Spotlight & Giveaway: Lucky Strike by Janine Amesta

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Janine Amesta to HJ!

Hi Janine and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Lucky Strike!

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

Lucky Stike is contemporary enemy-to-lovers romance about a woman, Luna, who has big dreams for her life but constantly finds herself faced with disappointments. One of those dreams is living in a cute bungalow with a green door but she ends up living in a standard apartment. Tired of settling, she decides to start making over her apartment behind her apartment manager’s back, much to his dismay.
 

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

This story was a lot of fun to write because there’s a lot of back-and-forth snappy dialogue—my favorite. For most of the story, the two main characters don’t really like each other, but even through this there’s always this underlying attraction between them.

In one situation, Luna has decided her apartment needs a cozy fireplace. It’s not possible to have a real one, so she DIYs a faux fireplace and tells Sam, the apartment manager, she’s going to fill the inside of the fireplace with lit candles. Of course, as a manager, his biggest concern is the fire hazard. And, in one of my favorite lines he tells her, “All I care about is that you don’t burn down the whole apartment building. If you’re going to be the reason I combust, I don’t want to be asleep when it happens.”

There is some combustion later…Luckily, it doesn’t involve candles or any buildings burning down.

What inspired this book?

Luna first appears in Striking Gold, my first book in the Love in El Dorado series. She’s Ross’s cousin and I found her hilarious. Like Mia, also from Striking Gold, she seems to have a specific idea on what things should look like and how her life should be. I always like taking that idea and throwing my characters into a situation that not only challenges them but gives them exactly what they didn’t ask for.

For Luna, she imagines the cutest little place to live in and she wants her happy ending with a specific kind of a guy. What she ends up with is living in a boring apartment complex and the only guy she’s having a spark with is the apartment manager, who’s very much the opposite of the previous guy she dated. I myself have found myself in a similar situation in my twenties and I tried to make the best of the situation by sprucing up my apartment in creative ways. As Luna says about her apartment makeover at one point, “A few months ago, I decided to do the math and see how long it would take for me to save for a house deposit. The answer? Twenty years. I don’t want to wait. After spending all day working in a tiny office, I just want to come home to some kind of sanctuary. So maybe it is a waste of time and money, but it gives me one tiny happy thing to enjoy. I can look forward to coming home now instead of in twenty years.” I think this is something a lot of younger people can relate to, especially because the housing market has priced a lot of us out. We all want a place where we can feel at home whether it’s an actual place or with a person.
 

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

I’ve always been a character writer first. If I can envision intriguing characters, I can put them in any situation and make it something fun and interesting for me to write. From Luna’s first appearance in Striking Gold, she was someone who captured my attention. I think it’s because she’s not what one would think of as leading lady material in a romance book. She’s opinionated, strong willed, and not afraid of being blunt. And maybe she isn’t the ideal leading lady type, but I think that’s part of what made her fun to write. This is a character that grows a lot in the story, who has her opinion on things challenged and changed. She will never transform into a perfect character but she comes out as a better version of herself. This to me, made her perfect and I’m so happy to tell her story.

Sam, the apartment manager, is also a very interesting character. In many ways, them finding each other at this particular time in their life is a lucky break for both of them. Like Luna, he’s not afraid of speaking his mind and calling her out. He’s attracted to her, but he’s able to push back and this makes him an equal sparring partner. But he’s also covering up a lot of pain, guilt, and general brokenness. Sam also feels unworthy of love. Up until this point, he’s allowed himself to dwell in it. And just as he doesn’t accept any guff from Luna, she also treats him the same way. She’s not about to cut him any breaks, and it sort of forces him to start moving forward with his life.
 

What was your favorite scene to write?

There were several back-and-forths between Luna and Sam that were enjoyable to write. One of my particular favorites was when Luna brings back to the apartment a large area rug. And she’s torn between having Sam help her but also not wanting his help at all because she doesn’t want him to see all the things she’s done inside her apartment. These characters love to antagonize each other, especially at the beginning of the story.

