Spotlight & Giveaway: How To Lose a Fiance by Stefanie London

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

Hi Stefanie and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, How To Lose a Fiance!

 
Hi, thanks for having me!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

This is my quirky reverse Cinderella story, where a good girl decides to ditch her pearls and fashionable wardrobe in the hopes of avoiding an arranged marriage with a sexy Greek billionaire. She uses all manner of things to repel him, including clown pants and a taxidermy fox.
 

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

Fifteen. More. Wedding dresses.
*Kill me now.*
If she was forced to try on everyone one, then it might simply be easier to let herself be eaten by the tulle monster. She could go peacefully into the night, surrounded by white satin and billowing fabrics. She could pretend she was in an 80’s power ballad film clip. Maybe David Bowie would be waiting for her at the pearly gates of heaven.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I LOVE Cinderella stories, and it’s not my first time using that fairytale as inspiration but it IS the first time I’ve done the trope in reverse.
• Dion appeared as the hero’s best friend in How to Win a Fiance which came out last year and I’ve had quite a few requests for his story!
• I actually went to Paris recently and stayed in the exactly same spot a few of the scenes take place.
• I got the “mystery puzzle” idea from a good friend who does them (she’s also a writer!)

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

It’s funny, given the setup of this story is that the heroine is doing everything in her power to seem UNATTRACTIVE to the hero. So there isn’t the typical “attraction at first sight” that you see in a lot of romances. Really, the first time Dion sees Sophia as herself is when she’d doing her mystery puzzle and he starts to get an insight into who she really is, behind all her crazy costumes.

Sophia is attracted to Dion right away, not only because he’s very sexy but also because he’d affable, charming and a genuinely good guy.

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

This is quite a funny book, so I definitely chuckled a lot while writing it. This was one of my favourite scenes to write:

“You know, I’m really passionate about taxidermy.” Sophia nodded as though this was the most normal thing to say. “There’s just something about animals that fascinates me.”
“Taxidermy?” He frowned. “Like, stuffing dead animals?”
“Stuffing or mounting,” she said. “It includes both.”
Was she for real? Her expression didn’t reveal even a sliver of amusement.
“I see it as a way to prolong an animal’s life,” she explained. “I know it might seem a little strange, but trust me. When I bring my collection over, you’ll see how wonderful it is.”
He gulped. “Your collection?”
“Yes, I have a huge collection. Squirrels and racoons and a couple of cats that I found. Strays, you know. Lots of people think they have time for a pet and then they just dump them. I even have a fox. She’s a real beauty. I was thinking we could put her in the living room. Or maybe the foyer, so she can greet guests.” She clapped her hands together. “Baroness Sasha Foxington III would absolutely love that.”
Baroness. Sasha. Foxington the third.
Was he in a nightmare right now?

Readers should read this book….

if you love rom coms with lots of heart, a touch of glamour and a fresh, quirky twist!

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

ALL THE THINGS! I’m kicking off two new series in summer:

Pattersons Bluff is an Australian small town romantic comedy series, which commences with The Aussie Next Door. It’s funny and sweet, with a dash of sexiness. There are also hilarious animal characters that were a BLAST to write! I’m currently writing book #2 in this series.

Then the Close Quarters series launches with Faking It in September. This was my first time writing in first person, and I had so much fun. The first book is also a spin-off from my Dangerous Bachelors Club series (anyone remember Owen? He’s finally getting a HEA!) It’s about a former cop and a current detective who went through the police academy together going undercover as man and wife.

The second book in that series is out in January and is called The Fling. It’s like a sexy version of You’ve Got Mail. So lots of books coming out soon!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A signed backlist book mystery pack!

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Excerpt from How To Lose a Fiance:

Maybe she was dreaming. It seemed the only logical explanation for this crazy-ass Twilight Zone she’d landed in. One where she was trying on wedding dresses and constantly talking about her love of stuffed animals while everybody acted as though it was a perfectly normal thing to do.
“Now, I always say that a bride knows the dress is ‘the one’ in much the same way they knew their fiancée was ‘the one.’” Annalisa ran her hand over a small rack of gowns, pushing the hangers to one side as if looking for something. Each hanger made a slight sound as it was pushed aside. Clink, clink, clink. “You’ll get a flutter in your tummy. A special tingly feeling that tells you something special is about to happen.”
Ugh, one ticket to vom town please. Pass me a bucket.
This whole frou-frou thing was so not Sophia’s jam. She’s always envisaged a simple wedding day—close friends and family, only. A simple dress, maybe in white. Maybe in something softer like cream or eggshell. Perhaps even a pale gold. Certainly no ball gowns and diamantes and tulle. She could see herself skipping a veil altogether, holding a handful of flowers picked from someone’s garden. Maybe she’d even stick one behind her ear.
But this…
Oh. Dear. Lord.
“Why don’t we start with this one?” Annalisa beamed as she held up what looked to be a wedding gown that has consumed several smaller wedding gowns like some kind of grotesque satin and sequin-encrusted monster. “What do you think?”
It looked exactly like the kind of thing “Fake Sophia” would enjoy.
“It’s very…artistic.” Her voice almost gave out on the last word.
“Let’s get you into it. There’s no way to know how it’s going to look until we put it on you.” Annalisa motioned for her assistant to come over and help Sophia into the dress.
She stripped down and climbed into the dress. It took the other two women to lift it up and get it over the shoulders, that’s how much beading there was. A giant silk and organza flower sat on one shoulder and another rested on her opposite hip. The enormous skirt was poufy and made of so many layers that Sophia had no idea how she wouldn’t melt in such a dress. Not to mention the fact that it was so tight she could barely breathe. As the assistant did the buttons up at her back, Sophia wanted to cry.
This wasn’t a wedding dress, it was a torture device!
“How do you feel?” Annalisa beamed. “We chose this one for you to try on because Dion told us how you seem to love lots of details in your outfits.”
Translation: you dress like a freak.
“It’s a designer piece.” She rolled off the name of the designer, though Sophia didn’t recognize it. Why would she? Until two weeks ago she had no idea she was supposed to be getting married. “Let’s put on the matching headpiece too, so we can get the full effect.”
The assistant produced a large flower, that they clipped to the side of her head. It was so hideous, she was almost rendered speechless. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“It’s definitely a statement piece.”
Sophia was aware of that, but she was sure the statement it made to her wasn’t quite what Annalisa or the designer intended.
“And don’t worry,” Annalisa continued. “If you don’t completely love this one, I have fifteen more dresses picked out.”
Fifteen. More. Dresses.
Kill me now.
If she was forced to try on everyone one, then it might simply be easier to let herself be eaten by the tulle monster. She could go peacefully into the night, surrounded by white satin and billowing fabrics. It would be dramatic sure, but she could pretend she was in an 80’s power ballad film clip. Maybe David Bowie would be waiting for her at the pearly gates of heaven.
“Ready to show your man?” Annalisa clapped her hands together. “This is always my favorite bit.”
It was official. Sophia was going to die of mortification in the ugliest wedding dress in history. For some reason, the thought of Dion seeing her like this made her feel so much worse than all the outrageous outfits she’d picked for herself. At least those ones had come under her control. But the thought of having to go out in public looking like this…
Tears pricked the backs of her eyes. “I don’t have words.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Sophia Andreou has always been the “good daughter” who tried to keep her domineering father happy. She followed the rules and did everything that was asked of her. But this time, her father is asking too much. The family company is crumbling, and her father has arranged a marriage to a Greek billionaire who can save their property business. What?! Umm no thank you. If Cinderella can dress up to win a prince, surely Sophia can do the opposite and ditch hers…

Dion Kourakis has come a long way from being an orphan with only a single friend to his name. Now he runs a billion-dollar investment company and has the respect of everyone in Europe. His charming personality covers a lot of emotional scars, including his desire to make his mentor proud. Dion doesn’t exactly want a bride to go along with his next business deal, and he plans on letting the lass down gently when they meet…

Only, his future bride has turned out to be nothing like what he thought she’d be. She’s quirky and has a habit of turning up to social events in strange outfits. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what she’s up to, but the harder she tries to convince him she’d be an awful wife, the more he wants to convince her they’d be perfect together.
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Meet the Author:

Stefanie London is the USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romances and romantic comedies.

Stefanie’s books have been called “genuinely entertaining and memorable” by Booklist, and “Elegant, descriptive and delectable” by RT magazine. Her stories have been nominated for multiple industry awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA award.

Growing up, Stefanie came from a family of women who loved to read. After sneaking several literature subjects into her ‘very practical’ Business degree, she worked in HR and Communications. But writing emails for executives didn’t fulfil her creative urges, so she turned to fiction.

Originally from Australia, she now lives in Toronto with her very own hero and is currently in the process of doing her best to travel the world. She frequently indulges in her passions for good coffee, lipstick, romance novels and anything zombie-related.
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