Spotlight & Giveaway: There’s More To It by Allie York

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Allie York to HJ!

Hi Allie and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, There’s More To It!

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

T- is for The not so fake ring for their fake relationship
H- is for he’s been in love since they were kids
E- is for everyone knowing they’re in love, except them
R- is for relationship… well, a fake one anyway
E- is for everyone finding love in the end
S- is for school girl crush

M- is for moving into a new apartment
O- is for the One that got away
R- is for reliving the past
E- is for an Exceptional kid changing his plans

T- is for The first kiss fifteen years in the making
O- is for One proposition to put them on the right track

I-is for the first I love you
T- is for Two families coming together to help one kid

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Prologue
Stevie
Summer Age 12
“You made a list?” I roll my eyes at Sebbie and hand it back.
“How else are we going to keep track of it?” He folds it up and puts it back in his pocket. Only my best friend would make a list of things to do over our summer vacation as kids.

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

Sebastian Keller is a no nonsense workaholic who has no aspirations for a personal life. Even his little brother finds him too uptight.
Stevie Summers can’t seem to get back on her feet after the man she thought she’d marry cheated. She’d struggling through life just trying to make ends meet and care for her sick dad.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Sebastian and Stevie’s hometown is where I live and while not all the setting is 100% accurate, there are several very distinct Knoxville TN details.
• My own thirteen year old helped me write Grant, the almost twelve-year-old foster child that changes Sebastian’s plans.
• This story came to me so easily and was so much fun, that I wrote the first draft in just three weeks.

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

Sebastian and Stevie were neighbors from childhood on and spent every moment together until the streetlights came on and they were called home for dinner. They’re a true opposites attract story with Sebastian planning every detail and Stevie ready to roll with the punches. As adults, their history as best friends brings them together and prove that even after fifteen years apart, they still balance each other out.

The First Kiss…

It takes them a long time and a meddling eleven-year-old to get them here. While they both think the other has them firmly in the friendzone, one forced date night proves to be too much chemistry and one thing leads to another.

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

Probably the moment they reconnect. Sebastian has dinner delivered to his new apartment and Stevie happens to be the one delivering.

I have to look like a freaking fish, opening and closing my mouth over and over. Brown hair, hazel eyes, that face that not even time can make me forget. “Holy shit! Sebbie?” Talk about a blast from the past. I look the man in front of me up and down. The last time I saw Sebastian Keller, he was eighteen, gangly, and had acne, and I was madly in love with him. The Seb in front of me is definitely not a kid anymore. He’s at least six-foot with a chiseled jaw for days and is rocking the gray sweatpants like a porn star. There’s definitely dick print there. And I’m not unimpressed. Oh, my god, stop looking at his junk.
“Stevie. Wow.” He breaks our mutual silence, and my eyes snap up from perusing his body. Face. Yes. Focus on his face. Hazel eyes, a little stubble, a swoop of dark hair on his forehead. Yup. Still Seb standing there.

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

I can’t imagine Sebastian having a playlist for this, or anything really. He’s WAY too… Sebastian for that. Stevie on the other hand would totally put on some cheesy sex music. I can see her throwing on some Pony by Genuine, I’ll Make Love to You by Boyz II Men, or Magic Stick by 50 Cent and Lil Kim.

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

Stop being stupid and tell him/her how you feel.

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

Next I have a seven book series of short, steamy, blue collar romances coming starting in August.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One winner will get a $10 Amazon gift card and an ebook copy of All Geek To Me, book one in my hilarious Words for Nerds series!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What is your favorite single dad romance? Why do you love it?

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Excerpt from There’s More To It:

