Spotlight & Giveaway: The Neonatal Doc’s Baby Surprise by Susan Carlisle

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Susan Carlisle to HJ!

Hi Susan and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Neonatal Doc’s Baby Surprise!

 
Hey there everyone!
 

Tell us about the book with this fun little challenge using the title of the book:

T is for tender
H is for happy
E is for experienced

N is for need
E is exceptional
O is for operation
N is for need
A is for
T is for tears
A is for attraction
L is for love

D is for date
O is f or ocean
S is for swimming

B is for beach
A is for Atlanta
B is for babies
Y is for you and me

S is for southern
U is for understated
R is for ravenous
P is for pool
R is for reality
I is for irresistible
S is for Sydney
E is for eating dinner
whooo I’m going to ask for a short title next time

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Amanda Longstreet pulled her large suitcase behind her as she exited the Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, Australia. The heated air touching her skin put the winter weather of Atlanta, Georgia, well behind. She enjoyed traveling but she had never gone this far.

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book.

Lucius is a world renowned in vitro doctor who is known for taking on the difficult cases and being successful. His entire life is focused around his work and he has little time for a personal life. A smile is a rare occurrence for him.
Amanda is game for adventure. She knows her business as a neonatal nurse and suffers no fools. She loves to laugh and makes friends fast.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The characters are involved in a professional swap between two in vitro clinics, one in Atlanta, Georgia, and one in Sydney, Australia.
• Amanda talks Lucius into being the person having the pie thrown at him in a pie throwing contest.
• Lucius lives where he has a great view of the Sydney Bridge.
• He surprises Amanda with a chance to hold a koala.

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

Lucius likes that Amanda challenges him.She speaks her mind and doesn’t let him get away with closing himself off from people. Because of her he learns to smile at life.
Amanda loves Lucius tenderness with woman and babies. He is strong and confident even in a difficult situation. He is a compassionate doctor with a large heart for his patients.

The First Kiss…

They are swimming in a sea pool when a baby squid joins them. Amanda squeals and jumps into Lucius’s arms . They look at each other and then there is the kiss…

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

When the y are walking through the neighborhood would be the scene I would pick.

“I really don’t mind driving.” He hadn’t walked any distance at one time in years.
“I’d like to walk. It lets you see things you wouldn’t when you’re riding by. I want to really see the neighborhood.”
“All right.” Lucius figured he wasn’t going to win the argument. From the sound of it, her mind was already made up. He quickly learned that she had a tendency to do that.
Strolling down the driveway, they soon reached the sidewalk. They passed a few people. A couple jogged by while others walked their dogs. To his surprise Amanda spoke to each one. After their initial surprise they returned her greeting.
“Why do you do that?”
“What?” Amanda asked over her shoulder as she looked through the gate of a home.
“Speak to everyone?”
She shrugged and joined him again. “Just being friendly, I guess. It’s what we do at home. We make eye contact when we come up to someone then we speak. I thought everyone did it.”
He grinned. “You’re shocking my neighbors.”
Her eyes widened and she cocked her head to the side in surprise. “Really? Should I stop?”
“No, they’ll recover. It sounds like a nice habit to have.”
She grinned. “They call it a ‘southern thin’.”
“I thought maybe you were going to tell me it’s an ‘Amanda thing’. He found there were a number of things he considered special about her.
“I wasn’t gonna say that.” She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“Gonna? I like the way you phrase things. Your accent, and the slow why you speak. Somehow it’s soothing.”

If your hero had a sexy-times play list, what song(s) would have to be on it?

Anything by Micheal Buble. His voice is smooth and lets a woman know a man understates her. Songs by Percy Sledge.. I know Percy is going way back but when he sings “When a Man Loves a Woman”…
Turn the lights down and a woman will eat it up.

If you could have given your characters one piece of advice before the opening pages of the book, what – would it be and why?

I would tell them that often hardship is followed by unbelievable happiness but you have to work though the hard times.

