Saturday, May 31, 2014

BAREFOOT IN WHITE by Roxanne St. Claire (Interview/Giveaway)

 
Raise your wine glass if you enjoy spinoffs! Our guest today has a new release of a trilogy that is a spinoff of sorts from her Barefoot Bay series...welcome Roxanne St. Claire!

Roxanne: So happy to be here! My wine glass is always full and raised to good books.  Thank you for inviting me to talk about my latest release, BAREFOOT IN WHITE.

Lexi: Yay more Barefoot! And what an emotional packed book you have to introduce to us today, Barefoot In White is a sweet second chance romance. And the best part, it takes place in Barefoot Bay! You must have fallen hard for this place to continue writing about it. What is your favorite part of Barefoot Bay?

Roxanne: The people, of course! It’s familiar now, since I’ve written eight stories set on the sun-washed shores of Mimosa Key, an island off the Gulf Coast of Florida.  Most on the action takes place in the northern area of the island, called Barefoot Bay, where, through the course of the first four books, a small, upscale resort has been built after a hurricane flattened what had been there before.

Now the resort is up and running, we’ve had three sexy billionaires fall in love with the most unlikely heroines (the Barefoot Billionaires trilogy) and up next are destination wedding planners, the Barefoot Brides.  It’s a lovely, tropical setting where I always invite readers to kick off their shoes and fall in love!

Lexi: Ideal setting aside, Barefoot In White brings us destination wedding consultant Willow and Navy SEAL Nick. Of course Willow and Nick have met before, leaving a wounded Willow. Now Nick is stunned by this changed beauty and tries to make amends. I love that you give every girl who has broken up with a boyfriend exactly what she wants to have happen in her head: you loose weight, are successful and at the top of your game when you happen to run into your ex. Did you give Willow any self satisfaction when she realizes Nick recognizes her?

Roxanne: No, the idea of self-satisfaction never entered my mind when I wrote that scene! I think it’s because, deep inside, Willow isn’t “changed” yet.  She’s handled the outside nicely, but she has some real scars and issues to deal with before her self-esteem is where it should be.  Knowing her character journey, it never occurred to me to make her smug about the weight loss; she’s still carrying baggage that she has to unload.  And Nick is JUST the man to do that!

Lexi: Roxanne, you have a way of giving us sweet simple love stories but then throwing in unexpected plot twists. As a reader it is refreshing to be surprised! And we know you will deliver real, emotional characters that we will fall in love with. So give us a tip, which character are you hoping will stick in our minds long after the last page is done?

Roxanne: Thank you so much! What a nice way to look at my work -- it makes me feel like I’ve succeeded.  I’m not sure about a specific character, but I know I want my readers to close a book having FELT something.  Not just experienced a story from outside the characters, but getting that twisty, hurty, happy feeling from the moment she starts to fall in love to the stand-up-and-cheer ending.  One of the ways I do that, I hope, is by throwing things at the characters (and readers) that they don’t expect at all.  I never want to be bored reading a book, so I try to set the bar high in my own work.

Lexi: I know I am excited to see what Willow’s friends, Ari and Gussie, co-owners of Barefoot Brides, are up to! Again, the take of writing about a group of friends isn’t new but in Barefoot In White you introduce us to the secondary characters in such a way the reader connects with them immediately...and then we want more. Thankfully you are being kind and will have the whole trilogy released by Christmas! Care to tell us who is the star of Barefoot in Lace (book two) and Barefoot in Pearls (book three)?

Roxanne: LACE is Gussie McBain, a woman who appears to be a little obsessed with her looks, her wigs, and her makeup.  But we all know that’s covering something deeper, right?  I’m writing her book now.  Ari Chandler is third, in BAREFOOT IN PEARLS, and I’m not quite ready to reveal much about her journey, but I’m certain it will be emotional and satisfying!

Lexi: Thanks for stopping by Roxanne, it is always fun to have such an accomplished writer visit and share about her characters! Congrats on Barefoot In White and we can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy!

Roxanne: Thank you SO much for being such a careful reader and big fan of my work! I’m happy to be here and to answer any other questions that come up in the comments!



21911486Barefoot in White 
(The Barefoot Bay Brides Trilogy #1)
by Roxanne St. Claire
Published May 5th 2014 by South Street Publishing
Goodreads | Amazon | Kindle | B&N
Destination wedding consultant Willow Ambrose has fought a battle with the scale for much of her life, but she has finally won the war. By putting her past behind her and cutting off all contact with anyone who knew her before and, of course, controlling everything she can, 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 the past threatens to tear them apart. Can they finally let go of a painful past in order to find a forever future?




Giveaway:
The author will give a copy of Barefoot in White to one reader.  If the person lives in the US, they have the choice of a digital or print copy.  If they live outside the US, then they get a digital copy only. To enter, just leave a question or comment on this post for Roxanne and then fill out the rafflecopter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

9 comments:

  1. I inhaled Barefoot in White and can't wait for the next book! Bravo for another great story!

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  2. I love how Roxanne St. Claire writes such great characters. Her stories will make you laugh, cry and swoon. Love the covers on the new series too! :)

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  3. I'm super-excited about this Barefoot Bay spinoff and look forward to reading Willow and Nick's second chances story! Thanks for the giveaway and best wishes for continued success ... please keep writing more wonderful stories with indelible characters!

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  4. I do love how well you write secondary characters Roxanne! It definitely makes me want to read the entire series right away. I"m not good at waiting sometimes. :-)

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  5. congrats to Roxanne on the new release! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. I like to be surprised when I read.

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  7. Navy Seal = YUM!!! Thanks for the giveaway!! <3

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  8. This book sounds so good. I love the pretty cover. Thanks for having the giveaway.

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