INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY
She Likes It Rough
by GVR Corcillo
GVR Corcillo's debut chick lit novel, She Likes It Rough, was awarded Best Indie Book of 2013 by the Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards. The romantic comedy also took first place in the Humor category. Rebecca's Reads established the awards program to pay tribute to authors who are self-published or have had their books published by a subsidy publisher, small press, university press, or independent book publisher.She Likes It Rough is currently on tour with Reading Addiction Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my interview with the author and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Can daring adventures with an adrenaline junkie give a daydreaming pushover the courage she needs in order to make her life count for something?
When a freak fast-food accident almost kills scaredy-cat Lisa Flyte, she decides it's time to get a backbone and really start living life! But how is a shrinking violet like Lisa supposed to get assertive all of a sudden after a lifetime of watching from the couch?
Jack Hawkins, that's how. When Lisa finds out that the outdoor extremist from her MBA classes needs a clueless urbanite to test his top-secret line of adventure gear for beginners, she gets the most outlandish idea of her life: she will be his undercover test dummy if he helps her become brave on their adventures in the wild.
They strike a deal. But can Lisa use her outdoor moxie to become the alpha hero of her everyday life? Will she find the grit to pursue a career she really wants or the nerve to stand up to her bullying family?
And will she get gutsy enough to go after Jack? He's a man who's not afraid of anything ... except maybe of falling for Lisa.
Excerpt
I look straight at Jack. “What?” I demand, trying to pretend I didn't just freak out because I thought a damn jellyfish was attacking me on the fourth floor of a building downtown.
“Interesting,” he muses. “Your first reaction to fear is to strip.” He nods thoughtfully. “Good to know.”
“That's it?” I ask. “That's your reaction, to make a joke? Your whole staff is going to think I'm your booty call. Don't you care?”
He slides me a look, then grabs a duffle off a shelf. “No one is going to think that.”
“Why?” I challenge. “Am I so out of your league that the idea would be crazy to anyone who knows you?”
He stops and looks at me. “Lisa, I don’t have sex in the office. It’s not a rule, exactly, but I just never do. And I don’t encourage it among my staff.” He starts to fill the pack with gear from his desk and cabinets. “But if it'll make you feel better, I'll tell Peg how crazy hot I think you are.”
I tighten my jaw and suck in my tummy. “You’re making fun of me.”
“That’s because you’re whacko.” Jack doesn’t even pause what he’s doing when he says this. He zips the duffle shut. “Let’s go.” He brushes past me on his way to the door.
“Jack,” I say. “This deal is never going to work if you get mad at me every time I ask a question or make a suggestion.”
“I’m not mad.”
“Then why are you so edgy?”
He turns to me, his hand on the doorknob. “Because I hope to God I’m doing the right thing.”
“Why?” I ask. “What are you doing?”
“I’m taking you on your first adventure.”
Review
By booknerd
GVR delivers a hysterically fun romance. It's impossible not to read this book and not find yourself laughing-out-loud. The romance was sweet but the heroine's antics were the driving force for me. Lisa Flyte wants to make changes in her life, so she decides to take matters into her own hands. Jack Hawkins provides her with the perfect opportunity. He wants to test out his beginner hiking gear. The adventures that follow lead Lisa to develop better self awareness and a wonderful opportunity for romance. Fun, romantic and a wonderful adventure!
Interview With the Author
Hi GVR, thanks for joining me today to discuss your debut novel, She Likes It Rough.
For what age group do you recommend your book?
11-106! It's adventure, romance, comedy, sibling rivalry, what to do about your parents, your neighbors, your job, trying to figure out life ... it's a jaunty ride whether you relate to it or just have fun with it.
What sparked the idea for this book?
They say write what you know ... and I'm afraid of everything! Heights, going too fast, walking into strange stores, calling people I don't know, what people will think of me ... the list goes on. I'm not as bad as Monk, but there are so many things in life I would just rather not have to do. So, that got me thinking that I should write about a scaredy-cat and her wild plan to find a backbone.
Which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?
