Spotlight & Giveaway: Ship Got Real by T.L. Anderson

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author T.L. Anderson to HJ!

Hi T.L. Anderson and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Ship Got Real!

 
Thank you for having me!
 

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

Of course! Ship Got Real follows Avery and Colin as they are both set up on a blind date, on a love cruise by their friends. Neither are happy to be on a love cruise to begin with, both of them are not looking for love let alone a blind date.
 

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

“I see the war on his face as he fights the urge to drag me out of here and into his bed.”
This is my favorite line, it shows how much Colin is fighting his attraction to her but isn’t winning at it.

What inspired this book?

I tend to let the characters lead me where they want to. Some of the banter was inspired by my own personality, I love teasing my husband.

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

I did a background snippet for them both. Learned their family histories as kids and teens until they hit adulthood. Both Avery and Colin surprised me with a few scenes, including the cooking scene. You’ll have to read it to know what I mean.

What was your favorite scene to write?

My favorite to write was the scavenger hunt. I loved seeing they chemistry as they tried to finish each task while fighting the pull towards each other.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The ending was the hardest. When they disembarked at the port, I wasn’t ready for where they took me and their story.

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

It’s definitely a showcase of my normal writing style. I love witty banter and comedy , but I always love putting a spin of angst in there too.

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

I want them to take away a fun love story, a time to just enjoy reading and letting themselves be apart of the book.

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

I’m currently working on my third book in the For Hell’s Sake serious and a special thriller book with my stepdad.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: $5 Amazon gift card, US only

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Ship Got Real:

“What about this?” Avery holds up a long souvenir cup for drinks that is as big as her almost. The blue plastic is long in the middle and round on the end.
“It kind of looks like a penis.” Who knew I would ever say those few words in my lifetime.
She nods her head. “Yeah this will work.” She hands it to me and grabs my arms positioning them in the air. She has them holding the girth of the cup and the bottom that’s rounded facing my lips. She’s posing me to look like I’m giving it head.
I roll my eyes. “Is this really necessary? It just said something sexually suggestive. Not that I had to give it a blow job in the process.”
She slaps at my hand as I try to drop it down to my side. “Stop, if you hold it like a cup no one will know it’s supposed to be a penis. But if you pose with it like you’re deep throating it, the suggestive part will be obvious.”
Someone next to use chokes at her words. I swear she says shit for shock value. “Fine. Just hurry up and take the picture, we aren’t posing for a magazine here.”
She waggles her eyebrows at me. “Oh dear Colin, I’m totaling making a scrapbook of all of these when I get home. I’ll be putting them on rotation in my digital photo frame on my living room wall.”
I startle at her words, my eyes widen as she takes the picture. “Perfect!” she yells while showing me the photo. For fuck’s sake. It looks like I’m gagging on an overlarge blue plastic dick. I grab my phone from her and quickly upload it.
“You can delete it if you want from your phone. I already sent it to myself.” She waves her phone at me with the new message bar lit up.
I narrow my eyes at her. “It’s fine. I saved the video of you. I don’t ever want to forget the sounds you make.” I stalk closer to her and she backs away while putting a finger up, halting me in my tracks.
“Oh no. You are not distracting me from winning this.” I pull up the app and read task four. “This one is easy! Use a cheesy pick up line on a stranger.” I look around the gift shop, it’s empty but there’s a few people milling around in the walkway. I toss my phone at Colin for him to record.
I see a group of guys standing around looking at something on their phones. This will work, they all look distracted and I don’t see any girlfriends around who will beat the crap out of me for flirting. I walk up next to the man with the phone in his hand. His sandy blonde hair hangs in his eyes. I tap him on the shoulder to get his attention.
When he sees me he instantly transforms his smile, he starts looking me up and down and leans back a bit flirting with his body language. My palms get sweaty the longer I take and his buddies watch the interaction probably thinking I’m nuts. Taking a deep breath I pull my shoulders back. “Excuse me for interrupting. I just wanted to let you know, if you were a vegetable you’d be a ‘cute-cumber’.”
He doesn’t fumble or miss a beat in his response, “If I’m a cute-cumber than you can be my jar for my pickles.”
“Oh shit,” one of his buddies say busting out laughing.
I snort, “That’s the worst pick up line ever.”
He raises a pierced eyebrow, “Not much worse than your cute-cumber one.”
I feel Colin crowd in behind me, his hand landing on my lower back. The possessive posture causing butterflies in my stomach. “Sorry about that. I had to do a cheesy pick up line for the scavenger hunt.” I wave my phone at him after I hit submit.
He shrugs, “No worries. I had to do that earlier today too. I figured that’s what you were up to.” He laughs, “Big man here about had a coronary though watching me flirt back.”
Colin doesn’t move, but his hand grips my shirt pulling me into his chest. The guy holds up his hand, “Don’t worry man. I don’t swing that way, but you are definitely my type.” He throws a wink at Colin catching him off guard.
I slap Colin’s back, “Big man, do I need to be jealous here?” I fight the smile pulling at my lips as he glares down at me.
“No, never.” Is his only response to me.
“Damn. Big man really likes you.” The sandy haired guy comments. “Good luck with the scavenger hunt. We had a time of one hour and fifteen minutes. You better not waste too much time.”
Fuck. “Come on Colin! Task five is waiting,” I quickly read the next task outloud. “Video yourself in one of the public bathrooms pretending to have a massive shit, you can not be alone in the bathroom.”
Colin rubs his temples. “Fine. This is absolutely ridiculous but now I need to beat this guys time.” He points over his shoulder to sandy haired guy who is laughing.
“Thanks guys!” I take off after Colin. Too bad I’ll have to wait in the hall while he does this part. I can only imagine the noises he will be making.
He stops short of the door to the mens bathroom. “Don’t judge me for this. And stay here for the love of everything. Do. Not. Listen.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

When my best friend cons me into going on a cruise with him as his wingwoman, I didn’t expect a love at sea theme.

Add in speed dating, an insane scavenger hunt, and the sexy blind date he sets me up on and the entire trip becomes so much more than I’m ready for.

After experiencing what heartbreak can do to a person, falling in love is the last thing I want to do. Ever.

There’s just one tiny problem…

Colin Turner.

Ship Got Real is a blind date romance, part of the Love at Sea multi-author series. Get ready to set sail through the Caribbean on Festival Cruises’ most alluring voyage with eight of your favorite authors – happily ever after guaranteed!

Experience everything the Love at Sea series has to offer. From speed dating to masquerades, guests are sure to enjoy the hot days and steamy nights. Explore hidden waterfalls, swim with dolphins, and watch as eight couples find their forever on the open ocean.

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

Meet the Author:

T. L. Anderson currently lives in Wisconsin where it’s freezing cold in the winter and has five months of enjoyable weather year round. Her house is filled with constant chaos between her teenage daughter and infant son, two rambunctious dogs, a stubborn cat, and guinea pigs that keep her and her husband on their toes.

Since the age of three, she has loved reading and creating her own stories in her mind. Now her passion has developed into a career. After earning a certificate from the Children’s Institute of Literature she decided it was time to put the multiple characters in her head onto paper so she can share their stories with the world.

She’s the author of multiple novels which include new adult, romantic suspense, and paranormal reverse harem.

She has a slight obsession with doughnuts, coffee, and dinosaurs. When she’s not writing you can find her lurking on social media looking for new books to read, taking care of her mini-zoo at home, or having her nose stuck in a book.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |