problems using romance novels as their tutorials. I truly love my hero Jonathan Templar. He’s geeky and shy but he’s so darned sweet. I’m hoping readers will fall in love with him, too.

6)   Tease us with a blurb/short except
Let’s take a peek at my hero, getting his first lesson in the importance of romance novels. He and his sister are about to hit the library book sale. And Jonathan is about to get his first lesson in what women want.
Saturday morning Jonathan attempted to ease his suffering by going with his sister Juliet to the library for the Friends of the Library monthly book sale.
A stranger seeing them enter the musty room in the library basement would never have taken them for siblings. Other than their hair color they didnt look at all alike. Juliet had big, brown eyes and perfect eyesight where his gray eyes hid behind glasses. He had a long face, shed been blessed with a perfect oval like their mothers. He was skinny and barely 5 8; she was long-legged and stacked. Shed definitely gotten the looks in the family while hed gotten the brains. Not that Juliet was stupid but it quickly became apparent who the family genius was. In the world of kids that wasnt necessarily a blessing. When they were younger hed wished it was the other way around, but then hed realized how unfair that would have been. Life was easier for a man who wasnt all that attractive than it was for a woman. Theoretically.
Their lives were as different as their looks. Juliet was married and trying to get pregnant, a project that was taking much longer than expected. When she wasnt working at that she logged in part-time hours at Mountain Escape Books or met with her book club or hosted parties where all her friends had to buy candles or face goop. She was an awful cook, a good dancer, and an avid romance reader. And her social calendar was always full.
Jonathans, on the other hand had a lot of open space, and he was stuck in non-swinging single limbo. He couldnt dance, but he could fix leaky pipes and install dimmer switches, something both his sis and his brother-in-law appreciated. Unlike Juliet, he read real fiction like action adventure or sci-fi/fantasy, and the monthly fundraiser book sales gave him an opportunity to try out new authors.
Hed just scored big, finding a first edition of The Kingdom of Zoon when Juliet, who was prowling the romance section a couple of bookshelves over, let out a squeal.
Hildy Johnson, who owned Johnsons Drugs along with her husband Nils, was standing next to her and already had several books in her basket, but she eyed Juliets find with envy. Oh,Vanessa Valentine. I havent read that one.
The woman was married and probably in her fifties. Why was she reading romance novels?
Ill loan it to you when Im done, Juliet promised.
Rita Reyes, who had worked in the bar at Zeldas, entered the room. She said a quick hi to Jonathan, then moved to join Juliet and HIldy in their treasure hunt. I hope you havent taken all the good books.
We saved you a few, Juliet assured her. Whens Zeldas going to open again?
Charley says by June.
I hope so, said Juliet. I miss those huckleberry martinis.
And I miss working there, Rita said. Ill be so glad when were up and running again.
A fire in December had forced the restaurant to close; it was nowin the process of being rebuilt. It was a popular place in town for both families and singles looking to mix and match. Jonathan hadnt gone there much.
 Rita pointed to the book in Juliets hand. I love that one. James Noble is the perfect man.
The perfect man, huh? A character made up by a woman? Oh, brother.
Look! Heres Surrender, Rita said, pulling a paperback off a shelf. I love this book.
A war novel in the romance section? Jonathan edged closer and sneaked a peek. He saw no scene of carnage on the cover, no white flag being raised, only a woman in a low cut dress and some muscle bound guy in tights and a shirt he forgot to button doing a back bend over the kind of fancy bed no man would want to sleep in. Looking at the way the guy was holding her made Jonathans back hurt.
Oh, my gosh, yes, agreed Juliet. Theres a hero to die for. I love the scene where he throws himself in front of her and gets stabbed.
And how often does that happen in real life? Jonathan scoffed under his breath.
The women looked at him as if hed uttered blasphemy.
Juliet raised a delicate eyebrow at him. Probably as often as a giant bubble floats to Earth and gives magical powers to the first fool who touches it.
Rita snickered and Jonathan, properly chastized and feeling like hed stuck his face in a firepit, moved to a safer corner of the room and perused the home improvement section.
Turning his back to Juliet and her fellow romance junkies didnt shield his ears from their conversation.
Men, Rita said disgustedly. Maybe if they read a few romance novels theyd learn something.
Nils could stand to learn a few things, said Hildy. Especially in the bedroom, she added in a conspiratorial whisper that carried across the small, now quiet since everyone was eavesdropping room.
Balding, scrawny Nils and Brunhilda Hildy in the bedroom together. That was T.M.I. to the max.
Oh, they all think theyre such good lovers, Rita scoffed. Rita was divorced. Obviously, her man hadnt measured up. If I found a man who could make love like the heroes in those books, Id take him to bed in a heartbeat.
If a man really wanted to be a good lover he should read these books, Hildy continued in her stage whisper.
Rita nodded. That would guarantee hed get lucky.
The women finished their selections and went to pay for their books and two gray-haired men and a teenage boy stampeded to the romance section.


7)   Tell us about a new author you’ve recently discovered.

 Jill Marie Landis. She’s not a new writer, but she’s new to me. I love her inspirational romances. And she’s got a fun e-book series going that’s set in Hawaii.

8)   Name two romances you’ve read more than once
Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and Georgette Heyer’s “The Masqueraders.” Good stuff!

9)   Tell us about your first car
It was a Volkswagen van and I burned up the engine because I never put oil in it. I wondered what that little red light meant.

10)                  Where can we find you?
Besides in the local chocolate shop? Come visit me on Facebook where we’re growing a fun Like page (Sheila Roberts, author), and please do stop by my website. (http://www.sheilasplace.com) We’ve got a great contest going in April. Check it out. Maybe you’ll win my chick poker give away.


What She Wants
by Sheila Roberts

BLURB:

What do women want?

Jonathan Templar and his poker buddies can't figure it out. Take Jonathan, for instance. He's been in love with Lissa Castle since they were kids but, geek that he is, she's never seen him as her Mr. Perfect. He has one last shot—their high school reunion. Kyle Long is equally discouraged. The pretty receptionist at his office keeps passing him over for other guys who may be taller but are definitely not superior. And Adam Edwards might be the most successful of Jonathan's friends, but he isn't having any success on the home front. His wife's kicked him out.

When Jonathan stumbles on a romance novel at the Icicle Falls library sale, he knows he's found the love expert he's been seeking—Vanessa Valentine, top-selling romance author. At first his buddies laugh at him for reading romance novels, but soon they, too, realize that these stories are the world's best textbooks on love. Poker night becomes book club night…and when all is read and done, they're going to be the kind of men women want!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt may be found here:



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Sheila Roberts lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest. She’s happily married and has three children. She’s been writing since 1989, but she did lots of things before settling in to her writing career, including owning a singing telegram company and playing in a band. Her band days are over, but she still enjoys writing songs. When she’s not speaking to women’s groups or at conferences or hanging out with her girlfriends she can be found writing about those things near and dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate.






  

Sheila will be awarding a print copy of What She Wants (US/Canada only) to 10 randomly drawn commenters during the tour. A Grand Prize of a $25 eHarlequin coupon plus a finished copy of What She Wants (US/Canada only) will be awarded to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Rafflecopter code:
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Comments??

4 comments

  1. Just wanted to stop by and say thank you for having me. Looking forward to meeting your friends here!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like a fun story, I can't wait to read it.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  3. Cant wait to read this one!
    -Amber
    GoodBlinknPark(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  4. Hoping people will enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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