What are you currently working on? What are your up-coming releases?*

I’m currently working on a Christmas story that takes place in a charming historical town in north Alabama. It includes a town coming together with carolers, a river flotilla and other community events. The heroine is a timid but caring doctor but fearless when it comes to emergencies. The hero is the father of a little boy who wants to give him the life the hero didn’t have as a kid.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One print copy of The Neonatal Doc’s Baby Surprise

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Excerpt from The Neonatal Doc’s Baby Surprise:

AMANDA LONGSTREET PULLED her large suitcase behind her as she exited the Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, Australia. The heated air touching her skin put the winter weather of Atlanta, Georgia, well behind her. She enjoyed traveling but she had never gone this far. Twenty-two hours in a small seat flanked by two strangers hadn’t been as much fun as she’d envisioned, but still the excitement of coming to Sydney grew within her.
SHE WAS COUNTING ON the destination making up for the discomforts of the flight. The Piedmont Women and Baby Pavilion, where she worked back in Atlanta, would have probably paid for a first-class ticket for her, but she was too practical to ask. She’d much rather see the money spent on helping a couple wanting a baby.
Making her way across the street to the pick-up area, she remained mindful that in this country they drove on the opposite side of the road. Some people called it the wrong side, but it really wasn’t—it was just different. She located the sign for airport pickup and stood beneath it, waiting for her car to arrive.
She scanned the area and harrumphed. Dr. Kirri West had told her Sydney was an amazing city. So far it looked like any other big airport.
Jet lag was no doubt affecting Amanda’s attitude. Given a few days, and a chance to explore, she’d surely agree with Kirri’s opinion. Right now, all she wanted was to get to her apartment—home for the next six weeks—and crawl into bed.
Still, excitement sizzled in her. She anticipated checking out the city, but only after she’d had some rest and started her job at the clinic. After all, the experience of working at the Harborside Fertility and Neonatal Centre had been the reason she’d come here.
Sighing, she looked up and then down the paved area. Where was the car? Her contact at the clinic had said there would be one coming for her. She was past ready for it to arrive.
Patience wasn’t her virtue. More than once her mother and friends had told her that her life plan wasn’t the be all and end all of existence. That she should lighten up a little.
Even with that advice in mind she’d tucked into her purse a list of things she wanted to do and see in Sydney. As a child, she’d been just as focused on her goals. She had a plan for her life. So far she’d remained on track. In every aspect but one.
Amanda pushed her hair out of her face. Having the chance to work with Kirri had been a real pleasure, but to be under the tutelage of Kirri’s brother would only help Amanda rise in her profession. She’d heard enough about Dr. Lucius West from Kirri to know he was a focused and exacting doctor, who had little time for anything but his work. He sounded like a doctor who liked things done by the book. They should get along well.
Where was this car? Was she waiting in the wrong place?
Amanda checked the sign once more. She paced down the sidewalk and then back again, squinting into the sunshine. Had she misunderstood the instructions?
A few minutes later, to her great relief, a black car with the clinic’s logo on the door pulled to a stop beside her.
She smiled as the driver climbed out.
“Ms. Longstreet?” A ruddy-faced, heavy-set man came around the back of the car.
“Yes.”
“I’m here to pick you up.” He pushed a button and popped the trunk lid, taking her luggage.
“I’m glad to see you.”
He gave her a brief smile, stowed her suitcase in the trunk, and then opened the passenger door. While she settled in he quickly returned to the driver’s seat, and they were soon moving.
She shivered. The air-conditioning blasted cold air. At least it would help keep her awake long enough to get to the apartment.
A swift movement outside the car caught her attention. A blond-haired man with long determined strides was hurrying toward the car. He carried a satchel over one shoulder and pulled along a small overnight bag. His suit jacket was slung over one arm and his tie had been pulled away from his neck. It lay twisted and askew, as if he had done it in frustration.
