Spotlight & Giveaway: Power Play by Anna DePalo

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Anna DePalo to HJ!

Hi Anna and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Power Play!

 
I’m excited to be here!
 

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

This book is part of The Serenghetti Brothers series but can definitely be read as a standalone. Bad Boy NHL star Jordan Serenghetti meets his match in physical therapist Serafina Perini. In order to get ahead in her job, Sera needs to heal a playboy ice hockey star who doesn’t remember their sexy encounter during college spring break. And Jordan needs the help of a beautiful physical therapist to recover from a possible career-ending knee injury—except even though he’s now in-laws with Sera, she’s immune to his off-the-ice plays.
 

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

Jordan and Sera have a tempestuous, tumultuous relationship. Take a look:
Jordan shrugged and then glanced around. “At least we’ll have the memory of a few good physical-therapy sessions.”
“All you’ll be remembering fondly is the pain,” she practically snarled.
“I’m a good listener if you ever want to…you know, talk instead of spar.”
Sera swept him a suspicious look—unsure if he was joking or not. Better not to take chances. “As if I’d open up to a player like you,” she scoffed. “Forget it.”
“Not even when you’re off duty?” he teased. “It could be therapeutic.”
“When I need to unwind, I’ll book a vacation to the Caribbean.”
“Let me know when you’re going. I’ll reserve a seat.”
Argh. “It’s a vacation—as in, I don’t want to be irritated!”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Irritated isn’t your natural state?”
“No!”

What inspired this book?

I’ve always wanted to write a book about an easygoing charmer—at least on the surface. Also, this book is about family ties, becoming yourself and second chances.

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

I usually do a GMC (goal-motivation-conflict writeup) for each of my main characters before I start a book. That said, sometimes I’ll be deep into a book, notice something is missing and realize there’s another piece of backstory that I left out. And then I’ll think, of course that makes sense given who this character is!

What was your favorite scene to write?

My favorite scene is probably the one where Jordan and Sera are caught by surprise in the empty cloakroom by Jordan’s sister. LOL

What was the most difficult scene to write?

All scenes are difficult to write! I usually start with a skeleton that’s mostly dialogue and then layer in additional information: backstory, setting, action, etc. I’m definitely a dialogue-heavy writer. If I can’t “hear” a conversation, there’s no scene for me.

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

I think this book showcases my typical writing style—namely, witty banter shading into rom-com. This is my fifteenth book(!), so a milestone of sorts but also one that showcases how my style has been honed over the years.

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

Even those burned by love can learn to love and trust again. I hope that readers enjoy Sera and Jordan’s story while getting a laugh or two along the way.

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

I’m currently working on the next Serenghettis book. Mia Serenghetti is the last single sibling, she’s staked her independence as a fashion designer, and she has a lot to say!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: eBook of HOLLYWOOD BABY AFFAIR by Anna DePalo

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Excerpt from Power Play:

