BLOG TOUR- Interview & Giveaway: Accidentally Married On Purpose by Rachel Harris

ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED ON PURPOSE

By: Rachel Harris

Publication Date: July 14, 2014

One ring plus one wild night equals one crazy love

Sherry Robicheaux loves men. She loves love. And she loves an adventure. So when she meets a mysterious man while working backstage at a country music concert in Vegas, she’s all about what’s happened in Vegas staying there.

Country music superstar Tyler Blue just wants a weekend of anonymity…though there’s something about the spunky waitress with the streaks of purple hair that tempts him like no other. Until the next morning, when they both wake up with fuzzy memories…and rings on their fingers.

Convincing Sherry to maintain the ruse for his public image isn’t the hardest part—it’s reminding himself that their time spent playing husband and wife in her small town of Magnolia Springs can’t last. Tyler’s first love will always be music—and the road is no place for a sweet downhome girl.

ABOUT RACHEL

Award-winning and Bestselling author Rachel Harris writes humorous love stories about sassy girls next door and the hot guys that make them swoon. Emotion, vibrant settings, and strong relationships are a staple in each of her books…and kissing. Lots of kissing.

An admitted Diet Mountain Dew addict and homeschool mom, she gets through each day by laughing at herself, hugging her kids, and watching way too much Food Network with her husband. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult romance, and LOVES talking with readers.

What was your favorite scene to write and why?

My favorite scene, hands down, is where they dance in the rain. I’ve kind of had this vision in my head for a while now and have tried to fit it into different books, and it just never worked with the characters or the plot. Strangely enough, I’d forgotten all about it when it came time for this book—it just came out very organically, and it fits both of them perfectly. It makes me grin like a loon every time I read it.

Did any of your characters surprise you by doing something you didn’t expect?

Sherry kept me giggling constantly, but I pretty much expected it all. The one thing that did come as a bit of a surprise is the scene between her and Tyler when Angelle spent the night. I don’t want to give any spoilers or anything, but that night went in a direction I hadn’t anticipated. I knew the conversation they would have, and I had a good idea of the outcome, but the result was much more sweet and tender than I’d expected—in the best way possible. It was definitely a case of the characters deciding the mood of the scene and I’m so glad I let them take over!

Were there any scenes that had to be cut that you wish would have stayed in?

No, I’m a huge plotter so I can tell in a glance how many scenes are needed to tell the story the way it needs to be told. However, while drafting, I did notice that I was going to go over the maximum word count for the genre, so I quickly combined scenes, taking the parts I loved from the scene I had planned and putting them in other places. The result ended up being so much better than the original, so that was serendipitous J

Love & Games series is done, but will we see more from you in this genre?

Oh, definitely! Contemporary adult romance, in particular small town romantic comedies, are my favorite to read and (shh, don’t tell anyone) my favorite to write, too. I have lots of plans for future series, one of which is a spin-off from this one. Perhaps involving a certain country band…

What are you currently reading? What book boys make you swoon?

Right now, I’m reading the upcoming releases for AJ Pine, Megan Erickson, Cindi Madsen, and Heidi McLaughlin…I know; I’m a lucky chica. I also have the latest from Susan Mallery on my nightstand. As for book boys that make me swoon, I honestly love them all. I love the everyday heroes, the misunderstood celebrities, the biker boys, and the fighters. It’s his heart, the moments he chooses to be vulnerable and let the heroine (read: us) into his inner world and thoughts, that kills me every stinking time.

You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

This is an impossible question!!! Oh, my heart hurts at the thought. *sighs* *ponders* Well, there is one book that I do reread almost every year and it never gets old. In fact, I watch the movie versions just as frequently. It’s going to seem like a cop-out answer but it is the complete truth—Pride and Prejudice. Love love love everything about that book

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Tip #1: Read often and widely. Read within your favorite genre so you know what is out there, especially if you want to write in it, see what the expectations are, and then expand your world by pulling inspiration from way outside your genre.

Write or love YA contemporary? Maybe try also reading adult (such as my sweet small town romances) and/or historicals.
Write historical? Give fantasy and suspense a shot.
You never know what will inspire you…or even where your voice truly is…until you try.

Tip #2: But don’t stop at reading, either. Pay attention.

What made you smile at that passage? What had you skimming those pages? What spoke to you, what did you hate, what had you fuming at your book yet determined to find out what happens?
These are all clues to helping you find your unique voice and style.

Tip #3: When you do start writing: Use Your Senses. What is your character Smelling, Tasting, Touching, Hearing? Seeing is obvious and normally one no one really misses.

In each scene, try to include at least 3 of your senses. It brings the pages and story to life and jumps off the page.

Tip #4: DON’T GIVE UP. Don’t stop after your first book. You will always get better, there will always be more stories to tell, and there’s always a chance that book can come back out later.

What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now that you can tell us about?

Right now, I’m working on the second book in my new YA series that begins with The Fine Art of Pretending, which releases this September. After that is my New Adult debut and I’m so excited to jump in to this story!! Then it’s back to another adult contemporary romance.

5 Favorites

Favorite Song (right now) – My theme song for Accidentally Married on Purpose was Hunter Hayes’ I Want Crazy so it has a special spot in my heart right now

Favorite Book (right now) – This is so hard!!! I recently read Susan Mallery’s Only His and loved it. Oh, and Full Measures by Rebecca Yarros, amazing! I could sit here and keep listing!

Favorite TV Show/Movie (right now) – I’m watching Heartland on Netflix a ton right now for research/inspiration purposes for my current work in progress. I’m also loving Next Food Network Star lol

Favorite Word – Serendipity

Favorite Snack – Chocolate chip cookies 😉

Jaime’s Thoughts
Accidentally Married on Purpose by Rachel Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adore Rachel Harris and this past week I went on a binge of all her upcoming titles. The Love and Games series is one of my favorites so there was no question I was reading it as soon as I could get my hands on it. This was exactly the kind of book I needed this week!

Accidentally Married On Purpose highlights Sherry, who we’ve all gotten to know in the previous two titles in this series, and while I can honestly say that the men in this series are what I usually love most, I was really looking forward to this title because Sherry is the girl most of us can relate to. She’s been burned in her past relationships, but she loves the idea of love and she isn’t giving up on it! She’s spunky and sassy and she gives with her whole heart and I adore her.

In Accidentally Married On Purpose Sherry is off to Las Vegas to oversee a job catering for the super popular country band Blue. She plans on it being her last irresponsible weekend and she’s determined to have a fling before she is back in Louisiana to get serious about her future… and possibly that Mr. Boring Accountant who she is prepared to settle for.

A chance encounter with Tyler, who she thinks is a roadie for the band, leads to a whirlwind weekend where she’s swept off her feet and eventually a night of drinking… and an accidental marriage.

Only there’s more to Tyler than she initially knows.

You know what happens when you’re in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas… unfortunately that isn’t exactly the case here.

Tyler reveled in the idea that Sherry didn’t know who he was. The anonymity was amazing and his omission in telling her the truth bites him in the ass when their accidental marriage is found out by the press. So what better way to save both their images than to pretend it’s actually real? Nothing could go wrong with that right?
I think what I loved most about this book in the series was seeing Sherry navigate her relationship with Tyler.

Now don’t get me wrong – Tyler absolutely gets a spot on the swoony guy list … I mean a guy with a guitar *flail* but that’s not the only thing he has going for him… he’s so lovely to Sherry and after seeing the assfaces she’s put up with, it’s so nice to see her with someone amazing and who treats her the way she should be treated. Plus, you guys – I swooned at the sweetest post-it notes in the world that he leaves her.

Let me warn you all now, this is a book from the Entangled Bliss series, which means it’s a clean romance – no dirty parts. Yes I miss those parts, but Harris makes up for it with some of the sexiest and romantic moments I’ve read in a while. I loved the chemistry between Ty and Sherry and the build of the relationship. When making the deal with each other they made some ground rules and one of those was that despite their steamy night in Vegas, there would be no sex now… hopefully to avoid heartbreak when their time together would be up. When no sex is on the table, the focus falls on getting to know each other and their families and that is exactly what happens.

If you’re looking for a light, romantic read I can’t recommend this series enough and once this title is released the series will be done. This both makes me incredibly happy and sad at the same time. Happy because I know that means Ms. Harris will be working on more new things and sad because that means we’ve met all the Robicheaux family members … but hopefully that just means we’ll get to meet more of those amazing women and swoony men that are trapped inside her head. (I think I’d love to hear more about Charlie!) I am really looking forward to more in this genre from Rachel Harris. Go grab these books now!