Her heart jumped.
Dr. Lucius West. She recognized him from her internet research on the Sydney clinic.
He raised his hand and the driver pulled to the curb. After a rapid tap on the front passenger window the driver lowered it. Dr. West glanced at her with tight-lipped agitation. He said to the driver, “I’m Dr. West. I expected you thirty minutes ago. Why are you late?”
Amanda sighed. She was too tired for this drama. Maybe Kirri hadn’t been exaggerating about her brother.
“Yes, sir. I was on my way to you.” The driver nodded his head toward Amanda. “I had another pickup to make first.”
Dr. West didn’t wait for the driver to get out and open the door for him. Instead he deposited his bag in the front seat and joined her in the back. Amanda quickly moved across the seat, fearing that if she didn’t he would sit in her lap. The space shrank with him inside. She hadn’t expected he’d be such a large man.
In addition to that unsettling fact, his pictures hadn’t done him justice. He was far better-looking in person. A sliver of silver at his temples in his wavy blond hair shimmered in the sunlight, giving him a distinguished look. One that meshed with his reputation and position. On one of the websites she’d seen he had made the shortlist of most eligible bachelors in Australia. Amanda wasn’t surprised. She couldn’t help but be awestruck and stare.
“You are…?” he demanded as he settled in, holding his satchel in his lap.
“Amanda Longstreet.”
Dr. West studied her for a moment. His eyes were a deep blue, like the ocean, instead of bright blue like his sister’s. There were creases at the corners and telltale dark smudges below. Had he been on a flight as long as hers?
“You’re American.” His words were flat, as if he were determining a diagnosis.
“I am.”
Why didn’t he recognize her name? Hadn’t he been told she was coming?
He continued to study her, as if trying to pull up something that was filed away in his mind.
He nodded slowly. “Ah, yes, I remember now. You’re the clinical nurse specialist in the exchange program. Kirri mentioned you.”
He should remember, since he had been one of the doctors to start it. His clinic and the clinic where she worked were two of the most prestigious and innovative in their care for mother and baby, with a special emphasis on infertility issues. Dr. Lucius West, along with Dr. Sawyer, the head of her clinic, had decided during a conference that a staff exchange to share information would be productive for both clinics. Kirri had come to Atlanta for six weeks and now, it was Amanda’s turn.
She gave him her sunniest smile. “Yes, that’s me.”
He continued to watch her. “I’m Lucius West.”
“Yes, I know. You resemble your sister.” And she had ogled his picture on the computer screen more than once. “It’s nice to meet you.”
The opportunity to work with the world-renowned Dr. Lucius West would be the honor of a lifetime. Although Kerri had warned Amanda that her brother could be difficult. She had already started to see signs of that!
“Mmm.” His attention remained on the electronic tablet he’d pulled from his satchel. “I’m sorry, I have work to attend to.”
“I understand.”
She did. He was the head of the clinic and she knew he must have many demands on his time.
*
A short while later Lucius glanced at the pretty woman huddled in the seat corner with her arms across her chest and her eyes closed. Was she asleep?
He’d forgotten all about the person coming from Atlanta for the staff exchange. It had been mentioned during one of the recent staff meetings, but he’d been checking his emails, only half listening. He’d paid no mind to the date and time of her arrival.
Not that it really mattered, but he had expected a man. Although the gender of the person was of no consequence, since he had little to do with the staff in Labor and Delivery. If he remembered correctly, that was where she would be assigned.
Giving her a closer look, he found her attractive enough, with short brown hair, clear skin and a faint tan. Her figure of full curves instead of bony angles enhanced her appeal. She wore little make-up—but that might be because she’d been on a plane for hours.
Further testimony to how drained she must be feeling was in the dark smudges that shadowed her eyes. Those green eyes which had brightened when she’d realized who he was. All in all she made for an interesting package—if he had been looking for one.
Despite her clear anticipation of working with him, he doubted he’d have much contact with her during her visit. He spent most of his time on the in vitro side of the clinic—not where she would be working. He did follow a few cases from start to finish, but there were many others on the staff who handled ninety-nine percent of the deliveries.