I close my eyes and rub my temples. There is no freaking way this man is saying what I think I just heard. With a deep breath, I open my eyes and blink to clear my vision. “Okay. First of all, how did you find me?” The dog I’m walking, Brutus, pulls on his leash, and I start walking, leaving Seb behind me. No, not Seb; his alter ego, Sebastian Keller in a suit and freaking tie. I am not okay. We stayed up all night texting, which is not something I’ve done since college. Then he texts saying he needs to see me, I don’t answer, and he shows up on my walking route. He’s here, looking like a present I want to unwrap in a black coat, black suit, white shirt, black tie, and his hair combed to GQ perfection.
“I went by your house. Your dad told me the route you take and where you’d be at this time. I drove until I found you.” He tucks his hands in his pockets and hurries after me. Oh great, he showed up to see my dad dressed like he’s worth a million dollars. He is, but that’s not the point.
“And you want me to do what?” Surely, I heard him wrong and there is no way he just said…
“Be my girlfriend.” He finishes for me. “Or fiancée if you prefer. That might look better actually.”
I stop again, and Brutus whines. I meet Seb’s hazel eyes and see the crease between them. My fingers itch to smooth it, but I grip the leash tighter. “So you can?”
“Foster the boy we spoke about last night, Grant. I came to get him hot chocolate last night. He’s in the system, and his family is having twins. They can’t keep him after the babies come. He’s getting older, and it’s harder for older kids to get placed.” The crease deepens as he speaks.
“And why do you need a girlfriend? Or fiancée?” Brutus reminds me that I get paid to walk him, not stand, and I start moving.
“Because,” Seb runs again to catch up, “it looks better to have stability. I talked to Mom and Dad and Mercer. They’re supportive, and I have people to write me character references, and I’m obviously financially stable enough to care for a kid, but they want a nurturing home life, and the attorney told me having a partner looks better. Since I’m straight, that means a girlfriend, and I thought of you first.” Seb sighs. “I signed up for classes, and I don’t want to let Grant down. He’s never lived anywhere more than six months. That’s no life for a kid.”
I have said yes to a lot of crazy things in my life. I said yes to moving out of state alone for college, I said yes to my ex, I said yes to jumping out of a plane once, and I said yes to coming back. But this yes is the craziest yet. “Yes.”
“What?” Seb chokes out. The word sounds like Brutus’s squeaky toy.
“I said yes, but I have no idea when I’m going to find the time for being your girlfriend. I walk dogs in the morning, work at the coffee shop during the day, and then do deliveries at night. That doesn’t leave much time for fake relationships.” I love his dedication to this kid and doing something amazing, but I have to think about myself—and myself means a lot of bills.
“I have that covered as well. I called and paid for your father’s home care for the rest of the year. With his permission, of course. If that’s not enough, I can take care of something else to mean you can cut back your hours. Call it a favor for a favor. Your dad was on board with everything.” He’s so nonchalant about paying for thousands of dollars of services. My heart stops beating in my chest, and my lungs quit working too.
“You what?” I can barely talk.
“I took care of it. He said it was pretty expensive and could be prepaid. I was worried you’d get upset about it and accuse me of trying to make you a charity case again, but he assured me it was his care and he’d love for me to help. I don’t mind. It was worth it whether you said yes or not. He was always like a second father to me, and I’m glad to do it. I wish I’d known how hard you were working to make ends meet. I’d have helped sooner.” We make it back to Brutus’s house, and I open the gate and unhook his leash. Seb looks so honest, again, and I can’t even be mad. I can be embarrassed though.
“You didn’t have to do that. What if I said no?” My heart is trying hard to work, but it’s having a hard time. The relief I feel is tangible.
“Then I did something nice for a good friend. Talking to your dad for a while was worth every penny.” Seb unclenches his fist then reaches for my hand.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Book Info:

I’m Sebastian Keller and I’m a workaholic. Multi-million-dollar companies don’t run themselves and I work hard to keep mine at the top. Befriending a kid was never on my agenda, but the second I set foot into my new apartment, he’s there to show me the ropes. When his foster family can’t keep him anymore, my choice is clear. The only thing I need to make him part of my life is something money can’t buy. A girlfriend. I’m Stevie Summers and I’m barely scraping by. I was on the right track. I had a fiancé, a job, and a degree. Until my fiancé cheated, and my mom died. Now I’m back at home scrambling for work and trying to pay my dad’s bills. I can forget about my love life entirely. Until a blast from my past comes into my life with an offer, I’d be stupid to refuse. Play his girlfriend. In return, he pays the bills. I’d be stupid to say no, and even stupider to fall in love.
There’s More To It is part of the Single Dad’s Romance series, a multi-author series of standalone novels. Seven single dads, all from different walks of life and doing the best they can to raise their children – are ready to make you fall in love.
Book Links: Amazon |

Meet the Author:

I’m a mom, wife, and dog groomer by day. At night I write contemporary romance. I love funny dog videos, I read naughty books, and drink too much coffee.
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