Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Olivia Dade to HJ!
Hi Olivia and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, All the Feels!
Please summarize the book for the readers here:
All the Feels pits cheerfully chaotic Alex, a seemingly out-of-control actor starring in a blockbuster television show, against the no-nonsense woman the production assigns as his minder to keep him out of trouble, Lauren. It’s a battle of wills conducted through banter and sweetened by reluctant affection that turns into lasting devotion.
Please share the opening lines of this book:
“Next time you get in a bar fight, don’t bother coming back to the set, asshole,” Ron shouted. “Do you even realize what you’ve done? That kind of juvenile—”
By this point, the rant had entered—Alex craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Ron’s Rolex—its tenth minute. And counting. The amount of blustering tedium the Gods of the Gates showrunner could pack into such a short span of time was impressive, truly.
Alex would applaud if he weren’t too busy fighting both a yawn and his desire to nut-punch his boss.
Please share a few Fun facts about this book…
- Alex’s mini-castle in the Hollywood Hills is loosely based on a mini-castle Moby once owned (although Moby didn’t have a moat), and Lauren’s duplex with its turret in front (her mini-mini-castle!) is based on an actual duplex in North Hollywood that was available for rent when I wrote the book. My dear friend and talented Harlequin Desire author Susannah Erwin told me about both houses and shared her firsthand experience of walking a red carpet, which informed a crucial scene in the book. She’s also the person who informed me about the various sets of so-called “secret stairs” around LA—including the lovely Saroyan Stairs, a key setting in the story.
- Basically, without Susannah, I wouldn’t have a book. I owe her, big-time.
Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?
When the book starts, the media and public think of Alex as just another actor spiraling out of control, possibly because of alcohol addiction. In reality, he is troubled, but not because of alcohol. His character’s arc in the final season of Gods of the Gates has brought trauma from his past to the surface, and he’s struggling to control his justified anger at the showrunners and his own lingering guilt and grief.
Lauren, on the other hand, is entirely controlled. Too controlled, according to Alex. She’s determined to remain a neutral observer as she keeps him out of trouble, but he provokes her to respond to him again and again, until her real personality—her kindness, humor, and intelligence—can’t help but shine through. Her previous job as an ER therapist has left her exhausted and heartsore, and as far as he’s concerned, she requires a chaos demon with a heart of gold to help her heal. Specifically, him.
As far as my characters surprising me: When I began writing the book, Alex’s bizarre/hilarious preoccupation with Pretty Woman was nowhere to be found. I suppose he must have seen the movie once too often during his formative years?
If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?
I would use a conversation from Lauren’s first morning on Alex’s estate, simply because that conversation has some of my favorite banter in the entire book. If the actors could nail the characters’ dynamic in that scene, I’d be delighted. Here’s a snippet:
“We’re getting you a dress. Time to Pretty Woman this shit.” He cracked his knuckles with relish. “I can’t wait until someone refuses to wait on you because you’re so obviously an unsophisticated oaf from Kansas or wherever—”
“North Hollywood. Basically just down this hill and over the next one.”
“—and then you can leave, brokenhearted and ashamed, only to return hours later, carrying thousands of dollars of haute couture to rub in how much commission money they lost.”
She was massaging her temples again.
“Petty revenge is the most satisfying, always.” With his forefinger, he pushed her phone closer to her on the table. “You should write that down somewhere. Consider it a free preview of my TED Talk.”
For a long, satisfying moment, she appeared entirely speechless. Then she spoke, each word slow and precise.
“Okay, first thing.” She paused again, and yet more temple-rubbing occurred. “Why do I need to keep making lists with you?”
“That’s your first thing?” He furrowed his brow at her. “It’s a weird first thing.”
“It’s not my first thing. It’s an addendum, jackass.”
He gasped, loudly enough that a nearby bird flapped away in alarm. “Such language! Why, my delicate ears!”
Her breaths seemed to dramatically lengthen at that point, and he figured she was counting to herself.
After several vastly entertaining and very deep inhalations, she got a hold of her temper. “First thing: I am not a sex worker, and you are not my client. Thus, we cannot, as you so eloquently put it, Pretty Woman this shit. Second: As you are neither my john nor my sugar daddy of any sort, you will not be paying for these garments, and I can’t afford thousands of dollars’ worth of clothing I’ll never wear again. We’ll need to drive to my duplex and decide which of the few dresses I already own might suffice.”
Oooh. He was going to see his stern minder’s inner sanctum? Her Fortress of Stultifying Solitude? He couldn’t wait.
“You’re bringing me home?” He widened his eyes. “But you haven’t even taken me out on a real date yet. I don’t want you to think I’m cheap.”
“For the love of…” Now she was rubbing her forehead as well as her temples, and he would feel worse if a tiny little smile weren’t also curving the corners of that wide mouth.
What do you want people to take away from reading this book?
My primary goal as a writer is always, always to offer my readers joy and distraction whenever they need both. But in this book, I also wanted to address the nature of self-sacrifice. Which is, obviously, a wonderful, laudable thing in many cases. Maybe not as great, though, if the reason you’re willing to overlook your own interests again and again is because of deep-seated shame or a sense that you and your happiness aren’t important—or at least, not as important as everyone around you.
Mostly, though, I just wanted to make people laugh and sigh and swoon. 🙂
What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?
