Interview and Giveaway with Carly Phillips

Maidens!!! We are so excited to have here today the very talented and New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips!
Hi Carly, welcome to UTC! We are very excited to have you here today!

Thanks! I’m thrilled to be here.

Most readers are familiar with your name, but how about we start with a few quirky things about yourself that readers may not know.
I like to change my hair color often, I have a strange obsession with my dogs, and I’m lost without my three hour stretch of afternoon ABC soap operas.

Being an avid reader yourself, what book have you recently read that blew your mind and why would you recommend it?

Sylvia Day’s Bared To You – two complex and emotionally damaged people who are so painfully bad for each other and yet who need each other so badly … I loved it. Coming off Fifty Shades of Grey – similar themes, so very well written! Yay, Sylvia!

You've had an impressive and long writing career. What advice would you giving aspiring authors?
Aah. I gave this advice just yesterday - Tune out the static around you or you will go insane. You can control the book you write, and very little else in this business, especially early in your career. Later, you can't control sell thrus and Wal-Mart taking or not taking your book, etc. So just ENJOY and don't lose sight of the love of writing. It's easy to do! Enjoy the roller coaster ride that is publishing!!!!!

If you could spend the day in the shoes of one of your heroines, who would it be and why?

Oh snap, so easy! Any one of the Jordan sisters in The Hot Zone Series because they get to be around hot athletes all the time!

Can you give us any hints about what to expect from Dare and his old crush Liza in Karma?

Dare … when he falls, he falls hard. He’s more complex than you’d know at a glance, he’s protective in a way that makes my heart beat faster, and he’s tormented by his past – and how Liza and her relationship with her brother is a constant reminder. He hast to get past that in order to move on.

Which one of the heroes in Serendipity do you find to be your favorite? The bad boy millionaire, the lawyer or the cop?

I think … oh bad question. Which of my kids is my favorite? But I won’t defer to that old standby. I have a soft spot for Ethan – mostly because his brothers didn’t and he just wanted to be loved and accepted. I always felt for Nash because as much as people didn’t understand him, he didn’t really understand himself or the world around him – but he learned. Then there’s Dare – whose protective streak really got to me. Does this help?

In your Lucky trilogy you write about brothers that have been cursed and basically can't fall in love. How did you come up with that idea?

Actually they were cousins :) I remember batting around the idea for this story with my critique partner, Janelle Denison, at an RWA National conference one summer. It was at the height of the paranormal frenzy and though I didn’t want to go there, I wanted to find a way to make reference to the idea – what if there were such a thing as a curse – or is a curse really just a self-fulfilling prophecy? Add the wacky uncles … and I had my stories!

Your series center around small town romances. What do you think is the appeal of those stories?

It’s funny. I think I’ve always written small town romances – but until I pitched THE TOWN of Serendipity, nobody saw my books that way. Except for the Hot Zone series that centered in Manhattan, I’ve done small towns. Why? Because small towns are fun to create, to set characters and tone, to make come alive. And I think readers can relate to small towns because many people have lived in one at one time or another. If not, we’ve all had crazy relatives, which I’ve also done many times. Not so much in Serendipity, where we get more real angst and past drama – with touches of lighter moments thrown in.

Do you plan on writing Tess's story in the future?

I think readers are going to insist on Tess’s story – assuming I figure out how to age her at the right time!

What's next for Carly Phillips?

I’m currently working on the next Serendipity trilogy – spinning off from Karma – based on the police officers of Serendipity. First up, Cara Hartley and Mike Marsden (Sam Marsden in Karma’s brother); then Erin Marsden (sister) and then finally Sam gets his happily ever after!
Perfect Fit – February 2013
Perfect Chance – September 2013
Perfect Together – February 2014
That's very exciting news, I love those characters already so I can't wait to read the books!

N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips has written over 30 romance novels with contemporary characters and small town settings that today's readers identify with and enjoy. She’s a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom to two daughters (16 and20!) and two crazy dogs (a 1 year old Havanese named Brady and a 4 year old wheaten terrier named Bailey). In addition, she’s a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers. Carly lives in Purchase, New York and would love for you to like and follow her on the ‘Net!
Find Carly on the web:
Carly’s Website – www.carlyphillips.com
Carly on Twitter - www.twitter.com/carlyphillips
Carly on Facebook - www.facebook.com/carlyphillipsfanpage
Carly on Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/carlyphillips 

New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips presents her third novel set in the quaint upstate New York town of Serendipity—where fate, fortune and love intertwine…

Police Officer Dare Barron has had a crush on Liza McKnight ever since he was a teenager. But despite his lifelong attraction, the closest he’s ever come to interacting with her is watching Liza regularly bail out her brother at the station. Dare’s dark past with Liza’s brother, Brian, has always kept him from pursuing her.

But suddenly Liza finds herself in need of protection and Dare appoints himself as the man for the job. And while the sizzling attraction between Dare and Liza draws them together, the past that Dare and Brian share threatens to keep the two apart forever.

READ OUR REVIEW

 

One lucky maiden will receive their choice of a Serendipity backlist title – Serendipity, Destiny, or “Kismet” (eBook only) – and Carly goodies! US ONLY.  Courtesy of Berkley.
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ARC Review: Karma by Carly Phillips

Karma

by Carly Phillips

(Serendipity # 3)

So it's official, Dare is my favorite Barron brother.  He always seemed like the most carefree of the three and then in the last book we find out something a bit dark in his past that has haunted him and has influenced the man he's become and the things he's had to experience and endure.  Guilt for things he really had no control over has been eating at him.  And in a roundabout way, the girl that he's always had a crush on is at the center of that.  That would be Liza McKnight.

