Blog Tour ~ The Average Girl

About the Book:

Title: The Average Girl
Author: Angelina Goode
Publisher: Beach Blanket Publishing
Pages: 228
Genre: Romantic Comedy

Being average can lead to wonderful things…

Olivia Fowler, helper of the star-struck, runs a successful business helping average people meet celebrities in everyday ways. Flawless at what she does, the celebrities don’t have a clue they’re part of a pre-planned meeting. Business is booming and Olivia knows everything there is to know about Hollywood’s famous and their behavior. Her clients trust her because she is just like them, not famous.

But when Olivia accidentally meets the super-famous Alexander Young at the grocery store, her world is flipped upside-down. She can’t possibly resist those charming eyes and sexy arms. As their romance blossoms, Olivia learns she may not know as much as she thought she did about celebrities and their ways.

Then Olivia’s most important and loyal client requests to meet Alexander. Suddenly, Olivia is forced to choose between her love and her business.

Will Olivia be able to keep her booming business a secret from her soon-to-be boyfriend? Will her clients still trust her if she is no longer the average girl?

For More Information

• The Average Girl is available at Amazon.

• Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.

• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Book Excerpt:

I sit quietly at the Starbucks on the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevard, pretending to work on my laptop. Two tables away from me and next to the condiment counter sits my client, Sarah, drinking coffee and pretending to read a book. This is our second day at this Starbucks and we have already been here for forty minutes. I am beginning to wonder if we should re-evaluate our plan.

Suddenly a wave of hushed excitement spreads through the store. Everyone’s eyes are glued to the swinging front doors as Ryan Scott strides through with his shoulders back and chin up. Everyone’s eyes, that is, but Sarah’s. She looks at me without turning her head, and I give her the tiniest of nods before spinning back around to stare. She responds to my nod by feigning interest in her Jane Austen novel.

Great Sarah! Keep calm. I know you want to burst inside, but play it cool.

Ryan’s eyes quickly scan the room. Before they return to the menu board, they briefly linger on Sarah, the only person who appears not to notice him. He orders his grande latte with a double shot of espresso and leans smugly against the counter with his arms folded across his chest. He appears to be staring into space, yet every few moments his eyes fall back to Sarah, who has still not looked up from her book.

The barista calls his name, and he pauses to make sure everyone hears it before he reaches for the drink. When he turns around, Sarah is beginning to pack her things, leaving the Austen novel on the table. He heads toward the condiment counter for his regular three sugars. Just as we had rehearsed, Sarah stands up, still focused on packing up, and he tries to pass her. He stops for a moment, Sarah blocking his way.

Thank goodness these celebrities are creatures of habit. It makes my job so much easier.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.” She breathes calmly as she speaks to him. She slings her navy-blue Coach bag over her shoulder and smiles, her head leaning to the side, her eyes soft.

“That’s all right,” Ryan responds. He stands waiting for her to move but blocks her exit. He half smiles at her.

 “Okay then.” Sarah glances toward the door behind him, still smiling.

“Oh, now I’m in your way,” he declares as he steps aside and watches Sarah move toward the door. “Wait, hey, your book!”

I exhale. The one contingency worked as planned. Should be easy from here on out, as long as she sticks to the script.

She stops and turns back, hiding her smile. Ryan stands there, holding her book in his hands. “Jane Austen, huh.” He smirks. “I’m shooting a movie based on one of her books next month.”

“Oh, you’re an actor. What book?” she asks, pretending not to know.

“Pride and Prejudice.” He seems intrigued by Sarah’s indifference. “Well, here you go—” He ends his sentence by fishing for her name.

“Sarah,” she finishes for him.

“Sarah,” he repeats, revealing a slow, sexy smile, “maybe we can have a cup of coffee next time.” He holds out the book but is not loosening his grip.

“Yes, maybe.” She takes the book from him, and he lets her. “Thanks.” Then she is out the door. Ryan turns and grabs his three sugars, looking around the room again to make sure everyone is still watching. Before he finishes stirring them in, I am out on the street and dialing Sarah’s cell number.

“Wow! That was unbelievable! I can’t believe it worked!” she cries.

“You were awesome! Did you see the way he looked at you?” I ask.

“Yes! I did!” She pauses. “Thank you so much, Olivia. You really made my dream come true. I mean, I never could have done this without you. I’m going to recommend you to all my friends,” she rattles on.

Thrilled that all went as planned, I head back down Santa Monica Boulevard toward my office.

