Happy Monday Folks!

Today the temperature reached a whopping 96 degrees in NYC. It’s partly the reason why I’m late getting this post up. SOOOOO HOOOOOTTTT. 🔥🔥🔥 I’ve also been trying to fix the date for this post, but it’s automatically set for July 3rd. I guess it’s a sign I should’ve waited until tomorrow. Ha. 

Anyway, I meant to get the post up yesterday, but I was recovering from a wicked hangover. LOL, I AM A MESS. A fun mess though. Many thanks to those of you who shared my post for the Sarah MacLean Giveaway last week! I selected a winner a little while ago! 

This week’s featured author is thebomb.com. Megan and I bonded last year at RWA Nationals on the dancefloor. She was bustin’ a move alongside me as “It’s Raining Men” blared from the sound system at the RITAs afterparty. Of course, a friendship was forged. How can you not bond over a glorious song? She’s also from Brooklyn, so there’s the “New Yawk” connection. Learn a little about this fantastic lady!

Take it away Megan…

I always find author interviews kind of boring. We only get to see one side of an author, the polite side. If you had an evil doppelganger, what detail would they enjoy revealing about you to the public that people would find surprising and possibly questionable?

I am super-judgey. I see things flow by on social media, and I always have an opinion about it. I usually do not share said opinion, because I find when I do that my opinion is (of course) skewed by my subjectivity, and there’s usually another side to something. But if someone says something, chances are way better than good that I have judged it within seconds of reading it.

Also, I loathe cold shoulder tops, it makes me crazy when people leave travel books out for others to take (because if it’s Visiting Prague 2009 it’s not going to be very helpful now, is it Gary?), and I get frustrated when chefs say to swap in whatever you feel like. Look, you’re the chef, I’m just following directions. Don’t tell me to make my own directions, that’s why you’re here.

Was there any insight you had that, looking back, put your writing career on a different trajectory?

I honestly don’t think so. I wish more people had bought my women’s fiction title (Vanity Fare, w/a Megan Caldwell), so that I could have kept writing in that genre. But that’s just bad timing, I guess, and not anything under my control. I do wish I could keep to a consistent writing schedule, but that’s just what every author* thinks.

*Except Nora.

What do you do to recharge your batteries?

Movies, books, and being alone.

Would you rather live life with no inhibitions or live life with no stress?

NO STRESS. Oh my god, I so wish I were less anxious. Not gonna happen in this lifetime.

When you were a kid, what did you think your current age would be like?

Settled, and it is totally not.

Finish this sentence: Life’s best lessons are ___________.

Written by friends.

If you had the opportunity to co-write with any author (dead or alive) who would you choose?

I would pick someone who could plot. I’m trying to think who that would be–my favorite authors are super-voicey, so we’d just step on each other’s toes if we tried to co-write. I can’t plot worth a damn, so I’d like someone to tell me what to write–kind of a writing Dom, as it were. I’m not sure who that would be, though.

What are your top three favorite Romance novels?

ACK! Can anyone answer this and not immediately think of dozens more that would work?

The Notorious Rake by Mary Balogh

Sheltered by Charlotte Stein

Think of England by KJ Charles

What are some of your favorite social media accounts to follow?

My favorite social media accounts either teach me things about history (@medievalpoc, @drapedinhistory,@kateStrasdin), politics (@Celeste_pewter, @RacismDog, @TheRickWilson, @waltshaub ‏@cameron_kasky ) or are just fun (@darth, @Fangirl_Musing ‏@EvansBeard ‏@MidCenturyMenu ‏@dog_feelings ‏@dog_rates @SICKOFWOLVES )‏

*Harper sneaking in here. FYI, these are all Twitter accounts.

If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?

This sounds awful, but I’d probably clean more. It drives me crazy that there is so much clutter and dust in my house, yet I seldom have enough time, with a day job and after-work writing.

**Bonus Question**

Ever tried BDSM? If not, would you?  

LOL, Megan opted out of this one, peeps. 😂

Bio:

Megan Frampton writes historical romance under her own name and romantic women’s fiction as Megan Caldwell. She likes the color black, gin, dark-haired British men, and huge earrings, not in that order. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and kid. You can find her at meganframpton.com, at facebook.com/meganframptonbooks, and @meganf.

Books:

Activate your one-click finger and pre-order Megan’s forthcoming book The Lady Is Daring out on 9/25! 

Happy Monday Party People!

It’s a beautiful day in NYC, which means it’s a perfect day to make a Historical Romance fan happy! 😁

Last week, you may have spotted this picture of Sarah taken by moi on social media. 