Liza has been enabling her alcoholic brother her whole life and he continues to be an irresponsible mess.  Dare has to struggle with his hatred for her brother and his disapproval of how she handles him.  But there are secrets in Liza's past as well and reasons why she does what she does.

Dare is such a straight up guy, so strong and just one of those guys that when he is in the room he undoubtedly draws your attention.  A few years younger than her, this sexy cop might be just what she needs to finally let herself go.  Their relationship had to overcome some pretty hard obstacles and it didn't happen overnight, but I liked that they didn't fight their attraction because of those things.  They gave in to it and explored it.

Liza on the other hand is a very strong heroine and I have to respect her for that.  She's had to make some tough decisions in her life, dealth with parents that were not the most stellar.  It's hard for her to BE loved.  But once Dare is in, he doesn't hold back in showing her what it's like to not be alone.  Of course, minus one minor mishap in which I might've wanted to bash his head. 

Another thing I love about Ms. Phillips books is the fact that we always see more of the rest of the family.  The two couples in the previous books are still very much a part of this story, as well as Tess.
I am definitely looking forward to seeing more about the characters from this town in the upcoming spin-off series. 

*ARC provided by publisher

 

Purchase Links: Amazon  

Review: Destiny by Carly Phillips

Destiny

by Carly Phillips

(Serendipity # 2)

The Barron brothers are all so hot!  Nash is no different.  He's a lawyer now, and the one who still holds the most resentment towards his brother Ethan for what he did.  But now that Ethan and Faith are on their honeymoon he doesn't mind trying to get close to his half sister Tess.  And if that means spending more time with her sister Kelly, then he won't complain.  He's been attracted to her since she came into town.

Nash has trust issues.  He's been lied to and betrayed many times so it's understandable where those feelings come from.  He's also very stubborn and set in his ways, which is one of the reasons why his previous marriage didn't work out.   But he's making an effort to open up and he wants to do it with Kelly.  He trusts her and is comfortable with her out of the bedroom, and in the bedroom well he can't keep his hands off her.

Kelly on the other hand is struggling with having to hide something from her past.  It is something that could potentially make her look bad, but I just wanted her to come clean sooner.  She does have a lot of personality and is a very likeable heroine.  And hiding the issues aside, she's perfect for Nash.  Something his ex-wife wasn't.  And while I'm on that subject, I was a little thrown off by the fact that his ex-wife ends up being Kelly's BFF, there's something just wrong about that dynamic!

Together, Kelly and Nash make an explosive couple, lots of sweet moments, lots of smexin' and in the end, even after the new developments in the family dynamics, I feel they are a tighter unit.

I loved the side characters as well.  Some of the old, some new.  Of course I am most curious about the last Barron brother.  I can't wait to see what's in store for him! 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Kismet by Carly Phillips

Kismet

by Carly Phillips

(Serendipity # 1.5)

We met Lissa in book one where for most of the book she was bitchy to Faith, the heroine of Serendipity.  Her career as a journalist seemed to be going nowhere and she had divorced her cheating husband and was now a single working mother.

I was not expecting to like Lissa.  I'll just put that out there.  So starting from that point I have to say she was a completely different woman in this short story.  I honestly felt for her and her situation.  She didn't come from a money family, and she dated the son of the high school janitor while in school.  All was fine until they have a huge fight, break up, and she gets comfort from her ex-boyfriend...And just happens to get pregnant.

Now fast forward ten years, she married the guy that knocked her up but she was miserable the whole time.  He cheated on her, treated her as less than, until she finally got the guts to leave him.

Then Faith comes along and her career takes off!  So now her next assignment is to interview successful young men in the area.  And Trevor Dane is up.  Yes, you guessed it.  That was her high school sweetheart, the son of the janitor.  He went on to do something great with his life and now that she's free, she might hope to get another chance at that spark they always had.

And sparks they have!  I think these two are such a cute couple, I can't say it enough.  Trevor is just to die for, Lissa is very likeable when she's with him.  And they just worked for me.

This story, even though short, was very sweet and very sexy.  I was glued to it until I finished it and then wanted more!  Can't wait to read book 2 now!

Release Date: November 16, 2011

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Serendipity by Carly Phillips

3.5 Feathers

Serendipity

by Carly Phillips

(Serendipity # 1)

If you like small town contemporaries, this one is a good start to a new series.  I felt like comparing it to the Tumble Creek series by Victoria Dahl (even though I liked that series better than this one book). 

Ethan was the bad boy in high school, who came from the wrong side of the tracks.  After the death of both his parents he left town.  Left behind his two brothers as well.  He went on to the military and is now a very successful military weapons designer with his own company and lots of money.  So it's now time for him to go back to Serendipity to make ammends with his brothers for leaving them the way he did.

He happens to buy the house that he always wanted.  Faith Harrington's childhood home.  Faith was the beautiful cheerleader that he always had a crush on.  Now her father is in a big mess because of bad business decisions and the house is for sale.

Faith had also left town, gotten married, and later on went through a bad divorce.  She is back in Serendipity to start over.  Not as the rich girl but a normal person.  She wants to be seen as herself not her father's daughter.

Fate puts them back together and both their youth crushes come rushing back, now with their positions reversed.

But there's a curve ball.  A long lost half sister comes out of nowhere and is dropped on Ethan's doorstep.  None of the brothers knew of her existence and I thought the whole situation was a bit unrealistic how she was just dropped off and then how their relationship was handled at the beginning.

It will be interesting to see how his relationship with his brothers develops.  What Ethan did abandoning them was not right and I think he should make up a bit more to them for that.  But I can't wait to read the other brothers stories!

Purchase Links: Amazon