“Look, I’ve already seen the wall and the shades and the floor. And I’m going to be in your apartment at some time or another. What if there’s something I need to fix?”
“I’ll take care of it.”
His brow lowered. “Yeah, that’s not how any of this works. You’re not supposed to take care of it. That’s my job. What do you think I do around here?”
“That’s probably why it’s better if I just deal with it myself.”
Sam swallowed a bitter growl. It wasn’t his fault the apartment complex was falling apart. Considering what he had to work with, and his father’s refusal to invest much money into the place, he thought he did a pretty good job. “Then there’s apartment inspections, cleaning out the filters for the central air, that sort of thing.”
She didn’t respond, picking at the rug backing with a fingernail.
“Anyway, I’m just saying, me inside your place is only a matter of time.” Was that creepy? He wasn’t trying to be. Oh well. He didn’t need all this grief, especially because Luna and her area rug weren’t his job nor his problem.
Sam was done playing this game. “If you don’t want my help, fine.”
“Sam.”
He turned toward her, and her jaw was still locked in stubbornness.
“Okay,” was all she said.
“Okay what?”
She closed her eyes and released a breath. “Help me?”
“Wow, the adversity you must have had to overcome to ask that,” he deadpanned.
Her eyes rolled in reply, which didn’t seem to be the appropriate reaction for someone in her situation.
“On second thought, I don’t think I will.”
Luna’s features scrunched into extreme displeasure and her fists tightened as though she was about to burst. She’d probably never experienced a guy not bent at the waist for her. In a quick move, her arm shot out and snatched his hat, whipping it behind her back. Even she appeared somewhat shocked at the action before her expression switched to defiance. “I don’t get my rug, you don’t get your hat.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re going to hold my hat ransom? Just five minutes ago, you hated the idea of me touching your rug!”
“Well, now I want you to touch my rug!” Her cheeks grew ruddy, her eyes bright.
“I wouldn’t touch your rug even if there was a million dollars rolled up inside. Knowing you, there’s probably a dead body in there,” he replied through gritted teeth.
“If there’s going to be any body in my rug, it’ll be yours.”
“Hand the hat over.”
“No!”

Spoiler alert: Everything ends up exactly where it needs to go.
 

What was the most difficult scene to write?

I would say the most difficult scenes to write were ones dealing with Luna’s mother. Much of her personal trauma stems from her mother abandoning her when she was a small child. It’s really affected her feelings of worthiness, especially when it comes to whether or not she feels lovable. She’s more likely to act out and push people away, rejecting them before she can be rejected because she says the wrong thing. She sees herself as not a nice person. Although, she does have moments where she is very nice, especially if she perceives someone who has a troubled relationship with a parent. It’s in these moments she softens, bends, and you can see she cares a great deal.

Even though her mom does at one point reach out to her again, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a happy ending for their relationship. As a person who’s been abandoned myself, it’s a complicated situation where there’s a lot of hurt and anger and that’s not something that can be cleaned up quickly and easily. While there’s a window of hope for Luna and her mother, I purposely made it a relationship that’s not going to be wrapped up in a neat little bow. Luna can still grow and become the best version of herself whether or not this relationship is fixed.

She swallowed to keep her voice from cracking. “But I will never forget. It’s not the same thing as losing someone you loved, who loved you back. I’ve had to go my whole life knowing my mother didn’t think I was important enough to check in, to make sure I was okay. And it’s so hard because I’d really love to have a mom, but not that one. She’s already broken me.” There were tears burning on the brims of her eyes, but she wouldn’t let them go. Luna was done crying over her mother, over herself, over the unending sense of what she’d never have.
“Come here.” He encouraged her closer and she turned, assuming the small spoon position as Sam held her. She wasn’t a cuddler, she wasn’t, but Luna could also close her eyes and breathe, absorbing the comfort his presence offered.

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

It’s very dialogue heavy with a lot of snappy banter between the two leading characters, plus a lot of heart and humor. I would say it’s very much a Janine Amesta book. If you enjoyed Striking Gold, I would say Lucky Strike has a very similar tone.

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

As with all my stories, I want readers to feel the love, not only between the characters but also for themselves. Maybe we’ll all see some parts of ourselves in Luna, a person who wants to be perfect but never will be. We should be kinder to ourselves because imperfection doesn’t mean unlovable.

