Spotlight & Giveaway: The Goodbye Guy by Natasha Moore

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Natasha Moore to HJ!

Hi Natasha and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Goodbye Guy!

 
Hi! Thanks for inviting me today!
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

Enemies become lovers when they must work together to save her interior design show and his fire station-turned-bar in The Goodbye Guy (The Men of Lakeside book 3) by Natasha Moore.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Turbulent Turquoise or Granite Gray?
If this were her place, Rachel Bradford would paint the entire living area rich green-blue, then use gray and…purple? Yeah, silver gray and bold plum, for accents. She grinned to herself as she imagined the condo owners’ reactions. The wife might go along with it, but—save me from homeowners who play it safe—the husband would hate it.
But his reaction would sure play well for the camera.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The Goodbye Guy is like Fixer Upper meets Salvage Dawgs.
• Beckett and his daughter Holly have a little dog named Mocha. I love adding pets to my stories. I need to do it more often.
• I may have spent several hours on Pinterest studying images of tattooed guys. The things we do in the name of research.
• I had been struggling to find the right name for the heroine when one night I woke up out of a sound sleep when a voice in a dream said, “Her name is Rachel.”
• One of my favorite movies is The Goodbye Girl, and when a friend suggested The Goodbye Guy for the title of this book I squeed with excitement.

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

At first, it’s physical, of course – they haven’t seen each other since high school and the years look good on them. But when they begin to realize he’s not a cocky bad boy anymore, and she’s not the spoiled country club princess he used to know, that’s when they discover they’re attracted to the people they’ve become.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe Hero and Heroine’s love affair?

Unexpected, temporary, hot, emotional, inevitable.
 

The First Kiss…

He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. She sighed and grasped his arm where she’d been stroking. He caught her around the waist with his other arm and captured her mouth with a hungry kiss. She opened to him and they devoured each other. Aware of Holly down the hall, the moans and gasps were soft.
What were they doing? Beck was shaking when he slowly drew his mouth from hers. He rested his forehead against hers, and closed his eyes against the need reflected in hers.
When his breathing had slowed enough that he could speak, he whispered, “That wasn’t a good idea.”

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

The night on the boat scene – because this was an enemies to lovers book, I wanted to make sure there were still romantic moments…

Their shoulders touched and their elbows rubbed as they sat there and watched the sun disappear beneath the horizon, the ball of fire sending streaks of pink and orange across the sky, the reflection turning the water to fire for the few minutes the sunset took over the world.
“Gorgeous,” she murmured.
He brushed her ear with his lips. “Gorgeous.”
She turned her head and found his mouth with hers. “Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Colburn?”
His lips moved over hers as he replied. “Of course not. I brought you here to see the stars, remember?”
“That’s what you say…”
“One doesn’t necessarily eliminate the other.”
“True.” Rachel pulled back and looked up at the sky. “No stars yet.”
“Give it a little more time. Here. Lay back.”
They stretched out beside each other, cushioned by the blanket, studying the vast expanse of sky in silence. Dark blue gradually gave way to inky black and the stars began to pop out, winking, and gradually revealing patterns like the Big Dipper and Orion. Before long, the entire stretch of sky above them was covered in countless dots of lights. The moon wasn’t full yet, but its brightness was enough for him to see Rachel beside him.
“Wow,” Rachel breathed. Her fingers curled around his. “Breathtaking.”
Yeah.
He squeezed her fingers, but kept his eyes on the stars as he spoke. “I’ve thought about getting a telescope, but this is my favorite view of the sky. The awe-inspiring understanding that the universe is so much bigger than we can imagine, and we’re only a single heartbeat in the history of creation.”
Rachel didn’t say a word, but she turned her head and kissed his shoulder. Her breath brushed along his skin. The lapping of the water gently rocked the boat. He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed his lips to her knuckles.
“Beckett,” she whispered.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

The next morning, when they’ve overslept and the camera crew is waiting for them at the dock…

Sure enough, the whole crew was at the marina when they tied up at the dock. When Beckett helped Rachel climb out of the Happy Holly, Glen Cho, the camera operator, started down the dock. Stu called him back. Evidently, he wanted to get their full walk of shame down the dock. Beckett was right, they had to play this in a fun-loving way. No way was this going to be a walk of shame.
No guilt. No embarrassment.
Rachel bumped shoulders with Beckett and said, “That was fun, wasn’t it?”
His smile looked forced. “A ball.”
She threaded her arm through Beckett’s and laughed as they sauntered down the dock, putting on a show for the camera as promised. This was her job. When they reached the end of the dock, Rachel dropped her bag, threw her arms around Beckett’s neck, and laid one on him..
He chuckled, all the while still kissing her. Then he surprised her by lifting her off her feet. But as their over-the-top kiss continued, something changed. Their lips parted and feelings started to get in the way—tickles in her stomach, shivers along her skin, warmth in her chest.
Rachel pulled back before the kiss got out of hand. She didn’t need any feelings for Beckett Colburn. She flashed him a wide smile, then turned to wink at the camera. “Hi, guys. Sorry we’re late.”

Readers should read this book …

• if they love enemies to lovers romances
• if they love grown up characters who talk to each other
• if they love stories about families in general and single dads in particular
• if they love hot, tattooed, redeemed-bad-boy heroes
• if they love strong, independent heroines

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

Right now I’m working on a older woman/younger man romance. I enjoy reading this trope, but this will be the first time I’ve written one.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Digital copies of the 1st two books in The Men of Lakeside series, The July Guy and The Standby Guy, to one winner.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: The Goodbye Guy is an enemies to lovers, opposites attract, bad boy redeemed kind of romance. What are your favorite romance tropes?