Is there an idea for a novel without a character's story? For me, not so much – the two grow simultaneously and feed off one another. As for the tiniest spark of an idea that catches my attention, it could be something about a character or a plot point, depending on the project. For She Likes It Rough, it was the characters. Lisa the scaredy-cat, and how she would make herself stronger. Then I just started thinking about Jack, her polar opposite – composed, aloof, capable, confident, adventurous, on a beloved career path. But I also had to make sure to give him his own issues and demons. Once I had Lisa and Jack, I built a story around them.
What was the hardest part to write in this book?
The ending! I seriously needed to nail the landing. I love romances, especially romantic comedies – books, movies, television shows. But my biggest pet peeve about romantic comedies is this: anti-climactic endings. Sometimes I am engaged in a great story with a compelling build-up, only to be let down at the end when the pay-off disappoints me. I want to be on the edge of my seat then stand up and cheer than collapse back into my chair and say, “Awwww.” The ending that inspires that response is my ideal ending to a romantic comedy, and that is what I wanted to write. I achieved that, at least for me. I totally love the ending of She Likes It Rough! And every time I hear from a reader that she or he liked the ending, I am just so delighted! I don't even remember what the original ending to the book was, but I do remember that I came up with this ending somewhere during the second edit. I love the ending because it ... well, I won't say any more!
I guess we'll just have to wait and see! How do you hope this book affects its readers?
I want them to enjoy the read. Whether they laugh uproariously or giggle a little, curl their toes and sigh, cringe then read maniacally to see how things work out – I want them to enjoy themselves. I hope they want to pick up the book for the pleasure it will bring. That's what reading has been for me throughout my life, and that is what I want to do for other people. I can still remember sitting at a high school play when I was in 9th grade, desperate to get home to see what was going to happen between Anne of Greene Gables and Gilbert. I remember when I was even younger, sitting on the patio steps reading The Land of Oz. It started raining, and I can still see the drops hitting the page in front of me. But I didn't care, I didn't move. I just wanted to stay exactly where I was in the land of Oz. When I read in a reader review that someone couldn't put down She Likes It Rough, I am over the moon!
How long did it take you to write this book?
Like, a million years. Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens, I have been writing this book ... Actually, I wrote it in a about a year of writing sporadically. But then it took me eons to decide to do something with it. And that really is the hardest part of living life as an author – what you do AFTER the writing is done. Not that it's ever really done – at least not for me. I am forever tweaking. But hey, if you've written a book, or started to write a book years and years and years ago, dust it off! Pull it out from under the bed! There are so many amazing publishing opportunities available today that you can make your writing dreams come true. It is not easy, not by any stretch, and you will always be tired – but it is so worth it – to live your dream.
What is your writing routine?
When I get a sec, I sit my butt in my desk chair and write. Then market a little. Then network. Then write. The truth is, my writing “schedule” is frenetic and I aspire to a routine some day. Seriously, it amazes me that I ever wrote even one book! We all have such busy, fractured lives with so many responsibilities pulling us this way and that. But don't let that stop you if you want to write! Find time in the cracks, pockets of minutes folded between the socks and towels, precious moments when everyone else is asleep – salvage what you can and work it! Give yourself permission to work on something that might not be finished for years, just always be working on it - even in little snippets – and you will be living your dream.
How did you get your book published?
She Likes It Rough is an “indie” book that I “self-published.” But self-publishing is anything but independent and isolated! As an indie author, I get to work with the most amazing people, from my editor, to my formatter, to my cover artist, to my cover designer. And these are all people that I want to work with and that I trust. When She Likes It Rough won the Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards for Best Indie Book of 2013 and Best Humor Book of 2013, you better believe these were the people I emailed first, telling them, “We did it!” There are so many talented and smart people out there besides authors who are using the publishing freedom of the internet to make dream careers of their own – it is just a matter of connecting and finding them. Plumb your cache of friends on Twitter and Facebook and get names and connections. Comment on blogs asking indie authors who they work with. Join social writing groups to make connections. I have been a member of Romance Writers of America for over 10 years, and even Dean Koontz said we were the most supportive writing group he'd ever encountered. The opportunities and communities of artists are out there ...
