Saturday, December 10, 2011

Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: The Girl Most Likely by Jana Richards

Today we're welcoming author Jana Richards to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the contemporary romance, "The Girl Most Likely".


Remember, Jana is giving away a $20 GC to The Wild Rose Press and a $20 Amazon GC to randomly drawn commenters during the tour. 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 earn a GC to buy more books. It's win-win.

And now, without further ado, please welcome Jana who's here today to talk about the hero and heroine of her story.


The Characters in “The Girl Most Likely"


Cara McLeod is the heroine of “The Girl Most Likely”. She’s a woman who has definitely had ups and downs in her life. In high school she was one of the popular girls. Pretty and athletic, she was captain of the cheerleading squad and a member of the student government. After graduating, she married Peter, her high school sweetheart, and for many years lived a charmed life. At least that’s what it looked like from the outside.

But on the inside, Cara is constantly afraid of losing everything she has. In high school she devotes herself to being one the ‘in’ group not because she has a burning desire to be the most popular girl in school, but because she wants to please her mother. Cara desperately tries to live up to her mother’s expectations in order to win her approval. But no matter what she does, it’s never enough.

Her marriage to Peter starts out fine, but over the years cracks begin to appear. Again, Cara finds herself desperately trying to please someone else. Finally, on her 40th birthday, Peter tells her he no longer finds her attractive and he wants a divorce. To rub salt in her wounds, Peter begins dating a succession of skinny, much younger women.

So, when the story opens, Cara is at her lowest point. She’s divorced, overweight, and a single mother, raising two teenage daughters with issues of abandonment resulting from the divorce. After being out of the work force for many years, she finally manages to get an entry level job at a TV station. The job is okay, but it’s not going anywhere; she’s basically a gopher – go for coffee, go for lunch – you get the picture. And then she gets the invitation to attend her high school reunion and her whole life changes.

Enter Finn Cooper, physical trainer and the hero of “The Girl Most Likely”. Finn first meets Cara at her TV station where he’s a guest on the noon hour local events show. He’s immediately attracted to her and thinks she’s beautiful just the way she is. He’s impressed with her poise and grace under fire. Not being terribly smooth with women, Finn offers Cara a coupon for a free consultation at his gym, not knowing any other way of seeing her again. Unfortunately, Cara interprets the coupon as meaning he’s only interested in her as a client, and that he thinks she’s fat.

You see, Finn doesn’t have a lot of experience with women. Up until five years ago, he was obese and unhappy. When his doctor tells him on his thirtieth birthday that he could have a heart attack before he turns forty, he completely turns around his life. He begins exercising and eating better, eventually losing one hundred and twenty-eight pounds. He changes careers as well and becomes a trainer, dedicating himself to helping others lose weight and become healthy.

When Cara comes to him for help in losing weight for her reunion, he’s thrilled. He turns his schedule, and his life, upside down to spend time with her and her daughters. It doesn’t take long before he falls head over heels in love. But Cara doesn’t feel the same way. She can’t get over him being eight years younger. How can he convince her he loves her just the way she is? And how will Cara react when she learns his secret?

Jana here. Thanks for letting me visit with you today on your blog and to talk about two of my favorite people.



Cara McLeod, the girl most likely to have the perfect marriage, is now divorced and, in her own words, “fat, frumpy, and over forty.” The thought of facing former classmates—and the ex-husband who dumped her—at her high school reunion terrifies her. Cajoled into attending by her kids and her best friend, Cara enlists help at the gym to lose weight and look great for the reunion. Personal Trainer Finn Cooper is more than willing to help—but does he have to be so to-die-for gorgeous?

Finn thinks Cara is perfect just the way she is. She’s everything he wants in a woman, except for one thing—she can’t get past the fact that he's eight years younger. To Finn, age and weight are just numbers. But can he convince Cara the numbers she worries about add up to only one thing for him—love?


Jana Richards has tried her hand at many writing projects over the years, from magazine articles and short stories to full-length paranormal suspense and romantic comedy. She loves to create characters with a sense of humor, but also a serious side. She believes there’s nothing more interesting then peeling back the layers of a character to see what makes them tick.

When not writing up a storm, working at her day job as an Office Administrator, or dealing with ever present mountains of laundry, Jana can be found on the local golf course pursuing her newest hobby.

Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren, along with two university aged daughters and a highly spoiled Pug/Terrier cross named Lou.

Website: http://www.janarichards.net
Blog: http://janarichards.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jana-Richards/157005711005866

12 comments:

  1. I do love that your heroine is just an average person... reacting in much the same way as we all would! Makes her someone I'd like to read about.

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  2. With the issues Cara has, it's good she finally finds someone who can help her work through everything and help her get her life on track. Jana, thanks for the great time I've had following you around the past 2 weeks. I've bookmarked your website and hope to visit with you again soon.

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  3. It's great that Cara gets a second chance at love with Finn. It's too bad that they had a kind of misunderstanding when they first met. Thanks for the blog tour.

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  4. I know a lot of women who have these same insecurities when faced with the prospect of a high school reunion. The premise of the story sounds so authentic! Thanks.

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  5. What great, complex characters you've written, Jana. I'm hoping to start reading The Girl Most Likely tonight, as soon as I get the Christmas tree up!

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  6. It's so great to hear of stories about "real" women (and men). Definitely going to add to my TBR list! Thanks.

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  7. Mysti, thanks for joining my tour! I hope Cara feels real because her reactions to facing her high school reunion are much like mine would be, insecurity combined with determination.

    Karen H, I so appreciate you following me around on this tour. It's been a real pleasure to meet you!

    Joanne, the Last Rose of Summer line at the Wild Rose Press is all about second chances for older heroines. Those of us of a certain age definitely deserve our second chance.

    Catherine Lee, thank you for commenting. I'm glad you found the premise authentic. I certainly tried hard to make it that way!

    Jannine, so great to see you here! I'm hoping to read your third book in the Class of '85 series over the Christmas holidays. Thank you for stopping by.

    MomJane, thanks for commenting on my blogs and for your kind words. Very much appreciated!

    Jana

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  8. Jana,

    Imagine meeting you here.

    Nice post. Can't wait to read the book!

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  9. Thank you for a great tour. I have loved learning about you & your works. I know I will enjoy THE GIRL MOST LIKELY.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  10. Margo,
    Great minds think alike! Now I'm headed over to read your guest blog today.

    Jana

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  11. Mary, it was wonderful meeting you. Thank you so much for following me on this tour.

    Jana

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