Spotlight & Giveaway: Forever Starts Now by Stefanie London

Posted June 25th, 2021 by in Blog, Spotlight / 35 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Stefanie London to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Stefanie and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Forever Starts Now!

 
Hi there! Thanks for having me.
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

This is a fake relationship story about an Australian man who’s searching for the father he never knew, and a diner manager whose life has been upended by divorce. Both characters are trying—and failing—to start their lives over, and together they must figure out who they want to be in life and what family looks like to them.

It’s funny and heart-felt, you may shed a tear or two. But I promise that it has a great happily ever after and plenty of warm and fuzzies along the way.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Monroe Roberts stood in the kitchen of the Sunshine Diner, hands on her hips, mouth open in disbelief. There were some days she was sure the universe was testing her, like she was a big ol’ goldfish and the almighty was tapping a finger against the glass to see what she’d do next.

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

  • This book has an interesting point of inspiration. I was talking with my editor about what my next project would be, and she requested a “hunky Thor-type hero.” I’d actually watched a documentary not long before that about “twin strangers” which had put the idea of a doppelganger into my head. What if instead of being a Thor-type hero…people actually mistake him for Thor?! Well, the Australian actor who plays Thor, anyway. The idea of an ordinary man with a celebrity doppelganger fascinated me, because I could see all the ways that might cause someone problems.
  • Something else that you might find interesting about this book is that it has some Easter Eggs for fans of my Patterson’s Bluff series! Forever Starts Now is set in the US, but the hero is Australian, and he was raised in Patterson’s Bluff. There’s also a surprise guest appearance from a much loved character in my Patterson’s Bluff series.

 

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?

Monroe and Ethan were a great couple to write. The idea of an ordinary man with a celebrity doppelganger had me racing to my desk each morning to write. It also helped to form the story’s overarching theme of identity and figuring out who you are. He’s searching for the father he never knew, and trying to understand who he is after learning that the family who raised him had kept a great secret about his parentage.

As for Monroe, I liked the idea of her having a similar issue to Ethan—but rather than searching for a new identity after a crisis, like he is, she’s trying to get back to who she used to be. She was a woman on the verge of great things before finding out her husband was having an affair with her cousin—something that ruined not only her marriage, but ripped her family in two. Her story is about learning that stumbling isn’t failure, and that we can return to our dreams when we’re ready to chase them again.

Both of the characters surprised me at different points. They’re incredibly thoughtful, down-to-earth people but being that I don’t fully plot my books there are always surprises along the way.

 

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

Her gazed flicked over his shoulder and she caught her sisters ducking back into the dining room, caught spying. “I don’t want things to get messy.”
Messy was the thing she avoided most in the world. It’s why she didn’t date after her ex left. It’s why she didn’t want the Sunshine Diner to change hands. It’s why she didn’t want to deal with this whole screw-up of a divorce.
And having a fake relationship with a man you’re impossibly attracted to isn’t messy? Get real.
Ethan put his hands on her hips and pushed her against the kitchen counter, his hips flat against her belly as he wedged her in place. Then he inclined his head back toward the dining room. “They’re spying on us, aren’t they?”
“Absolutely.”
“We should sell it.”
His fingers toyed with the hem of her sweater, the stark black one she’d chosen because she knew it made the best of her red hair. Because she wanted to look good…to feel good. Her heart thudded in her chest and there was a tightness gathering in her belly, an instant ache between her legs, and a shakiness in her breath that she hadn’t felt in a long damn time.
“It’s not necessary,” she protested, but her hands came up to his chest as if her body was the one at the control panel of her brain. His chest was hard and sculpted beneath her palms and she had to stop herself from rubbing against him.
Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a flash of movement. Loren.
“Okay, they’re still watching us.”
“Siblings,” he said with a chuckle. “Always so nosy.”
One hand came up to cup the angle of her jaw, and his thumb brushed the edge of her lip. He was waiting, holding himself in that delicious space of anticipation, looking for a green light. That was the arrangement; she was the one who had to demand the kiss. Not him. She hadn’t known at the time that she was setting herself up for a trap. Taking away plausible deniability. Taking away the option to blame the kiss on him. Because they didn’t need to kiss right now—her family had bought the act already, hook, line, and sinker.
But she wanted to kiss Ethan…and that was a problem.
“This is purely for maintaining our cover,” she said, knowing that every word of it was a lie. A self-serving, self-protecting lie.
“Of course.” His lips brushed the space next to the corner of her mouth, so close and yet the distance felt like pure, unadulterated torture. “Why else would we do it?”
“No reason at all.”
“Are you going to hate it?” he asked, his lips so close to hers now that she felt the whisper of air between them as he spoke.
“Every second of it,” she whispered. “You’re repulsive.”
Liar, liar pants on fire.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