It would be awkward when she woke. He couldn’t remember her name…
Amanda. That was it.
He mentally rolled the name around for a second. Had he ever known an Amanda? Not that he could remember.
He looked at her again. Her hair curtained her face. In her sleep she slumped further into the corner, with her chin falling to her chest. She appeareduncomfortable.
Leaning toward her, he eased his arm around her back, pulling her upright with gentleness until her head rested on his shoulder. She released a small sigh and settled against him.
He returned to his electric pad to review his emails.
A stack of work always awaited him. He liked it that way. His work was his life. He had a major part to play in making great medical advances in infertility. Once he’d tried to have a life outside the clinic. But what had that gotten him? A shattered marriage and a disillusioned heart.
Amanda snored softly. Lucius smiled.
He was tired as well. The trip home from Melbourne after a three-day conference and a return flight delay had been topped off when his ride hadn’t been waiting for him. It hadn’t left him in the best of humors. Disruption of his timetable was a constant irritation. That must have shown in his manner. He undoubtedly hadn’t made a good impression on his visitor.
The driver was making excellent time through the city’s afternoon traffic. It wasn’t long until he pulled up in front of a small apartment complex in a neighborhood Lucius didn’t know well.
“Why are we stopping here?”
“This is where your young lady gets out.” The driver looked at him in the rearview mirror.
She wasn’t Lucius’s young lady. He hadn’t had one of those since his ex-wife had walked out on him.
Lucius cupped Amanda’s shoulder and shook her. “Amanda, wake up. You’re here.”
“Uh…?” Long dark lashes fluttered upward.
The action mesmerized him. He hadn’t reacted to a woman like this in years. Not since the early years of his relationship with his ex-wife. Amanda’s eyes were the green of tree leaves in early spring. And there was a sparkle in them even though she’d just awakened.
“What’s wrong?”
Sleep had made her voice a little coarse. Sort of sexy.
He swallowed. That wasn’t a thought he should be having about a woman he’d just met.
“Nothing. We’re at your place.”
Her unfocused gaze met his and he watched as reality dawned on her.
Her cheeks turned pink as she pushed at her silky hair and quickly straightened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”
“Hey, I’ve made that flight to America. I know what it takes out of you.”
He gave her a sympathetic smile. Now that his sister had moved there permanently he would be going a lot more often.
Amanda returned a weak one. “That doesn’t ease my embarrassment.”
“No reason to be embarrassed. We’re at your apartment.”
Lucius opened his door to climb out. Grudgingly, he conceded that her appeal grew with her confusion. Most of the women he met never appeared ruffled, or would never admit they were. He found Amanda’s obvious mortification utterly charming.
Not to mention her lovely accent…
*

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

A Miracles in the Making novel

From temporary fling…

…to baby bump!

Labor and delivery nurse Amanda is in Sydney for work, not to be distracted by “the baby whisperer”—neonatal specialist Dr. Lucius West. But Amanda loves a challenge—especially an intriguing, handsome one. Their fiery clashes in the OR soon turn into passion in the bedroom. But there are consequences to Amanda and Lucius’s insatiable desire…and they’ll have nine months to face them!
Book Links: Amazon | B& N | iTunes | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Susan Carlisle’s love affair with books began when she made a bad grade in math in the sixth grade. Not allowed to watch TV until she brought the grade up, Susan filled her time with books. She turned her love of reading into a love of writing romance. Susan has currently authored more than twenty-five books for the HarperCollins Harlequin medical imprint. Her Modern Masters of Their Castles trilogy is under her own imprint. Her heroes are strong, vibrant man and the women that challenge them.
In her past life Susan has been a full time mother to four children, a high school substitute teacher and now when she isn’t writing she is busy being a fun grandmother. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband of over thirty-five years. Susan loves castles, traveling, sewing and reads voraciously. Visit her at www.SusanCarlisle.com
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