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

This is the final book in my Love in El Dorado series and, while that makes me sad, I’m looking forward to creating new worlds and new characters. I’ve started to write a new romance series that will take place in the High Desert of Central Oregon. I don’t have a release date for this yet.

If people enjoy my books, I hope they sign up for my newsletter at www.janineamesta.com. I always like to release extras and I’ll be releasing bonus epilogues for both Striking Gold and Lucky Strike.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Winner will receive one ebook copy of LUCKY STRIKE plus one additional ebook from Tule Publishing.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Do you feel making changes to a place, in order to personalize it, is important to making a place feel like a home?

 
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Excerpt from Lucky Strike:

Chapter One
Kissing a strange man wasn’t on Luna Lanza’s to-do list today.

If it had been, perhaps she would have thought twice about getting out of bed this morning—or she would have gotten out of bed faster, depending if the person happened to share the same physical specifications of one Henry Cavill. Yeah, like she’d ever be that lucky.

Not that Luna was looking for kisses. She wasn’t. And even if she were, this kiss certainly wouldn’t have quenched her thirst. Not that she was thirsty. She wasn’t. Even so, it was her first kiss since her breakup with Viggo and returning to her hometown.

The situation surrounding the whole kissing-a-stranger fiasco started when her cousin-in-law, Mia Russo, asked her to be a model for some jewelry images. While Luna was a big fan of selfies and posting to social media, she wasn’t the biggest fan of taking posed promotional images. #FakeSmiles #Boring #Ugh

But the photos were for Lanza Fine Jewelry, a shop owned by Luna and her cousin, Ross, a business inherited from their late grandfather. They each had their assigned roles. Ross designed and created the jewelry. Mia, his wife, took pictures. And Luna, when she wasn’t using her business degree to do the financial side of the jewelry business, would loan various parts of herself like fingers, wrists, earlobes, and neck for these images and—

Well, she didn’t want to get into the whole thing, especially since she was irritable after waking this morning with a fresh batch of cramps. And, without the use of an ax, it was impossible to send individual body parts alone and, therefore, her whole crampy, crabby body was required to meet Mia in Lumsden Park where her cousin-in-law sifted through the contents of her bag, grabbing a camera body and lens.

“Where’s this apartment you’re going to look at?” her cousin asked.

“There’s two. The first one is a cute duplex near Old Town. Then afterward I’ll look at Schnell Ridge Apartments. The second is just a backup. I’m already in love with the duplex,” she said.

Luna’s gaze swept through the park, noticing only a few potential witnesses and, thankfully, most of them were kids. She wore a silky, olive-colored slip dress, because Mia had requested a nice garment with an open neckline that would provide a good canvas backdrop for jewelry displaying. Except Luna wondered if the strappy low-cut bodice with the short hemline was too nice and she was feeling more self-conscious than anything else.

At a nearby picnic table was a young man in a faded gray baseball hat. A finger twisted a tawny-brown strand of hair, which had escaped the bottom of his cap. His shoulders hunched as he read a paperback, too enthralled to notice Luna emoting sexy but sweet while in the midst of crabgrass and discarded burger wrappers.

“There’s no need to move out so quickly,” Mia said, adjusting her glasses. “You know you’re welcome to live with Ross and me for as long as you want. No pressure when you’re looking today. I never had a sister growing up, so you’re the next best thing and I love it. Maybe we can have a scary movie marathon tonight and make gourmet popcorn.” The woman offered a bright smile.

This was exactly the problem. Luna would be living with them, as though she was a spinster aunt crashing in the guest room. That wasn’t much of a consolation prize, especially considering Mia was five months pregnant and they needed the extra space. All Luna wanted, all she’d ever wanted, was a special place of her own.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Mia asked. “I don’t mind. We can give each other a code word, so if you don’t like the place, I can come up with a great excuse to get us out of there. Like maybe I’m having weird contractions or I’ll have an emergency pregnancy craving for a buffalo chicken waffle wrap.” Her eyes drifted upward as if considering this. “The second one might be true. Maybe after apartment hunting we can stop for some lunch. I tried one of those waffle wraps the other day when I was taking photos for that new restaurant downtown, Placerville Waffle Company. Have you tried it? We should totally go there.”