I just finished my draft of Ship Wrecked (AKA Only One Island), the third book in the Spoiler Alert universe. It features Maria and Peter, two Gods of the Gates costars, and it should come out next year. Here’s the gist of the story:
Poor, poor Maria. Her one-night-stand, a guy named Peter, just reappeared. Apparently he’s also her grumpy-as-hell costar, who now wants nothing to do with her. And they’ll be stuck on a small island together for… ::checks notes:: …years to come. Dammit.
I had a lot of fun writing Peter and Maria’s story, and I hope readers love it too.
Thanks for blogging at HJ!
Giveaway: A print copy of Olivia Dade’s new rom com, ALL THE FEELS
To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Leave a comment with your thoughts on the book…
Book Info:
Alexander Woodroe has it all. Charm. Sex appeal. Wealth. Fame. A starring role as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, Gods of the Gates. But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he’s dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, the tabloids and public agree: his star is falling.
Enter Lauren Clegg, the former ER therapist hired to keep him in line. Compared to her previous work, watching over handsome but impulsive Alex shouldn’t be especially difficult. But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness…not to mention his Cupid fanfiction habit.
When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants—her. But he’s determined to keep his improbably short, impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can. And on a road trip up the California coast together, he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all.
Meet the Author:
Olivia Dade grew up an undeniable nerd, prone to ignoring the world around her as she read any book she could find. Her favorites, though, were always, always romances. As an adult, she earned an M.A. in American history and worked in a variety of jobs that required the donning of actual pants: Colonial Williamsburg interpreter, high school teacher, academic tutor, and (of course) librarian. Now, however, she has finally achieved her lifelong goal of wearing pajamas all day as a hermit-like writer and enthusiastic hag. She currently lives outside Stockholm with her patient Swedish husband, their whip-smart daughter, and the family’s ever-burgeoning collection of books.
EC
It looks like a good book! 🙂
Barbara Bates
Can’t wait to read more.
Mary Preston
I am curious about the self-sacrifice topic.
Diana Hardt
It sounds like a really interesting book.
Debra Guyette
Thanks for the great post. I would enjoy this book
Pamela Conway
Sounds good!! Would love to read it!!
Lori Byrd
sounds so good.
janinecatmom
Sounds great. I can’t wait to read it.
Jennifer Shiflett
It sounds really good!
Glenda M
Sounds like a book I’d love!
Amy R
Sounds good
Texas Book Lover
This book sounds wonderful! Can’t wait to read it!
Rita Wray
Sounds like a good book.
Latesha B
I am curious to see why Alex and Lauren are the way that they are and how they manage to get together.
susan
I’m curious how it all turns out!
bn100
interesting
Teresa Williams
Sounds great.
Sonja T
I’m all in.
Katrina Dehart
Sounds good!! Thank you for sharing!
danielle hammelef
After reading this excerpt I really want to read the rest of this fun book!
Teresa Warner
Sounds good
Bonnie
What an interesting book! Great scene. Thanks for sharing.
Patricia B.
This sounds like a wonderful book. People who are different. in Lauren’s case short and plus size, often suffer from the rudeness of others, disdain, disrespect, and cruelty. People don’t look past the physical her to the heart and should of who she really is. The same is true of Alex in a way. They look at him and place him in the Beautiful People category and make assumptions about who he is inside. It sounds like you have put these opposites together and by allowing them to see the real person beneath the exterior of the other, they see themselves more clearly. This helps them both accept themselves and change what needs to change to become a happier person.
Patricia B
This sounds like a wonderful book. People who are different. in Lauren’s case short and plus size, often suffer from the rudeness of others, disdain, disrespect, and cruelty. People don’t look past the physical her to the heart and should of who she really is. The same is true of Alex in a way. They look at him and place him in the Beautiful People category and make assumptions about who he is inside. It sounds like you have put these opposites together and by allowing them to see the real person beneath the exterior of the other, they see themselves more clearly. This helps them both accept themselves and change what needs to change to become a happier person.
rkcjmomma
Sounds like a really fun enjoyable read!
Irma Jurejevčič
Yeah! I love it! The writing is amazing and the book sounds to be very cute and fun. I’d love to read it.
Anita H
I’m really intrigued with the reasons behind Alex’s recklessness, can’t wait to read this one!
Kay Garrett
“ALL THE FEELS” sounds like a wonderful book and one I would greatly enjoy having the opportunity to read. It would be a wonderful way to introduce me to this new to me author as well.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Kim
This book sounds really good. I haven’t read Olivia before, but I definitely want to.
Summer
Sounds like a good one, I tend to enjoy opposites attract stories.
Daniel M
looks like a fun one
Mary C.
Opposites attract.
Ellen C.
Good banter.
Sally Ember, Ed.D.
Just finished this book and picked up book 2 in this series because I mostly liked book 1.
However, two criticisms:
1) It seems unnecessary, horribly redundant, and somewhat offensive to mention Lauren’s body type and height so often. Instead of showing that these aspects are superficial and shouldn’t matter much, the repeated references show how obsessed Alex is with body traits and how prominently these figure into his attraction to her. He comes off like a fetishist, not an open-hearted, deeper guy. Too bad.
2) A cute, funny, interesting, and politically and socially somewhat woke story suddenly becomes erotica about 3/4 of the way through! Yikes! Needed some warning! The sex scenes are well-written, except for the repeated references to Lauren’s size and how Alex is “okay, anyway” vibe, but feel very jarring and out of synch with the rest of the style and genre.
Will circle back after reading book 2.
Best to you, Olivia.
Sally Ember, Ed.D.
author, sci-fi, “The Spanners Series”
http://www.sallyember.com/Spanners