“Danica is a naive kid,” she said without preamble. “Move on. She’s not in your league.”
Jordan smiled. “You know my league?”
Serafina pressed her lips together. Jordan Serenghetti really was beyond redemption—not that she was in the savior business. “I don’t do bad boys. My mother taught me right.”
Jordan’s expression bloomed into a grin that shot straight through her. “Straitlaced. You need to loosen up.”
Ha! Easy for him to say. He was the guy who was nothing but loose…and went over like smooth cocoa butter with most women.
Though not with me, she reminded herself. Not anymore. “And for the record, you’re my patient. It’s all business between us.”
He glanced around him. “We’re in a bar, not at Astra.”
“But I’m still working.”
He rubbed his chin and then teased, “You’re not a woman who’s bowled over by my charm?”
“Of course not. Far too levelheaded.” These days. It was hard to explain how she’d fallen prey to Neil not so long ago, but maybe she’d been overdue for a lightning strike… Then again, the more she thought about it, the more she wondered whether she’d fallen for Neil precisely because he’d been smooth and worldly and sophisticated. Maybe she’d been determined to prove that she could play in the big leagues and wasn’t helpless little Sera who needed protecting.
“And yet, I sense fire and passion in you,” Jordan murmured.
“That’s because I put you in the hot seat, Serenghetti. I see right through your game.”
He made a show of glancing around him. “You’ve stolen the Razors’ playbook?”
Sera placed her hands on her hips. It wouldn’t be good if Angus noticed her in an argument with a customer—particularly a famous hometown favorite—but fortunately the bar was packed. “You know what I mean. I know your type, and I can read your plays off the ice.”
“Jealous of Danica?”
“Please.”
He swept her a look that she felt everywhere. “You shouldn’t be, you know. At the moment, prickly waitresses seem to be my type.” He regarded her thoughtfully. “Particularly those that might have had a prior bad experience.”
Sera sucked in a breath and clamped her lips together. He didn’t know the half of it. “I’m not naive, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”
“I didn’t claim you were. But you are…wary.”
Yup. Once bitten, twice shy.
Jordan searched her expression and then relaxed his. “Danica isn’t my type, but I make it a policy to be nice to fans.”
As if on cue, Danica suddenly reappeared. “Jordan, I’m leaving—” she looked eager as a puppy “—and I was wondering, do you need a lift home?”
Jordan gave a killer smile that made Sera want to reach for a pair of sunglasses. “I’m good.”
“Oh.” Disappointment was etched on Danica’s face. “I thought with you being injured and all…”
“I’m off crutches and can drive.” Jordan waved his hand at Sera, and the other woman noticed her for the first time. “It’s what Sera and I were discussing.”
Sera tossed him a speaking look. Oh, really?
Danica pushed her dark straight hair off her shoulder. “Hi, Serafina.”
“How are those physical-therapy program applications coming along?” Sera asked, dropping her hands from her hips.
Danica’s face fell. “I still need a prerequisite or two. I’m never going to pass Chemistry 102.”
“Sure, you will. With lots of studying. Then you can spend your days bending players—” she gestured at Jordan “—into shape.”
Jordan looked amused. “I need to be straightened out apparently.”
“More like set straight,” Sera muttered, her gaze clashing with his.
“Oh.” Danica looked between them. “Sorry, I didn’t know.”
Sera blinked. “Know what?”
A small frown appeared on the other woman’s brow. “Um…”
Jordan got off the stool, and in the next moment, Sera felt his arm slide around her shoulders.
Danica took a step back and then another. “Well, I think I’ll be going.” Turning back in the direction where her friends were still waiting, she added quickly, “Nice talking to you.”
Sera twisted toward Jordan. What had just happened? “You let her think—”
“Yeah, but you gave me the opening.”
Sera pressed her lips together.
“Thanks for allowing me to let her down easy.”
“I didn’t—”
Jordan slanted his head. “You warned her off me. Goal accomplished.”
“Not like that!” She didn’t want Danica to think that she and Jordan were… Oh, no…no, no, no. Never. No.
Jordan leaned in, his face all innocent. “Like what?”
She spluttered. “You know what.”
He lowered his gaze to her mouth. “It’s what you said.”
She bit back a gasp. “You’re blaming me?”
He gave a slow, sexy grin. “Thanking you. Let me know when you’re ready to…explore what’s between us.”
Sera had never been in a more frustrating conversation in her life. “Nothing more ego-stroking than the idea of two women competing for your attention, huh?”
“If you say so.”
Suddenly, she’d had enough. Enough of a guy who could juggle women with dexterity—even injured.
“You don’t remember,” she snapped.
“Remember what?”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

When the goal is seduction,
Not just any play will do….
Irresistible. That’s sports superstar and tycoon Jordan Serenghetti in a nutshell. But Jordan’s physical therapist, Sera Perini, must resist. She has good reasons—their families’ connections, her professional ethics and a kiss the filthy-rich athlete doesn’t even remember. If she gives in to temptation, will it be a replay of Jordan’s womanizing ways or something from a brand-new playbook?

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Meet the Author:

Anna DePalo is the USA Today best-selling author of sexy, humorous contemporary romances published in over twenty countries. Her books have won the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, the OCC/RWA Book Buyer’s Best, the NJRW Golden Leaf and the NECRWA Readers’ Choice. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Novelists, Inc. Raised bilingual in Brooklyn by her Italian parents, she attended Harvard and practiced intellectual property law but now calls writing her passion. She lives with her husband, son and daughter in New York.
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