Spotlight & Giveaway: Here for the Drama by Kate Bromley

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Kate Bromley to HJ!

Hi Kate and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Here for the Drama!

 
Hi, thank you so much!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Here for the Drama is a heartwarming rom-com set in London that centers around an aspiring playwright, Winnie, as she juggles her demanding job, her artistic ambitions, and a secret romance, all while trying to find her own place and success in the chaotically wonderful theatre-world.
 

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

“I haven’t played it in ages,” he says, “but I was quite good. If I knew you then, I would have played for you over the phone to win you over.”

The inner teenage version of myself squeals in delight at the idea. I can say with complete certainty that my form drama-nerd self would have been entirely obsessed with band-geek, track running Liam. And if he ever did call me to make sweet clarinet love to me over the phone, I absolutely would have died.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• One fun fact would be that I wrote this book because when the time came to start my second rom-com, I asked myself, what are the things that make me the most happy? Since I was going to dedicate the next year of my life to writing about it, I wanted to make sure I loved the subject matter. Ultimately, may answers to that question were the theater, London, and romance.
• Another fun fact, I’m a huge musical theater fan and living in NYC, I’ve been lucky enough to see an intense amount of Broadway musicals. I openly admit that I’ve seen The Phantom of the Opera seven times lol

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

I think for them, they just had that spark right from beginning, even though they speak for the first time over the phone. It was so fun writing their dynamic because even though they have very tangible chemistry right away, they also have this really playful, friend energy going on, too. Liam falls for Winnie’s humor and liveliness and she comes into his life like a breath of fresh air. For Winnie, Liam makes her feel safe and appreciated and like for the first time, she’s truly enough just as she is.

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

I absolutely blushed when I wrote Winnie and Liam’s first kiss! I was dying for it to happen. These two characters are so clearly perfect for each other so I loved every second of writing it. Here’s a little snippet:

My blood is rushing, and my mind’s spinning. He continues to look down at me, watching me with soft but hazy eyes. It feels like I’m suspended over an abyss that I’m wildly ready to jump into.

“It’s alright,” he says quietly, his hands still gripping my waist. “I can be your secret.”

Readers should read this book….

Readers should read this book because life is stressful and Here for the Drama is fun, light-hearted romantic read that can make you smile, sigh, and swoon. It’ would make an amazing beach read and is especially perfect for anyone who loves the theater.

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

I’m working on my third rom-com, and this one is set in Italy!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One Print copy of Here for the Drama by Kate Bromley

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What was the best performance or show you’ve ever seen?
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Would you let yourself fall for someone if you knew you might never see them again after three weeks?

 
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Excerpt from Here for the Drama:

“I’m here and I have coffee!”
After seven years as a personal assistant, I have found that entering a chaotic scene with caffeine is the quickest way to ease panic. It’s a distraction, it boosts morale, and if you’re working in the ever-intense theater world, it’s often as necessary as breathing.
Roshni, our second assistant, is quick to approach as the penthouse door swings closed behind me. She’s wearing a knee-length floral romper and her flawless ebony hair is parted just off to the side. If I wore a romper, it’d look like a man’s bathing costume circa 1916, but on Roshni, it’s the ultimate embodiment of summer fun. I’m still not positive if I want to be her or marry her, but we’ve happily settled on being ride or die work friends in the meantime.
“Thank you so much,” she says, scooping her iced hazelnut coffee out of the to-go tray I’m carrying and casting a nervous glance over her shoulder. “Okay, so, two things. One, I accidentally knocked a pile of papers off Juliette’s desk, which then led to her calling me an anarchist and threatening to have me arrested. And two, she thinks you’re going to London.”
“What makes you say that?”
“She straight-up told me you were going to London.”
“I am not going to London,” I announce, making my voice loud enough to carry through the spacious four-bedroom apartment. With almost a decade of drama study under my belt, my vocal projection is legit.
“Why are you always so resistant to anything remotely exciting? To stand still is to go backwards, Winnie.”
I hear her before I see her. Juliette Brassard. My boss of seven years, my pseudo-mother, my often-combative sibling, and the perpetual bane of my existence. Working for her is tiring, demanding, slightly monotonous and bizarre, but I love every second of it.
She looks the same as she does most days. Wide-legged pants and a layered top. Always layered. Today it’s a beige cotton shirt and a charcoal vintage vest. Her straight grey-brown hair just reaches her shoulders and thick-rimmed glasses cover her ceaselessly curious chestnut eyes. Her style is a fair reflection of her life—eclectic and casual but secretly expensive.
“It was never the plan for me to go to London,” I tell her. “Roshni is going with you and you were perfectly happy with the arrangements yesterday.”
“Yes, well, happiness is fleeting, and I realized today that I need my whole team with me if this trip is going to be a success.”
“I checked with the airline this morning,” Roshni says, taking a tentative step forward. “And apparently there’s one seat left in first class.” I shoot her a loving glare as Juliette raises a victorious arm in her direction.
“You see? It’s a sign from the universe.”
“It’s not a sign from the universe,” I counter. “It’s a ridiculous amount of money to pay and you’re probably the only non-tech billionaire who’s willing to spend that much for a fully reclining seat.”
“A noble sentiment. You should preach that sermon to the bare foot that caressed our cheeks the last time we sat in coach.”
“Okay, we had one uncomfortable flight from LA, and you know full well that the guy was wearing socks.”
“I don’t know that, Winnie. I’ve repressed the memory so deep into my subconscious that I’ll be shuffling around this apartment and whispering about phantom feet until I’m ninety.” She spins away with her typical dramatic flair, opting to walk over to the windows and gazing out at the traffic below. She also covertly checks to see if I’m still watching her.
I choose to ignore her attention-seeking behavior and instead place our drinks down onto an antique side table. With my hands now free, I pick up a stack of opened event invitations that I left there the day before, giving them one final look over before handing them to Roshni, who’s still standing nearby.
“I’ll reorganize the papers on her desk,” I tell her. “Just RSVP to these and then we can go over tomorrow’s itinerary. Blue post-its are a yes, yellows are a no.”
“Blue, yes. Yellow, no. Got it.” She exits the room with her coffee and the invites, seemingly happy to get out of the fray. If only I was so lucky.
Juliette’s been dropping hints about me going on this trip with them for the past week, but I’ve always managed to sidestep the issue. And now, she’s brought the battle to my doorstep. Or I guess it’s really her doorstep, since she lives here. And what a doorstep it is.
Twenty floors up on a cobbled Tribeca street, you’d either have to be born into money or wildly successful to own one of these grandly scaled units. Juliette is both. Already a borderline heiress thanks to her real-estate mogul father, she then went on to become one of New York’s most celebrated playwrights. She was given everything but also hustled like crazy and threw all of her time and energy into mastering her craft. It proved to be a lethal combination.
She’s lived in this apartment for as long as I’ve worked for her. The furniture is mismatched and romantic, and white walls are splashed with green from her dozens of potted plants. Every available surface is covered with old scripts, books, or mugs with half-drunk cups of tea. It’s scholarly chic. If Jane Austen ever traveled forward through time, I like to imagine that this is what her apartment would look like. Alas, dear Jane is nowhere to be found as Juliette steps away from the windows, moving through the space to sit on the arm of her tufted couch.
“Give me one good reason why you can’t go on this trip.”
I roll my shoulders, trying to relieve a sudden stress knot as I take a much-needed sip of my latte. “Because you’re leaving tonight. I’m not mentally or physically prepared and this is supposed to be my yearly vacation time. I have projects that I need to work on, too.”
“Yes, your grand opus of a play that you’re forever editing. Maybe the change of scenery will inspire you. In London, love and scandal are considered the best sweeteners of tea.”
“Don’t try to mind-trick me with John Osborne quotes.”
Juliette groans and pushes up off the sofa. “I’m only trying to help you.”
“It would help me if you read my play and told me what you think.”
She just looks at me then and says nothing, no doubt trying to come up with another lackluster excuse. I’ve asked her to read my play dozens of times over the years, but she always finds a reason not to. She’s too busy, her mind is clouded, she’s not in the right mood.
“I’ll read it when it’s finished. Whatever I say now would alter your creative course.”
Ah, so she doesn’t want to sway my process. Not likely. Juliette’s perpetually happy to give her two cents on everything, especially on another playwright’s work.
“As far as London,” she goes on, “you just need to think about it more. Mull it over, let the idea sink in, and if you could agree to come with us in the next ten to fifteen minutes, that would be great.” She goes to leave the room after that but stops short when her cellphone starts ringing. She looks around but doesn’t find it. I do the same until she digs into the couch cushions and eventually plucks it out. She checks the caller ID and smiles as she answers.
“Liam! To what do I owe the pleasure?”
A little out of breath from her impromptu sofa wrestling match, she twists around and away from me, walking over to the windowsill and picking up a small watering can. She sprinkles her first row of plant babies as she listens to his response. Liam is her nephew and lives in London, which is also where her sister, Isabelle, lives. I’ve never met her or him, but I have sent Liam gifts on Juliette’s behalf every Christmas and on his birthday.
“That’s right,” she says, moving on to the next row of plants. “I’m getting in tomorrow at ten AM. Will I be seeing you?” She tries to water the oversized Ficus in the corner, but the can is empty. “Sounds great! Here, I’m passing you over to Winnie for a second. Do me a favor and convince her to come on the trip with me. She’s being obstinate.”
“What? No.” My protest is in vain as Juliette’s phone is already in flight. I barely catch it as she disappears into the kitchen, shaking the empty watering can over her shoulder in response.
I clear my throat and put the phone to my ear. “Hello, Liam.”
“Hello, is Winnie there, please?”
I fail to suppress my involuntary smile at his polite request and inviting British accent. “This is she,” I answer back.
“Excellent, just the person I was hoping to speak to.”
“My sentiments exactly. To be honest, I’ve secretly been dying to talk to you for years.”
“Have you really?” he asks, surprised.
“No, not really. I don’t even know you.” He says nothing and I think I might have scared him a bit. “Sorry,” I lightly amend, “I thought we were pretending that we actually meant to have this conversation.”
“Yes, well, that was my initial intention, but it turns out you’re much more convincing than I am. I can only assume that you’ve had formal training?”
“That assumption would be correct.”
“I should have figured.” His voice is surprisingly calm, sounding more like one of my old improv buddies and less like a stranger who’s thousands of miles away. “So,” he goes on, “I’ve been instructed by my aunt to convince you to come to London.”
“She does seem to have that idea stuck in her head.”
“There’s much to recommend it, of course. Red buses. A phenomenal bridge. How do you feel about museums?”
“I hate them,” I tease.
“Absolutely. Nothing to be learned from there. And what about parks?”
“Not into them at all.”
“Couldn’t agree more. I’m violently allergic to pollen and why should I be forced to carry an EpiPen just so everyone else can enjoy natural beauty? Pure selfishness on their end.”
I smile to myself and pivot around so I’m no longer standing still. “I knew you couldn’t be as normal as you originally sounded. It’s to be expected, though, since you do share a bloodline with Juliette.”
“Yes, we had hoped lunacy would skip a generation, but apparently not.” He pauses then and I somehow know that he’s smiling, too. “So, how am I faring on my quest so far? Are you packing your bags at this very moment?”
“Unfortunately not. I somehow forgot to bring all my luggage and clothes with me to work today, but still, this has been a very pleasant verbal exchange thus far.”
“For me as well. Can I ask what’s holding you back from taking the trip?”
“You may, but I may also choose not to answer.”
“Ah, a lady of secrets, are we?”
“Oh yes,” I answer dramatically. “A lady of secrets and parts and a play that I need to finish in seventeen days if I’m going to make a contest deadline.”
“Really? I take it that you’re a playwright as well, then?”
“Afraid so.”
“In that case, as you have a very good reason to stay at home rather than crossing the Atlantic, I won’t try to sway you any further…but know that I do so very reluctantly.”
“I appreciate that.”
Juliette sashays back into the room then, the watering can forgotten as she plops down onto the couch with one of her many notebooks. I’ll have to see to the rest of the plants later. She props her feet up onto the coffee table and begins to write as I make my way towards her.
“All right, well, your aunt is now back, so I’ll get going.”
“It was very nice meeting you, Winnie.”
“We didn’t actually meet,” I say, correcting him.
“But it sort of feels like we did.”
I find myself grinning once more and shift away so Juliette won’t notice. “I guess it does,” I admit. “Bye, Liam.”
“Goodbye, Winnie.” I pivot back around and hand the phone over. Juliette looks at me with a mischievous sort of smirk as I shake my head and step away to hang my bag in the entryway closet.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