That it’s never too late to start over.
 

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

I’m working on a number of projects at the moment! I have a brand-new romantic comedy series coming out in 2022 called Paws in the City, about a pet social media agency in New York. It features lots of animal side characters, delicious heroes and heroines you’d want to make friends with. It’s definitely got a side of emotion with the laughs, though, which is my favorite kind of romantic comedy to write.
I’m also working on a small town romance series, set in my home country of Australia. This series focuses on the importance of family and community, and features lots of Aussie culture tidbits. It’s sweet and sexy, and the first book is called A Merry Aussie Christmas, which will be out in December.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: 1 copy of FOREVER STARTS NOW to a winner in the US or Canada.

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What’s your favorite thing about small town romances?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Book Info:

What happens when two people who’ve given up on forever find it in each other…?

Single men are as scarce in Forever Falls as a vegetarian at a barbecue. That is, until Ethan Hammersmith moves in. After his fiancée gave him an ultimatum, he left Australia and never looked back. He isn’t in America to find a new girlfriend, though. He’s searching for the father he never knew. But now it’s like he has a flashing sign above his head that says “available.” Thankfully, the manager of the local diner is willing to give him cover―if only she weren’t so distractingly adorable.

Monroe Roberts, town misanthrope and divorcée, knocked “forever” permanently off her wish list ever since the love of her life skipped town with the cliché yoga instructor. And good riddance. She’s got this struggling diner to keep her busy, trying anything to boost sales…until a hot Australian strolls in and changes everything. Monroe’s restaurant is packed full of women who aren’t there to order food, unless Ethan is on the menu. This could sink her business faster than ever. So―light bulb―what if they pretend to be together?

It sounds like the perfect plan. Until they realize there is some very real chemistry in this fake relationship. But is it enough to heal two hearts that have been so deeply wounded?

Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Stefanie London is a USA Today bestselling author who lives with her very own hero, and frequently indulges in good coffee, French perfume, high heels, and zombie movies. She gave up her day job to write contemporary romance with humor, heat, and heart, and she couldn’t be happier. stefanie-london.com
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |
 
 
 

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35 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: Forever Starts Now by Stefanie London”

  2. Nicole (Nicky) Ortiz

    Love how everybody knows everybody and if needed everyone bands together
    Thanks for the chance!

  14. WendyW

    Wonderful author review. You asked some good questions! Love that cover. This seems like such a heartwarming book. Thanks for sharing.

  20. Kay Garrett

    Love small town romances! Guess it’s because I live in a small town and can relate to the town and the way folks are in a small town. I can often imagine events happening because experiencing something like it in our town.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

  22. Patricia B.

    There is a concentration of characters who interact frequently that you don’t get in big cities. Friends or just acquaintances, you will interact with them because they are who you see all the time. There are secrets, but they are hard to keep and if kept, very hard to unravel. The setting becomes a character in the story. Each place is special in its own way and that influences the story and characters.

  23. rkcjmomma

    How everyone is so close together and knows eachother so well. They help one another and look out for eachother!

  24. Pamela Conway

    You see how close the town & community is. They are always there for each other & love the quirky characters.

  29. Ellen C,

    Small town setting allows the characters to interact a lot due to close proximity. Also, love the quirky characters that every small town seems to have.

  30. Anita H.

    I enjoy how everybody knows everybody and how willing the whole town is to help out someone in need

  31. Tina R

    We get to know so many characters since most people in a small town know one another.

  33. Terrill R.

    It seems that small town romances generally have more secondary characters with a bit more development. I like when it’s not JUST the H/h in every scene.