 
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Excerpt from The Goodbye Guy:

“I don’t want to work with you.”
She stared at him for a moment, then turned away. “I don’t want to work with you either.” She walked the painted concrete floor looking at the walls, the windows. Her flat sandals slapped as she paced. Her hand brushed over the fire pole as she walked by.
For a moment he could see her as she’d been then, in her tiny shorts and tank top, hair up in a ponytail, hanging on the fire pole, her eyes closed, dancing to her own music. Until he’d laughed and broke the spell. She’d been his nemesis and for that brief moment he’d wished she wasn’t.
“Okay, enough,” he barked. He wasn’t going to wait around for her to start mocking his place. “I’ve just come from eight hours with a crow bar and I want to get home.”
“I’ve got a job to do,” she replied. “I want all the decisions made before the crew gets here.”
“I thought we’d have to hash it all out on camera.” Was he actually going to give in? Trust the enemy?
“Oh we will. But that’ll be after the fact. We’ll go over the important stuff again for the camera. It’ll be edited for greatest impact. It’s entertainment, after all.” She did a double take. “Are you saying you watch my show?”
He practiced a lazy shrug. “They’re all the same, aren’t they?”
“I’ll pretend you didn’t say that. Tell me what you have in mind and we’ll start there.”
He glanced at his watch. “Right now?”
“Why not?”
“I haven’t decided if I’m even doing this with you.” And Holly was waiting for him at the store.
“Can one of your brothers take your place? Then we won’t have to work with each other.”
No way did he want his brothers thinking they had to come to their little brother’s rescue because he couldn’t work with someone. He crossed his arms. “No.” If he had to do this, he’d be the one having a say in what kind of touches Rachel put on his place.
He heard the back door slam and the slap of running feet. “Dad! Are you in here?”
Damn, he really didn’t want his little girl getting involved with Rachel Bradford. Too late now. Beck turned and opened his arms to catch Holly when she threw her arms around his waist, as she did every afternoon. She was growing up so fast. Almost double digits, as she liked to say. His daughter looked past him and wriggled out of his arms. Then bounced up and down on her toes, her expression like a beam of sunlight.
“Rachel Bradford? Holy pepperoni, it’s Rachel Bradford. I thought Grandma was kidding when she said she was coming to Lakeside.”
Beck glanced behind him to see Rachel’s gaze jumping between him and his daughter. What? Was it such a surprise he’d have a kid? Or was it that he was a single dad of a young girl who wanted to open a bar? She had no business judging him.
He wrapped his arm around Holly’s waist and tugged her close. “Rachel, this is my daughter, Holly. Hol, this is Rachel Bradford.”
“Star of the Rachel Touch, I know.” Holly took a few steps forward, until she was right in front of Rachel. And then his chatterbox took off. “I’m your biggest fan. I want to be an interior designer like you when I grow up. I designed my bedroom with tulips and butterflies, like that one you did on TV. Want to see it?” Holly turned to glance at Beck. “She can come home with us, like for dinner, can’t she? And I can show her my room.” She whirled back to Rachel before he had a chance to say a word. “You’re going to love it. I know you will.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Holly,” Rachel said stiffly. “But…”
Of course, a Bradford wouldn’t want to have dinner with a Colburn, but he wasn’t going to let Holly feel it the way he did growing up. “Sweetie, Rachel just got in town. She probably has a lot of things to do tonight.”
“Do you? Do you have a lot of things to do? Do you have someplace to go for dinner, cuz my Grandma is sending us home a big bowl of chili and her chili is super good but we never can finish it all at one time so I know there’ll be plenty. And then you can see my room.”
“I’m sure your mother wouldn’t appreciate…”
“My mother died.” His daughter pulled her poor-me expression, milking it for all it was worth. “So, it’s okay for you to come to dinner.”
“Oh, oh, I’m so sorry,” Rachel stammered, and he wasn’t proud of the fact that he got a little charge out of her embarrassment.
“Sweetie…” Beck grabbed Holly’s hand and met Rachel’s gaze. He cleared his throat and reminded himself that he was an adult, and a father, and had to set a positive example for his daughter. “Of course, you’re welcome to come for dinner.”

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Rachel Bradford is finally living her dream as the star of her own interior design show. But ratings are slipping, and if she wants to save the show, she has to set an episode in the hometown she fled. Worst of all, she’s going to have to work with the cocky bad boy who humiliated her.

Single dad, Beckett Colburn plans to turn an old fire station into a neighborhood bar. He’s blindsided when he discovers his family made a deal to turn his dream into a reality TV project. He’d rather run into a burning building than work with his childhood nemesis–on camera.

But it’s not easy with a TV crew in town stirring up trouble, spreading rumors, creating buzz. Not to mention the inconvenient sudden attraction that sparks every time Rachel and Beckett fight.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Natasha Moore fell in love with the written word as soon as she could read. She started writing her own stories back in grade school and hasn’t stopped since. After suffering through too many books with not enough kissing scenes, she discovered romance, and her addiction to happy endings was born. She’s the author of more than twenty novels, novellas, and short stories, and believes that stories of love and hope are important. Love can happen at any age and she often writes about vibrant and passionate characters finding love later in life. She’s a snowbird and spends the winters in sunny Florida, missing her grandchildren but not the snow. The rest of the year she lives in beautiful western New York with her real life hero who is happy to tell everyone that he’s her inspiration.
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