FULL OF GRACE – A Book Tour Stop!

What’s all this now? This does not look like stuff about me!

Because, well, it isn’t. This here is a blog tour, folks, and I am in it! I am very pleased to do this little post, my first ever participation in a blog tour, as it is for a person I <3 very much. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Misty Provencher:

Once a high school drop out and runaway, Misty Provencher became a college grad, and is now a full-time novelist with a close knit family. She doesn’t do labels well. While she can ride a motorcycle, knows how to Karate chop, and has learned enough French, Spanish, and Sign Language to get herself slapped, Misty’s life is the ruse she uses to connect with people. She is totally enchanted with them and spends her days trying to translate the soul bouquet of her muses into words.

Misty Provencher lives in Michigan. Knock on her internet blog door at: Misty Provencher’s Books, or find her on Facebook and Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest. Her books are available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble too!

We are gathered here today to talk a little about Misty’s latest release Full of Grace. I absconded with some of Misty’s precious time and attention and asked her some very direct questions about this particular book as it raises some interesting points. There’s also a giveaway to be had! But hang on to that for a second, okay? First, let me give you the blurbage.

Running about 7 bananas strong on shots from Hale and Oscar Maree’s wedding bar, what happened between Landon Grace and Sher Traifere was supposed to be a one time thing.  A quickie on a romantic night.  Sher wanted a fast evening of fireworks to remember on the dull horizon of her life; Landon wanted to get his mind off his psycho ex by feeling Sher’s curves.  By the end of the evening, a secret of Sher’s complicates Landon’s attempt to escape the girl’s chainsaw giggle. 

Some one-night-stands just can’t be finished in one night. 

Even more complicating, this one rises back up with a hard shot of morning sickness and an entire repertoire of questions.  The most important being:  how much pull does a guy really have in a woman’s choice to pursue or terminate a pregnancy?

And in this case, how clever can he be about stealing her pants?

So, this book is a companion book to Hale Maree, but you don’t have to have read both to follow the stories of either. It’s a New Adult Contemporary Romance, and a nice, easy read if you have a few hours to spare. I don’t, generally, but I made an exception. Because this is Misty. And she’s awesome.

I’ve never posted a review on this site before, and, frankly, I don’t have a clue if my opinion of a book counts for anything. But, this is a blog tour. As such, I’m reviewing it here, but I’ll keep it short.

Contemporary Romance isn’t something I go out of my way to look for. Honestly, it falls pretty far down on my list of genres I read. I have a few reasons for this, but I won’t go into that now. Really, I bought this book because it’s Misty’s and I really enjoy her writing. I read Hale Maree this past winter and enjoyed it enough that I went and picked up Full of Grace to complete the set.

You’ll find the typical contemp romance fare here. A guy. A girl. A life-altering relationship. There’s plenty of steamy scenes if it’s what you’re looking for (the carriage ride… wow). What you might not expect to find is a message. The story follows Landon Grace as he tries to come to grips with how much or how little say he has when a one-night-stand results in a pregnancy… and a secret of Sher’s complicates this further. I wasn’t at all sure how Misty was going to tackle the prickly topics of abortion and choice, especially as they pertain to men, but she carries it off really well. Her prose stays away from preaching values and takes an honest look at why people make the choices they make. It’s a judgement-free zone that asks questions instead of cramming the “right” answer down your throat. For this, Misty gets major bonus points from me.

I  highly encourage you to give this one a shot if you’re in the mood for something in the romance vein.

Now, on to the questions!

 

Me: Hey, Misty! Welcome to my blog! You are my first ever guest here, so bask in your glory for a sec.

Done? Cool. Thanks for stopping by!

Misty: Thank you for having me over to hang today!

Me: Let’s jump right in to this. First question: So Hale Maree and Full of Grace are very different from the world of Cornerstone. Why the departure?

Misty: Oh, my girl… why not?  The hardest part of being an Indie author for me is the branding.  I write everything, from paranormal, to contemporary romance, to dark, urban fantasy, so my brand is everything.  Luckily, I’ve accumulated a unique group of readers that are willing to try me out, even when it means following me into genres that maybe they wouldn’t usually pick up.  The best compliment I’ve gotten is when folks have told me that they’ll read anything I write.  What an enormous honor.  I’m grateful for that.

Me: LOL. Guilty as charged. I’m one of those “wherever Misty leads, I shall follow” readers. Okay then! Next question: Your big issue in Full of Grace is how much say a guy has when it comes to abortion and Landon’s feeling of helplessness in that. This is a really sensitive topic for a lot of people. Did you have any hesitation in taking on this controversial subject?

Misty: Nope.  And yes.  I am fascinated by the problem this presents to men, because if I was in their shoes, I would go insane.  Yet, as a woman, it feels very oppressive to allow the man to have a say.  So, I wanted to write a story from the man’s POV and give an answer that might be agreeable to all parties involved.

Me: So, since you totes got that under control, what was the most difficult part of writing Full of Grace? Were there any particular scenes that gave you trouble?

Misty: Yes, the sex scenes were a little weird to write at first.  It took me two or three days to write one of them, because I’m a straight girl and writing from a man’s perspective was really a challenge.  But, once I figured out that I could write it from the perspective of showing how a man enjoys a woman, then it fell into place for me.

Me: Right. The dreaded opposite-gender perspective issue. It’s a tough one. On the flip side of that, what part of the book was the most fun for you?

Misty: I really loved doing several of the scenes.  Lisa, Sher’s mom, was a blast.  Sher’s siblings were a riot.  I got a kick out of Landon and Sher’s bantering, Gina’s straight-talk (no pun intended), Ena’s Ena-ness, and I really ended up enjoying the sex scenes.  Some of the places they went- whew!  That was fun.

Me: So the tough stuff ended up being the fun stuff? Interesting. Well, what do you hope folks take away from Full of Grace (besides a *really* intriguing idea for their next horse-drawn carriage ride)?

Misty: Haha- you mean, that’s not enough?  I guess I would feel like my work is done if the reader recognized that a father is equally important as a mother, but even more so, that the ‘sway’ a man has, is love.

Me: And there’s the heart of the story right there, which is a nice note to end on. Before you go, what project will we see from you next?

Misty: You will see me lazing about in the summer sun.  My project this summer is mainly to be the most stellar mom I can pull off, since my kids are home from school, but I suppose you’re thinking books?  Capstone, the final book in The Cornerstone Series, is the next on the docket for now.  I hope to have it out in October of this year.

Me: You just made me one happy woman, Misty. That cliffhanger at the end of Jamb was positively torture! Anyway, thank you so much for dropping by the site. I’ll let you get back to writing those books now.

Misty: Thanks again for having me over to blah blah on your blog!  I always have a good time talking with you!

Me: I know, dear. But it’s time for the chains to go back on. Writing dungeon for you! *giggle*

So that’s my little Q&A with Misty. I guess we’re about done here now. Bye!

What do you mean “what about the giveaway thing”?

Oh right. That. All right, all right.

Misty set up this rafflecopter thing so she can lavish prizes on some lucky readers.

The first one is for domestic US only:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
But you international types can take a shot at this one here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

All this prize stuff is all Misty, so don’t come knockin’ on my door about this, ya hear? No free stuff from me for another week or two! (*in a Ned Stark voice* MAVEN is coming…)

Want to get your hands on Landon now? Then by all means, please hop on over here (Amazon) or here (B&N) to pick up your copy with no waiting!

Thanks for dropping by!