Giveaway, Review & Author Interview : Tangled by Emma Chase (CR)

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Book Blurb

Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? 

He’ll tell you he has the flu.

But we all know that’s not really true.

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything - or anyone - derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating. 

Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life? 

Can Drew Evans win at love? 

Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Tangled-The-Series-ebook/dp/B00CW665VI/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1369094075&sr=1-6&keywords=Tangled

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tangled-emma-chase/1115375239?ean=2940016469942

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Toot's Review

Tangled is a very unique romance told from the hero's perspective but he's also narrating for you as well.  It would be almost like a friend telling you about how he hooked up with his future wife or to give you a more mainstream example, it's kinda like the TV show "How I met your mother". Where you have someone's perspective but then they are also giving comments throughout the story. What I found really fascinating was that the author is a woman. OK now don't get me wrong, most writers in this genre are women but when we get the POV from a man with comments about life, love and sex from his perspective and you know that men really do think like that (plus I kept turning to hubby and saying "Really? Is that true?" and he'd just nod), I found it just amazing that she could be that insightful and spot on about the inner workings of the opposite sex. Honestly, hubby thought the book was written by a guy, LOL.

So, onto the story.  The main character Andrew (Drew) Evans, is a totally womanizing man-whore but yep,  I totally and completely fell in love with him. Yes, he's an Alpha Male, yes, he's a very rich man but unlike all the other rich guy books, somehow Emma Chase makes him more normal. No, he's not the Prince Charming in disguise or the closet BDSM playboy that most CR books make their hero's into, nope he's a normal everyday corporate I-Banker, who is a sex addict of sorts. He works hard and plays hard until he meets Katherine (Kate) Brooks in a bar. Kate is smart, charming and can totally hold her own without a man. This heroine can go toe to toe with anyone in and out of the boardroom. She knows who she is and what she wants out of life. I will confess, I love my romances but I normally am not a super fan of the heroines in most books. They usually come off as a multitude of cookie cutter heroine types and if you read romance, you know what I mean. I think my biggest pet peeve is when the hero enters the picture, sweeps the girl off her feet and the girl ends up becoming just what the hero needs. She sacrifices herself for the man to then get married, have his kids and they have their HEA. Anywho, I'm off topic. What I loved about this CR story is that almost the opposite happens. Drew completely does a 180 to get the girl. He's the one who sacrifices, changes and relentlessly pursues because he know what he wants and Kate doesn't have to change at all, how's that for a different story? It's also worth mentioning, because I loved them and dearly hope to see more of them, that the story is chalk full of other wonderful and very colorful characters, mainly friends and family, that also breathe life into this love story.

All in all, it's a fresh take on a CR. Even if you aren't a fan of CR, I think you'll really enjoy this particular  take on a classic boy meets girl story. It's a fun read and even though the romance is typical, the writing is refreshing and unique. I am now a huge fan of Emma Chase and hope there are many, many , many more stories like this one.

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Author Interview

Hi Emma,

Thank you so much for sitting down with Toot's for an interview. If you don't mind, I have some questions for you about the series and your process for our budding authors as well as fans, which I am definitely among!

Thank you. I’m very excited to be here.

In your own words, what is Tangled about?

Tangled is the story of Drew Evans – who he is, what his thoughts and feelings are about life, love, business, sex, men and women. Through Drew we meet Kate Brooks, as well as their family and friends. We watch Drew unknowingly fall in love and we see the effect that has on him and every part of his life.

Tangled's Hero is a multi-millionaire. With all the new crop of Contemporary Romance which feature mega rich men and the women who bring them to their knees, what sets Tangled apart in the growing genre?

Tangled’s tone is different from many popular Contemporary Romance titles today. It’s light, it’s fun, even during some of the angsty parts. By the end, Tangled is a story that will hopefully leave readers feeling happy.

The characters don’t have any troubled pasts or dark secrets.

Also, the way Drew narrates is quite different from other CR’s. As he tells his story, a reader can almost imagine he’s in the room with them.

Finally, Drew offers advice and guidance to the reader about men, women, sex and love.Although Tangled’s basic plot isn’t new, I’m hoping these stylistic differences will make it entertaining and memorable for readers.

Tangled is a mix of comedy and erotica/romance, how difficult was it balancing the two and what challenges did you face?

Because I was telling the story from the Hero’s point of view, I found the comedic elements much easier to write and the erotic ones more challenging. Drew’s personality is bold and irreverent, so the humor in his thoughts and words, came very naturally.

The challenge in writing the erotic scenes was to keep Drew’s voice within character, while at the same time conveying the sensuality and emotion of the moment. He needed to still talk like a guy, but if he was too graphic, there was the risk of pulling a reader out of the story or diminishing the appeal of the scene.

In the end, I’m happy with how the love scenes turned out. There are some light comedic comments, and Drew still sounds like himself, but I think his desire and growing feelings for Kate are clear, which makes the scenes profound and intense.

What was your favorite scene to write for your Hero and/or Heroine?

Any scene with lots of Kate and Drew dialogue. I had the most fun with them when they were arguing or talking with each other.

What was the hardest scene to write?

The scenes when Drew tries to win Kate back. Even though Drew evolves and grows as a character – I still wanted to keep him, himself.

So I had to find ways for him to grovel…but in a self-confidant way.

He needed to be remorseful but not weak, romantic and sincere but not mushy. It was difficult to find that balance at times.

