Bring on the Heat by Katie Rose (Guest post, spotlight and GIVEAWAY) (Tasty Book Tours)

It is my pleasure to have a guest post from author Katie Rose.


BRING ON THE HEAT

People sometimes wonder where we get inspiration for stories. Usually it’s hard to pinpoint the exact thing that sparked an idea. I usually have to think backwards after the story has been written to try and remember what the original inspiration was.

My first historical, Twilight Ecstasy (note from ELF, this is under her Colleen Quinn name), was inspired by an old village located in the Wharton State Forest of New Jersey. If you’ve never been to the pinelands, it is well worth the trip. You would never know you were New Jersey when surrounded by miles of silent forests, rushing rivers, and sapphire lakes. Batsto mansion is a restored manor house built by the owners of the surrounding Ironworks. The site dates back to the Revolutionary war, and is now a protected site owned by the state. The mansion is huge, 32 rooms and a tower overlooking Batsto Lake. It’s one of those places where you see ghosts everywhere, haunting the mansion, working in the restored village, or carrying grain from the Gristmill.

I was a huge fan of Kathleen Woodiwiss, author of The Flame and the Flower. I was also a Sherlock Holmes devotee, thanks to my best friend who started passing me the books in Catholic school when we were supposed to be reading English 101. The Hound of the Baskervilles (Illustrated) was one of my favorite stories. Walking through the trails, taking pictures of the house and the property, I could see my heroine arriving at this secluded place as an Irish immigrant, frightened by the strange goings on in the woods while fascinated by her attraction to her handsome employer. It was a lot of fun to combine my favorite elements of mystery and romance while indulging in history of this beautiful place.

Other stories came from different places. I saw an old movie where Barbara Stanwyck set up Henry Fonda as a mark so her father could take advantage of him in a poker game. Of course she fell in love with him, which messed up everything. Henry Fonda was presumed to be wealthy, and it occurred to me it might be funny if it turned out he wasn’t really rich. That was the inspiration for Unveiled (note from ELF, also under the Colleen Quinn moniker), a historical based on the premise: what happens if two people marry for money, and neither one has any?

Bring on the Heat: The Boys of Summer is my first contemporary romance. The inspiration came from watching a baseball game in the sweltering August heat. I had grown to love the sport thanks to my daughter, who patiently taught me all of the nomenclature and how the game worked. But my mind wandered as I admired the strikingly handsome pitcher, and wondered what would happen if he met a girl he assumed was an heiress, but was actually the girl next door? Could he get past his expectations of marrying someone who was a model or an actress, once he realized he was in love with an ordinary woman?

I had a great time writing Bring on the Heat: The Boys of Summer! The baseball venue is loads of fun, and you get to work with a whole team of hot guys! Life doesn’t get much better.







Bring on the Heat
The Boys of Summer # 1
By: Katie Rose
Releasing August 26th, 2014
Loveswept


Blurb
In Katie Rose’s irresistible battle of wits, a case of mistaken identity lands a female fan in bed with a sexy superstar—and in major-league trouble.

House-sitting for a rich and famous friend has its perks, and Darcy Hamel isn’t shy about enjoying them. Especially when it means scoring a ticket to an exclusive fashion show hosted by the New Jersey Sonics. An avid baseball fan, Darcy has always dreamed of meeting the team—especially the starting pitcher whose body is as hot as his fastball. But there’s a catch. The gala is by invitation only. To get behind the velvet rope, mild-mannered Darcy will have to pose as party girl Lydia Logan.

Schmoozing is one of the downsides of fame, but Chase Westbrook knows how to liven up even the dullest event. And nothing spices a night up more than a beautiful socialite with a naughty reputation. What Chase doesn’t expect is a hint of sweetness beneath her sultry façade. Flirtation turns to seduction and leaves him aching for more. Chase just doesn’t know who the real Lydia is: the spoiled tease crying foul over some missing diamonds or the alluring woman making a play for his heart.


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Author Info
Award-winning historical author Katie Rose makes her contemporary debut with the Boys of Summer novels, Bring on the Heat and Too Hot to Handle, which combine Katie’s true loves: baseball and romance! When not watching baseball, Katie is at her lake house in New Jersey, hard at work on her next book.

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