Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Welcome to the next installment of The Next Big Thing blog hop. I’ve been invited to join other authors, sharing our stories with readers. So here’s a little about my new book Somebody Like You, out now from Grand Central Publishing, and a little history on how it came to be.
So sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy!
What is the title of your next book? 
Somebody Like You is the title of my new December 4th release. It’s the first in my Maverick Junction series. Nearest Thing to Heaven will be out June, 2013 with Can’t Stop  Lovin’ You to follow.  

Where did the idea come from for the book?  
I started with a title, Princess By Default, and the whole idea of being forced into a position you didn’t want.  What if you were born royal but didn’t want the position? The idea morphed and my heroine became the heiress granddaughter of an oil baron. While it would be absolutely wonderful not to ever have to worry about money, constantly being watched by the paparazzi and security would seriously put a crimp in romantic relationships.

What genre does your book fall under?
Somebody Like You takes place in fictional Maverick Junction, Texas and is considered contemporary Western romance.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I think Ashley Greene would be perfect for Annelise Montjoy. For Cash Hardeman? Oh, so many come to mind. Josh Duhamel, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Shelton. Even though he’s a country singer rather than an actor, I believe I’d have Josh Turner play Cash. Bette Midler would make a wonderful Dottie Willis, the fond-of-pink landlady.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  
How about three sentences? J In Somebody Like You, rancher Cash Hardeman loves longneck beers, while heiress Annelise Montjoy prefers champagne. Both have a secret—she’s trying to save her grandfather’s life; he’s trying to save the family ranch. Cash belongs in Maverick Junction, Texas, Annelise in Boston, or could it be they belong together?


Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Somebody Like You is published through Grand Central Publishing and represented by Nicole Resciniti at the Seymour Agency.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
My first drafts are fairly complete. This one took six or seven months to write.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Several people have compared my work to Robyn Carr’s stories. It's similar in tone to Linda Lael Miller's books.
 
What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
I think a lot of us enjoy reading series, stories where we get to revisit old friends in familiar places. That’s one of the things that makes Somebody Like You fun. Maverick Junction, Texas, is a wonderful town with people who are caring, funny, and down to earth—and it’s full of cowboys. Who doesn’t love a cowboy? In the next two books in the series we get to spend even more time with Annie and Cash, with grandmotherly Dottie, with Sophie and Ty and Maggie and Brawley at Bubba’s Roadhouse and Sally’s CafĂ©. So slip into your jeans, a T-shirt, your cowboy boots and hat and come along for a good read.
I also write under the name Lynnette Hallberg. My Chantilly Lace and a Pretty Face is a Wyoming cowboy book taking place in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Other books include Moonlight, Motorcycles, and Bad Boys, Just A Little White Lie, Night Shadows, and Enchanted Evening.

Come visit me at www.authorlynnetteaustin.com
Following me in The Next Big Thing blog hop next week will be fellow authors:
Jane Kindred
Alison Packard
Jodie Griffin
Amy Lillard
Tina Wainscott

HAPPY READING EVERYONE!