Spotlight & Giveaway: Nothing But Wild by P. Dangelico

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author P. Dangelico to HJ!

Hi P. Dangelico and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Nothing But Wild!

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

Nothing But Wild is the second book in the Malibu University Series. It’s a standalone novel that focuses on two characters who we met in the first book, Nothing But Trouble. Dallas Van Zant is the resident player with a heart of gold on the Malibu University championship winning men’s water polo team and Dora Ramos is the shy stuttering virgin tasked with driving him around when Dallas gets into trouble and loses his license.
 

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

“Ride the wave you’re given. Make it a great ride. Make it the best ride possible. But don’t try to turn it into something it isn’t. That goes for life and people too.”

What inspired this book?

I attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and I always thought it would be great material for a series.

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

My characters are always surprising me. I always say my stories write themselves. I’m merely the conduit.

What was your favorite scene to write?

My favorite scene was the one where our couple visits Dora’s parents.

Dallas
“C’mon, it’ll be fine.” She gives me a teasing smile and jumps out of the car while I stay put, relishing the comfort of the calm before the storm.
I don’t do parents. Never have. This is my first time and it’s two dudes. I’m like a rookie QB having to face the Pats defense in the Super Bowl without a single day’s practice. The odds are stacked against me.
She stops and turns, head cocked to the side, rust-colored hair falling over her shoulder, brown eyes smiling as she gestures me out of the car. Dutifully, I follow. Because I’m finding out that I’m a sucker for this girl and if I’m not careful she’ll own my ass in no time.
“In the kitchen,” a deep voice calls out as soon as we step into the house. The scent of something delicious hangs in the air. Whoever is doing the cooking knows a thing or two about food.
Looking over her shoulder at me, Dora unleashes a big smile, her optic white teeth digging into her fat bottom lip. For a moment, my steps falter and my mind goes blank.
“R-ready?”
“To be torn apart by wolves? Sure. Let’s do this.”
Giggling, she continues in the direction of the voices and I follow, my eyes naturally drawn to the generous curve of her hips. The way her heart shaped ass looks in those jeans should be a federal crime.
“Dad, Daddy––this is Dallas.”
I walk in and the kitchen gets real quiet. They’re both dressed in jeans and dress shirts so I don’t now which is which. My only hope is that the big one wearing the heavy frown is not the Chief.
“Evan Ramos,” the blonde one introduces himself. I’m screwed. The frowner is the Chief.
Evan extends his hand and gives me a friendly smile. He’s got the permanent tan and build of a runner. I noticed that even in the pictures. These guys are seriously athletic.
“Nice to meet you. And thank you for having me over.”
“We’re happy to have you. You’re welcome any time. This is my husband, Jay.” Looking over his shoulder, Evan glares at Jay.
“Nice to meet you, Dallas,” Jay Ramos says in a flat voice that communicates with absolute certainty that it is not at all nice to meet me. Jay Ramos also does not extend his hand.
I steal a glance at Dora and catch her glaring at her father. This is going about as well as I thought it would go.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The most difficult scene to write happens near the end. Dora sees Dallas on campus, talking to a bunch of friends, and when she approaches he pretend they’re not as emotionally involved as they are.

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

It does showcase my writing style, which is very loose and fast moving. The only deviation is that these characters are definitely in a younger age group. Less mature than my typical characters and grappling with different issues.

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

That no matter how you were raised, what socio-economic background you come from, none of us are exempt from pain, tragedy, and love. We all have issues we’re dealing with.

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

I’m currently working on a contemporary romance in dual POV titled Risk Taker which stars a gym teacher who suffered from Toxic Shock Syndrome as a teenager and had to have a leg amputated and the new grumpy Chief of Police in a small Oklahoma town. It’s an opposites attract tale which are my favorite.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One signed paperback of Nothing But Wild by P. Dangelico

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Excerpt from Nothing But Wild:

