Hi, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Gloria J. Goldsmith and her new book, “French Kiss,” 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 $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!! Also, come back daily to interact with Gloria and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
French Kiss
by Gloria J. Goldsmith
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
I was DONE! I ditched graduation, dumped my repressed college boyfriend, and dropped my sexual insecurities for a wild ride with Destiny. Unpredictable Fate beckoned with a European adventure!
In a chance encounter, I met Jean Louis. From the instant we met, the dashing young Frenchman soothed my bruised heart, rejuvenated my spirit, and convinced me that leaving my old life was no mistake. Together, we set out to explore southern France.
Jean Louis was torn from my life almost as quickly as he had entered it, yet leaving the haunting memory of his caress permeating my every thought. Driven by love and passion, I journeyed to find my lover, even if it meant scouring all the hidden corners of France.
Would I ever reunite with the man I believe to be my one true soulmate? Would I ever hear him say he feels the same for me as I do him? What twist of Fate will it take for me to find him?
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EXCERPT ONE:
There was only one window in the room, which had no screen. To keep out the bugs, we closed the shutter, which still allowed some air inside. That evening, I slept on the couch, right below the window, and the guys lay on the cement floor. The males had no blankets or sleeping bags, but at least they were out of the rain.
Some hours into the night, I was dreaming of Luke. Luke, who loved to tease me by fondling me when I was asleep, by touching my cheek or blowing a strand of hair or slowly stroking my hand. I smiled and wiggled my fingers, and he responded. It was so lovely to feel his antics. I missed his night tricks. His hand was trailing up my arm, and soft lips kissed my palm. Luke. So romantic. Always waking me with kisses.
I let out a sigh, slowly drifting my eyes open. It seemed it had been forever since Luke had brushed my cheek or held me close. I longed for his warmth.
The room was so dark, I couldn’t see a thing. I wasn’t on the waterbed. My heart pounded with alarm. Where am I? My arm was hanging over the side of a couch. Where the hell am I? It was pitch-black.
The fingers tickled a bit more with a kiss on my arm, then came a whisper. Was I dreaming? Or awake? The whisper came again.
I whispered back, “What?” I felt the side of the bed depress. The murmuring voice was now by my face.
“J’ai froid.”
“Luke?”
“Oui. J’ai froid.”
This wasn’t Luke. Not my Luke. A bolt of recognition struck me hard as I comprehended. I didn’t recall his name, it did sound something like Luke, and it was the French guy Marc had brought in from the rain.
My high school French was twisting my brain cells to recall…J’ai means I am, right is droite, left is gauche…and a left faucet is chaud, which means hot, and right is froid—COLD. He is cold!
I patted the couch, and he squeezed onto the settee with me. He cuddled his arms around me, kissed my cheek, and we returned to slumber.
All three of us woke as the morning sunlight pierced the slits of the shutter. They bounced off the wall and into the room. We had some tea before the two men left. Around dinner time, Jean Louis returned alone, with sandwiches and chocolates. I had unknowingly passed another sex attraction test.
Constrained by the lack of English language skills, Jean Louis spoke very few words. I am an excellent mimic, but my French language skills were limited.
After dinner, sipping our tea, Jean Louis turned to me.
“I wants stay wis you.” I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant. For the evening? Sleep on the floor? Sleep with me?
“En bas?” I tapped the floor with my foot.
“Si je dois. Je préfère avec toi.”
I wasn’t sure about all the words, but the last two, avec toi, meant “with you.”
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GUEST POST #1:
Describe Your Book Cover and How it Came About:
Finding a suitable handsome model in a pose with a bit of shyness and European clothing style had me searching the internet for just the right photo. But locating the picture was just a part of it. I suggested possibly using a map as the background. The example I sent was nothing like the cover designer, Stephanie Anderson, came up with.
I love how she extended that theme with the airmail envelopes that were so prevalent in the seventies. Inside the eBook, she has a couple of those envelopes at the beginning of each chapter. And her creativeness went further, using the wavy lines of a canceled stamp for the scene breaks.
I wanted to use red, white, and blue for the fonts. America gave tribute to France’s philosophy of rising up against tyranny by replicating the same colors in our flag. Since the two main characters came from countries with a shared history, the colors reflected what unites their nationalities.
Her intriguing vision of the cover complements my storyline.
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GUEST POST #2:
Create and Share a Playlist Inspired by Your New Book:
Music was a big part of the sixties and seventies. It helped fuel protest, created love-ins, marches, and Woodstock.
One of the scenes in the book has the people gathered at the Bistro Fabrice dancing to music played by a new radio station that broadcast music from a boat in the English channel. I created a Spotify list of the various love songs from the ’60s and ’70s.
Check Out My Spotify Playlist Inspired By My New Book, “French Kiss,” Below:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5GqUsmGc3JFpebkYV02izD
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AUTHOR BIO:
As a Special Education teacher, I became fascinated by the English language. I still marvel at how it changes and expands over time. My most pleasurable teaching moments were showing children how a wondrous story can take their imaginations to other times, places, even other worlds. When the pandemic began, I started my first foray into publishing⸺ a nonfiction book, The Sensible Parent’s Little Homeschooler Handbook.
My secret pleasure-writing has always been focused on romance. French Kiss is a Contemporary Romance based on a fictionalized version of experiences during eighteen months of living and working abroad before the formation of the European Union.
Next year, my first Historical Regency Romance That Wylde Woman will be published. It has allowed me to indulge my curiosity and enthusiasm for history by incorporating in the storyline a historical geologic event which affected weather and farming and even how England’s war with Napoleon impacted clothing styles.
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CONNECT WITH GLORIA:
Website:
Email:
gjgoldsmithauthor@gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/GloriaJGoldsmith
Twitter:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/gloriajeangoldsmith
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20404062.Gloria_J_Goldsmith
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58913859-french-kiss
Amazon Author Page:
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AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09F7T1ZWG
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Gloria will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.**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**
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteGloria ~ Good morning! Welcome to FAB! It is so great to have you here! Congrats on your exciting new book and good luck on the book tour! :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteNice excerpt! The french words sound so sexy!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting book.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your guest post about coming up with your book cover.
ReplyDeleteI love that music from the 60s and 70s were helpful in writing the story!
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much for your comments.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteI would love to read your book.
ReplyDelete