About the Author

Angelina Goode began writing as a teenager. Though her first works were poems about love-struck teenagers, she grew her craft while earning her degree in Journalism and Creative Writing. A former grade school teacher that loved teaching children to write, she enjoys finding creative ways to present everyday events. Now she primarily writes light-hearted contemporary women’s fiction. She lives in Los Angeles where she enjoys the occasional celebrity sighting and year-round sun.

Angelina started gaining first-hand fan and celebrity experience as a devoted follower of her generation’s boy band. Her experience shifted in college when she interned in the promotions department for a Los Angeles based radio station and for the public relations department of a network television station. There she was able to learn about the ins and outs of promoting celebrities and all the backstage activities that are rarely seen by the public eye. She was also able to observe fans’ behavior from an objective perspective, seeing what it looks like to an outside observer.

Now she combines her experience as a loyal fan attending numerous concerts and meet and greets every year, her brief but educational stint in the entertainment industry, and a highly active imagination to create fiction for celebrity lovers of all ages.

Her latest book is the romantic comedy, The Average Girl.

For More Information

• Visit Angelina Goode’s website.

• Connect with Angelina on Facebook and Twitter.

• Find out more about Angelina at Goodreads.

Interview With …. 

Angelina. Thanks for being here today. Tell us about you. 
My name is Angelina Goode, and aside from being a writer, I’m primarily a mom. Most of my days are spent like most moms’ are… taking my kids places and just watching them grow up, savoring every moment. While I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer, I also wanted to be a race car driver. I spent many Saturday nights as a young adult at the race track, being a spotter for my dad who raced locally as a hobby. My dream was to be the driver myself one day. But as I got older, the dare-devil in me calmed down and the solicitous part of me took over. Now, I live dangerously by taking tap dance classes and dreaming up plots for future books. I love daydreaming about new stories and am often inspired by smells or witnessing small everyday acts, that my imagination takes and runs wild with.

If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
It would be incredible to spend the day with Pope Francis. He has found a way to appeal to people of all walks of life and religions. To be able to see what his typical day looks like and have the opportunity to learn from him how to be so open-minded and loving would be life-changing.

What’s the story behind your latest book?
When I was a teenager, my friends and I were huge fans of our generation’s boy band. We would go to their hotel and wait outside in the hopes that we would catch a quick glimpse of them or maybe even get to meet them. We would fantasize about what it would be like to actually know them and hang out with them. But we also knew that being one out of a thousand girls standing outside of a hotel didn’t give us very good odds. As an adult, I’ve had the opportunity to see the same boy band perform. Seeing it from a calmer, more mature perspective got me thinking. What if I combined the passion of a teenager with the maturity of an adult? That’s when Olivia, the main character of The Average Girl, was born. Having grown up in the Los Angeles area, I have come across quite a few celebrities doing everyday things in my lifetime. So I thought, wouldn’t it be neat if there was someone that could figure out where these celebrities shop and hang out, and help their fans casually bump into them, without all the hysteria that often comes with being a fan? That’s when the idea of Olivia’s business was born. As the story evolved in my mind, I realized that someone who helps people meet their favorite celebrities would only be thrown, and completely taken by one kind of guy… a celebrity. That’s where Alexander, the love interest, was born.

What is your writing process? 
I like to stay up into the wee hours of the morning, lying in bed, thinking about what I’m going to write. I think about the characters and put them in different situations, seeing how they play out. The next day, I normally hide in the office with a cup of green tea, in silence, and write until I get it all out.

Tell us about your main character: 
Olivia is a smart, independent, and passionate woman in her mid twenties. She remembers what it was like to be crazy about a celebrity, but is mature enough to keep it contained, for the most part. She is confident and impeccable at her business of arranging opportunities for fans to subtly meet their idols. She can read other people flawlessly, except when it comes to her love life. She is rather clueless in figuring out her own feelings and how people feel about her.

If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
I would love to have Emma Stone play the role of Olivia! She’s such an amazing actress and she would play Olivia’s kind confidence perfectly.

What are you working on next?
I’m working on a romantic comedy about a conservative single mom that is secretly hired to play a Hollywood bad-boy’s new girlfriend in an attempt to improve his reputation. The story is still evolving as I write it. I’m having fun creating a character that is basically the polar-opposite of Alexander in The Average Girl.

What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
Tell everyone about it. Take every opportunity you can to talk about it with people that are interested. Invite your friends to read your book, and ask them to tell their friends about it. I also think that the more you get your writing out there, regardless of the opportunity, the more people will discover you. Don’t be afraid. Go for it.

What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It is so well crafted and such a beautiful story. I remember the first time I read it, I kept going back and forth trying to make sense of the time differences. It is such a brilliant concept and executed perfectly. I could read it a hundred times and never tire of it.

Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I’m pretty good at baking. I like to experiment with ingredients and come up with new flavors and variations. My favorite things to bake at the moment are croissants. When you know all the hard work that went into making them, and how much time they took, that just makes the finished product taste even better.

You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
I would love to be able to become invisible. Just being able to sit in one place without people knowing you are there would not only be entertaining, but informative. You could do just about anything! You could watch a movie being filmed, athletes training, national leaders going about their daily business, someone powerful negotiating a deal, or follow royalty from some country around for a day. Not only would it be educational, but think of all the great ideas for new stories you could come up with.

List 5 things on your bucket list:

In no particular order:

1. Go to cooking school in Italy for a week
2. Learn to speak Italian
3. Visit all seven continents
4. Spend a month in the countryside writing
5. Have a book on the NY Times Bestseller list

Where can readers find you on the web?

https://www.angelinagoode.com

Any final thoughts?

Thanks for interviewing me and I hope you enjoy reading The Average Girl.

Cover Reveal ~ Demonic Pact

Title: Demonic Pact
Author: Majanka Verstraete
Series: Angel of Death, Book Two
Publication Date: March 2016

Sixteen-year-old Halfling Angel of Death Riley Scott is on a dangerous mission. To save her friend’s life, she must make a pact with the man who just tried to kill them both and break him out of the Celestial Prison, guarded by Angels of War—fearsome warriors who can squash her like a fly. If caught, she’ll be sentenced to eternity in that impenetrable prison. Riley will have to make deals with demons and her number one enemy, turn her back on her most loyal friends, and risk losing her family forever. Worst of all, her very existence is in the hands of her devious new allies.

Book One on Goodreads

Visit the Author Online

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Cover Reveal ~ Whereafter

About the Book

Publication Date: March 15, 2016

Publisher: Mictlan Press

Number of Pages: 345

Genre: Paranormal / Contemporary Fantasy

Stuck on an island encircled by fire and hunted by shadows bent on trapping them there forever, Irene and Andras struggle to hold onto the last vestiges of their physical selves, without which they can never return to the land of the living. But it’s not just external forces they’ll have to fight as the pair grow to realize they have different goals. Irene still clings to the hope that she can somehow return to her old life—the one she had before she died—while Andras would be only too glad to embrace oblivion.

Meanwhile, Jonah desperately searches for a way to cross over to the other side, even if doing so means his death. His crossing over, however, is the one thing that could destroy Irene’s chances of returning home.

Too many obstacles, too many people to save, and the thing Irene most desperately wants—to return to her old life—seems farther away than ever. Only one thing is clear: moving on will require making a terrible sacrifice.

About the Author

Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember and won her first writing award when she was twelve. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats.

Contact Details

Website/Blog: www.terribruce.net

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/TerriBruce

Giveaway

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Book Excerpt

Andras grunted, the sound filled with suspicion. Irene bent down to tie her shoelace, as much to avoid eye contact as anything. When she straightened up, something in the distance caught her eye, shimmering like a mirage. She squinted, not sure she was really seeing what she thought she saw.

“You know, now might be a good time for you to tell me what it was like to live in a castle,” she said.

Andras shook his head, sadly, as if Irene had disappointed him. “You cling too much to the past. Forget the trappings of life. Free your mind from these longings, and so, free your soul. Only then will we be able to escape these shackles and enter Heaven to rest at the side of God.”

Why did he always have to argue about everything? “For God’s sake,” she said, exasperated, “just answer the question!”

“Wherefore?”

Irene pointed to the hulking structure in the distance. “Because,” she said as Andras whirled around to see what she was pointing at, “correct me if I’m wrong, but that looks like a castle.”

“Wow!” Irene said, her eyes roving over the dark, crenellated structure hulking in the far distance. It gleamed dully, the color of burnt blood in a fading afternoon sun. “What the hell do you think that is?”

Andras grunted. “As you said—Hell.”

Irene frowned at him, but her lips quirked in amusement. “Why do you have to be so negative? It could just as easily be Heaven. God is supposed to live in a palace, right—the whole ‘my father’s house has many rooms’ thing? A castle is just a type of palace.”

Andras gave her a dry look. “Does that look like Heaven?”

Irene was on the verge of agreeing that the castle did not in any way look how she imagined Heaven when it shimmered, as if the fading sunlight had been redirected by mirrors. Light rippled across the castle’s surface and the dull, dark, burnt-blood color transformed into gleaming, bright, silver-white. Crisp white pennants flapped from the corners as if whipped by wind. Irene thought she could hear them snapping crisply.

Irene looked at Andras, and he looked at her. His expression made it clear that he had seen the same transformation she had. It was as if the building was trying to trick them into coming closer.

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