“I haven’t. Maybe another time. I have other errands I need to do.”

Mia shrugged, not at all affected by the rejected offer. After making some adjustments to the camera in her hand, she began posing Luna, arranging the rose gold necklace featuring a delicate pine branch, until she was satisfied and the shutter on the camera clicked away.

“Your hair makes me so jealous. Ross has great hair too. Must be something in the family genes. I’m looking for a new hairdresser. The one I’ve been seeing is not working out and she convinced me to try these bangs. I hate them already.” The point was illustrated further when Mia blew out a breath, feathering the flat bangs in question. “Now I have to grow them out and find a new person. I swear, finding your hairdresser soulmate is even more difficult than finding your actual soulmate.”

“You should see Tessa Lui.” As soon as the name passed Luna’s lips she regretted it, her mouth snapping shut.

Mia flicked through the images, not noticing her sudden unexplained silence. “Is she downtown? If that’s who you see, then I’m definitely in.”

“I’ll text you her information later.” Or conveniently forget. Thoughts about what the hair stylist, also her ex-bestie, might say to Mia, about Luna, put an instant rock in her stomach.

“Aw, you’re really the best. I’m so happy you’re back in town again and I know Ross loves it too.” Her face was so warm and sincere, Luna considered changing her mind about forgetting to send Tessa’s information. Perhaps Mia wouldn’t mention where the recommendation had come from and, therefore, her opinion about Luna wouldn’t be at risk of changing.

Her cousin’s smile turned into a frown as she studied the images on the camera’s LCD screen. “I wish we could make this a couple photo.”

“Since I’m the only one here, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Mia tapped a finger against her chin. “Unless we could get someone else.”

“I hope you’re not thinking Ross because that would be gross and weird—”

“What about that guy over there?”

Luna’s gaze followed Mia’s pointed finger of destiny, which led to the man at the picnic table in the baseball cap. She hated this plan already, because she didn’t like strange men getting involved in her daily activities, nor did she believe in destiny. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“What? He’s cute and seems nice. I just want a few shots. It’s not a big deal.”

Luna opened her mouth to protest further because this whole thing was already awkward and humiliating enough, but Mia was on a new mission, making her way toward the man. As a distraction, Luna considered shouting, Let’s get buffalo chicken waffle wraps! or If you don’t stop at this moment, Mia Russo, you can forget about Tessa and you’ll be stuck with horrible bangs forever. Threats and bribery were all Luna had at the moment.

At the picnic table, her cousin cautiously approached, and the man jerked from his intense book-reading focus with surprise. They were too far away for Luna to understand the conversation, and she stood in place, with her hand on a hip, trying to decipher the interaction through charade skills.

First, Mia swept a hand to her camera, then to Luna, and, lastly, to her pregnant belly. Really, Mia? What did being pregnant have anything to do with anything? She doubted the woman would ever go so far as to say, Hey, see this camera? If you don’t take a picture with my depressingly dumped cousin over there, my demon baby will come for your blood while you sleep. Unlike Luna, Mia didn’t have to resort to threats. Plus, her cousin-in-law was too charming and sunny to ever be carrying a demon baby. The kid was an innocent pawn in Mia’s plan, and was currently Luna’s favorite baby in the world, demon or not.

Mia was more likely to convince someone by saying something sweet, and then she’d flash her solitary dimple. The dimple was the closer when it came to sealing the deal. Luna was convinced the dimple was the root of all Mia’s power.

Regardless of what was said to the man, it worked, like a charm. No surprise there. Both of them approached her spot in the park. Luna was doubtful about the whole couple photo idea, especially considering it was being thrown together with whatever random park man Mia could persuade into her scheme, cute or not.

From what she could see, he was nearly the complete opposite from Viggo. Her ex-boyfriend was extremely tall, with the body of a linebacker, dark hair, and the bluest eyes ever imagined. Luna didn’t believe in love at first sight but wasn’t someone like Viggo exactly the type of man she was supposed to fall in love with?

