Today, we interview the book Hearts in Harmony by Gemma Brocato.
Peep Rep: This book sounds pleasant and calm.
Liza: I hope so. So where's the book?
Peep Rep: I'm not sure. I arranged for it to be delivered by a cloud.
Liza: A cloud? Well, I see the problem. The molecules of a cloud cannot carry a book.
Peep Rep: The white fluffy cloud explained that to me, but it promised to find a cousin who could carry a book. In fact, it said its cousin could carry an 18 wheeler.
Liza: I've a very bad feeling about this...
Peep Rep: Here it comes now.
Liza: Peep Rep, what have you done?
Peep Rep: I had it wrapped in plastic, don't panic yet.
Book: MMMM mmMMMmm MMMM
Peep Rep: Be still and let me remove the plastic. There you go.
Book: Holy Book Cover, what just happened?
Liza: Sorry, Peep Rep had you delivered by an F2 tornado.
Peep Rep: At least it wasn't an F5. And I had you wrapped in plastic so your pages wouldn't be ripped out the by spine, or doused in water.
Book: Water! Thank you for protecting me.
Wow, this place is a mess. Did the tornado do this?
Peep Rep: No. Liza has lost control of her life.
Liza: Heart doesn't need to know that. May I call you Heart?
Heart: Sure. A primate wanting to rename me doesn't even rank in the day's events.
Peep Rep: Just so you know, Liza doesn't like being called a primate. She's ashamed of her biological cousins.
Liza: Stop telling books that. Heart, have you ever called the humans in your book a primate?
Heart: Never!
Liza: Good. Let's talk about your book then. Give me a poetic one-liner to draw me in.
Heart: Hmmmmm. Got it!
Sometimes
life’s most simple melodies become songs of love.
Liza: Intriguing. Tell me more.
Heart: Pippa
Sanders’ life is filled with songs of leaving, longing and loneliness.
Peep Rep: That's probably why a tornado arrived to bring her here.
Liza: Nice try, but you get the blame for that. Please continue Heart:
Heart: Since
the death of her husband, her children have been her world. She’ll do anything
to protect them, including encasing her heart in ice until they’re college age.
She’s made a practice of shying away from any relationship that could break her
heart when it ends. And it’s worked so far.
Liza: Well, since all relationships have the potential to break your heart, I'm guessing she's all alone and you are about to introduce her to some guy she can't ignore, just like that tornado.
Heart: um....maybe
Liza: Well, let's hear about him.
Heart: Clay
Mathers has made a temporary move to Granite Pointe, Massachusetts to help with
his mother’s Christmas tree farm while she recovers from a stroke.
Liza: Sounds like a nice guy. Continue.
Heart: Although his
long-range plans don’t include staying in the small town, a little female
companionship during his short residency would be welcome.
Liza: Yeah, men don't do celibacy well.
Heart: While on duty as
sentry against protestors at a military funeral, he finds Pippa visiting her
husband’s grave, and begins a campaign to make her into a friend–with benefits.
Liza: From a woman who fears relationships. Interesting. So what happens?
Heart: What
starts as a simple affair evolves to something more, something that changes the
soundtracks of both their lives…the beating of two hearts in harmony.
Peep Rep: Oh, I know how I'm going to send you back!
Heart: I'm afraid to ask.
Liza: Me too, so let's not. Instead, open your covers and let me peek inside.
Heart: I suppose I could...
Excerpt:
Pippa opened her mouth to retort, when the irony of
his words hit her. Yes, he did have a right to speak his mind. It was a
privilege her husband had fought and died for. She just wished he wasn’t so
crude about it.
Clay eyed her and crossed muscular arms over his
chest, daring her to respond, waiting for a chance to chastise her again for
her stupidity.
She swallowed the words she’d intended to use to put
him in his place. “You’re right. Thank you for helping me.”
Shock and confusion rippled across his strong face,
and laughter tickled the back of her throat. She’d managed to shut him up. The
same way she might have with one of her kids when they needed to listen to
reason. It was a little fun to take the wind out of his sails this way.
She’d
done it all her life with her brothers and had seen the same look of
consternation floating on their faces.
But she’d never wanted her brothers to keep arguing
with her. If this green-eyed hunk wanted to go another round with her, she’d
relish it—welcome it. There was something about him…
*********
Liza: Sounds great. Anything else we should know about you?
Heart: Yes. I'm known to use strong language and allow my characters to have hot sex whenever they want.
Peep Rep: I want to buy this! Let me go find buy links.
Heart: Excellent. May I go home now?
Liza: No, you'll be staying 3 days while Peep Rep finds a better way to send you home.
Heart: What will we do until then?
Liza: Tell me some weird random bit about your author, Gemma Brocato.
Heart: Gemma's favorite desk accessories for
many years were a circular wooden token, better known as a 'round tuit,' and a
slip of paper from a fortune cookie proclaiming her a lover of words; some day
she'd write a book.
Liza: To become a writer because of a fortune cookie sounds odd. Surely, there was some other trigger...
Heart: All it took was a transfer to the United Kingdom, the
lovely English springtime, and a huge dose of homesickness to write her first
novel.
Liza: Now that I understand. I wrote 3 novels while working in Netherlands.
Heart: Once it was completed and sent off with a kiss, even the rejections
addressed to 'Dear Author' were gratifying.
Liza: Okay, that's just demented. I have never liked rejections and I never will. Tell me more about Gemma.
Heart: After returning to America, she spent a
number of years as a copywriter, dedicating her skills to making insurance and
the agents who sell it sound sexy. Eventually, her full-time job as a writer
interfered with her desire to be a writer full-time and she left the world of
financial products behind to pursue an avocation as a romance author.
Liza: And how did that go?
Heart: Her gamble paid off when she was a 2012 Finalist in
the prestigious Golden Pen contest for Romantic Suspense and she received
contracts for her first and second book, plus a third book in the Five Senses series coming out August 18th, 2014.
Liza: Way to go Gemma!
Peep Rep: Gemma sounds most interesting. Do you have places where I can legally stalk her?
Liza: Aren't you supposed to be working on Heart's return?
Peep Rep: I've hired a composer to write their story in song and send it back by radio waves.
Liza: Clever, Peep Rep, very clever. Here are the stalking links for Gemma:
Good morning Liza and Peep Rep. Thanks you for inviting Hearts In Harmony to visit your blog today. I hope it behaved itself. I've heard some of your guests can get a little rowdy.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly yes, some books have even....well never mind. Your book was delightful, especially given it's transportation to my home.
DeleteYou may send your books to me anytime you like. I've talked to Peep Rep that he needs to find better transportation methods.
Fabulous interview all. I recently bought this book and am in the process of enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, thanks for stopping by. I'm delightered that you are enjoying it so far. I hope it continues to live up to your expectations.
DeleteSounds like a great book. I enjoyed the interview. Tweeted.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Andrea. It was a fun interview, wasn't it.
DeleteHearts didn't enjoy being plastic wrapped and sent via a tornado, but otherwise it was good.
DeleteI'm surprised that there wasn't more damage with the tornado delivery problems! We had to sit in a room with children for two hours yesterday because of a tornado warning. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the cover and the blurb sounds wonderful. If I lost my husband, I'd probably hide my heart too, esp. with small children to care for!
If I had lost my husband, I'd make sure I had an alibi.
DeleteMelissa, I've been in a storm shelter for a lot longer when we lived in Illinois. Let me tell you - it wasn't fun. At a shopping mall, and I was the marketing director. Explaining to people why they shouldn't leave in the middle of a furious storm was an exercise in futility. Thanks for your kind words and Liza - that sounds like a good plan.
Delete