Spotlight & Giveaway: Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Erin La Rosa to HJ!

Hi Erin and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Plot Twist!

 
Hello, fellow readers! I’m so excited to tell you about my new novel, Plot Twist!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Plot Twist is a mashup of Runaway Bride and Lovesick—it’s about a romance author with writer’s block who has never been in love! Sophie goes viral after a video of her drunkenly screaming that, “Love isn’t real!” gets uploaded to TikTok. She has to revisit her past relationships to figure out why she’s never been able to fall in love. But, in the process, she connects with her landlord and best friend’s brother, Dash, who is a former teen heartthrob turned potter. Together, they come to accept who they are, discover found family, and the importance of honesty. (Trigger warnings here would be that Dash is a recovering alcoholic, and there are definitely toxic family members!)
 

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

“I fell in love with you slowly, but I plan to keep loving you fiercely.” I swoon when I think about this moment in the book!

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I listened to two songs on repeat while writing, both by The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights” and “I Feel It Coming”
• One of Dash’s tattoos is based off of a tattoo that The Rock has!
• I was inspired to write the character of Dash after becoming obsessed with Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast (Dax, like Dash, is in recovery, and I just find him so charming)

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

Dash is a cinnamon roll hero, for sure, and I think what he loves about Sophie is how bright and sunny she is. Dash has so much darkness in his life, and being around Sophie is like the sun shining on him. For Sophie, I think she really loves how Dash is able to get her to open up. He sees her for exactly who she is, and loves every bit about her (except maybe for the fact that she befriends the squirrel who eats all of his avocados).

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

My books are open door romances, and I have to say I’m probably the rare romance writer who writes the spicy scenes first…they’re my favorite! When I wrote an outdoor face sitting scene, I was blushing and am still fairly convinced my parents might disown me.

Here’s a little snippet for your enjoyment.

“She moaned loudly as he asked, ‘What will the neighbors think?'”

Readers should read this book….

I would say that if you are a fan of friends-to-lovers, contemporary romance, and cinnamon roll heroes, this is the book for you! This is set in Los Angeles, and it’s part of a Hollywood romance series, so you need to know that there’s some pop culture, celebrity culture, and references to TikTok. I also really loved being able to write a Pansexual heroine!

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

I’m currently working on a third book, tentatively titled Change Your Tune. It’s a romance with a speculative fiction angle, about a woman who returns home to clean out her old bedroom and discovers her old CD player still works. Not only can she play the songs, but each time she does, she’s transported back to her high school years, and sees what would’ve happened if she kissed her high school crush. Very much a Sliding Doors meets 13 Going On 30 vibe!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway:  A print copy of PLOT TWIST by Erin La Rosa

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Which celebrity did you have a crush on while growing up? Mine was Jonathan Taylor Thomas…!

 
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Excerpt from Plot Twist:

Sophie avoided the fallen purple petals from the overhead. jacaranda trees as she walked across the pavers of her lawn that led to Dash’s 1920s Spanish-style house. When she got to his door, she rolled back her shoulders and rang the bell. For some reason, a little jitter of nerves fluttered through her at the idea of seeing him again. Or maybe she’d had one too many coffee refills at breakfast. So she took a breath in, put on a smile, and told herself to relax.

And she did relax, sort of, because Dash didn’t immediately answer. She waited, and waited some more. She stood outside for what seemed like a few solid minutes, then checked her phone. It was noon, practically lunchtime. The sun had fully come out, and the air had turned into the dry desert heat she actively avoided by staying inside. But maybe Dash wasn’t home, though his car was in the driveway…

As she bent down to leave the bagels on his welcome mat, she heard the unmistakable sound of his front door creaking open.

She looked up, and Dash stood there in nothing but boxers, rubbing at an eye with the palm of his hand. He ran fingers through his thick dirty-blond hair, and a strand fell across his forehead as he took her in. His hands landed on his hips, drawing her attention to the thick black outlines of a tattoo that traveled down and into his boxers.

“Shit,” she muttered. But what she meant was I cannot think about Poppy’s brother’s dick. Sophie was doing everything she could not to stare at his junk, but honestly, it was just there, filling out those boxers and practically winking at her.

“Are you telling me that’s what’s in the bag that you just left on my doorstep?” An amused look crossed his face, and his muscled thighs flexed as he shifted from one foot to the next.

“Uh, no.” She stood and brought the bag up with her. She held it out directly in front of Dash’s boxers so she’d have something physically blocking her view of the…elephant in the doorway. “This is not a bag of shit.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Good to hear.”

“I hope I didn’t wake you?” She waited for him to respond, but all he did was cross his arms over his chest so, yes, she’d guessed she had. She internally cringed for ruining not one but two mornings in a row for him. So much for making things right between them. “I don’t know if I’m Sorry Bagels are actually a thing, but I am sorry about yesterday. I still owe you, but food tends to make everything better, in my experience.”

Dash cautiously took the bag from Sophie and opened the top. He grunted back—a sound so low and deep it made the hair on her arms stand up.

“Poppy said you like cinnamon-sugar bagels?” Sophie really, really hoped he did, because if he didn’t, then she was officially the worst tenant ever.

“I don’t like them,” he said.

Her breath caught at the realization that she’d made a huge miscalculation.

“I’m obsessed with them.” He rubbed a hand across his chin as he eyed her. He had just the shadow of a beard. “Consider us even, Soph.”

She’d never heard him shorten her name to Soph before. She couldn’t help the small smile that crossed her lips. He held her gaze; she’d forgotten how deeply blue and piercing his
eyes were.

She almost leaned toward him, but the sound of Dash’s phone pinging startled her. Dash flipped the phone over and read the screen. His expression went dark.

“Gah,” he muttered to himself.

But Sophie had always been a bit nosy. “What is it?”

He looked up and glared back at her, like he’d forgotten she was there. “You don’t want to know.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Book Links: Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

ERIN LA ROSA is the author of For Butter or Worse, and on her way to writing romance, she’s also published two humorous nonfiction books, Womanskills and The Big Redhead Book. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four daughters (two humans, two felines). Find her on Twitter and Instagram @erinlarosalit and on TikTok @erinlarosawrites.
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