If Viggo was Dolce & Gabbana, the man walking toward her was second-hand Levi’s. He was a white guy with brown hair and most definitely wasn’t six feet tall. She would guess five feet eight inches at the most with a slighter build than her ex. Both the baseball hat and army-style jacket he wore were weathered at the edges. Unlike her ex though, he had an approachable, easygoing vibe about him, which was probably the reason her cousin had chosen him.

“I’m Mia, by the way,” her cousin said to him.

“Sam.” His voice, while deep, was unassuming. There was a barely perceptible hitch in his step. “I think we went to the same school.”

Mia brightened. “Oh yeah? Sorry, I don’t have the best memory when it comes to that kind of thing. Do you know my husband, Ross?”

“Manasse? Yeah, we weren’t friends but we had a few classes together.” Sam’s hat overshadowed most of his face. His exact features were still somewhat of an enigma at this point, except for a jawline covered with a scruff of facial hair.

Since he went to school with Ross and Mia that put him only a few years older than Luna, who was twenty-five. She felt forgotten at this impromptu class reunion, which did a great job of exacerbating her PMS.

“Oh, this is Lulu,” Mia said. “She’s Ross’s younger cousin.”

Luna almost chipped a tooth, grinding her jaw. She still hadn’t broken Ross from his habit of using the childhood nickname but, even worse, Mia sometimes did as well. She couldn’t very well shout, Luna! without appearing childish, and it’s not as though it mattered since she’d never see this guy again. Instead, she offered a tight smile.

“So, yeah, as I was saying,” Mia continued in an extra cheerful tone of voice to cover the lull in conversation, “we just need a few photos of you standing next to Lulu, looking at her like you’re her boyfriend or whatever. I won’t take too much of your time.” The dimple closer made its appearance.

“Okay,” Sam replied but he didn’t move.

The whole thing was weird, and without thinking Luna blurted, “Are you sure about this, Mia? Look at how he’s dressed compared to me. He looks like—” The rest of her sentence dropped off a cliff when she realized she was about to voice her inside thoughts, ones Mia would, no doubt, consider mean. These days, she was trying her best to keep most of her brutally honest opinions locked inside her head.

The other two people waited, as if expecting Luna to finish her sentence. When she didn’t, Sam said, “I look like what?” His expression was neutral but she swore there was an amused glint in his eye as if his question was a dare.

Unfortunately for him, Luna always took a dare, regardless of whether it was a good or bad idea. Spoiler alert. It was usually bad. “You look like you’re about to meet someone from Craigslist in an abandoned parking lot in order to sell some illegal turtles or something.”

Mia gasped. “Lulu!”

Confirmed. Bad idea.

He barked a small laugh as though surprised, her comment giving him permission to give her an up-and-down perusal in return. She was finally being seen but now the judgment was clearly on the other foot. Not that Luna didn’t deserve it. She most definitely did.

“Yes?” she asked, daring him in return.

He blinked. “Nothing.”

Well…that was disappointing. In truth, he didn’t have to say anything because she could guess his opinion about her outfit. She looked like the third-in-charge at a bachelorette party, the one who’s secretly jealous of the bride and making out with a stranger after getting too tipsy. This was one more reason she regretted unearthing this dress from the recesses of her closet, because she wasn’t that girl—not anymore.

“What are you wearing underneath? I-I mean under the jacket.” Mia asked, getting somewhat flustered.

Sam revealed a simple black T-shirt, and Mia declared it fine enough for the photos. As much as Luna wanted to continue voicing her disapproval, it’d be all lies. The guy had great arms and he’d chosen a shirt that fit him well. Dammit. Her reluctance in participating in this couple photo plan was already eroding.

“I look nice,” Luna said as if to refute his earlier unspoken judgment, sweeping her long, wavy locks across the front of one shoulder.

“Yeah, you look nice.” His tone implied she only looked the part and wasn’t nice at all. Ha! Perhaps the guy had some bite after all. Her interest shifted back to intrigue. Also, Luna wasn’t about to argue because she may be a lot of things, but she would never claim to be nice. That adjective was reserved for people like Mia.

