Stealing Kisses in the Snow by Jo McNally

Posted: November 1, 2019/By: achristay@aol.com

Please welcome Jo McNally author of Stealing Kisses in the Snow

Jo McNally will be awarding one print copy of SLOW DANCING AT SUNRISE by Jo McNally and 1 print copy of STEALING KISSES IN THE SNOW by Jo McNally, shipping limited to North American (US and Canada) only to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Stealing Kisses in the Snow

by Jo McNally

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GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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INTERVIEW:

What or who inspired you to start writing?

I was an avid reader from a very young age, but it was my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Williamson, who inspired my writing muse. She would tear out advertisements from magazines (a cowboy on a horse, a mother and child, a family in a car, etc.), tape them to the blackboard, and tell us to pick one and write a short story about it off the top of our heads. Most kids groaned, but I loved it. I was building worlds, and it felt magical.

What expertise did you bring to your writing?

I’ve been writing from a very young age. But instead of following that dream, I went into the corporate world for a long while. I was often the person people turned to for writing projects (training manuals, catalog copy, letters, etc.). Those years of business writing helped me tighten up my prose and really focus on what the reader/customer was comprehending. As far as research goes, I set my books in areas I’m familiar with, and then I read, travel, and search the internet like crazy to make sure I have the details right. Visiting all those wineries to research the Rendezvous Falls series was hard work (wink wink!).

As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

To keep writing! I’m currently working on two series – Rendezvous Falls for HQN and Gallant Lake Stories for Harlequin Special Edition. Both series have books scheduled for 2020, and hopefully will continue after that. The next Rendezvous Falls book will be Barefoot on a Starlit Night, coming next summer. And Gallant Lake Stories has its own holiday romance coming in December, It Started at Christmas…

If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your leading roles?

Most of the time, I just have a general “type” in mind for my characters, but with Stealing Kisses in the Snow, I had very specific images for the leads. Logan Taggart would be played by Jason Momoa. Logan arrives in Rendezvous Falls on a motorcycle, sporting long dark hair like Jason. He’s so tall and broad that Piper’s daughter, Lily, refers to him as “Logan the Giant.” In contrast, Piper Montgomery is petite and very neat in her appearance. I’d cast Reese Witherspoon as Piper. Wouldn’t Reese and Jason make a delicious couple?

When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

I was working my way up the corporate ladder for years, but once in a while I’d think seriously about writing a book. Then I’d talk myself out of it. It was too late, I was too old, I didn’t have time, blah blah blah. A coworker invited me to speak to her Girl Scout troop on Career Night almost ten years ago. One of the little girls asked me if being a Director of Customer Service was what I’d dreamed of being as a little girl. It was one of those lightning bolt moments that changed everything. I’d dreamed of being a romance author all my life, and if I didn’t start right then, when would I? A few years later, I sold my first book, She’s Far From Hollywood, to Harlequin.

Do you outline your books or just start writing?

With every book, I become more and more of a plotter, but I don’t do a formal outline of every scene. I know the characters’ motivations, and I have a good idea of the black moment and the grand gesture to bring them together, and some of the key scenes. Once I have that, I jump in and start writing.

Do you have any hobbies and does the knowledge you’ve gained from these carry over into your characters or the plot of your books?

Well, I haven’t written a golf romance yet (although I’m working on a proposal for one!), but a little of me naturally works its way into my books. I had a horse farm years ago, and that experience was key for She’s Far From Hollywood.My husband and I have been to Ireland and love going to Irish festivals. That passion will be in the next Rendezvous Falls book, which is set at the Purple Shamrock pub in Rendezvous Falls with an Irish hero. I love studying and touring historic homes, which inspired the Victorian homes that make Rendezvous Falls unique. That hobby, and the American castles I’ve visited, also inspired the castle in the Catskills that is featured in my Gallant Lake Stories series, especially in It Started at Christmas…, coming in December. So yes, my loves work their way into my stories.

Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book?

I have several more books under contract, but right now I’m working on the follow-up to Stealing Kisses in the Snow. The third book in the Rendezvous Falls series will be Barefoot on a Starlit Night. This book continues the local book club’s adventures in matchmaking, although there’s a bit of a twist–while they’re trying to set up dates for pub owner Bridget McKinnon, she suddenly announces her surprise (and very fake) engagement to Irish professor Finn O’Hearn. The fake engagement starts as a joke on Finn’s part, then quickly spins out of control and pulls Bridget into the ruse. Needless to say, there’s a lot of humor as they deal with this, and quite a bit of chemistry, too!

Can you tell us a little about the black moment in your book?

The black moment in Stealing Kisses in the Snowis a cumulative thing that finally overwhelms Piper. Her former mother-in-law is putting a lot of pressure on her to honor Piper’s late husband’s memory for the sake of the children, and is appalled at the idea of Piper dating Logan. Both of her kids are dealing with the loss of their father a few years earlier in different ways, and now Piper has moved them into a new house and started working and Logan is in their lives, and she’s feeling weighed down by guilt. As the seniors in the book club observe, she’s “raising the castle gates” to protect her family, even if it means saying no to love. She just can’t take the risk. Logan doesn’t understand when she ends things, and his clumsy words make things worse. Her children blame him for making their mother sad, which makes her draw her little family closer and push Logan even further away. It takes an intervention from the book club, and a heartbroken little girl, to bring everyone back together again.

