Friday, June 22, 2012

Virtual Book tour & Giveaway: The Patriot Girl by Toni Lynn Cloutier


Today we're welcoming author Toni Lynn Cloutier to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her contemporary romance novel, The Patriot Girl.   You can read our review of it here.

The author will be awarding prizes as follows:
1 - $10.00 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour
1 - $10.00 Amazon gift card "Stalker Prize", randomly drawn from those commenters who comment on each Blog stop during the tour.
Note: All WINNERS have the option to have a personalized word search puzzle created by the author! See FREE STUFF at http://www.tonilynncloutier.com/ for sample puzzles.

So comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

I asked Toni what things she MUST have in a romance to make it great.  Here's what she said:

1. Suspense – because it keeps the reader wanting to turn the pages. Whether it be a secret or a stalker, there needs to be something the reader looks forward to learning about the character or the plot as well as learning the reaction of the other characters in the story.

2. Easy vocabulary – because you don’t want your reader to stumble over a word and become distracted from the story.

3. Independent Heroine - The hero is there to protect her and satisfy her emotionally. She can handle herself physically when he’s not around.

4. Tension – both emotional and sexual. Emotionally, I want to yell at the heroine/hero and tell them “S/he loves you, stop thinking like that.” And sexually, I look forward to that moment and sigh, thinking “Finally.”

5. Sense of humor – I enjoy characters that can make me laugh. I think laughter in any relationship is SOOO important.

6. Happy Cry – the best cry, for me, is one where tears are flowing as I read while verbally saying.. “Awww…that’s so cute.”

7. HEA – of course, the Happy Ever After. I want the author to give me that excitement knowing after all these characters had gone through, love prevailed and they will be together forever!

What do YOU have to have to make a romance story satisfying?



MaKayla Adams has always been curious about the wild side of life. Making love with her late husband wasn’t exciting, and she never could understand the big deal…until hunky nightclub owner Dustin James hires her as a public relations consultant. His touch arouses feelings she’s never known, and his kiss tempts her to cross the line between business and pleasure.

Dustin doesn’t remember the car accident that put him in a coma three years ago, but since his recovery, he’s pushed his own needs aside to be a single father to his young daughter. When MaKayla offers to help publicize his country nightclub, however, she ignites deeper feelings he can’t ignore.

But there is more than mutual attraction between MaKayla and Dustin—there is a shared past connected to her husband’s death. Will the truth bring them together or tear them apart?

The youngest of five children, Toni was born and raised in Rhode Island. After graduating East Providence High School as a member of the Rhode Island Honor Society, she held several jobs from accounts receivable to billing before attending Rhode Island Associates of Realtors. She has a wonderful husband and is a stay-at-home mom to their teenage son. She is the author of two educational word search puzzle books. Her week is filled with writing romance novels and listening to country music while cleaning house, rearranging furniture, and playing with the cat they adopted from the shelter.

You can learn more about her and her work at:
http://www.tonilynncloutier.com/
on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/authortonilynncloutier
or on twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/ToniLCloutier

24 comments:

  1. A comprehensive list of must haves for a romance. A sense of humor & a HEA are absolute musts for me.


    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Marybelle,

      A sense of humor in anything is a MUST for me. Can't take life too seriously.

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Thanks for setting up a great week! Hardly believe it's coming to an end.

      Delete
  3. Hey, MJ,

    Thanks for having me today. And thanks for the review.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the great interview. Gale
    pgan427@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Gale,

      Thanks for stopping by! Glad you enjoyed the interview.

      Delete
  5. Toni Lynn...I love your elements for a great romance. I laughed at the "easy vocabulary." I think that about names. I don't like when authors choose unpronounceable names that I'm continually stumbling over as I'm reading. LOL. And definitely, I need an independent heroine and humor.

    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL..I read to get away so I hate the big words were I have to actually use my brain for something!

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  6. I HOPE SOMEDAY TO READ YOURS TONI!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you do one day. Be sure to stop by my website to let me know what you think.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  7. What a great list of must haves in a romance. A sense of humor is a must for me.
    This book sounds fantastic. Can't wait to read it. Thanks for the blog tour. It was a lot of fun.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Joanne,

      Thanks for following all week. It was fun! A sense of humor in LIFE is a must for me!

      Have a great weekend! WOW...this week went by fast.

      Delete
  8. I used to steer clear of the "happy cry," since I didn't want to cry AT ALL, but now I'm starting to see its place. Gotta have the HEA, though!

    vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  9. For me tension is an important part, because otherwise the story get's borring.
    I laughed at the easy vocabulary but must admit I appreiciate that point, since I mostly read in english, to keep in touch with the language. In a fantasy book, if the world is too complex and there are many new terms, well that makes me struggle to get through it. In a romance I like a sense of humor in the characters and to have some plot to with it.

    Are you planing to write more m/m romance books? I read any kind of romance, so I'll have to look up your short story.

    I had a fun time follwing your tour, have a great weekend and happy sales!

    Jibriel.O(at)web(dot)de

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, without tension it's boring. That goes for me as the author as well. If I'm bored writing, I KNOW my reader will be.

      As for my alter ego (www.reneeashleywilliams.com), I'm working on a m/f/m short story. Check out her website to learn how that m/m came about.

      Thanks for following all week. Have a great weekend, too!

      Delete
  10. I love reading stories that make me smile, more if they make me giggle. All the stories I read must have a HEA.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you read a book lately that made you giggle you'd recommend? I just finished a book and need something else to read.

      It must have humor!

      Thanks for following all week. Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  11. Thank you for the blog tour, I didn't notice that you also wrote m/m romance, I'll have to check it out!

    As to what a story should have, well I like interesting characters, that one can relate to, humor is good, but I don't always requiere it in a romance, though I love romcoms. One that made me giggle is by Ethan Day(Sno Ho), it's a m/m novel, but since you write m/m, I figured you might give it a chance.

    Good luck with your writting career, I'll hope to see again on a blog tour!

    moonsurfer123(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Anas,

      Thanks for following all week.

      I'll check out Ethan's book. Not sure if I could read an entire m/m novel. When it comes to the erotic genre, I like the short stories..KyAnn Waters is a favorite.

      Have a great weekend.

      Delete
  12. Thank you, MJ, for having me here today!

    Thanks to everyone who came to visit. I will post the winners on my website as soon as I can.

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great list.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete

So... inquiring minds want to know: what do you think?