Before she could reply, her cousin stepped between them with an “excuse me” and removed his hat, unleashing a mass of wavy, light brown hair. His brows were a shade darker; his left eyebrow was bisected with a scar. And he had the sharpest cheekbones she’d ever seen. God, maybe the finger of destiny was on to something.

She nearly jumped when her cousin-in-law took one of those solid arms of his and posed it around her waist like both of them were bendable dolls. His gaze, no longer shadowed by his hat, lifted to hers and she was hit by the color of warm bourbon making up his irises. Her breath hitched in her chest as she felt his hand flexing where it was fixed on the small of her back.

In the background, Mia clicked the shutter button on her camera but Luna hardly noticed, finding herself fixated by the man beside her. “I’m not always a brat, you know,” she murmured. Who knows why it was important for her to tell him this. And, truth be told, she wasn’t a brat as much as she was prone to mischief but these two things sometimes looked the same.

His gaze remained fixed on her, starting at her eyes before traveling lower on her face. “Well, we all have to sleep sometime.”

His response was dry but was exactly the kind that appealed to her—

Nope. This would not do at all. Luna needed to keep a distance, and since a physical one wasn’t possible at the moment, an emotional one would have to do. She sighed and flatly said, “I knew I should have stayed in bed today.”

“I knew I should have held out for more than free coffee.”

Ah, so that’s what was promised to Sam in exchange for his cooperation. Mia’s best friend, Natalie, co-owned Pony Expresso, which was the coffee shop next to the jewelry store, and therefore Mia got free drinks all the time. Luna wanted to laugh and she had no idea why. Maybe it was the ridiculousness of the whole situation. “Sucker,” she said, giving him a slight hip check.

His reaction to this additional physical contact was releasing a soft grunt. This delighted her, and she considered doing it again.

“Hello? Lulu?”

Luna’s focus snapped to Mia, whom she’d forgotten about. “What?”

“I just asked if you could focus in this direction.” The woman pointed to the ground near her. “And smile. Sam, you can just keep your head turned to her. Yes. Beautiful. Love it.” The camera shutter clicked away. “Sam, turn to me and, Lu, look at him now. Perfect.”

Luna tried to refocus and remember this was just a quick photo shoot and wasn’t anything else… Sam’s profile was nice. His nose was strong and straight, even better than Viggo’s. A person only had to get past twenty pounds of hair and an old baseball hat to see it, like uncovering a weathered chest and being completely unaware of what treasures might be inside.

“Lu, maybe you can do a quick…”

“What?” Luna asked.

Her cousin-in-law poked her cheek with a finger, giving herself an additional dimple. “Last pic, I swear.”

She rolled her eyes. Mia was impossible. Except, while she should hate everything about this, there was a part of her that didn’t hate it at all.

Strange.

As she leaned toward the man, her mouth puckered in preparation to plant a fake kiss on his cheek, Sam said, “Huh?” while rotating his head.

And, because she had the worst luck in the world, their lips met.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Is finding an unexpected gem a lucky strike?

After getting a late jumpstart in life, Luna Lanza isn’t afraid to get what she wants, including the place of her dreams. When she loses out on the perfect duplex and settles for a standard apartment, she’s disappointed. But Luna remains determined to make it work, even if it sparks a contentious relationship with her new landlord– the same guy she accidentally kissed in an impromptu photo shoot.

Still grieving the sudden death of his brother, reformed bad boy Sam Sunderland feels trapped managing his father’s rundown apartment building. When the spunky beauty, who unexpectedly kissed him, moves in full of ideas, he can’t help being intrigued– that is until she starts changing things behind his back, endangering his position and the relationship with his father.

Sam and Luna wrangle over rules and misunderstandings while fighting against the undeniable attraction between them. It’s a hard lesson to learn that ‘perfect’ can take many different forms. But will the renovations they do together lay a foundation to something more?

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Meet the Author:

Janine Amesta is a California girl who now lives in the high desert of Oregon with her husband and their cat, Hitchcock. She studied screenwriting in college, but her moody thrillers always had way too much flirty banter. She’s a master at jigsaw puzzles, skilled at embroidery, and critiques bad movies on Twitter.
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