What is your favorite reality show?

I’m not a big fan of reality shows about specific families, or any of the dating shows. I know they’re hugely popular, but I can’t get into them. I love music, though, so I enjoy the talent shows. I’m a huge fan of The Voiceand America’s Got Talent. I enjoyed the “peek behind the curtain” feel of Songlandthis summer, which featured songwriters pitching to artists (a lot like authors pitching stories!). And my husband and I do watch Gold Rush—it’s interesting to see the work involved in finding Alaskan gold, and the repairs they have to do on the fly.

Can you tell us a little bit about what it was like to write a series?

I lovewriting series romance. It’s so much fun to create an imaginary town and make it real in readers’ minds. Both of my current series are location-based, and the towns of Rendezvous Falls (in the Finger Lakes wine country of New York) and Gallant Lake (in the Catskills) feel real to me. It’s fun to have recurring characters in a series, like the book club members in Rendezvous Falls, as well as Father Joe from the local church (who’s based on my husband’s Irish cousin). Those returning characters come to feel like old friends.

Anything else you might want to add?

I just wanted to point out that Stealing Kisses in the Snow is not only a holiday romance, but it’s also a Seasoned Romance, meaning the main characters are more mature (36 and 40). Logan and Piper have lived a lot of life before they met, and all of that “seasoning” makes them complex, multi-layered characters. And the third POV in this book (a feature of the Rendezvous Falls series) is that of 80-year-old Iris, dealing with the loss of some of her much-treasured independence.

Thanks so much for having me here today!

BLURB:

Maybe “perfect” is over-rated…

Between juggling two kids, two jobs, and a fixer-upper house, single mom Piper Montgomery is so busy she can hardly see straight. But when rugged biker Logan Taggert strolls into the B&B where she’s working, she can’t help but stare. He has bad boy written all over him. She’s promised her kids a “perfect Christmas” this year, and bad boys aren’t part of the plan. But how can she resist?

Once his grandmother is back on her feet, Logan can leave her Victorian B&B get back on the road. It’s where he belongs after all, even if his grandmother’s matchmaking book club biddies try to convince him otherwise. But there’s something about beautiful, spitfire Piper that makes him wonder if kids and commitment might be just what he needs after all.

As Christmas draws ever closer, so do Piper and Logan. Could these two opposites find all they want this Christmas is each other?

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EXCERPT:

“Okay, Lily. If you see that giant again, bring him to me so I can tell him to stop hanging around here. It’s bad for business.”

Lily giggled and dashed out of the kitchen before Piper could tell her they were leaving soon. She put away the rest of the dishes and tossed the dishrag into the bin to be washed. She was mopping up the last corner of the floor when she heard the kitchen door open again. Good—Lily hadn’t wandered far.

“I’m glad you’re back, sweetie. I’m almost done, so—”

“Momma! I found the giant! Isn’t he hoomongus?”

Piper turned and froze, clutching the mop handle tightly. Lily was standing in the doorway, holding hands with a stranger. Well over six feet tall, with straggly, wet hair hanging to his shoulders and a scruffy beard, the man was clothed entirely in black leather, including leather chaps on his long legs. He had the deepest-set eyes Piper had ever seen, shadowed under heavy, dark brows. With his size and overall menacing appearance, it was no wonder Lily thought he was a giant.

And he was holding her daughter’s tiny hand.

Piper bristled, her exhaustion gone in a flash. She’d gladly battle actual monsters to save her children, and big or not (and he was big), this was just a man. A man who was about to regret touching her little girl. She brandished the mop handle in front of her like a sword as she went toward him. “You let her go right this minute! And get out of here! I’m calling the police…” She fumbled to get her phone out of her back pocket while still aiming the mop at him. Her voice was fast approaching a scream. “You get the hell away from my daughter!”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jo McNally lives in coastal North Carolina with 100 pounds of dog and 200 pounds of husband – her slice of the bed is very small. When she’s not writing or reading romance novels (or clinging to the edge of the bed…), she can often be found on the back porch sipping wine with friends, listening to great music. If the weather is absolutely perfect, she’ll occasionally join her husband on the golf course, where she always feels far more competitive than her actual skill-level would suggest.

Author Links

Website:https://jomcnallyromance.com/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/JoMcNallyAuthor/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/JoMcNallyAuthor

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jo.mcnally/

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15850595.Jo_McNally

STEALING KISSES IN THE SNOW Buy Links

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1335041486

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-kisses-in-the-snow-jo-mcnally/1129992769

iTunes:https://books.apple.com/us/book/stealing-kisses-in-the-snow/id1446004554

Kobo:https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/stealing-kisses-in-the-snow

Google:https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jo_McNally_Stealing_Kisses_in_the_Snow?id=vTp-DwAAQBAJ