I snapped the photo after a panel event at the Strand Bookstore. If you’ve attended book events, then you know publishers and publicists prefer to go home empty-handed. No one wants to carry extra stuff home. Since the poster board sat against a pillar feeling sad and neglected, I asked Sarah if she’d sign it. She happily obliged and I told her I’d give it away on the blog, so here we are! I suspect the poster board is super happy it didn’t end up in the trash, or in a dusty closet never to be seen again, LOL. 

Want to win it? 

All you have to do is tell me the name of your all-time favorite Romance comfort read in the comments below! I’ll randomly select a winner next Monday. Now, all that’s left for me to do is to find something big enough to fit this thing in so I can ship it!

**If you are chosen as the winner, you will be asked to provide your full name and mailing address. You will have 24 hrs from the time I reach out to you follow up with your information. If you do not respond within 24 hours, I will select another winner. 

***Please only enter if you genuinely want to win this lovely poster board. I want it to find a home!

Happy Monday Folks! 

It’s a blistering 91 degrees in NYC today! I guess summer decided to show up a few days early. Since we didn’t exactly get to experience spring, I have the feeling summer is going to last super long (I’m talking mid-October long). Booooo! Climate change is no joke and our seasons are all screwed up because of it. Ugh. Sadness. So much sadness.

Okay, now that I’ve totally cramped your style with my depressing observation, lol allow me to make you smile with today’s author spotlight. Falguni is a fellow RWA NYC Chapter member!!! She’s such a lovely lady, and you should learn a little about her.

Take it away Falguni… 

I always find author interviews kind of boring. We only get to see one side of an author, the polite side. If you had an evil doppelganger, what detail would they enjoy revealing about you to the public that people would find surprising and possibly questionable?

Besides my tendency to be snarky, I’m mostly clueless about the absolute awfulness that goes on in the world. I stay away from politics and current events. This is by choice. I dislike getting irked and worked up about things I cannot control or change. I think this cluelessness about current affairs irritates people, especially when I look at them blankly when they’re all up in arms about the new nonsense going on in the world and want a reaction from me…which considering all of the above, I cannot give them.

What’s the one activity that fills you with joy?

Besides reading? Dancing, be it Indian Classical or Ballroom or Latin or Zumba. Moving my body to music instantly puts me in my happy place.

Are you motivated by competition with others?

Yes. And keeping it on the healthy side is damn hard. I also compete with myself. My current book has to be better in every way from my last one.

The virgin hero trope in your Romance reads, yay or nay?

Five words: James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser of Outlander fame. So, of course, yay. Also, hubby and I were both…ahem. Yeah, so personal experience and testament also says, yay. TMI? 😲

True or False statement: Nobody will ever care about your books as much as you do.  

False. So many others care so much! From my family to my readers to my editor. This is one of the reasons I kill myself to create better and better stories. I feel I have a responsibility not only to myself but to them as well.

What’s one of the best or more worthwhile investments you’ve ever made? It doesn’t have to be money. It could be time, energy, anything you’ve invested into that gave you a tremendous return on your investment. 

Can I say my kids? They make me so tremendously proud every single day. Also, my dog. He’s the best emotional investment I’ve made. Better than my kids, actually. LOL 

If peanut butter wasn’t called peanut butter, what would it be called?

Nutty Delight

What’s the most imaginative insult you can come up with?

To borrow from Shakespeare: You are the plague sore inside my armpit

Toilet paper, over or under?

Over. Under. Whatever. It just needs to be there when I need it.

What do think you are much better at than you actually are?

Parenting. *sigh* I keep thinking I haven’t broken them and they’re both adults now—or one is and the other will soon be. That’s a win, right?

**Bonus Question**

Ever tried BDSM? If not, would you?

😲 IRL no. I am definitely not the type for either dominance or subjugation. I’m a centrist, remember? I like things balanced. Equal give and take. If we’re talking about writing a story, then maybe since I like to write unconventional stories, and I like to genre hop.

Bio:

Falguni Kothari is the author of unconventional love stories and kick-ass fantasy tales. Her novels, most recently MY LAST LOVE STORY, are all flavored by her South Asian heritage and expat experiences, and delve into themes of marriage, love, friendship, family and parenthood. Her books have been reviewed and praised in a number of publications, including the New York Times Book Review which said, “Kothari poses a fresh conceptual question about marriage and love.” 

She is also an award-winning Indian Classical, Latin and Ballroom dancer, and currently spikes her endorphin levels with Zumba. While she resides in New York with her family and pooch, she can be found online at FalguniKothari.com and on various social media. She is @AuthorFalguni on Instagram and Twitter, and @FalguniKothariAuthor on Facebook. Get the latest updates at bit.ly/FKMailingList.

Additional Social Media Links:

Goodreads

BookBub

Books:

Activate your one-click finger and grab Falguni’s latest novel, My Last Love Story at the following retailers:

https://books2read.com/MyLastLoveStory