What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Just do it. It is scary and it is hard, but it is worth it. Whether “it” is sending that manuscript to publishers or agents, or whether “it” is self-publishing, work through the fear and excuses and just do it. And stay true to your vision. As you make your way into the world of published books, there will always be people suggesting you change things. If that person understands your goals and vision, and they are trying to help you better convey that vision, great. But if someone wants you to change things because that is how THEY want it, be careful. Consider what is most important to you about becoming an author before making decisions that might limit your rights or creative control.
Great advice! What do you like to do when you're not writing?
1. Sleep
2. Eat
3. Watch British TV
4. Read mysteries and chick lit and anything else that strikes my fancy
5. Watch or talk about the NY Giants with my husband Ron
What does your family think of your writing?
My husband Ron is also a writer – a television comedy writer. When one of us is working to make a deadline, the other picks up all the slack. It's just a given. I remember years ago, I wanted to submit a short story to a Marlo Thomas anthology. Of course, I waited until the weekend of the Sunday at midnight deadline to even start writing. But that Saturday morning, I found and rescued a horribly injured dog. Suddenly, our weekend was consumed by taking care of the dog, who we named Robert, and who needed care 24/7. Sunday dawns. Less than 24 hours until the midnight deadline, and I haven't written a word. So I said to my husband, “I know we need to take care of Robert, I do, but I really think I have a chance with this story. I think I should do this. I think I need to spend today writing.”
“Of course you do,” he said. “Don't worry about it. I'll take care of Robert.”
And he did. Along with all the billions of other things he had to do that Sunday – our weekends are crazy busy with non-stop charity projects. So, I wrote all day, and today you can read my story “Jane Austen Meets the New York Giants” in the New York Times Bestselling Marlo Thomas anthology The Right Words at the Right Time, Volume 2: Your Turn! I couldn't have done that without my husband Ron. And Robert the dog? He's doing just fine, loving life as part of our family.
Fantastic! Please tell us a bit about your childhood. Did you like reading when you were a child?
Our house was cacophonous. Four kids, the cat and dog, my parents trying to wrangle us all, the televisions always on, the radio in the kitchen, the clatter of pots and pans ... Reading was my escape. Since I was in 3rd grade and Mrs. Lewis read the class A Dog for Joey by Nan Gilbert, I've been hooked on the power of books to “take us Lands away.” By 5th grade, I was reading voraciously. I particularly remember devouring every Agatha Christie book I could get my hands on. I LOVED reading as a kid, and I still do.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Not sure. I know in 2nd grade I wanted to be a dentist. I don't know why. I mean, I never even went to the dentist as a kid and I still don't. And I've never had a cavity or braces or anything. Though, I do remember wanting a big, clean office with a waiting room. Anyhow, by the time I was in 7th grade, I was telling my English teacher Mrs. Sheehan that I wanted to be a writer. But I don't know exactly when I'd made that decision. But I guess that's how true love happens sometimes. You don't know when it starts, but one day, you just know. You know it's right, it's the one, and you can't live without it.
Thanks so much for stopping by today. It's been a pleasure. I hope you enjoy the rest of your book tour!
About the Author
With her Ivy League education, white trash sensibility, and pop culture savvy, GVR Corcillo delights in writing chick lit about characters who try not to trip as they valiantly march to their own bongo beat.
She didn't start writing right away. First, she worked in a greenhouse, a supermarket, a movie theatre, a potpourri-stuffing factory, an electrical fixtures plant, a book warehouse, a metal-perforating factory, a video store, several movie studios, a children's museum, a radio station, and a bar. She also taught high school in Watts and South Central Los Angeles.
But none of these fit the bill for what she always wanted to be when she grew up - a writer. So, she won some writing contests, hit the New York Times Bestsellers List with her first short story, and got a screenplay produced.
Geralyn Vivian Ruane Corcillo, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, lives in North Hollywood with her husband Ron, a television comedy writer. They are both New York Giants fans.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win some a $25 Victoria's Secret gift card. Plus everyone can download All Summer on a Date by GVR Corcillo FREE from Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.
Links
