Blog Tour: At Last in Laguna by Claire Marti (Excerpt, Author Interview & Giveaway)

At Last in Laguna (Finding Forever in Laguna, #2) by Claire Marti
Published by The Wild Rose Press on October 18th 2017
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo
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Alyssa Morgan has secretly been in love with her older brother Nick’s best friend, Brandt Dempsey, since she was an awkward, lonely teenager. When she catches the bouquet at Nick’s wedding, she throws caution to the wind and propositions Brandt to a two-week fling. He’s tried to ignore how Alyssa has blossomed into a strong, talented, gorgeous woman because as his best friend’s baby sister, she’s off limits.
After they share a mind-blowing kiss, Brandt struggles to fight their undeniable chemistry. His tragic childhood scarred him, but he pushes it deep inside, only allowing the world to see a wealthy, carefree entrepreneur. Forced to work together on Brandt’s latest charitable venture, Brandt and Alyssa’s passion cannot be denied. Alyssa knows he’s the one. Can she convince him they belong together?

Alyssa Morgan gripped her champagne flute in her left hand and glued her right arm to her side, fingers curled into a fist. How in the world had she been recruited for the traditional wedding bouquet toss? The last place she wanted to be was among the pack of women vying to snag a bunch of flowers.

In fact, she’d hidden in the restroom with her champagne, certain she could escape the single ladies’ ordeal. Unfortunately, Sophie Morgan, née Barnes, refused to begin the archaic ritual until her new sister- in-law could be included. The other bridesmaids hunted her down and corralled her back to the dance floor.

Fine. So here she was, squeezed into the middle of the group. She’d pretend to participate. Nothing short of a cattle prod to the back could induce her to jump up and try to obtain the unwanted prize for herself.

If you could have given your characters one piece of advice before the opening pages of the book, what would it be and why?

I would advise Alyssa not to assume that Brandt won’t get involved with her solely because her over-protective big brother Nick is his best friend. Deeper scars reside under the surface of his perfect-seeming self.

I’d advise Brandt to not to assume that Alyssa’s actions don’t stem simply from her schoolgirl crush—she’s grown up and knows what she wants.

Please share a few fun facts about this book.

Brandt’s ancestry is Irish and I spent way too much time immersed in research to find Gaelic words to name his charitable center, Tearmann House, and the computer program he developed, Garda. I was fascinated with the history and ended up reading for hours.

Alyssa uses a few different dating sites to procure a blind date to make Brandt jealous. A single friend of mine spent some time with me using her Tinder account and I almost coughed up a lung laughing at some of the profiles.

The wedding bouquet scuffle in Chapter One is based loosely upon a real incident at a wedding I attended. And, no, it wasn’t me fighting for the bouquet.

Do you intend to write your characters with certain personalities or do things “just happen?”

I make character charts, detailed down to astrological sign, favorite books and magazines, and political preferences. I tear out photos or pin photos of people who embody how I visualize my hero and heroine. Once I start writing, some characteristics change, however. The characters start speaking to me and I tweak as I go.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?

Ernest Hemingway: He’s my favorite author and I would chat with him about Paris. I also lived there and would love to compare notes.

Oscar Wilde: I just returned from a trip to Ireland and it renewed my interest in his work. I love The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Nora Roberts: Because she’s my idol and her books inspired me to write romance.

Is there anything fun you’d like to share with the readers about yourself?

My friends love to tease me about my years teaching high impact aerobics, complete with reebok high tops, slouchy socks, shiny tights and a thong leotard. I loved every minute of it!

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