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

Where the Heart Lies by Michelle Garren Fly - Virtual tour and Giveaway

Today we're welcoming author Michelle Garren Flye to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her romance novel from Carina Press, "Where the Heart Lies".

Michelle will be awarding promotional postcards from Carina Press with 10% off coupons to one commenter at every stop, and a $10 Amazon GC + a copy of Bartlett's Poems for Occasions, which inspired part of the book to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, 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 prize!

Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

I have always been a romantic, from the first time I saw Cinderella on the big screen, so I guess it just makes sense that I write romance. I want to believe in a happily ever after, not just in my books, but in real life, too. Which makes writing romance a bit of an escape for me. There’s nothing quite like watching the news and then retreating into my own world where things don’t go horribly wrong and nobody ends up sad and alone.

What research is required?

I have had so much fun with the research for my romances! My first romance, Secrets of the Lotus, was set in New York City, and I had never been there. I watched a ton of movies set in New York, used Google Earth a lot and searched the internet for interesting places to set my story in. Since then, I’ve researched Greek culture (specifically cooking and wine), vineyards and growing grapevines, professional chefs, and loads of other fun things. For Where the Heart Lies, I had to research physics because Liam, the hero, is a physics professor. I mastered quite a few fun physics “magic” tricks in the process.

Name one thing you learned from your hero or heroine.

Well, I mentioned Liam’s magic tricks… but really, I think I learned the most from Alicia, his heroine. Alicia is everything I would love to be: adaptable, beautiful, courageous and dedicated (see what I did with the ABC’s there?). She loses her husband to the war in Afghanistan, but she carries on, determined to honor his memory by carrying out his last wishes. I know some wives of military men who have had to carry on while their husbands were overseas, and I’ve always admired them for their courage and will power. I tried very hard to show this in Alicia.

Any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

I wouldn’t say I have any habits or superstitions, but I do have my little writing totems that I keep nearby at all times. If I’m stuck for something to write, I use these totems to help me through it. For instance, I have a string of lotus beads (bought for me after Secrets of the Lotus, my first novel), a rock from a famous author’s yard (Who knows? A bit of luck or magic or whatever might emanate from it), and a copy of Bartlett’s Poems for Occasions. The last one actually helped inspire a scene in Where the Heart Lies.

Plotter or pantser?

I definitely fall somewhere between these two. I always have a rough idea of where I’m going to end up but how I get there is another matter all together. I may write a scene I think will be at the beginning of the novel but find myself pushing it into the middle. In my most recent work-in-progress, I wrote a scene in the middle of the novel and ended up using it as a prologue.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

Wine spritzer. Hey, it’s five o’clock somewhere, right? Also, a phone, a to-do list that keeps getting longer, and some notes from an article I just wrote for our local newspaper.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

At this point, I have nothing new to report. I’ve got two novels I’m shopping around, and the work-in-progress that I’m polishing up, though, so who knows what the next one will be?

Do you have a question for our readers?

I would love to know what kind of romance your readers enjoy. Sweet or spicy or somewhere in between? Nicholas Sparks or Fifty Shades of Grey? Readers are the ones who will dictate what writers write (or at least what publishers will publish), and I can’t pass up this chance to find out what they’re looking for.

All widowed Alicia Galloway has left of her war-hero husband are the flag that draped his coffin and his final wishes: to move to his hometown, take over the family bookstore and enjoy a simple, quiet life with their two small children. When she arrives, her husband’s best friend makes that new life anything but simple. How can she be so drawn to Liam Addison?

Liam only intended to help Alicia get settled. But one unexpected kiss awakens his long-held forbidden feelings. Soon, the town busybodies swoop in to warn Alicia away from him. Because no matter the man he’s become, he’ll never live down his reputation as town troublemaker and wolfish womanizer.

No one wants the war hero’s sweet widow and the supposedly former bad boy together. But the more everyone tries to keep them apart, the closer he and Alicia get. And the more determined Liam is to prove he’s a changed man. Will it be enough to convince Alicia to let a new love in her life?

Liam crossed the yard in two strides, taking the hoe from her hands and turning the snake’s body over with its blade. He turned to her in amazement. “You killed it?”

Alicia nodded wordlessly, covered her face with her hands, and suddenly too weak to stand, fell to her knees in the grass. “Hey!” She heard his exclamation and the hoe hit the ground as he dropped it, then sank down next to her. “Hey, it’s okay. You did good, sweetheart.” His arms surrounded her and he pulled her first against him, then into his lap, stroking her hair and back, his hands warmer than the sun’s rays against her skin.

The approval in his voice brought tears to her eyes at the same time that his caresses tingled deliciously. She responded without thinking, putting her arms around his neck and then, because she wanted nothing more than to kiss this man who meant so much to her, she turned to him, finding his lips easily, feeling his body freeze for a moment then give in to the kiss, the wonderful, desire-fulfilling kiss that she’d longed for…

Michelle Garren Flye is a mother, writer and editor based in coastal North Carolina. She obtained her degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1992. Not liking the hours required of a journalist, she went on to obtain a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1997. When her first child was born in 2000, she packed her diplomas away and began a new life as a stay-at-home mom, which fortunately afforded her the opportunity to pursue her writing on a semi-regular basis.

Michelle has served in various capacities for several online and print literary endeavors, including Dark Recesses, edifice WRECKED, Horror Library, Butcher Shop Quartet, and Tattered Souls.

Michelle is the author of three romance novels, Where the Heart Lies (Carina Press 2012), Winter Solstice (Lyrical Press 2011) and Secrets of the Lotus (Lyrical Press 2010). Michelle also self-published a fiction book titled Weeds and Flowers for the Kindle in December 2011.

Blog: BREATHE: http://michellegflye.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Garren-Flye/132688623422175
Twitter: @michellegflye