WOOING THE WEDDING PLANNER
By Amber Leigh Williams
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Interview:
Crystal: Today I have the pleasure of hosting Amber Leigh Williams. Welcome Amber I am so happy you could join us today. Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?
Amber: I’ve been writing for Harlequin’s Superromance line for three years. WOOIING THE WEDDING PLANNER is my fourth Superromance book. I live on the US Gulf Coast, about twenty minutes from the small town Fairhope, Alabama which is the real life setting for all of my Superromance books thus far. I enjoy cooking, beach days, the smell of real books and spending as much time as I can with my husband of ten years and our two children.
Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?
Amber: I loved writing the scene where, in one of the funniest ways possible, Roxie discovers the man already living the Victorian house she’s eager to buy for herself…
Crystal: Today I have the pleasure of hosting Amber Leigh Williams. Welcome Amber I am so happy you could join us today. Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?
Amber: I’ve been writing for Harlequin’s Superromance line for three years. WOOIING THE WEDDING PLANNER is my fourth Superromance book. I live on the US Gulf Coast, about twenty minutes from the small town Fairhope, Alabama which is the real life setting for all of my Superromance books thus far. I enjoy cooking, beach days, the smell of real books and spending as much time as I can with my husband of ten years and our two children.
Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?
Amber: I loved writing the scene where, in one of the funniest ways possible, Roxie discovers the man already living the Victorian house she’s eager to buy for herself…
The intruder stood at one of the matching sinks, a razor raised to his chin. As the doors clacked against the jamb, he jerked and grunted a pained cry. He turned partway, his hand clasped to his chin.
Roxie exclaimed, “Byron!”
Shock and bemusement flashed across his face. He didn’t say a word, just stared at them.
Roxie stared back. He wasn’t Byron. He was naked Byron. Or…almost naked Byron. How could she not have known all this was under those suits and ties? His skin was the color of golden piecrust hot and fresh from the oven. There wasn’t an ounce of body fat on him. The bastard. Everything was ripply and muscly, sprinkled with a fine dusting of dark hair that looked so soft she had the dubious urge to run her fingertips through it.
Flustered, she balled her hands into fists, physically forcing her gaze anywhere but on his…accoutrements. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Me?” Byron asked. Before he could go further, he looked beyond her into the bedroom and paled considerably. “Ma?”
Vera’s voice cracked like thunder. “Byron Atticus Strong!”
As if realizing he were bare as a bumpkin, he reached down to cover himself. Roxie’s face flamed hotter at the move and she covered her mouth. “What is this, a town meeting?” he asked.
“Why the Dickens aren’t you next door?” Vera said sharply.
Byron’s gaze veered back to hers. “If you’re interested in leasing the Victorian, you’re going to be disappointed.”
“Why?” Roxie asked, fearing she already knew.
“Because it’s mine,” Byron finished. “Sorry, duchess.”
Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for your latest release?
Amber: The process of writing WOOING THE WEDDING PLANNER developed organically from previous books in the series. Readers had written about both the hero and heroine of the story, Byron and Roxie, asking if they were going to get their own books. The idea of planting them both in the same house when they both desperately want to be single, particularly around Valentine’s Day, came when I saw an image of the Gable Mansion in California. The details of the historic white Victorian house that they wind up squabbling over I could picture vividly in my head. As I was writing them all down, the significance of the house to each of the characters fell solidly into place and therein lay the premise for the story.
Amber: I’m researching my sixth Superromance book. I completed the fifth in January. It will be published later this year.
Crystal: Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing?
Amber: I put my children to bed at night, spend a few minutes with my husband, brew a pot of tea and start writing. Music and ear buds help me drown out the quiet and get my mind in gear.
Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research for this book or any other? If so do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?
Amber: The biggest research I’ve done for this series involves mapped out the town. Fairhope’s a real place so when I’m writing, I know if my characters are walking east or west and where they are in relation to landmarks. I have to implement the fictional places I’ve added through my books – homesteads, businesses, streets. Fairhope has evolved since I began writing the series. In the first book, A PLACE WITH BRIAR, the restaurant I mention in the opening sequence has changed names and ownership. That’s to be expected and I address that in the second part of the series, which I’m writing now that revolves around the second generation of my characters twenty or so years after WOOING THE WEDDING PLANNER takes place. Change is a big theme in the fifth book especially.
Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?
Amber: Lately, I’ve been binge-reading a lot of Diana Gabaldon and Paullina Simons’s work. As far as writing goes, I’m very contemporary-minded but I like the escape of a good historical. I just finished re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird for the third time in the last year. It never disappoints.
Amber: I put my children to bed at night, spend a few minutes with my husband, brew a pot of tea and start writing. Music and ear buds help me drown out the quiet and get my mind in gear.
Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research for this book or any other? If so do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?
Amber: The biggest research I’ve done for this series involves mapped out the town. Fairhope’s a real place so when I’m writing, I know if my characters are walking east or west and where they are in relation to landmarks. I have to implement the fictional places I’ve added through my books – homesteads, businesses, streets. Fairhope has evolved since I began writing the series. In the first book, A PLACE WITH BRIAR, the restaurant I mention in the opening sequence has changed names and ownership. That’s to be expected and I address that in the second part of the series, which I’m writing now that revolves around the second generation of my characters twenty or so years after WOOING THE WEDDING PLANNER takes place. Change is a big theme in the fifth book especially.
Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?
Amber: Lately, I’ve been binge-reading a lot of Diana Gabaldon and Paullina Simons’s work. As far as writing goes, I’m very contemporary-minded but I like the escape of a good historical. I just finished re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird for the third time in the last year. It never disappoints.
Crystal: Is there a genre you haven't written that you would like to try?
Amber: Actually, I’m pleased to be doing that now. The heroine of the book I’m working on now is a paranormal investigator, or a “ghost hunter.” I’ve met several ghost hunters in the last decade and I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to explore their approach to business. It’s a bit tricky because it’s still a Superromance novel, which as a rule is by no means paranormal. I love the challenge of presenting the heroine’s profession in a believable light. Legitimate paranormal investigators will tell you that their main job is “debunking” claims of paranormal activity. But I’ve lived long enough and seen and heard enough, particularly here in the south, to make me believe in ghosts. It’ll be interesting seeing how that plays out against a real-life contemporary backdrop.
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BLURB:
No more wedding marches for her!
Wedding planner Roxie Honeycutt can make happy-ever-after come true for anyone except herself. Freshly divorced and done with love, she's okay with watching clients walk down the aisle. What's not okay? Sharing a charming Victorian house with accountant Byron Strong. He's frustratingly sexy and determined to keep her confused.
Roxie thought Byron's expertise was numbers, yet somehow he sees her for who she really is. Somehow he understands the hurt she hides behind a trademark smile. Suddenly romance is tempting again, even if it means risking another heartbreak.
Publisher: Harlequin (Superromance)
Publisher: Harlequin (Superromance)
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Book Excerpt:“What was wrong with the old Roxie?”
His words stuck with her. And his kiss.
It was difficult to forget a kiss like that, especially coming from someone…well, someone like Byron. Roxie had spent more time than she’d like to admit trying not to think about the kiss – about how sweet it was. She’d forgotten kisses could be so sweet. She’d tried extra hard to forget how his lips had lingered. And how in lingering he’d awakened starbursts inside her. Starbursts of eternity.
She frowned deeply. Being touched…it had been so long since she had really been touched. The hollowness in her had turned into a resounding ache, and for a few moments she’d thought about bringing Byron’s mouth back down to hers. For a few moments, she’d craved more than his companionship. She’d craved the contact. The promise of heat that came with it.
But had she wanted it – had she wanted him – for the single reason
that heat could erode loneliness? There was trust there. There was affection.
For those small starbursts of eternity, there had been longing and the promise
of flame. It had been too long since she’d felt the sheer, electrical pulse of
new chemistry.
Why had Byron’s kiss made it seem like so long since
she’d felt the flame? The passion?
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About the Author:
Amber Leigh Williams is a Harlequin romance writer wholives on the US Gulf Coast. She lives for beach days, the smell of real books, and spending time with her husband and their two
young children. When she’s not keeping up with rambunctious little ones (and two large dogs), she can usually be found reading a good book or indulging her inner foodie. Amber is represented by the D4EO Literary Agency.
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