Spotlight & Giveaway: At First Spite by Olivia Dade

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, At First Spite!

 
Hello! ::waves:: I’m so delighted to be here!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

At First Spite is about Athena, whose broken engagement forces to move into a ten-foot-wide house sandwiched between the homes of her ex-fiance, Johnny, and her ex’s older brother, Matthew–AKA the man who convinced Johnny to leave her. While Johnny is away on their honeymoon trip to Hawaii, Athena embarks on a quest of petty revenge against her nemesis next door, Dr. Matthew Vine the Third…only to find herself feeling things she definitely shouldn’t for the last man she should ever want.
 

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

If living well was the best revenge, as George Herbert advised back in the sixteenth century, she intended to be the most joyful woman alive. Contented. Successful. In passionate, enduring love with Johnny Vine.

And all her happiness?

She hoped Dr. Matthew Vine the Freaking Third choked on it .

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

At Athena’s engagement party, her favorite hors d’oeuvres is a potato crisp topped with chive-flecked smoked salmon and crème fraiche (as she notes, “From a potato crisp’s perspective, the rest of this evening was about to become Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None”), which was loosely based on a dish I had–and loved–almost a decade ago in Switzerland. My mom and I went there for her sixtieth birthday, and we stayed for a week in Lauterbrunnen, a small village in the Swiss Alps. One of the local restaurants had a dish they called “Rosti Royale,” which was a buttery pile of shredded, fried potatoes topped with silky smoked salmon and a creamy dill-chive sauce. It was INCREDIBLE. So when I thought about my ultimate party food, I basically turned the Rosti Royale into a bite-sized appetizer that could be held in one hand.

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

When they first meet at her engagement party, neither of them knowing the other’s identity, I think what strikes both of them right away is their mutual curiosity about the world and love of knowledge. There’s a certain amount of physical attraction, yes, but given the situation, that’s not something Athena can explore or even consciously acknowledge. But she loves talking to him and finds his intelligence, his mixture of wry humor and seriousness, very appealing…until she finds out who he is.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

While At First Spite is a romcom and hopefully quite funny in sections, it also contains a depiction of profound depression. The scenes where Athena finally acknowledges her depression and begins to work through it–with Matthew’s loving help–make me cry every time. And of course, there are many exchanges that make me snicker too. Here’s one of my favorites:

“Camping?” His aristocratic nose wrinkled. “I don’t go camping. If I wanted to sleep on the dirt and lack access to necessary sanitation, I’d…go camping. Which I don’t. Because I don’t want that.”

Readers should read this book….

…if they enjoy a mixture of laughter, raw emotion, sweetness, and heat, or if they love romances with small towns and found families. Also, there’s a surprisingly large number of references to monster-banging erotic romance, so if you’re into those: welcome!

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

Right now, I’m writing the follow-up to At First Spite, called Dearly Departed. It features Matthew’s best friend, a surly baker named Karl, and the woman he’s loved since high school…who’s now the narrator of (you guessed it) monster-banging erotic romance audiobooks. Their second chance at romance is prompted by a very mistaken obituary, but Karl doesn’t care why Molly came back to Harlot’s Bay–he just cares about making sure she never leaves again.

That book should come out next year, followed by my debut paranormal romance: ZomRomCom, which was a total hoot to write!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: 3 Print copies of Olivia Dade’s AT FIRST SPITE

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What do you think of the monster-banging erotic romance subgenre? (Aliens, orcs, and gargoyles, oh my!) Are there limits to the type of characters you can accept as love interests in a romance? If so, what are they?

 
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Book Info:

When Athena Greydon’s fiancé ends their engagement, she has no choice but to move into the Spite House she recklessly bought him as a wedding gift. Which is a problem, for several reasons: The house, originally built as a brick middle finger to the neighbors, is only ten feet wide. Her ex’s home is literally attached to hers. And Dr. Matthew Vine the Freaking Third—AKA the uptight, judgy jerk who convinced his younger brother to leave her—is living on her other side, only a four-foot alley away.

If she has to see Matthew every time she looks out her windows, she might as well have some fun with the situation. By, say, playing erotic audiobooks at top volume with those windows open. A woman living in a Spite House is basically obligated to get petty payback however she can, right?

Unfortunately, loathing Matthew proves more difficult than anticipated. He helps her move. He listens. And he’s kind of…hot? Dammit.

Matthew may not regret ending his brother’s engagement, but he does regret what the breakup has done to Athena. He’ll help her however he can. If that means finding her work, fine. If that means enduring nightly steamy story hours, so be it. And if that means watching Athena through their windows a bit too often and caring about her a bit too much…well, nothing can come of it. She’ll never forgive him. Even if she did, how could he ever tell his beloved younger brother the truth—that Matthew wants the very same woman he encouraged Johnny to leave?
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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 delightful family and their ever-burgeoning collection of books.
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