More Than This by Shannyn Schroeder - Virtual tour and Giveaway

Today we're visiting with author Shannyn Schroeder on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the contemporary romance novel, "More Than This".

Shannyn will be awarding a 15" x 12" Pampered Chef flat baking stone (similar to the one her heroine uses) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US only). She'll be awarding a Keeper Kase (to keep your autographed book cover flats in) with an autographed cover flat from "More Than This" to one commenter at every stop (US only), so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner above, 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 book!

Shannyn opted to be exceptionally brave and share five things about herself we might not otherwise know. The floor is yours, Shannyn.

1. I have never read Pride and Prejudice. Sometimes, especially in the romance community, I feel like this is sacrilegious. This book is held up as the mother of all romance, and not only can’t I say I love it, but I haven’t even cracked it open. Even though I was an English major, I never liked British Lit—any of it. Maybe if I went back and read it now, I might like it, but I just can’t make myself do it.

2. I’m a terrible housekeeper. You’ll hear a lot of writers talk about how they let housework slide while under deadline. I let it slide all the time. Even in the days before I had kids, I hated housework, so unless I absolutely have to do it, it ain’t getting done. We pay someone to clean our house twice a month. She’s cheap and good, and the bonus is that whenever she comes, I force everyone to de-clutter and get rid of the crap. That expense will be one of the last to go if we need to cut back on things.

3. Although I love to bake, I rarely eat much of what I make. If I bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies or brownies, I’ll often only eat one or two. For me, the comfort is in the process of baking, not in consuming the product. I like what I bake and some of the cookies I will indulge in more, but not often.

4. I’m socially inept, but hide it well. I honestly think I missed a developmental step as a kid. Maybe it’s because I’m shy or maybe it was because I was a latch-key kid and spent a lot of time by myself (my brothers don’t count). I have to mentally prepare for being around people and remind myself what is expected. For instance, I might run into a mom I know from my kids’ school. As we walk by each other she’ll say hi and ask how I’m doing. I’ll answer with a hi and say I’m good and keep going. A couple of steps later, I realize I probably should’ve asked how she was. When I’m prepared, I mentally practice how I should respond, so I don’t offend people, but it doesn’t come naturally.

5. I love popcorn. This is my all-time favorite snack. I used to do the microwave popcorn because the pot and oil was too much of a hassle, but the microwave stuff is gross after a while. You can’t eat it cold and then there’s all the concern about chemicals. A few years ago I bought myself a hot air popper and now I eat popcorn a few days a week. I big bowl of buttery popcorn, my remote, and DVR and I have a great night in.

When a lonely teacher teams up with a handsome bartender for some outrageous acts, they both get more than they bargained for…

Learning her ex-husband is going to be a father, Quinn Adams is determined to have a baby of her own—without the partnership of a man. But her sister and friends believe she needs to focus on herself first, and step out of her comfort zone by completing a list of adventures. Challenge number one is to go on five dates within two weeks. After a few disastrous attempts, Quinn’s ready to give up—until sexy bartender Ryan O’Leary offers his assistance.

Ryan has always been the dependable one in his family, often at his expense. But lately, he’s been longing for a life—and a woman—of his own. The woman he has in mind is Quinn. Though it seems all she wants is friendship, Ryan can’t ignore the explosive chemistry he feels between them. In the hopes of becoming closer, Ryan offers to help out with Quinn’s list. But when she asks him for a serious favor, he’s afraid it will jeopardize his chance to become more than friends.

“What’s up? Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“It’s only been a week.”

“I’ve gotten used to you stopping by more often.”

“I’ve been working. The end of the year is a busy time.” This was the third time she’d seen him since the kiss, and he’d said nothing.

“What’s this?” He tapped her calendar.

I guess we’re still ignoring the kiss. “I’m trying to choose the best day to play hooky.”

Ryan’s laughter rose above the noise of the milling crowd. “You need more help than I thought. Sweetheart, a hooky day isn’t something you plan. You just do it. You don’t think about work. The day is supposed to be fun.”

Quinn groaned and thumped her head on the table. “I can’t do that.”

“Didn’t you ever cut class?”

Quinn raised her head. “No. Perfect attendance all four years. Eight if you count college.”

His crinkly-eyed smile returned. “Oddly, I’m not surprised by that fact. If you’re not comfortable with it, why are you doing it?”

“Remember the list Indy and Kate created for me last week?” You know, the night you kissed me senseless one minute and moved on to a bimbo the next?

He nodded and she continued, “The first item on the list is to play hooky.”

“Playing hooky should not be stressful. Everyone does it. Lighten up. Pick a day and have fun. Your students will survive without you. Most of them have played hooky and can appreciate it.”

She slammed her calendar shut. “Okay. Monday it is, then.”

He shook his head again. “Not quite spur of the moment.”

“Hey, I’m a work in progress.”

Shannyn Schroeder is a former English teacher, who now works as a part-time editor while raising her three kids.

Even though she wrote from high school through college (mostly poetry), she’d never considered a career as an author. Writing fell by the wayside as she focused her energy on creating lesson plans and new and fabulous ways to torment her teen students. One group in particular dubbed her “The Torture Master,” a title she carried into motherhood.

After the birth of baby number two, Shannyn resigned from teaching and fell in love with reading romance novels. She read so many books so quickly that her husband teased, “If you’re going to read so many damn books, why don’t you just write one?”

So she did.

That first book is safely buried on her hard drive, but the process set Shannyn on the path to professional author. She came to reading romance later than many, but lives for the happy ending because real life can be depressing. She writes contemporary romance because she enjoys the adventure of new love.

In her spare time, she loves to bake cookies and watches far too much TV, especially cop shows. She is recovering from her Diet Coke addiction, fears putting her foot in her mouth on social media, and has a renewed appreciation for the bad girls of the world.

Web site: http://www.ShannynSchroeder.com

Twitter: @SSchroeder_