Joyfully Yours By Amy Lamont Blog Tour. Interview with the author and a Fabulous Giveaway.

Synopsis:

A musician and a priest walk into a grocery store—singer Faith Leary thinks this is a better opening for an off-color joke than a recipe for romance, until she finds herself ogling Father Michael in the checkout line the day before Thanksgiving.

When Father Michael first steps in to bail Faith out of her financial jam, Faith thinks she’s being picked up at the grocery store. Right up until she catches sight of the black shirt and tab collar. Since not much in her life is going her way lately, it doesn’t come as much of a shock when Michael turns up at her mother’s Thanksgiving dinner. What does come as a surprise is the attraction that springs up between them. If only he weren’t a priest, he would be perfect for her.

Faith’s sister finds Father Michael attractive, too, and she’s making no bones about it. Scenes from the Thorn Birds flitting through her head, it comes as a relief to Faith to find out Michael is not exactly what he seems. It’s good news until she realizes her sister is a far better match for him than her screw-up self could ever be. But if that’s true, why does Michael insist on seeing only the good in Faith, no matter how often she falls short of her too perfect sister?

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Author Bio:

Amy Lamont writes contemporary and New Adult romance about quirky heroines and hunky heroes. Over the years she’s had some jobs she loved (working as a program coordinator for a non-profit animal rescue), some jobs she liked (freelance writing), and some jobs she hated (her experience as a waitress has turned her into the excellent tipper she is today). But nothing gives her greater joy than writing romances that pack an emotional punch and come with a guaranteed happily ever after.

Amy lives in New England with her husband, twin daughters, and two rescue mutts. She loves chatting with readers. To get in touch, visit her at www.amylamont.com.

Contact Links:

Website: http://amylamont.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.lamont

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Amy_Lamont

Interview:

I’m so grateful to the Aspired Writer blog for having me here to chat about my new holiday novella, Joyfully Yours!

1. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I always love holiday stories, so I’d been kicking a few different ideas around for a while. One day, Faith, my heroine, showed up in my head and wouldn’t leave me alone. It took a little longer for me to figure out who to pair her up with. But finally I asked myself, who is the last person on earth I can imagine Faith ending up with? And that’s the day Michael took up residence in my imagination.

2. What genre does your book fall under?

Joyfully Yours is a sweet contemporary romance with a holiday theme.

3. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I see Anna Kendrick as Faith. For Michael, I see Channing Tatum. But that just may be because I often have visions of Channing Tatum floating through my mind. J

4. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When a quirky musician runs smack-dab into Mr. Perfect in the grocery store checkout line, she’s not surprised to find out he’s off limits; but when he shows up at her mother’s Thanksgiving dinner, single and obviously interested in her, she must learn she doesn’t have to be Miss Perfect to be the perfect one for him.

5. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

This book is self-published.

6. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It took me about a month to write the first draft of Joyfully Yours. The second, third, and fourth drafts are another story. The first draft definitely comes easier to me than editing.

7. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I’ve always loved the anthologies of contemporary romance holiday stories, and Joyfully Yours definitely fits this mold.

8. Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Really, this book was inspired by the holiday season. I think there’s something magical about all romances and there’s definitely something magical about Christmas. I think from the moment I knew I wanted to write romance novels, I knew Christmas would play a big part in more than one of my books.

9. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

My hero, Michael, is an interesting guy. I think at first the reader might be tempted to make the same mistake Faith did, and think there’s no way he could be the one for her. But it doesn’t take long to see why she shouldn’t be with anyone else.

Guest Post:

Letting Go of Perfection

Faith Leary, my heroine in Joyfully Yours, has always felt like she pales in comparison to her too perfect sister. When she meets the hero, Michael, she sees him as perfect, too. He’s kind, generous, has great taste in music, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s not too hard on the eyes.

When she first meets him, she’s under the impression that he’s a Catholic priest. It doesn’t matter so much that he’s perfect because he’s way off limits. But she soon finds out she misunderstood, and Michael is indeed single and available to date.

As happy as she is to hear this news, Faith can’t help but think as perfect as Michael is, he could never be interested in her, the family screw-up. She goes so far as to think her sister would be a much better match for him.

Faith has to learn that nobody is perfect, not even her seemingly unflawed sister. And Michael doesn’t care about all the quirks Faith’s family complains about. She might not be perfect in their eyes, but she’s definitely the perfect one for him. Once Faith finally lets go of the idea of perfection, she’s ready for her happily ever after.

I can’t think of a better time to dive into the theme of letting go of perfection than when we’re headed into the holiday season. It seems like too often we’re running around like chickens with our heads cut off seeking the perfect holiday. We want to find the perfect gifts and wrap them perfectly. We need to plan the perfect meals and perfect holiday gatherings. We can get so caught up in making things perfect that we totally miss the best parts of the holidays.

I think the lesson Faith learns is one we can all take to heart this holiday season. Just think, if letting go of perfection helped Faith find her happily ever after, just imagine what it can do for you!

Giveaway:

One $25 Amazon giftcard plus gift bag that includes some book swag and some other holiday goodies.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link to tour schedule: