Aloha to Marquita Valentine and TWICE TEMPTED

Let's kick off the week with an exciting debut author, Marquita Valentine!   Isn't that cover gorgeous?!?

Kim: Tell us about North Carolina - what is your favorite sight, smell, and sound?

Marquita: This is really easy for me to sum up—the Atlantic Ocean. Gorgeous waves roll in, crashing against the shore while the wind brings the smell of brine. There’s nothing better than lazing the day away on the beach while eating cantaloupe and listening to the local stations.

Kim: Love the story about Sonic in your bio (at this link)! What makes a lasting romance?

Marquita: Thank you. It’s a fun story to tell, but apparently not that interesting to my 8&5 year old. About two years ago, we took them to the Sonic where Hot Builder (as he likes to be called) and I met. Even parked in the exact same spot! Their response: “Can we have a milkshake?” LOL! Oh well. J

And great question—I think keeping the romance in your relationship makes a lasting romance. You don’t stop dating each other simply because you get married or have babies. Plan dates, even if it’s after the kids go to bed. Grab your laptop, favorite DVD, a bottle of wine and a blanket, then head to your backyard for movie night. 

Kim: I see you blog with Lady Scribes - how did you become a part of the team?

Marquita:  Last September, I received a very mysterious email from fellow Lady Scribe and Heart of Carolina Romance Writers chaptermate, Ava Stone. It only contained two words: Call me. Of course I did and she asked if would I’d be interested in blogging since (at that time) they didn’t have anyone who wrote Contemporary Romance as a part of their group. It was a really easy decision since I was already a fan of theirs. And I’ve gotten to meet via interviews some really cool people…like my writing idols!

Kim: Tell us about your new book - TWICE TEMPTED.

Marquita: Twice Tempted is Book One in my Holland Springs Series. Holland Springs is a very special small town set in eastern North Carolina. Local legend says that if you find the real Holland Springs with your love, then it means your love for each other is true and that you’ll be together forever. *dreamy sigh*

My heroine, Zoe Ambrose, lives in Holland Springs, along with a very big family. A very big, nosy and overprotective family. While my poor hero, the very wealthy and infamous Christian Romanov, deals with a father that would sooner giveaway all his money and power than sit down to a family dinner. A chance encounter in Las Vegas bring these two together, only it’s not the first time they’ve met and Zoe’s determined to protect her heart this time. Fortunately for us, what happens in Vegas, doesn’t stay in Vegas. ;)

Kim: What's next for Marquita Valentine?

Marquita: Next up is the second book in the Holland Springs Series, Third Time’s A Charm, coming September 2012. I won’t give away the hero and heroine on here. But there might be an excerpt at the end of Twice Tempted. What I love most about Third Time’s A Charm, besides my hero and heroine’s journey, is that we get to see the more magical aspects of Holland Springs and meet some of its most notorious residents.


Thanks for having me on SOS ALOHA, Kim!  Aloha. 

GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment to enter, and I’ll give away two copies of Twice Tempted (e-book only) to randomly chosen winners.

TWICE TEMPTED, coming soon-July 2012 (e-book)

Sometimes…

Born into wealth and power, Christian Romanov is Hollywood’s favorite bad boy with a golden touch…until the day his agent receives pictures of the movie star celebrating his birthday in a not-so-legal way. Now he’s been ordered to find a small-town girl to be seen with in order to improve his partying image. He agrees, but for an entirely different reasons-to protect the reputation of an organization that helps get teens off the street and back into the school. Not only is he the anonymous donor that’s been solely supporting the organization since its inception, he’s slated to be their newest spokesman.

What happens in Vegas,

Zoe Ambrose is a hopeless romantic masquerading as a realist. But she’s also a successful novelist, trying to fit herself into a staid life when what she craves is the adventure she found one night in the arms of a playboy who never knew her name. When her successful crime series is optioned by a major studio, she travels to Las Vegas to find that the prince of her fantasies and single night of pleasure is the main contender for the male lead. But for four years Zoe has been publicly eviscerating the man who left her stranded that night—he’s the villain in her series! Now the movie star doesn’t recognize her, and Zoe is determined to protect her heart this time.

Doesn’t Stay in Vegas.

When Christian braves the small town of Holland Springs and Zoe’s overprotective family to win the girl of his dreams, he finds that his Hollywood skills might not cut it—and learns a shocking truth he never imagined. Can he can tempt her again and finally give her the epic love story she has refused to write for herself?

Marquita Valentine writes small town romances that are anything but small. Lisa Kleypas, Carly Phillips and Rachel Gibson are among her favorite contemporary authors. Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man — and if that doesn’t work, they can console themselves with cheesy tatertots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children.

You can find Marquita all over the Internet:

Goodreads at this link.
Facebook at this link.
Twitter at this link.
Website at this link.
Blog at this link. 

Mahalo, Marquita, for joining us at SOS Aloha! Marquita's giveaway is open through Saturday, July 14, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winners on Sunday, July 15.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

I am tempted to read Marquita's book on the beach ....