Spotlight & Giveaway: Pickle Perfect by Ilana Long

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Ilana Long to HJ!

Hi Ilana and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Pickle Perfect!

 
Hi Readers! Pickle Perfect was a blast to write. I’m a pickleballer and a stand-up comic, so I loved blending humor, sports, and love in my romcom. I’m from Washington State, the birthplace of pickleball, but I set my story in Costa Rica, where I lived for five years with my family while I taught high school English and drama there.
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

After her teaching job goes south when she accidentally records a curse word-filled message to all of her students, single mom Lulu Gardner’s well-organized schedule falls apart. To try and de-stress, she tags along with her Aunt Laverne and Uncle Rooster on their anniversary pickleball vacation in Costa Rica. But when there’s a snafu with the room reservations, her family offers to care for little Zoe while Lulu tries out the resort’s new pickleball adventure vacation. And she sure is surprised when she finds that the pickleball coach for the tour is the same tattooed high school fling who deserted her for the pro tour fifteen years ago. Between the sunshine and the sexy picklepro, Lulu hopes her shoulders are the only part of her that gets burned.
 

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

Lulu glowered at Tyler, daring him to shoot off some snarky, parting jab. Instead, he tossed a casual comment her way. “I guess I’ll see you in the jungle.”
They might be stuck together starting tomorrow, but Lulu wasn’t about to let him get the last word tonight. Finding her voice, she called out to him, “See you there.” She was so mad she didn’t care that around the lobby heads turned. “Maybe you’ll meet another snake! You can compare tactics.”
“Maybe.” Tyler shot back. “As long as we don’t have to compare length and width. Hate to make a snake feel sad.”

Or – A sweeter section

A part of her wondered if time, lulled by this perfect moment into a patch of stillness, had decided to retire from its job of progressing steadily into the future. Because all that remained were her senses and this one, flawless corner of the universe. The kiss of the warm water. The nearness of his skin. The ceaseless sound of the rushing river. And Tyler Demming.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The working title of this book was Picklecation!
• Pickleball truly is the fastest growing sport in the US. This year, 16-36 million people played pickleball. (And yes, I do realize that’s a huge numerical discrepancy, but it depends on who you ask.) The largest group of players used to be senior citizens, but now the biggest demographic is the 18 to 35 set.
• According to the US Pickleball Association, pickleball is one of the hottest first dates around. People like to go on a pickledate because it’s low-pressure, fun, and social. Pickleromance!
• I started playing pickleball during the pandemic. A lot of people started then, when it was an easy way to be social and outside and six feet apart. I am an extrovert, so I desperately needed some interaction those days. I didn’t start playing pickleball until I was in my fifties! Even though I had never played an eye-hand coordination sport before in my life, I learned quickly and have even medaled in a few tournaments.
• When I lived in Costa Rica, I participated in all of the adventurous expeditions Lulu tries, including whitewater rafting, rappelling down a waterfall, sleeping in a bat cave, and ziplining over Arenal Volcano. Caveat: I did not, however, get spicy with a picklehottie. Besides my husband. Anyhow, those moments pushed me out of my comfort zone and inspired me to challenge myself.
• Costa Rica has an active and fast-growing pickleball community. When I taught in Costa Rica, my students knew I was writing my debut Pickleballers. Recently, one of them messaged me on Instagram. “You were ahead of the curve, Ms. Long. Pickleball is everywhere in Costa Rica now!” Pretty much that was the only thing my students thought I was right about!

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

When she knew Tyler in high school, even though he was confident bordering on smug, he could be sweet and sensitive. What brings her around again is when he proves his vulnerability. Tyler is drawn to Lulu’s strength and capacity to organize her life. About her single parenting, he says with admiration, “That’s you though, isn’t it? You were always the one to rise to a challenge. I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you, Lu.”
 

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

Absolutely! I wanted to heat up the steaminess between them, and then break the mood with something out of their control. Tyler and Lulu are hiking in the jungle, still in their harnesses from ziplining. They stop for a moment, and the sexual tension is intense. They kiss and grope and fumble with the harness buckles, which they cannot remove. To make matters worse, Lulu has to pee because she has over-hydrated. Ultimately, nature wins out over lust, and Lulu rushes away to a private bush. Just then, a wild pig shows up…
I kept laughing when I was writing it! My husband said, “What’s so funny?” and so I read it to him, and he just shook his head and chuckled. I think it’s hilarious.

Excerpt:
When had Tyler’s fingers laced through one of her hands and pressed it over her willing head while their mouths tangled and their fingers groped at the frickin’ harness buckles which had to have been designed by the Alcatraz Straitjacket Company and were not yielding to either of their wills, no matter how desperately they plied at the snug straps.
Gasping, they pulled apart. And both began a full-fledged assault on the other’s offending buckles.
But then. World, you’ve got to be kidding. Because more desperately than perhaps ever in her entire life, she needed to pee. And this, none of this, not the warnings in her head, nor the persistent resistance of the harness buckles, not even the talented tongue of Tyler Demming was anything compared to the undeniable entreaties of her bladder.
Disentangling her unpinned hand from his harness buckles, she pressed her palm to his chest and pushed him back.
“Is this okay?” he asked, breathless.
“God, yes,” she panted. “Just. Pause!” She held up a finger to indicate that the interruption was a temporary thing. “I need to…” Lulu stopped herself. There was no need to say the word “pee” out loud. “I’ll be right back.”
Tyler’s expression plummeted. “Where are you going?”
“Give me a sec.” Turning toward the thick of the jungle, she began to hobble off, and when she heard his footsteps follow, she swiveled back. Alright. Fine. She would say it. “I have to pee!”
“Oh!”

Readers should read this book….

To experience a mini-vacation in 368 pages. It’s pure escapism and laugh-out-loud funny. It’s heat, the tropics, monkeys, sloths, the beach, and two attractive, consenting adults who have undeniable chemistry.
 

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

I’ve got several books in the works: some completed and some in the drafting stage. My favorites are a dystopian sci-fi, a cozy mystery, a non-fiction romantic experiment, and an adult romantasy about a teacher who falls for an enormous gelatinous sea blob. I love to dabble in different genres,. My reading choices are just as varied. Romcom, humor, thriller, cozy mystery, sci-fi, and historical fiction are my favorites.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A finished copy of PICKLE PERFECT by Ilana Long

To enter Giveaway, share this post and leave a comment to this Q: In Pickle Perfect, Lulu steps out of her comfort zone and picks up a pickleball paddle again after fifteen years away from the sport. What activity, sport, or creative pursuit did you love when you were younger that you’d like to get back to? Or something new that you’d like to try?

Giveaway will end 3 days for post date.

Book Info:

A second chance at love crashes one woman’s tropical pickleball vacation and serves up an adorkably swoony romantic comedy.

Lulu Gardner only takes predictable shots. After faulting on tennis stardom at eighteen, Lulu, now a thirtysomething single parent, is in control of her game. But when an unanticipated blunder threatens her teaching job, Lulu’s stable, well-planned—okay, boring—world spins out. And somehow, her godparents convince her to join them for a “de-stressing” destination pickleball vacation in Costa Rica. Maybe an all-inclusive picklecation is just the pick-me-up she needs to loosen her grip.

Or it would have been if she wasn’t backhanded by the sight of her high school fling Tyler Demming on the beachside courts. Fresh off the pickleball pro tour, the reigning bad boy of paddle sports is as studly and snarky as ever. Even though his public image took a hit with a ballsy publicity stunt, Tyler seems to be the big shot he’s always been.

But Lulu’s had years to steel herself against his rugged good looks and hypnotic charm. Despite the changes she sees in Tyler since their teenage days, Lulu will have no problem keeping her head in the game and her heart on the sidelines. Or so she tells herself….
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Meet the Author:

Ilana Long first heard about pickleball when her sporty friend confessed that she was addicted to a game that was “like ping-pong but standing on the table.” Shortly after, Ilana joined the pickleball craze despite her utter lack of eye-hand coordination. A stand-up comic, sketch comedy writer, and actress, Ilana studied and performed improv comedy at The Second City in Chicago. Her other creative pursuits include singing and songwriting. Her debut romcom, Pickleballers, was published by Berkley in November 2024. Ilana is the author of the picture book, Ziggy’s Big Idea, and her essays appear in multiple books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She is the mom of twins and lives in Bellevue, WA.
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