Lady Hawkeye: Book Tour {Interview & Giveaway} The Weather Girl by Amy Vastine

A themed tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome to my stop for the April Showers Book Tour for

The Weather Girl

by Amy Vastine

The Weather Girl
by Amy Vastine
Clean Adult Contemporary Romance
January 1st 2014 by Harlequin

Turbulence is in their forecast.

Summer Raines knows when it's going to rain. She can feel it. That's why the local weather girl's so good at her job. Too bad she couldn't have foreseen the tumultuous arrival of Travis Lockwood, everybody's favorite star NFL quarterback. Make that former star NFL quarterback. Sidelined back to Texas after an injury, the golden boy is trying to steal her precious on-air time. Summer is reduced to reporting from…football games. It's enough to make her quit and become a storm-chaser like her parents. She's stuck with a career that's going nowhere and a man who delights in her refusal to be charmed. Falling in love isn't nearly as easy as predicting the weather.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Harlequin

Amy Vastine has been plotting stories in her head for as long as she can remember. An eternal optimist, she studied social work, hoping to teach others how to find their silver lining. Now, she enjoys creating happily ever afters for all to read.

In September of 2012, she saw a tweet about Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write contest. She entered, hoping for nothing more than a little feedback from some people in the business. Amazingly, The Weather Girl made it into the semi-finals, thanks to the many wonderful voters out there! The manuscript didn't make it to the finals, but the editors over Harlequin were still interested. A few revisions later and The Weather Girl was contacted for publication with Harlequin Heartwarming - a dream come true!

Amy lives outside Chicago with her high school sweetheart-turned-husband, three fun-loving children, and their sweet but mischievous puppy dog.

Interview

How much of a story did you have in mind before you started writing?
First off, thanks for having me here today! Now, to answer your question - I'd have to say I had Summer's character figured out in my head before I started writing. This story went through a few significant changes, and the published version is different from what I had in my head in the very beginning. I do tend to plot out a story before I begin to write it because writing with no idea where I'm going is next to impossible for me. Things change as I write, but an outline keeps me moving forward.

Can you tell us what genre you write?
I currently write romance. Right now, I'm sticking to clean romance because it's what I'm most comfortable writing. There are no shades of grey in anything I write. It makes me blush just thinking about it!

How (or when) do you decide that you are finished writing a story?
I don't know that I ever feel completely finished. I can change things every time I read what I've written. I am my own worst critic. I always think something could be said in a better way or something could be added or taken away. I do feel good about things when I have the beginning, middle, and end the way I want it. Now that I have contracts to complete manuscripts, I'm finished when I reach my deadlines!

What are you working on right now?
I just submitted my second manuscript and am working on my third. These are two of three books I have been contracted to write for Harlequin Heartwarming . They're part of series set in Chicago about three sisters, who each find love in the most unexpected places. THE BETTER MAN is set for release in September. THE BETTER PLAN is scheduled for February 2015 and THE BETTER FIGHT is due sometime in fall of 2015.

At what age did you discover your love of writing?
I came into this a little on the late side. It wasn't until I was in my thirties that I discovered I had a passion for telling stories and that I was good enough to share them with the world. I turned forty the same month that my debut novel was released! Goes to show you that you're never too old to be a writer :)

What was the first story that you wrote?
The first story I wrote was called ANNA BEGINS, based on the song with the same title by The Counting Crows. I used to daydream about a couple who started out as friends and became lovers. Only, the hero was scared to death of saying I love you. He thought that would ruin everything, but what he didn't realize is that if he didn't take it to the next level, the heroine was going to move on with her life and find love with someone else. The basic story was good but the writing was atrocious!! I don't even think I could read it now. I cringe at the thought of all the errors!

When were you first published? How were you discovered?
THE WEATHER GIRL is my debut novel. I entered it into Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write contest in 2012. I didn't win, but I made it to the semi-finals. After the contest was over, I was contacted by two Harlequin editors and asked to resubmit after making some revisions.

What is the most difficult part of the whole writing process?
Finding the time to write is so hard for me. But when I am writing, the hardest part is raising the emotional stakes. I have a fantastic editor who has helped me think about what my characters have to lose by choosing each other. I tend to be a little too fluffy, which isn't bad but can be boring for a reader.

What writer influences you the most?
Given my genre, I think I've been influenced most by writers like Nicholas Sparks. He has a way of creating the perfect amount of emotional conflict while throwing in that sweet romance. I also love how he brings the town and the secondary characters to life. There's always more to the story than just the hero and heroine.

Where can people learn more about you?
I have been putting the finishing touches on my new website - www.amyvastine.com.

I also have a Facebook author page where I try to post things at least once a week - https://www.facebook.com/AmyVastineAuthor

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself?

I'm married to my high school sweetheart and might be freaking out a little that my oldest son is almost the same age I was when I met my husband!