Dora
“What d-do you t-think you’re doing?”
“Watching out for you.”
“Hardly, y-you’re trying to r-ruin my good time!” I shout over the music. Taking my arm, he tugs me away, off the dance floor, and leads me to the wall on the far side where it’s only slightly quieter.
Leaning a shoulder against the wall, he crosses his arms and the t-shirt he’s wearing pulls tight, showcasing the complex network of muscles and veins of his arms. Thirsty. I’m very thirsty all of a sudden.
Next, his blue gaze goes soft and sensual. If he thinks I’m going to capitulate that easily, he’s seriously delusional.
“I have a deal for you.”
Not what I was expecting but whatever. “I d-don’t n-need a deal.”
“You don’t know what the deal is. How could you know you don’t need it?”
“Because I d-don’t n-need or want anything from you.”
“Well that’s not very fair. You haven’t even heard my proposal yet. How do you know you don’t want something you don’t know?”
“You’re not going to l-leave me alone tonight, are you?”
“Not until you hear what I have to say.”
“Fine. G-G-Get on with it so I c-can get back to dancing.”
“Let me be your wingman.”
I’m speechless. For the first time in my life I am legit speechless. One minute of silence passes. Two minutes pass. “I d-don’t get it…”
“You’re giving me rides to the shelter.” He shrugs like all this makes perfect sense. “In return, I’ll be your wingman.”
“My wingman?” I repeat. I don’t know if I should laugh. I mean, he’s funny. This proposal is hilarious. The scary thing is, I think he’s serious.
“You still working on that list? How many do you have left?” I say nothing. I admit nothing. “Huh…” He studies my face. “I take it that means all of them.”
“I g-got a makeover, didn’t I? And the Ferris wheel. I got that one d-done––” I snipe defensively. Yeah, I’m losing this argument or whatever you call this, this negotiation.
Reaching out, he takes a piece of my hair and tugs. “You look beautiful,” he says without missing a beat. “I like the makeover.”
Wait…did he just throw it out there that he thinks I’m beautiful? And I’m supposed to roll with it like the plate tectonics of the planet haven’t just shifted? What kind of game is he playing?
“What kinda g-game are you playing?”
He looks momentarily confused. “No game.” He leans in for a closer look, eyes narrowed. “Are you drunk?”
“No!”
“Then I’ll repeat myself because you’re hard of hearing tonight. I wanna help you.”
“You w-want to h-help me with m-my list…are you drunk?”
“You wanna be bad, right? I know bad.” He proudly pats his chest. “I’m the king of bad. All I’m sayin’ is––that’s my department. Let me help you be bad.”
I giggle because, dear me, he is serious.
He leans in, his mouth inches from my ear, and murmurs, “Say yes, Dora. I know you want to.” The silky purr slides over my skin, pebbles my nipples, and makes me shiver. Then he looks into my eyes and smiles. And that look, that devil-may-care look, seals the deal.
What do I have to lose? Except possibly my heart. But I’ve already tried it the safe way and it hasn’t worked in my favor. That’s why I throw caution to the wind.
“Okay…you’re on.”
“Good.” He takes my wrist and leads me away again.
“W-Where are we going?”
“To dance.”
And irrepressible smile grows on my face. I. Am. In. Trouble.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Dallas Van Zant.
Water polo god.
Shameless flirt.
Beautiful disaster in the most literal sense of that label.

Trust me, it’s not hyperbole. He’s in big trouble with the law.

What does this have to do with me, you ask? Unfortunately, a lot. For some reason, which I still can’t quite wrap my brain around, I’ve been talked into driving him around as part of his plea deal.

Problem is, he makes me nervous. I’m not good with people, men in particular, popular athletes especially. I’ve worked really hard to get my disability under control and one minute in his company and all my hard work flies out the window.

To top it all off, I promised myself that I was going to make some serious changes this year. I’m tired of feeling awkward around boys. I’m tired of never having had a boyfriend. I’m tired of being lonely. And he’s wrecking my plans.

But I’m also not the type to turn away a person in need. So I’ll do what I must to help him out.

I’ll just pretend that I’m not enjoying his company. And I’ll ignore the fact that he’s sweet and funny. And I’ll tell myself every day that he’s out of my league.

Because I’m as inexperienced as they come. And Dallas Van Zant is nothing but wild.

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Meet the Author:

P. Dangelico loves romance in all forms, cuddly creatures (four legged and two), really bloody sexy pulp, the NY Jets (although she’s reconsidering after this season), and to while away the day at the barn (apparently she does her best thinking shoveling horse crap). What she’s not enamored with is referring to herself in the third person and social media so don’t expect her to get on Twitter anytime soon. Oh, and although she was born in Italy, she’s been Jersey Strong since she turned six.
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