Spotlight & Giveaway: How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale by Elle Cruz

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Elle Cruz to HJ!

Hi Elle and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, HOW TO SURVIVE A MODERN-DAY FAIRY TALE!

 
Hello! I’m so excited to be here!
 

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

A quirky bookseller’s life is turned upside-down when a sexy tech mogul billionaire sweeps her off her feet and takes her on a first date to Paris. It’s a spicy, swoony love story about a woman trying to realize her dreams and deal with her family expectations in the midst of a whirlwind romance.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Some people chased a high by doing drugs. Claire Ventura had never understood that. The best high she’d ever experienced was seeing peoples’ reactions to her home made sugar cookies.
It was Friday morning. Everyone at her grandmother’s assisted living facility knew what Fridays meant.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The main character, Claire, is a huge historical romance fan. She belongs to a book club called the Triple Ds: The Dashing Duke Diehards.
• One of the very first questions Claire ever asks her love interest Nate is if he is comfortable taking off his pants.
• Claire has never had virtual sex before…until she meets Nate.
• Claire and Nate travel to a few “exotic” locales, including one in Eastern Europe that is not featured very often in romance novels.
• Don’t read this book hungry. It’s overflowing with food references, especially those of to-die-for Filipino dishes and desserts.

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

This is never implicitly stated in the book, but there are two significant reasons for Nate’s strong initial attraction to Claire. One: she doesn’t recognize him in the beginning. Ever since Nate became wealthy, a majority of people he meets become dazzled with his money and power. They patronize him and treat him like a commodity. Nate never gets that vibe from Claire. And two: he gets a strong sense of her independent energy as someone who lives life passionately and loves with all her heart. On top of that, he thinks she is beautiful.
Claire, on the other hand, plain-old thinks he’s hot (initially). Nothing complicated. Their meet-cute (you will see in the book) is quite unconventional, and it leaves her shaken. Her shame and embarrassment make her shrink back from her initial attraction, but she eventually gets over it and is swept away by how utterly sweet, romantic, and considerate Nate is. She just can’t believe someone has the capacity to love her so much.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe Hero and Heroine’s love affair?

Fast.
Hot.
Swoony.
Tempestuous.
Satisfying.
 

The First Kiss…

…is somewhat unexpected, but exactly what Claire needs at that moment.
 

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

Preface: I’m a big ol’ nerd, so I’m a sucker for video games. There is a scene where Claire tries out VR for the first time at a big tech conference. Here is an excerpt from that scene. She’s put on the visor and haptics, and is exploring the VR world when she runs into someone familiar:

She walked around the cavern, absorbing every vivid detail: the flickering flames of the torches, the echoing drip-drop of water somewhere in the distance, and the clanking of coins as she trod upon them. Her surroundings were so stunning, she lost track of time just walking around. A sudden menacing growl startled her out of her calm exploration.
She spun around. An enormous, rhino-like beast charged toward a man in the distance. The man was so preoccupied with trying to pry something out of a wall, he didn’t notice the charging beast. Claire raised her rifle, aimed, and fired. The monster roared and collapsed as its body burst into flame.
Claire’s heart raced in her chest as she hurried over to the scene. She still wasn’t over how real the VR was. She was fully immersed in the world—with her feet treading on the ground, and the haptics sending sensations through her body, she could almost believe the game was more real than the world she came from.
“Are you all right?” Claire asked the man.
He straightened up, and Claire cocked her eyebrow at him. Tall, tanned, with brooding blue eyes and a lock of black hair falling over his forehead, he was the quintessential sex-idol hero. His black shirt was unbuttoned to show off the tops of his spectacular, sweat-sheened pecs. There was almost something familiar in his stance and the way he gazed at her.
“I sure am,” he replied with a sexy smile.
The shock of familiarity in his voice spiked through Claire’s body.
“Nate? What are you doing in here? I thought you were supposed to be getting ready for your next panel.”
“I was, but when I saw the sexy girl in a short dress getting plugged into the VR, I wanted to join her.”

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

Preface: This is a start of a pivotal scene that takes place in San Francisco.

Craig dropped them off at the peak of a large hill, inside a park nestled into a picturesque neighborhood. The sun had set even farther, and the blue of the once bright sky faded into a dusky, dark gray. Lights started coming on all over the neighborhood, and from their vantage point on the hill, the city seemed to glow like a convergence of fireflies.
Nate held Claire’s hand as he led her through the park. Claire gazed around in appreciation of the beauty around her, but she gasped when she saw what lay up ahead.
“Oh my God,” she said. “What is this place?”
“It’s called the Palace of Fine Arts,” Nate replied. “Do you like it?”
“Like it? I love it,” Claire whispered. The sandy brown structure rose from the grass like the ruins of some castle straight out of a fairy tale. There was a lake at the base, fringed with lush greenery and verdant flowers. Twinkle lights hung across the columns and arches, making the place look alive with unearthly magic. Claire could almost believe she was stepping into the pages of a fantasy romance as the mortal heroine falling for a sinfully gorgeous fae king.

