Close Up Magic by Michelle Garren Flye - Virtual Book tour and Magic Gift Basket giveaway

This post is part of a Virtual Book Tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michelle will award a Magic Gift Basket, including a copy of "Magic for Dummies" by David Pogue to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US only), and one commenter at every stop will win a $5 Amazon GC. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Michelle chose to share five things with us that we might not know about her. How many of them can you identify with?

Five Things About Myself You’d Never Guess

I’m a pretty open person. What you see is what you get. But like everybody else in the world, there are hundreds of things about me you’d never guess. Here are five of them:

1. I’m a total introvert. I love people, but being around them wears me out. Even the people I’m closest to have to back off and let me be every now and then. Being in a room full of strangers is a nightmare for me.
2. I don’t like dogs. I’m a cat person. You’d never guess this because I OWN two dogs (that I love) and am currently catless. But as a rule, I’m not a dog person at all.
3. I still get crushes. Yep. I’m forty-three years old, have three kids and have been married (to the love of my life) for eighteen years, but I still get crushes. Of course, my hubby doesn’t have anything at all to worry about because my crushes are mostly on characters in books, movies and television. Christian Bale’s Batman, for instance. Captain Jack Sparrow. Castiel in Supernatural. They can all make my heart go pitter-pat. And serve as inspiration for my heroes!
4. I can’t swim very well at all and I don’t foresee myself learning. It’s too embarrassing admitting I can’t swim and floundering around in the pool while somebody tries to teach me.
5. I’m not a good employee at all. I’m conscientious but I tend to get to the point where I think I know more about how to run a business than my boss does. I know this about myself, but I can’t seem to fix it. I work best when I work for myself. At least then there’s nobody but me to blame!

So that’s it. Five things about me you’d never guess! Here’s a bonus fact: This was one of the hardest articles I’ve had to write in quite a while.

Do you believe in magic?

Reporter Stacey Matthewson has made a living writing sensational stories that knock celebrities off their pedestals. Now she's got a hot lead on an even hotter magician who's mystifying Las Vegas with his new show--the problem is, she's had a crush on him for years. How can she write a story that might ruin him, especially when he proves himself to be so much more than she'd ever dreamed?

Magician Andre Hawke has a knack for making things disappear, but when it comes to his brother's drinking and gambling, he's got a problem. Hiring the sexy reporter who threatens to blow away his carefully wrought illusion might be the answer to his problems...or she might bring on a whole new set of them.

Stacey’s never believed in magic, and Andre doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Can passion overcome their inhibitions, or will betrayal stem the tide of love?

Now enjoy an excerpt:

Stacey’s heart gave an odd thump, but she was prepared for that, too. She’d watched countless videos of his stage performances on Youtube, and she knew his reputation for womanizing. The Great Andre--on stage and in the sack, evidently. She summoned her best flirtatious smile, but his next words caught her off guard enough so she faltered. “Who exactly are you and how the hell did you get back here?”

She’d paid off a security guard but he didn’t have to know that. “I snuck in. I wanted to catch you before the show.” She fluttered her eyelashes and lowered her gaze, on cue as usual.

“Are you here to see the show, then?” He didn’t release her hand, his eyes intense on hers when she looked back.

“Of course I am.” She shot him a smile. “I can’t wait, actually. I’ve been a fan ever since I saw you at the Clemson Theater in New York a few years ago.”

“I remember that show.” His smile widened, revealing perfect teeth for a moment before softening again into a sensual curve, and his gaze flickered to her mouth.

“It’s obviously taken you to bigger and better things.” Her chest felt tight and she found it hard to breathe. Was he going to kiss her? Dear God, she felt paralyzed. Was this really just desire or did he actually know enough magic to hold her immobile while he considered whether or not to kiss her? Or did she want his kiss so bad she was willing to sacrifice what was left of her career to get it?

Michelle Garren Flye is the award-winning romance author of five novels. Her most recent novel, Where the Heart Lies, has been described as an “engaging novel with charming and likable characters” and a story that “will make you believe in love and second chances.”

Michelle placed third in the Hyperink Romance Writing Contest for her short story “Life After”. Her short stories have been published by the romance anthology Foreign Affairs, Opium.com, SmokelongQuarterly.com and Flashquake.com. She has served on the editorial staffs of Horror Library Volume 1, Horror Library Volume 3, Butcher Shop Quartet, Butcher Shop Quartet II and Tattered Souls.

Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the mother of three and lives in North Carolina with her husband and their rapidly growing collection of pets.

Connect with Michelle Garren Flye online:

Website: http://michellegflye.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Garren-Flye/132688623422175
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michellegflye
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Garren-Flye/e/B006QG88WY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1