That April in Santa Monica by Melody DeBlois 💕 Fun Facts, Book Tour & Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (Contemporary Romance)

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

That April in Santa Monica by Melody DeBlois 💕 Fun Facts, Book Tour & Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (Contemporary Romance)

This blog post contains affiliate links. Click Here for details.

Madison receives acclaim for running a talent agency for people with disabilities, but she doesn't know how to take care of herself. When her altruism becomes life-threatening—a matter of either develop healthy habits or die—she joins a reality TV show that pairs her with hot, raven-haired Brandon. He is witty, sexy, and her teacher. That makes him off limits.

After a successful run on a soap opera, Brandon stepped away from empty fame and now focuses on his work as TV's most noted health teacher. He has one fast rule—never fall for a student. But when he meets Madison, their chemistry is combustible. There's no hiding their conflict or their attraction, especially when it's all caught on film.

I got the idea for That April in Santa Monica while watching a reality TV show. The host taught yoga and other Ayurveda principles to a student suffering from some ailment. The man was very good looking and well-built and nice too, but staunch in his beliefs. I wondered what would happen if he fell in love with a student who was his direct opposite.

Without a clue where my question would lead, I started the first chapter during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I’d get up each day at 4 AM and write until my brain shut down, usually around two in the afternoon. The experience was liberating. I felt free. At the end of the month, I had written 55,000 words.

Something strange happened while working on the many drafts of the book. I found myself chewing my food slower and eating more vegetables. I exercised more than usual and struggled along with my heroine to meditate. I had just the same problems Madison had and ended up writing from firsthand experience. When she bought new yoga outfits, I had to shop for some as well. After a while it dawned, as she’d improved her lifestyle, so had I. By the time I finished writing the book, I had never felt better. And with each edit, I found myself being influenced again by Madison and her road to healthier living.

Another little tidbit; when I had gotten three-fourths of the way through the initial draft during NaNoWriMo, I decided I wanted to insert some of the hero’s POV (point of view). I started back at the beginning and added Brandon’s thoughts and soon realized I liked the book much more. Much later, I submitted the manuscript to The Wild Rose Press, and they accepted it for publication. During the editing process, I found out I had to write at least two pages in the hero or heroine’s head before switching POVs. This caused a lot of additional words. Now I know better. In fact, it’s become almost automatic to stay two pages in one POV.

Not many people know how many times the name of the book changed. It started out being I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your face. When I submitted it, the title was Balancing Act, but The Wild Rose Press had published that title previously, so I came up with That April in Santa Monica, and it stuck.

“Okay,” he said, stretching forward on his mat and lying on his six-pack of a belly.

She lay opposite him, turned her face, and rested it on her mat, shutting her eyes. “Maybe I’ll just chill for a spell.”

“Not so fast. Now lift the upper part of your body in cobra position.”

“Say what? You want me to impersonate the national snake of India?”

He was opposite her on his mat so that they were facing one another. A little too close. Her heartbeat? So not at ease. He began to demonstrate, the show off with his spectacular pecs and deltoids oiled and coconut-scented. If someone snapped his picture, they could put it in a how-to book. A perfect pose, no less.

“You can do this, Madison.”

There it was, all that confidence he had in her—much more than she had in herself. She edged forward off the mat and groaned as she lifted her upper body.

He gave her instructions. “Weave the spine back and forth. Straighten your arms. Breathe. Widen your chest. Breathe. Raise your collar bones and look at the sky. Breeeaaathe. That’s it!” Was he staring at her cleavage? “You’re getting the hang of it.”

She didn’t have the strength and collapsed; her face buried in the beach. She came up spitting pebbles from her mouth. “Laugh at me, and I’ll make you pay.”

He brushed the sand from her cheeks with the balls of his fingers. “I wouldn’t think of it.”

Born in California, award winning author, Melody DeBlois follows the sun. When she isn’t swimming laps, she’s writing sweet and sassy romances. Her heroines are self-reliant and smart and her heroes are kind by nature and love dogs. She lives in California during the summer and spends winters in Arizona with her husband. She has plotted her novels while hiking the beach or trekking across the desert. Her most treasured possession is family.