Book Tour: Close Up Magic by Michelle Garren Flye Interview & Giveaway

BLURB:

Do you believe in magic?

Reporter Stacey Matthewson has made a living writing sensational stories that knock celebrities off their pedestals. Now she's got a hot lead on an even hotter magician who's mystifying Las Vegas with his new show--the problem is, she's had a crush on him for years. How can she write a story that might ruin him, especially when he proves himself to be so much more than she'd ever dreamed?

Magician Andre Hawke has a knack for making things disappear, but when it comes to his brother's drinking and gambling, he's got a problem. Hiring the sexy reporter who threatens to blow away his carefully wrought illusion might be the answer to his problems...or she might bring on a whole new set of them. 

Stacey’s never believed in magic, and Andre doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Can passion overcome their inhibitions, or will betrayal stem the tide of love?

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

Andre caught up to her, wheeled around and started walking backward in front of her. He was amazingly nimble on his feet, able to avoid oncoming traffic without even glancing over his shoulder. Stacey shook her head. “Don’t you think you need to watch where you’re going?”

“Why?” He shrugged. “I can never see it until it’s past anyway. Most people can’t.”

She rolled her eyes. “I had no idea kissing made you philosophical.”

He tsked. “Kissing makes me horny. Life makes me philosophical.”

He was starting to get on her nerves. “Get over it, Andre. So we made out. We got carried away, that’s all.”

“I think it was more than that…for at least one of us.” His words teased her, but she wouldn’t ask him which one of them he was talking about. He kept walking backward, and this time, he was heading directly toward another man--a very large one--walking toward them. Stacey opened her mouth to say something but before she could, he’d walked directly into the other man, almost as if he’d intended to do it. He laughed out loud, catching himself by putting his arms around her. He glanced over at the large man, breaking off his embrace of Stacey to turn and shake his hand. “Thank you! That was perfect. Sorry about that, I’m trying to make a point, though, and you just did it very effectively.”

He turned back to Stacey. “You say you never saw it coming. I say we never see things coming. I mean, look at this particular incident. I was walking backward, couldn’t possibly have seen him, right? But what’s his excuse?”

INTERVIEW:

1.     Where did you get the idea for the novel?

This is the novel I’ve always wanted to write. I believe in magic, and I’m always looking for it, so of course I love watching magicians. I’m not the type to sit in the audience and try to figure out how the trick is done, either. It occurred to me, finally, that a series of romance novels featuring a magician as the hero (or heroine) would be the perfect fit for me to write. I mean, I’d read them.

2.     Your title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title?

I have to thank my husband for both the title of the novel, Close Up Magic, and the series, Sleight of Hand. When I described the series to him, he told me I should choose magical terms for the titles. Close up magic is my favorite kind of magic, and it sounds very romantic.

3.     Why did you pick this genre? What do you like about it?

What can I say? I am a romantic. I believe in happy endings, and I like making people happy.

4.     Since becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?

I went to the Romance Writers’ Association conference a couple of years ago and it was so exhilarating being around so many talented people all at once. Writing is a very solitary profession, and when you get a chance to meet up with people who not only write but write in your genre, it’s awesome. I’m going again this year and I can hardly wait.

5.     What book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?

The last book I read all the way through was Farewell, Dorothy Parker by Ellen Meister. It was fantastic and I highly recommend it. I’m currently indulging in some fun magic books, learning a few simple magic tricks. Nothing that’ll spoil a good magic show for me, but something to show off if I need to.

6.     What is your writing process?

Think and plan and then jump right in and make a total mess of it. Then about halfway through figure out why I’ve run into a brick wall and go back and work on it some more. It’s probably not the most efficient way to do things, but it seems to work for me. The key for me is knowing who my characters are. If I know who they are, everything else will fall into place.

7.     At a book signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do you come up with stuff to say? 

I haven’t had enough of my own to say for sure, but I’ve been to enough to know I like it best when an author takes a second to at least write something like “Happy Reading” or “Enjoy”. If I ever get to that point, I’ll have to have a little list of things to fire off in a pinch.

8. What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

I am painfully shy. Like almost crippling. It’s something I’ve worked hard to overcome, but it still causes me difficulties in day-to-day life. I love my friends, but the only people I’m really comfortable with are my family…and my dog.

9.     How do you react to a bad review?

Cuss, stomp, read it again, steam, then finally figure out if there’s any morsel of wisdom in it. If there is, I send a polite thank you, if not, I ignore it. Usually I find there’s at least something slightly helpful in any review that will tell me something about my writing. My favorite review I got for Where the Heart Lies was not, actually, a very flattering one, but I’ve told the reviewer I learned more about my writing from it than from all the editing and favorable reviews the book got.

10.  How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?

I don’t know that I’ve actually had that celebration yet. I’ve had three books accepted by publishers so far, and I think I had an extra glass of wine or something for each one. But I’m still waiting for that big sale. I’ll probably be waiting a while, too, because I made the decision to do the Sleight of Hand series independently, and the only other book I have on deck is Saturday Love, the sequel to Ducks in a Row, which is also an indie book. Of course, I have my daydreams of getting that call from a publisher who’s happened across my books and can’t believe he’s overlooked my impressive talent for so long and wants to give me a three book deal and a hefty advance to keep writing whatever I want. That’s when I’ll know I can celebrate!

                                                                                    

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Michelle Garren Flye is the award-winning romance author of five novels. Her most recent novel, Where the Heart Lies, has been described as an “engaging novel with charming and likable characters” and a story that “will make you believe in love and second chances.”

Michelle placed third in the Hyperink Romance Writing Contest for her short story “Life After”. Her short stories have been published by the romance anthology Foreign Affairs, Opium.com, SmokelongQuarterly.com and Flashquake.com. She has served on the editorial staffs of Horror Library Volume 1, Horror Library Volume 3, Butcher Shop Quartet, Butcher Shop Quartet II and Tattered Souls.

Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the mother of three and lives in North Carolina with her husband and their rapidly growing collection of pets.

Connect with Michelle Garren Flye online:

Website: http://michellegflye.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Garren-Flye/132688623422175

Twitter: https://twitter.com/michellegflye

Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Garren-Flye/e/B006QG88WY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

GIVEAWAY:

Michelle will award a Magic Gift Basket, including a copy of "Magic for Dummies" by David Pogue to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US only), and one commenter at every stop will win a $5 Amazon GC. One randomly drawn host will win a $20 Amazon GC.

The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/04/virtual-book-tour-close-up-magic-by.html