*with a wink* What type and how much research did you have to do?

Well…depends which scene we’re talking about, ha-ha.

Actually, there was more research than I would’ve thought for a contemporary romance. Drew uses a lot of animal, movie, TV show, scientific, musical and pop culture references. Double checking the spelling and accuracy of many of his statements was sometimes time consuming.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated and what made you decide to pursue it as a career?

I’ve always loved to write. I remember writing stories for my school’s newspaper in first grade. I also think my love of the written word came from a healthy reading habit. Getting lost in a story motivated me, at an early age, to write the same types of stories I enjoyed reading.

In the last few years changes in the publishing industry made writing seem like a “not-impossible” career. It had always been a dream, but after FSOG, indie publishers and self-publishing seemed to become more mainstream, more widely known, and more accessible to send submissions to.

What inspires you to put the pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard?

Music is very inspiring for me. I’ve been inspired to write whole storylines after listening to just a few lyrics or just a few bars of a song that carries a certain tone or feeling.

What are some of the elements in/of your writing process?

Once an idea for a story comes to mind, I write as many notes as I can (cause if I don’t I will forget it). Usually the entire plot is laid out in my head almost immediately. Then, I’ll start making notes on specific scenes – dialogue, action, setting. Then I’ll start writing the actual scenes.

I always try to write from the beginning of the story to the end, but often I’ll feel more inspired to write a chapter further along. When that happens, I’ll skip around and write whichever part my muse is telling me to – just to keep the story developing. Then, as the scenes start to string together, new ideas may come or certain developments won’t be working and I’ll have to change things around. Sometimes it’s difficult to change directions, particularly if you’ve already written a chapter or two going in that direction.

There’s nothing worse than having to toss out a couple thousand words of a story. But, you do what you have to, to make consistent characters and a solid plot.

I’ve read the best strategy for successful authors is to write every day, in the same place, at the same time. But I’ve never been able to do it that way. I’m more of a binge writer. I write practically all day, every day for a few weeks…and then I write nothing for a few weeks. It can be frustrating.

What's next for you?

The sequel to Tangled, Twisted.

Is there anything you’d like to add before we get into the personal questions?

I’m just so grateful and honored by the response Tangled has received. It’s been more than I ever imagined, and it’s wonderful to know that readers are loving the characters and having as much fun reading their story as I did while I was writing it.

Now I know this is like asking you to choose between your own children, but out of all your amazing characters, who is your favorite and why?

I do love them all. Each one is interesting and fun, in their own way. Still, I’m going to have to say Drew is my favorite. He’s unpredictable– even for me, haha. And he’s…limitless. He has no boundaries, no hesitation, whether he’s being vindictive or seductive.

And as funny as he can be, I think his humor does a lot to magnify his dramatic or emotional moments. It gives them that much more impact.

Drew is an endlessly fun character to write.

Who is your favorite author/s and what is it that really strikes a chord with you about their work?

Johanna Lindsey. I love the dialogue in many of her earlier historical romances. I’ve reread some of her books dozens of times, and each time I still laugh, gasp or feel sad by the things her characters say to each other.

I also love Emily Bronte. Wuthering Heights is my favorite, favorite book, and Heathcliff is the ultimate flawed hero for me. His passion, his anger, and his love for Katherine hooked me the first time I read it, and it’s kept me hooked years later.

Other than yours, are there any books or authors you'd recommend for your readers?

I recently read The Siren by Tiffany Reitz and thought it was brilliant.

I would definitely recommend readers to try new authors and to step outside their genre comfort zone. I think that’s how we find some of the best book gem,s that we otherwise would’ve never known were out there.

Lastly, let's steal an idea from the magazines.....

What 5 things do fans not know about you and 5 they don't know about the book?

Me

1) I always read the last page of a book first.

2) When I listen to music, I see stories in my head. Sometimes they’re directly related to what the lyrics are about. Sometimes, they having nothing to do with the lyrics, but are just about what the music makes me feel.

3) I’m a compulsive nail biter (terrible habit).

4) I speak any dialogue I write out loud, so I know it sounds right. I usually do this while pacing back and forth. I probably look completely insane.

5) I’m a procrastinator. I work best at the last minute – under pressure.

Book

1) I thought a publisher would want to change Tangled’s title, because of the Disney movie of the same name. I’m really happy my publisher, Omnific, didn’t want to.

2) There was an additional love scene, at the end, which was edited out.

3) The Thanksgiving Dinner scene was written in a McDonalds play room. When the idea came to me, I didn’t want to forget anything, so I wrote it all down on a napkin.

4) I didn’t design the cover, so I don’t feel conceited saying I think it’s the most perfect cover for this book that could’ve ever been created. Even the pillow is on there! I love it.

5) ???? Sorry, could only come up with four ????

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for stopping by Toot's Book Reviews and taking time to answer some questions.

Thank you so much! You asked some great questions and I really enjoyed chatting with you.

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Author Info

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother who resides in a small town in New Jersey. By night she is a keyboard crusader, toiling away the hours to bring her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.

Emma’s Website:

http://www.emmachase.net/

Emma's Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emma-Chase/203871846413267?fref=ts

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/EmmaChse

Goodreads Author Page:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6551005.Emma_Chase

Add Tangled on Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16073738-tangled

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~Giveaway~

1 e-copy of Tangled

~To enter~

*Please leave a comment on this blog page

Random comment will be chosen on 6/5

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Tour Info

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