Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Author Interview & Giveaway: Tracy March (The Practice Proposal)


  
Today I welcome Tracy March, author of The Practice Proposal, which is a delightful romance I am reading while on vacaction on the wonderful island of Ocracoke at the moment. If I don't post my review later in the day I will post later in the week, but it is a wonderful book so far.  For today, please grab your favorite cuppa and sit and learn a little more about Tracy March and then enter the giveaway to win Kindle Paperwhite and a beautiful silver bracelet..  



What three things do you need in order to write?
Silence, Diet Coke, and Reduced Fat Cheez-Its! J

What's your favorite season?
Autumn. I just love the beautiful foliage that we get in Virginia, the crisp air, and the relief from the summer heat.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
I’ve been fortunate enough to do quite a bit of traveling, so I’ve already seen many beautiful places. Some of my favorites are Bariloche, Argentina; Lucerne Switzerland; Santiago, Chile; and St. Lucia. In the U.S., I love Big Sur, California; Asheville, North Carolina; Estes Park, Colorado; and Charleston, South Carolina. It’s difficult to pick just one place I want to visit, but I’d love to tour Europe, do a cross-country trip in the U.S., and spend at least a month in New Zealand. That’s not too much to ask, is it? ;)

What's the first sentence of The Practice Proposal?

Liza Sutherland would much rather be in a ballpark than a ballroom, and tonight’s black-tie charity gala had gone on way too long.

Tell us what The Practice Proposal about.
The story is a sweet and sassy romance about a sexy pro baseball player and the daughter of the owner of a rival team. I could aimlessly riff about it for paragraphs, but here’s the official version! ;)

Liza Sutherland isn’t looking for love. Not from a charity-auction date she didn’t even bid on and especially not with Nationals first baseman Cole Collins, the guy she obsessed over as an awkward teenager. She won’t get involved with a notorious player, no matter how attractive Cole is.

Cole Collins is up for contract renegotiation, but after too many late-night parties, he’ll need some positive publicity before he can make the roster. His agent, Frank, pitches Liza as the perfect prop…only Cole didn’t account for Liza no longer being just a teenager with a crush. She’s gorgeous and smart and he’s instantly hooked.

When Frank makes Liza a deal she can’t refuse—a bet she will fall in love with Cole or a cool half mil goes to charity—the game is on. But neither bet on the real feelings that surface. Could a fake fling turn into an official forever?

Where did the idea for The Practice Proposal come from?
I’m a big baseball fan, and I started thinking about how challenging it must be for players who are rich and hot and famous to find genuine love. What would it take for them to be certain that a woman they fell for was sincere and not after them for theirmoney and fame? That was the seed of the idea, and the story grew from there.

Dish, who’s your favorite character in The Practice Proposal?

Definitely the hero, Cole Collins. He’s an All-American blonde-haired, blue-eyed athlete who might seem too perfect at first. Readers quickly learn he isn’t, but he’s even more attractive with all of his flaws. He’s become misguided and made some questionable decisions. Yet deep down, he’s just looking for a place to belong, and someone to belong to, so he quickly stole my heart.

What was your inspiration for The Practice Proposal?
It was more like who was my inspiration?! I have a favorite baseball player—Michael Morse—who used to play for my favorite team, the Washington Nationals. Sadly for me, he was recently traded to the Seattle Mariners. Cole doesn’t look like Michael, but he does have some of Michael’s best  ersonality traits like his sportsmanship, his love of the fans, his team spirit and his quirky sense of humor.

If you could cast anyone as Liza and Cole who would you choose to play them?

I could easily see Minka Kelly as Liza. For Cole, I would cast the super-hot Jessie Pavelka. I think the two of them would make a beautiful pair!

What can we expect next from you?

I write contemporary romance and romantic thrillers. My debut romantic thriller, Girl Three, releases in print and e-book on April 30th. Here’s the set-up for the story:

Bioethicist Jessica Croft, estranged daughter of a federal judge, has avoided the players, power, and passions of Washington, DC. But when her sister’s suspicious death is classified as natural, Jessie resolves to expose the murderer. Pursuing elite suspects on both sides of the stem-cell-research debate leads her to security consultant Michael Gillette, who knows more about her sister than he’ll admit.

Michael has a vested interest in Jessie’s plight. Her sister died on his watch—while he wasn’t watching. His plan to find her murderer becomes complicated when Jessie’s father hires him to protect Jessie, and his interest turns from professional…to romantic.

Jessie and Michael must unravel a mystery rife with political agendas and deceit. When confidential papers reveal a fertility scandal surrounding the enigmatic Girl Three, the two realize the danger of exposing the truth. Who is Girl Three? And will the murderer kill again to keep a secret?

Thanks so much for hosting me here today, Crystal. It’s fun hanging out with you and your readers!



To follow the tour, click on the banner at the top of the post or go here.

About the book:
Liza Sutherland isn’t looking for love. Not from a charity-auction date she didn’t even bid on and especially not with Nationals first baseman Cole Collins, the guy she obsessed over as an awkward teenager. She won’t get involved with a notorious player, no matter how attractive Cole is.

Cole Collins is up for contract renegotiation, but after too
many late-night parties, he’ll need some positive publicity
before he can make the roster. His agent, Frank, pitches Liza as the perfect prop…only Cole didn’t account for Liza no longer
being just a teenager with a crush. She’s gorgeous and smart and he’s instantly hooked.

When Frank makes Liza a deal she can’t refuse—a bet she will fall in love with Cole or a cool half mil goes to charity—the game is on. But neither bet on the real feelings that surface. Could a fake fling turn into an official forever?

Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble



About the Author:
Award-winning author Tracy March writes romantic thrillers influenced by her career in the pharmaceutical field, and her interest in science and politics. She also writes lighthearted romances inspired by her real-life happily ever after.

Always up for travel and adventure, Tracy has flown in a stunt plane, snowmobiled on the  Continental Divide, ziplined in the Swiss Alps, and been chased by a bull in the mountains of St. Lucia. She loves Nationals baseball, Saturday date nights, and Dairy Queen Blizzards—and rarely goes a day without Diet Coke and Cheez-Its.



Find Tracy March at:
Website
Goodreads
Twitter
Facebook


Giveaway:
First there is a tour-wide giveaway of a Kindle Paperwhite! My sister-in-law has one of these and she says you want one even if you have a Kindle Fire!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
Second each tour stop has the option of hosting a giveaway for this beautiful silver bracelet.  Simply enter by using the Rafflecopter below!  This is for US/Canada only.
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway