Spotlight & Giveaway: Ask Me To Stay by Terri Osburn

Posted March 4th, 2019 by in Blog, Spotlight / 65 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Terri Osburn to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Terri and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Ask Me To Stay!

 
Hello, dear readers!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Ask Me To Stay is about a writer in danger of becoming a one hit wonder who gets an offer she can’t refuse. Liza Teller’s debut novel hit the bestseller list, but she quickly learns the achievement does not come with a big paycheck or new-found confidence. With the coffers low, and ideas slim, she takes a job writing an elderly stranger’s memoir, but doing so means flying off to a remote island off the South Carolina coast to spend a month with her new subject. There she meets an array of quirky characters, including Kendall James–her subject’s overprotective caretaker-of-sorts–and his disturbingly large pit bull Amos. As the month goes by, discoveries are made, a romance develops, and a secret comes to light that changes all of their lives forever.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

Blue eyes darkened, and he knew exactly what she wanted. He may have been out of the game for longer than he liked to admit, but Kendall recognized raw desire when he saw it. Sadist that he was, he held his ground, waiting. For what, he didn’t know. His brain said to back the hell off, but his brain was no longer in charge.

Liza was grateful for the darkness that prevented Ray from seeing her face. Her cheeks were hot, as were other parts of her body. Parts neglected for far too long if she could be so thoroughly turned on by a bare chest. And sculpted abs. Shoulders that went on forever and a jagged scar above his left nipple that made her fingers itch to touch it.
Not helping. Not helping at all.

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

The setting of this story, called Haven Island, is based on the very real Dewees Island, of the coast of Charleston, SC, which I was lucky enough to visit in early 2018. It’s true that visitors get around by golf cart, and that there are no stores or restaurants. The warning about alligators is also very real, and when I discovered a large one sunning himself while cruising around a pretty corner, I knew right away that he had to go in the book.

 

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

In the very beginning, the attraction is completely physical. Well, when they first meet, there’s instant dislike, mostly on the heroine Liza’s part. But then she sees him without a shirt and nearly swallows her tongue. Still, he’s a bit of a jerk and she calls him on it constantly. Eventually, they get to like each other.

 

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

For the audition, it would have to be the scene when Kendall picks Liza up at the pier and drives her to Ray’s house in the golf cart. There’s tension and humor, and a smiling pit bull you can’t help but fall for immediately. Here’s a little snippet.

“You know, most people wouldn’t do this,” she said, raising her voice to be heard above the wind.
Kendall looked over, but her eyes remained on the path. “Do what? Ride in a golf cart?” He’d had the misfortune of riding in a New York City cab. There was no way this cart was more dangerous than that.
She turned his way, one brow arched high. “Step onto a remote island and get into a cart with a stranger the size of an NFL linebacker. You could kill me, and I wouldn’t even know the name of the man who’d turned me into fish food.”
He considered listing the myriad ways he could kill her, but feared she’d leap out of the cart and run back to the pier. Then he’d have to explain to Ray why the ghostwriter had changed her mind before she’d even met her subject. A conversation that was bound to go poorly.
Instead, he shared his name, hoping the info would allay her fears and they could go back to riding in silence.
“Kendall James. And I haven’t killed anybody in nearly a decade.” A true statement, but one he had no intention of elaborating on.
With annoyance in her smoky voice, she said, “Is that a joke?”
He met her dark-blue eyes. “Nope.”
“Right.” She faced forward again. “I feel much better now.”
As he’d hoped, the conversation died, though he continued to assess his passenger. A blush emphasized her high cheekbones, and she held her chin in a regal way, like a queen out for a ride to visit the peasants.
They cleared the trees, running headlong into the wind off the salt marsh. Loose curls whipped across her face, forcing his passenger to release her hold on the chrome post. And because Kendall was too busy looking at her to watch the road, he had to make a hard left turn at the last second.
Physics took over. In a matter of seconds, her scream cut through the air as her body was nearly flung from the cart. Kendall caught her in time, pulling her tight against his side and clamping his arm around her shoulders to keep her there.
“Hold on!” he yelled as he made a hairpin right before pulling the cart to a stop in a small patch of grass beside the trail.
Hair still covering her face, the writer’s body remained rigid beneath his touch as they sat in silence for several seconds. As if to remind them that they weren’t alone, Amos barked, snapping his owner back to reality.
Shrugging off Kendall’s arm, his passenger cleared the hair from her eyes and stepped out of the cart.
“Who taught you how to drive this thing?”
Did she really think there was a golf-cart driving school?
“Get back in. It’s getting dark and Ray is waiting.”
Hugging her purse and what looked like some kind of briefcase to her chest, she shook her head. “I’m not going through that again. I’ll wait here until you send someone else.”
She’d been the one to let go. How was that his fault?
“There is no one else.” Not technically true, but Kendall couldn’t leave her standing out here while he hunted up Francine or Larimore. Bruce could show up at any minute, and then she’d really be running back to the ferry. “Get in.”
The stubborn woman took a step back. “Give me directions and I’ll walk.”
Ray would kick his ass if Kendall obeyed that order. Instead, he turned to the back seat. “Come on, Amos. Up front.”
The dog hopped over the seat, filling the vacant spot.
“Good boy,” his owner said before returning his attention to the pain-in-the-ass writer. “Now you can sit in the back. Put the bags between your feet, and hold on to this bar.” Kendall tapped the chrome handrail that ran along the top of the seat.
Accepting this new arrangement, she followed his suggestion, securing the bags between her ankles and locking a death grip on the bar. “Okay, I’m ready. But if you throw me out again, I’m not getting back in.”
He hadn’t thrown her out at all. “Fair enough.”
Kendall stepped on the gas, grateful to have her out of his line of sight. Now he could concentrate on reaching their destination without thinking about pale thighs, honey-gold curls, and whether her skin would feel as soft as it looked.

 

Readers should read this book….

Readers should read this book for the unique setting, engaging characters, and the sliver of a mystery that runs throughout. It’s pretty clear there’s a secret that’s bound to come out eventually, but the real surprise is how the revelation changes so many lives. Ask Me To Stay shows that we don’t always know the full stories of our own lives, and taking this ride with Liza and Kendall as they navigate a new reality to find their happy ending makes this one worth reading.

 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I just released the third installment in my Shooting Stars series, Wishing On A Star, in January, and after Ask Me To Stay I’ll release a steamy short story in May. Then I’ll have a Christmas in July novella in the Shooting Stars series in July and the next full Shooting Stars novel in the fall. It’s going to be a busy year.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: I’ll give away a $10 Amazon gift card along with a swag pack filled with various goodies from my stash. Pens, notebooks, and anything else I can fit in the package will be all yours. (US & Canada only)

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: My question for today is would you do what Liza does? Would you fly off to a remote island without knowing exactly what you’d find when you got there?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Excerpt from Ask Me To Stay:

Kendall could be civil. Dammit.
After scraping the last dish clean, he flipped on the faucet and sent water splashing across the front of his shirt. “Shit,” he mumbled, step¬ping back from the sink to survey the damage. A drop of water slipped from his shirt and landed between his feet on the mat. “Great.”
Kendall stripped off the shirt to wring it out over the sink. Once it stopped dripping, he hung it over the back of a chair and returned to finish the dishes. On an island like Haven, water came at a premium, which meant running the dishwasher only happened on rare occasions. Kendall had insisted Ray sit while he cleaned up. The writer offered to help, but Ray had dragged her off for the promised tour of the house. Fine by Kendall. She’d probably lecture him on how to properly do the dishes anyway.
As he put the last glass away, Liza stepped in from the back deck where she and Ray had ended the tour. “Two more glasses,” she said before coming to a stop at the edge of the kitchen. “Oh. I’m . . . Ray wanted me to . . .” As she hovered with two wineglasses in her hands, her eyes lingered on Kendall’s torso. “Where’s your shirt?”
A heat he hadn’t experienced in far too long simmered to life in Kendall’s gut. “I got it wet.”
Blonde curls swayed as she nodded. “I see.” She continued to stare, and against his better judgment, he let her. One pearly-white tooth sank into her bottom lip as she slowly crossed the room to set the glasses on the counter. Not until they stood a foot apart did she finally meet his eyes. “There are the glasses.”
“Thanks,” he mumbled, voice heavy as her scent surrounded him. She must have splashed on something sweet before dinner. “Did you want anything else?”
Blue eyes darkened, and he knew exactly what she wanted. He may have been out of the game for longer than he liked to admit, but Kendall recognized raw desire when he saw it. Sadist that he was, he held his ground, waiting. For what, he didn’t know. His brain said to back the hell off, but his brain was no longer in charge.
“I should go back outside.” She didn’t move.
“Yeah, you should.” His grip tightened on the towel to keep from reaching for her.
“Sorry about your shirt.” She was a terrible liar. “Ray said you should come outside when you’re finished.”
Kendall leaned a hip on the counter and crossed his arms. “I’ll do that.”
A sigh escaped her lips as her gaze dropped to his chest. At a break¬ing point, he said, “Walk away, Liza.”
As if the words had snapped her back to reality, she blinked several times, blushed a pretty pink, and hurried from the room. Muscles tight, Kendall turned to brace his hands on the edge of the sink, needing the cool porcelain against his palms. He’d never been set on fire by a look before. If the woman ever actually touched him, he might go up in flames.
No one will be touching anyone, he told himself, but his body still simmered. If Liza had been a tourist passing through, he’d have taken her up on the unspoken offer. But she wasn’t passing through. She was there for Ray, to do a job Kendall didn’t approve of, and her sudden flare of desire didn’t negate the fact that she didn’t even like him.
Annoyed by his lack of control, Kendall left the glasses where she’d set them and charged off to fetch a jacket from his cart. When Amos leaped up from his spot near the fireplace, his owner held up a hand. “I’m not leaving, buddy. Go back to sleep.”
Amos whimpered but followed the order. The cool breeze hit Kendall in the chest as he stepped onto the front porch, but it did little to cool his body. A quick jaunt down the stairs and he snagged an old sweat jacket from beneath his back seat. Zipping it up, he cast his eyes to the star-filled sky.
“Forget it, James. You don’t need that kind of trouble.”
A few deep breaths and he headed back upstairs to say a quick good night, ignoring the voice in his head that argued a little trouble might be just what he needed.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Author Liza Teller’s new book is something of a mystery. She’s been hired to ghostwrite the memoir of Ray Wallis, an elderly stranger eager to share a very personal and surprising life story. The moment Liza arrives on beautiful Haven Island off the South Carolina coast, she has to ask: Out of all the semi-successful writers with stalled careers in the world, why her?

Kendall James, the dedicated ex-military man in Ray’s employ, has the same question. Why is this New Yorker in a frilly blue dress so important to Ray? But as protective and suspicious as he is, Kendall can’t help falling for the tempting outsider. And he isn’t falling alone.

As Ray’s life story unfolds, Liza and Kendall’s chemistry ignites. And all of it could be explosive. On an island this small, Liza soon discovers that there isn’t much room to hide—from the secrets of Ray’s past or from her desire for a man unwilling to give her the one thing she truly wants.
Book Links:  Amazon | B&N |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Bestselling and award winning author Terri Osburn writes contemporary romance with heart, hope, and lots of humor. She fell in love with the written word at a young age and the genre of romance beckoned during her teen years. In 2007, she put pen to paper to write her own heart-melting love stories. Six years later, her debut novel released and became an Amazon number one bestseller. Since then, her work has been translated into five languages, and sold more than a million copies worldwide. Terri resides in middle Tennessee with her teenage daughter and a menagerie of high-maintenance pets. You can learn more about this international bestselling author by visiting her website at www.terriosburn.com.
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65 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: Ask Me To Stay by Terri Osburn”

  1. Jeanna Massman

    No, I would probably not fly off without knowing the details. I’m too cautious.

  4. Sonia

    I wouldn’t because I like to plan and organize so knowing that I have no clue what the conditions are on that island is not happening:)

  7. Karina Angeles

    Yes! I love “winging” it and making decisions on the spur of the moment.

  9. Pamela Conway

    I don’t know that I would but with her being a writer you might have a different perspective if it’s for a job.

  16. John Smith

    “Would you fly off to a remote island without knowing exactly what you’d find when you got there?” Yes! I would happily fly to a distant possibly desolate island where I might be trapped forever! It’s fun to be spontaneous!

  19. Heidi

    No, I wouldn’t be able to commit to something like that without having all the details upfront.

  27. Caro

    Not really, I’m too much of an overthinker. I’d convince myself to turn around before I even get out of my house, lol.
    Sounds great, though, just not for me.

  28. Summer

    No, probably not, that’s just not me, but I do like reading about characters who are that adventurous.

  33. Glenda M

    Probably. I’d try to research the island as much as possible before hand so there was less mystery.

  35. Joye I

    Yes, I am the adventurous type. I would have loved to go on the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

  37. Kay Garrett

    I don’t think so. I’m all in for adventure with hubby, but I want at least a vague idea of what we are doing, where we are going etc. As I’ve gotten older, I’m all for detours and changing plans, but the initial plan has to be there before you can detour. 🙂
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

  43. Marisela Zuniga

    No i wouldnt. I would just worry too much, like others i’m not a risk taker and I like to plan

  44. Cheryl C.

    No, I am a cautious person. I have to do some research and then plan.

  46. Jana Leah

    Possibly. It would depend on the situation & what’s going on in my life at the time.

  47. Shannon Capelle

    Absolutely i think it sounds like a great adventure and would be fun

  51. Patricia B.

    I did it in my youth. I was a Peace Corps volunteer and did take off every so often. There were a few situations where I did scare myself. It was really true that know one knew where I was and they would never find out what happened to me. I never let my parents know what I was up to and as a parent have threatened my children never to do similar things, without really telling them all that I did. They don’t need suggestions.

  54. Jennifer Beyer

    That sounds exciting! I’m not sure I would do it because I do like to know a little about where I’m heading.

  57. dholcomb1

    Maybe. I once took a chance and flew by myself for a unique opportunity, and it worked out, so I know it can work.

  58. isisthe12th

    I would love to believe I would, but when it came down to leaving I don’t think I would go. Thank you

  59. laurieg72

    If the remote island was in the USA I would seriously consider going . I’m retired so I have the free time and the desire to explore new areas. I would need to be reassured that the area is safe.

  61. clickclickmycat

    No! Never! I would be to afraid I couldn’t get back home.