It wouldn’t be the theater without a few theatrics…

Becoming a famous playwright is all Winnie ever dreamed about. For now, though, she’ll have to settle for assisting the celebrated, sharp-witted feminist playwright Juliette Brassard. When an experimental theater company in London, England, decides to stage Juliette’s most renowned play, The Lights of Trafalgar, Winnie and Juliette pack their bags and hop across the pond.

But the trip goes sideways faster than you can say “tea and crumpets.” Juliette stubbornly butts heads with the play’s director and Winnie is left stage-managing their relationship. Meanwhile, Winnie’s own work seems to have stalled, and though Juliette keeps promising to read it, she always has some vague reason why she can’t. Then, Juliette’s nephew, Liam, enters stage left. He’s handsome, he’s smart, he is devastatingly British…and his family ties to Juliette pose a serious problem, forcing Winnie to keep their burgeoning relationship on the down-low. What could go wrong?

Balancing a production seemingly headed for disaster, a secret romance and the sweetest, most rambunctious rescue dog, will Winnie save the play, make her own dreams come true and find love along the way—or will the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune get the best of her?
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Meet the Author:

Kate Bromley lives in New York City with her husband, her two sons, and her somewhat excessive collection of romance novels. (It’s not hoarding if it’s books, right?) She was a preschool teacher for seven years and is now focusing full-time on combining her two great passions -– writing swoon-worthy love stories and making people laugh. Follow her on Instagram @katebromleywrites.
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