Spotlight & Giveaway: Extra Witchy by Ann Aguirre

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Ann Aguirre to HJ!

Hi Ann and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Extra Witchy!

 
Hi
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

After two failed marriages, Leanne Vanderpol is here for a good time, not for a long time. She only loves the witches in her coven, and she cares more about her career than happily ever after.
Trevor Montgomery might have peaked in high school. Now he’s jobless, dateless, and hopeless, at least according to his toxic family.
Can a woman who doesn’t believe in forever find true love with a man who’s stopped believing in anything at all?
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Leanne Vanderpol got the call she most didn’t want in the middle of a meeting she would’ve preferred not to attend.
Once again, the deputy mayor had offloaded his responsibilities to her with an unctuous smile. Strictly speaking, she wasn’t obligated to attend, but someone from the mayor’s office had to, and those assholes had slacking down to a fine art, usually executed under the guise of “important business.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• It’s my favorite of the series because I love Leanne and Trevor so much.
•  The book was a joy to write; the words just flowed.
• I listened to “Capsize” by Friendship & Emily Warren on loop while writing it.
• The reward of choice during the drafting process was Jolly Ranchers.
• I love Trev’s pet name for Leanne.

Using just 5 words, how would you describe your main characters”love affair?

• Supportive
• Surprising
• Symbiotic
• Steamy
• Sweet

The First Kiss…

Their first kiss takes place in a bathroom. It’s more romantic than it sounds, I promise. Everything about Leanne and Trevor sounds kind of quirky when you examine the pieces separately, but together, they just work, and the picture their separate pieces form is lovely.
 

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

I don’t know if this is my ultimate favorite scene because I have many and I do love this one. So I’ll say when Trev gives Leanne the pet name.

He ambled into the bathroom and pulled her close, brushing a kiss against the wet hair at her temple. “Thanks, butterfly.”
“What?”
“Just an endearment I’m trying out. I noticed the face you made when I called you babe. How’s it working for you?”
After a moment of proper consideration, she said, “I think I like it.”
“When will you know for sure?” he asked.
“When you share the reasoning behind it.”
“Butterflies are beautiful, obviously. And so are you. But they’re also super helpful, they pollinate flowers and nosh on weeds. Yet go ask anybody, ‘What’s a butterfly’s deal?’ They’ll be like, ‘Well, it’s pretty. It flutters around being colorful, right?’” Trev shook his head. “Nah, if you pay attention, they’re about way more than looking good. Just like you.”
She closed her eyes, more touched than she wanted to be by his artless explanation. With effort, she kept from tearing up. If any droplets slipped out, hopefully she could blame the recent shower. “Yeah, I love that. Carry on.”

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

I’d definitely want the movie to show Leanne hexing her boss.

She whirled and stepped smartly out, returning to her own office with a spike of rage so profound that she could feel the magic gathering, just itching for her to turn it on him.
I shouldn’t. Dammit, I don’t care.
After locking her office door, Leanne checked her schedule, and yeah, she had time for this. This hex didn’t require too much preparation, and she could cast it in her sleep. She pulled a few herb pouches from her briefcase and arranged them on the desk. Candles would help strengthen the spell, but she didn’t have any, so her resentment had to do the job.
She swirled the herbs around and fed the working with the certainty of her intent. “When a man can’t tell truth from lies, there should be an awful prize. Whenever he attempts to deceive, a terrible itch he shall receive.” The spell itself sounded like a nursery rhyme, but it popped off with the force of a cork launched from a champagne bottle, and she sensed it arrowing directly to Mayor Anderson.
Perfect. Now when he tries to bullshit the interviewer over those new questions, he’s going to look like a lice-infested chimpanzee. She waited a few beats for the guilt to kick in and when it didn’t, she shrugged and got to work. It’s good to be a witch.
Some assholes had it coming.

Readers should read this book …

If they enjoy warm and fuzzy romances with a dash of magic and a bit of steam. There’s found family, sisterhood, odd ducks, and sassy seniors. St. Claire is a small town where anyone is welcome, and happily ever after is for everyone. Leanne and Trevor are two of the most adorkable protagonists I’ve ever written and I love them to pieces. I hope readers will too.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

Currently, I have a cozy mystery with my agent that I co-wrote with Sarah Zettel. You’ll hear more of that project once it gets closer to the endgame stage. Suffice to say, we’re excited about it.
Next year, The Only Purple House in Town will be out from Sourcebooks Casablanca. It’s a cozy romance set at the corner of quirky and heartwarming, also set in St. Claire. While it’s not a direct continuation of the Fix-it Witches series, I’d call it a spinoff and there will certainly be more stories in that world.
I’m also working on a romance mobile game called Pair Off that should be out in November of this year. It’ll be available on Android and iOS. More info is available at www.studio1999.co.
Next fall, I hope to wrap up the Gothic Fairytales series with Widow of Wildwood and release it in time for Halloween.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: All three book in the Fix-It Witches Series – Witch, Please, Boss Witch, and Extra Witchy

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What’s your favorite romantic gesture from a love interest?

