The Misadventures of a (Wannabe) Slutty Bartender by WS Carmichael - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host WS Carmichael and her new book, “The Misadventures of a (Wannabe) Slutty Bartender,” here on FAB!!  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 $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with WS Carmichael and to increase your chances of winning!!

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

The Misadventures of a (Wannabe) Slutty Bartender

by WS Carmichael

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:   Romance/Romantic Comedy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Ava Moreland has it all planned out. In two months, she will marry her fiancé, Tim. She’ll continue working at Vegas’s famous Cosmopolitan bar while he runs his father’s accounting firm. Soon they’ll start a family and she’ll have the white picket life she’s always dreamed of.

Or not.

When her fairytale engagement implodes in a devastating display, Ava embarks on a quest to reclaim her identity and feminine prowess – by sleeping her way through Las Vegas. With her best friend, Jarrod, acting as wingman her plan is foolproof.

Or not.

Nothing goes as planned with hilariously disastrous results. Her sexual misadventures will keep you in stitches as Ava searches for herself in Sin City, finding herself and her happily ever after in the unlikeliest of places.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT ONE:

The problem with a dramatic exit is what comes next. They never show you that part in the movies. You never see the tough heroine stumbling down a hotel hallway, her feet tired from traveling all day, alone and confused in a strange city, holding back tears as the realization her life has been flipped upside down settles in.

No. They never show you that part. They fade to black and pick up two years down the line when she’s found her happily ever after.

Where the hell is that fade to black button? Because this is the part I want to skip. I want to skip the binge eating and the ugly crying. I want to skip the ‘why me’ phase. I want to skip the explanations to my friends when they ask what happened. I want to skip all of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GUEST POST:

When I think of a hero, I think of the alpha male coming to save the day as he swoops in on his white horse, rescuing the damsel in distress. So, when I’m asked to describe the hero of The Misadventures of a (Wannabe) Slutty Bartender, my instinct is to reason there is no hero.

Hmmm…that’s impossible. How can any book, especially a love story, not have a hero? The lead male character must be the hero. That’s just the way of things, right?

Wrong.

I like to think my writing is a fresh take on the romance genre. We all read romance novels because we love the HEA and of course, the romance. But who says romance novels must be formulaic? Personally, I find it boring to read the same romance again and again with only slight tweaks to the characters and storylines. With that in mind, I try to check all the boxes that make a romance a romance while keeping the reader engaged with entertaining characters.

It is in this spirit I would assert there are two heroes in The Misadventures of a (Wannabe) Slutty Bartender.

The first, and my favorite character, is Jarrod. Jarrod is Ava’s best friend and confidant. He is an out and proud, flamboyant, hell of a good time. When writing Jarrod’s character, I was careful to avoid painting him as the insulting, overdone, stereotypical homosexual man Hollywood loves to shove in our faces. He is animated, but I wanted the reader to see his depth also. He is Ava’s balance when she needs it, her fierce protector and the first one in line to tell her when she’s being an asshole. There are many scenes where Jarrod’s softer side is evident. After a night out drinking, he helps Ava to bed, even taking the time to remove her makeup for her. When her engagement crumbles, he picks her up and carries her through the roughest time without letting her lose herself in an abyss of self-pity. Despite her assertions of being a strong, independent woman, Ava almost lets her chance at happiness pass her by because she’s afraid to be hurt again. Jarrod is there every step of the way, forcing her to take a hard look at her motivations and goals while giving her the support and space she needs. If there was ever a hero of a best friend, it is Jarrod Jeffries.

Now that I’ve made it seem Ava needs Jarrod to save her from herself, I’ll contradict myself by declaring Ava the second hero in Misadventures. If there is one cliché I can’t stand, it is the helpless woman. None, I repeat, none of my female leads are helpless and Ava is no exception. She’s just like the rest of us. She’s imperfect. She makes choices she later regrets. She can be impulsive, and she sometimes lets her mouth get away from her. She allowed herself to be molded into someone else’s idea of who she should be because she thought love required that type of sacrifice. In the end, though, it is Ava who must decide who she is and how she wants to live her life. Jarrod can support and guide her, but Ava must make the tough decisions on her own. Ultimately, we are all responsible for our own lives and Ava is no different. Regardless of the obstacles and opportunities in front of her, if she doesn’t go after what she wants, she’ll never find her HEA. Sometimes, the only hero we truly need is ourselves.

Thank you for taking the time to read about Jarrod and Ava. Please follow my blog at www.WSCarmichael.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:

WS Carmichael is attempting to write the world into romantic bliss one novel at a time. Based in upstate NY, she travels as often as her hectic schedule will allow. When she isn’t busy writing, she’s a mother, nurse and avid sportswoman.

WS Carmichael fell in love with romance at an early age when she would sneak Harlequins from her mother. A voracious reader, she eventually made the jump to writing.

Writing is her passion and she’s always jotting down new storyline and character ideas. Often, her characters take on a life of their own and don’t always cooperate with her plan for them. Creating well developed, strong alpha male characters that don’t fit into the typical romance hero mold makes her novels exciting and relatable. A woman who believes whole heartedly in happily ever after, she gives her heroes the heroine they deserve.

You can check out her blog and find out more on her website:

www.wscarmichael.com

*****************

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/wscarmichaelauthor

Twitter:         https://twitter.com/RomanceWSC

Website:       http://www.wscarmichael.com

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

http://www.amzn.to/3eD1UTB

Amazon Paperback:

http://amzn.to/32Spgz6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFO:

WS Carmichael will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble 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.