Readers should read this book …

if they’re a hopeless romantic and if they like a little “over-the-top” in their swoony love stories. Plus spice. There. Is. SPICE.

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

I’m currently working on another over-the-top rom com about a famous YouTuber plagued with a meddlesome, matchmaking family. Also in the works is a small town romance set in rural Greece with a lot of angst and passion. Fingers crossed these work out!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: I am giving away a signed paperback copy of my debut romance HOW TO SURVIVE A MODERN-DAY FAIRY TALE, plus exclusive stickers and a bookmark! A random winner will be selected and notified. Giveaway is open to ALL countries, but please note: there might be delivery delays to areas outside the United States.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: For those who have NOT read the book: What do you think of the instalove trope? If you do not like it, do you think there is a way to redeem it? If so, how? For those who HAVE read the book/ARC: This story is a loose retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale. Is there a fairy godmother figure in this book? If so, who, and why?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale by Elle:

“Are you okay?”
Nate stood in the doorway of her bedroom, gazing at her with eyes full of worry. Claire stared back at him in silence. She’d never seen a more beautiful man. But it was more than physical. He was caring. Considerate. He seemed to know what she needed even before she did. It should have been impossible to find someone so perfect for her as he was. It scared her, but the fear was worth whatever was happening between them.
His proximity sent sparks of pleasure skimming across her skin. Nate’s eyes changed, too. In real time his gaze morphed from concerned into something darker—hungrier. She dreamed of him looking at her this way countless times, but now it was real, and he was standing before her, filling her doorframe with his searing presence.
“Come in,” Claire said.
He kept his intense gaze on Claire as he approached, stepping into her bedroom and stopping an inch away from her. She looked up at him, her eyes gliding across his jawline to his lips. Her fingers moved of their own accord, lightly tracing along the rough texture of his beard. His breathing quickened, and the heat of his warm breath splayed across her hand.
Rivulets of pleasure ran up her arm as she finally cupped Nate’s jaw in her hand, just like she dreamed dozens of times. The contact alone set her heart racing. She thought her heart would stop altogether when his hand came up and rested upon hers.
“Claire.” His voice was a gruff whisper as his fingers caressed hers.
“Can I kiss you?” she asked.
His lips came down on hers with no hesitation. The sweet melding of their mouths sparked something inside Claire. She had never felt this level of desire for anyone before. It was as if the stars finally aligned to bring her deep-seated dreams to vibrant life.
Who was she to put all that time and effort to waste?
Claire deepened the kiss. She parted her lips, opening herself up to Nate as her arms
wrapped around his neck. Excitement leaped in her belly as Nate grasped her waist, pressing her body into his with heated urgency.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Claire Ventura is nothing like the poised and perfect heroines she reads about in her favorite romance novels. She’s a quirky, people-pleasing bookworm with a loving yet obliviously intrusive family and a passion for cookie decorating―all rolled into a five-foot-two Filipina American fueled by chamomile tea.

Then she meets Nate, billionaire CEO of a global tech company, the modern-day Prince Charming who sweeps her off her feet. Though he does his best to convince Claire that he’s genuinely head over heels for her, she knows he’ll soon realize she’s more underwhelming Plain Jane than jet-setting socialite. And once he meets her family, if their initial questioning doesn’t scare him off, then their tendency to decide “what’s best for her” certainly will.

Between her whirlwind romance with Nate and her meddlesome family, Claire wishes she had a fairy godmother to guide her. But this is the real world in the twenty-first century, and the only way to get her happily ever after is by grabbing firm hold of what she really wants―and letting her heart be her guide.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Elle Cruz is a writer of steamy contemporary romance. When Elle was a kid, she’d get in trouble on purpose to be sent to her room so she could read all day long. She thanks her lucky stars that her parents never thought to take books away from her when she was grounded. In a way, it was mom and dad’s fault for unintentionally cultivating a voracious reader and writer.

​After earning her English degree from UC Irvine, Elle eventually went back to school to become a nurse. Apparently she couldn’t get enough of learning because she went to grad school to earn her doctorate degree.

​Elle is the daughter of immigrants. She is fiercely proud of her background as a second-generation Filipino-American. She is dedicated to carving out a permanent place for POC in mainstream publishing by contributing her voice to the growing list of diverse authors.

​Elle lives in Southern California with her supportive husband and two wonderful kids. When she’s not writing, she likes to keep her body guessing with her two obsessions: cookies and working out.
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