That April in Santa Monica by Melody DeBlois - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hello, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Melody DeBlois and her new book, “That April in Santa Monica”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Melody and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

That April in Santa Monica

by Melody DeBlois

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GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:

Madison receives acclaim for running a talent agency for people with disabilities, but she doesn't know how to take care of herself. When her altruism becomes life-threatening—a matter of either develop healthy habits or die—she joins a reality TV show that pairs her with hot, raven-haired Brandon. He is witty, sexy, and her teacher. That makes him off limits.

After a successful run on a soap opera, Brandon stepped away from empty fame and now focuses on his work as TV's most noted health teacher. He has one fast rule—never fall for a student. But when he meets Madison, their chemistry is combustible. There's no hiding their conflict or their attraction, especially when it's all caught on film.

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EXCERPT TWO:

“Okay,” he said, stretching forward on his mat and lying on his six-pack of a belly.

She lay opposite him, turned her face, and rested it on her mat, shutting her eyes. “Maybe I’ll just chill for a spell.”

“Not so fast. Now lift the upper part of your body in cobra position.”

“Say what? You want me to impersonate the national snake of India?”

He was opposite her on his mat so that they were facing one another. A little too close. Her heartbeat? So not at ease. He began to demonstrate, the show off with his spectacular pecs and deltoids oiled and coconut-scented. If someone snapped his picture, they could put it in a how-to book. A perfect pose, no less.

“You can do this, Madison.”

There it was, all that confidence he had in her—much more than she had in herself. She edged forward off the mat and groaned as she lifted her upper body.

He gave her instructions. “Weave the spine back and forth. Straighten your arms. Breathe. Widen your chest. Breathe. Raise your collar bones and look at the sky. Breeeaaathe. That’s it!” Was he staring at her cleavage? “You’re getting the hang of it.”

She didn’t have the strength and collapsed; her face buried in the beach. She came up spitting pebbles from her mouth. “Laugh at me, and I’ll make you pay.”

He brushed the sand from her cheeks with the balls of his fingers. “I wouldn’t think of it.”

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GUEST POST:

Describe Your Book Cover and How It Came About:

They say don’t judge a book by the cover, but we all do. That’s why when I first saw the cover art for That April in Santa Monica I fell head over heels in love with it. I knew it would attract attention. It’s the sort of book cover that boasts, “Just try to take your eyes off me.”

The funny thing is, when I approached the talented Diana Carlile with my initial idea for a cover design, I wanted the hero and heroine sitting back to back in lotus position on the beach. Soon, though, I came across her award-winning book cover Six Geese for Monica by Brenda Gayle. It was part of the Twelve Brides of Christmas series, and, to me, it was romance made visible. In a swirl of blue and white, it draws you in to the sight of a woman, her wedding gown billowing, as she chases a half a dozen geese. Thinking it picture perfect, I changed my mind.

I told Diana I wanted a book cover that did what Six Geese for Monica had done. It exemplified love in all its beauty and enchantment. I sent her book covers in shades of blues and whites. I told her I wished for an illustration that brought to mind the great love stories like Somewhere in Time. If she had listened to me, there would have been a man and a woman and a dog and God knows what else on the cover. Maybe she saw through my mistakes to the image of that single woman.

I still don’t know if Diana read the book before picking up a paint brush, but when I saw it, I gasped. The colors weren’t blue and white. The hero was MIA, and so was the dog. In my heart, I realized this said That April in Santa Monica better than anything else could. I grinned with joy and immediately shot her email telling her how much I loved it, I absolutely did.

Granted, it was a winner. The real kicker, though? When I was checking the final galleys, I caught myself glancing back and saying, “Yep, there it is, the scene Diana used.” This happened so many times, I lost count. Somehow, Diana had captured the essence of what my story looks like.

We all use an illustration on a cover to connect with the book. I like to think it was serendipity that led to the creation of such a crowd-pleaser. Let’s face it, though, a book cover is as good as the artist, and I am very thankful for mine.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Born in California, award winning author, Melody DeBlois follows the sun. When she isn’t swimming laps, she’s writing sweet and sassy romances. Her heroines are self-reliant and smart and her heroes are kind by nature and love dogs. She lives in California during the summer and spends winters in Arizona with her husband. She has plotted her novels while hiking the beach or trekking across the desert. Her most treasured possession is family.

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CONNECT WITH MELODY:

Website:

https://www.melodydeblois.com

Blog:

https://www.melodydeblois.com/blog

Email:

MelodyDebloisBooks@gmail.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/melodydebloisbooks

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DeBloisMelody

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/deblois0181

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/melody.deblois

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/melody-deblois

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/that-april-in-santa-monica-love-is-a-beach-book-1-by-melody-deblois

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19549880.Melody_DeBlois

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48106063-that-april-in-santa-monica

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/2MKj8Rc

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/33sCDUY

Amazon Paperback:

https://amzn.to/35zGmBN

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/that-april-in-santa-monica-melody-deblois/1133657040?ean=2940161105238

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/that-april-in-santa-monica-melody-deblois/1133657040?ean=9781509227495

The Book Depository Paperback:

https://www.bookdepository.com/That-April-in-Santa-Monica-Melody-Deblois/9781509227495

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/That-April-Santa-Monica/Melody-Deblois/9781509227495

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Melody will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.