 
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Excerpt from Extra Witchy:

In which our love birds elope to Vegas:

Business class was way better than coach.
Trev hadn’t traveled much in the past ten years, but before that, family vacations had him wedged in with Tanner and Mom while Dad enjoyed an upgrade alone. This time, though, he sat beside Leanne on the aisle, and she smiled at him before taking his hand. The flight attendant asked if they wanted juice or water before takeoff, and afterward, they pulled the curtain separating the front of the plane from the back.
They had lunch in the air and he watched a movie while Leanne took a nap. The flight took four hours, and soon, they were on the ground in Vegas. He grabbed their bags from the overhead and stepped back so Leanne could precede him, blocking those trying to press forward behind him. She shot him a soft smile and glided forward. Her walk was a force of nature, drawing multiple eyes as her hips swiveled.
And she’s with me.
That was the wildest part of all this. She took his hand again as they walked up the jet bridge to the airport proper. Harry Reid airport was clean and modern, and Leanne led the way as if she could navigate this place in her sleep. Soon, they joined the taxi line and got a ride to their hotel, a posh place that looked like a cathedral in Europe. Trev tried not to stare in awe at the frescoes on the ceiling and the gilt everywhere.
Leanne took care of check-in while he stood back, silently marveling that any of this was happening at all. Mom and Dad would be so surprised. Probably he should feel bad about doing this in secret, but they’d written him off years ago. He did feel a bit guilty about leaving Titus in the dark, but since Leanne wasn’t telling her book club besties either, he’d roll with her desire to keep everything on the down low until it was too late for anyone to argue.
“All set?” she asked, tapping the counter with her nails to get his attention.
“Totally.”
Even the elevators were fancy, requiring the key cards to access them. Their room was on the 38th floor with an incredible view of the skyline. At night, the city probably glittered like a heap of jewels. He tucked his backpack out of sight in the closet and laid her suitcase on the folding rack meant for that purpose. She nudged into the space with him and started hanging up her clothes, perfuming the air with sweetness that went right to his head.
What did she say about her body wash? Orange blossom and juniper.
Her lotion carried a matching scent, and she didn’t seem to use perfume, relying instead on the layering from her other toiletries. She looked like a woman who would favor a stronger signature blend, but instead, she smelled unexpectedly innocent, like the last blooms of summer, that moment just before they ripened from flowers to fruit.
“Did you bring a suit?” she asked.
He flinched, glancing at his ratty backpack. “I don’t even own one.”
“It’s fine. We need to shop for rings anyway. Adding your suit to our to-do list isn’t a big deal.” She ran a hand through his hair, gently stroking a strand between her fingers. “I’m glad I’ll get to pick it out with you.”
“You’re not suggesting I get a haircut too?”
She lifted a shoulder in a graceful half-shrug. “That’s up to you. The suit is to make our pictures pop.”
Surprised but pleased, he stepped away before he yielded to the urge to hug her. “We’re even taking wedding photos?”
“Seven, to be precise. I got a $99 package. It includes use of the chapel, ceremony, traditional music, filing of paperwork afterward, and they even provide witnesses if you need them. And it’s close to the office where we’ll get the license tomorrow.”
“You’ve thought of everything. Can I make a couple of requests?” He tried not to sound too tentative, but with her footing the bill, he felt like he had no right to be picky.
“Of course.”
“I’ve heard that there are places here that you can get a deal on jewelry, and vintage suits are more interesting anyway.”
Leanne raised a brow, seeming amused. “You want to get our rings at a pawn shop and your suit from a thrift store?”
“Does that bother you? It’s because…I want to pay for both since you’re covering everything else, but I don’t have a lot to work with.” The admission shamed him, and he dropped his gaze, unable to face her derision.
Manicured fingers traced down his cheek, tilting his face upward. “There’s nothing wrong with living within your means. I didn’t choose you expecting a big glittery rock, hon. In fact, I’m touched that you want to do what you can. Just let me find a few prospects and we’ll head out. We can get dinner afterward.”
“That sounds awesome.” This time, he couldn’t contain himself, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her with the tenderness and longing he’d been repressing for weeks.
Her lips were so soft, pillowy against his, and she knotted her fingers in his hair, pressing closer even as their tongues tangled. His emotions swelled, baffling and complicated; this wasn’t supposed to be real-real, but the farther they went with this, the more he felt.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

The third in an adorable witchy rom-com series by New York Times bestselling author Ann Aguirre, perfect for fans of:

The bonds of sisterhood
A career-driven heroine who thinks she isn’t marriage material
A pan hero who struggles with depression
And a shocking family secret
After two failed marriages, Leanne Vanderpol is here for a good time, not for a long time. She only loves the witches in her coven, and she cares more about her career than happily ever after. A difficult past makes her skittish, and she doesn’t trust relationships to stick. But when she decides to run for city council instead of wasting her talents cleaning up messes for the mayor’s office, she fears her past could be used against her.

Unless she can find the right husband to shore up her political career…

Trevor Montgomery might have peaked in high school. He was popular then, and in college as well, but he partied away his future, met the wrong person, and everything fell apart. Now he’s jobless, dateless, and hopeless, at least according to his toxic family. Then a chance meeting with the redhead of his dreams offers an unexpected ray of light just when he needs it most.

Can a woman who doesn’t believe in forever find true love with a man who’s stopped believing in anything at all?
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has been a clown, a clerk, a savior of stray kittens, and a voice actress, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield but now lives with her family in Mexico. She writes all kinds of genre fiction but has an eternal soft spot for a happily ever after.
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