Monday, December 10, 2012

Book Tour for Keeper by Surprise by Laurie Larsen (Guest Post & GIVEAWAY)


Life is full of unexpected happenings and today's featured book shows that to be true.  Keeper by Surprise by Laurie Larsen is a contemporary read full of bittersweet moments.  So keep reading to learn more about this book and comment for the chance to win promo items, as well as either a Nook or Kindle.....


I’m so excited to be visiting the world of the Scarf Princess today! Thanks for hosting me on my blog tour for my new contemporary romance, Keeper by Surprise.  I’m curious: how many scarves do you have?  And how many do you have to have, to qualify you for scarf royalty?
Anyway, the Princess has asked me to blog about the positive or negative effects of making children a big part of your romance story. It’s a very insightful topic, because I’ve heard lots of readers say that children sort of get in the way of a budding romance.  But for me, I always include children in my story.  Looking back over the seven books I’ve published, children play a key role.  Why?  My tagline that describes everything I write is “Everyday life with just a touch of worst case scenario.”  And in my everyday life, and I suppose in the everyday lives that I concoct in my imagination, there are always kids there.
My fourth published book, Preacher Man, was the 2010 EPIC Award Winner for inspirational romance.  It features a newly single mom named Regan, divorced from her jerk of a husband, facing her new life in the city with her teenage son Luke, who is understandably adjusting to a complete shift in the life that he knew as normal.  As Regan is falling in love (reluctantly), Luke is also experiencing his first romance (anything but reluctantly).  After my sister-in-law Jill read that book, she said, “You write such great teenagers.  You should write a book entirely about teenagers.”
I mulled it over, and that’s exactly what I did: I wrote a Young Adult novel about a fun, saucy girl who got her first job: acounselor at an exclusive summer camp, responsible for a cabin full of ten and eleven year old girls.  It was a hoot to write, a quick and fun read, and I asked for consultant help from my two nieces Brianna and Christina to keep my teenage characters sounding realistically teenage.  It’s entitled The Chronicles of Casey V:  OR Mental Ramblings of the Most Awesome Summer of my Life.
In my latest book, Keeper by Surprise, Keith Hanson’s life is going great: he’s finally escaped his demanding and disciplined childhood home and is living the good life away at college.  He’s in love with the girl of his dreams and his biggest challenge is getting Carly to trust him enough to push their romance to the next level.  That is, until his parents are killed in an accident.  To Keith’s shock, they leave him guardianship responsibilities over his three siblings.  Teenage Dana is a constant challenge with her rebellious attitude, and the twins are a handful.  How on earth does a twenty year old guy like Keith hold the pieces of their lives together without falling apart himself?  Enter beautiful social worker Lisa Carle who can help, but holds a devastating secret that could destroy their budding romance forever.
I hope you’ll check out Keeper by Surprise, now available in paperback and all e-book formats!

Life changes forever for Keith Hanson when his parents’ will declares him guardian over his three younger siblings. His new responsibilities are challenging, but he’s even less prepared to fall in love with Lisa Carle, a social worker with a devastating secret.

EXCERPT:

From a few chapters in when the heroine first catches sight of the hero:
The drone of a lawn mower floated on the hot summer evening. Lisa glanced towards the house and her breath caught in her throat. Oh. My. God.
The most gorgeous man in the world was over there, mowing the lawn.
Lisa paused in reaching for the door handle and slipped lower in her seat so she could spy on the hunk for a moment without being noticed. Was this the right house? She grabbed the paper and double-checked the address. Yes! It was.
Lisa took a deep breath to get her heart rate under control. Boy, it was beating up a storm! Like she had never seen a gorgeous guy before. Well, it had been a while.
His hair, a light chestnut brown, sported hints of blond highlights. But not intentional highlights. No way was this the type of male to sit in a salon seat, paying big bucks to get highlights chemically applied. He was clean-shaven and glistening from the heat of the evening. He wore only a pair of shorts, his chest bare as he pushed the mower back and forth across the lawn.
And wow, what a magnificent chest. Hair-free and muscular, he practically shone with physical fitness. Lisa squinted for a better view. This was a guy familiar with the inside of a gym. What kind of athlete was he? Not a body builder. He didn’t sport those obnoxious over-done muscles. His sport subtly sculpted his body. A swimmer, maybe? A gymnast? Who knew, but the guy had a perfect build. Not too scrawny, but without an ounce of fat on him; that was clear.
And his face. Straight out of GQ magazine, he had classic good looks. She imagined running her fingers along his chiseled jawline, then feathering across those luscious lips. They looked a tad bit full for a male – all the better to kiss you with, my dear!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laurie Larsen is the EPIC Award-winning author of Preacher Man, Best Spiritual Romance of 2010. To date, she has published seven books in the romance and women’s fiction genres, including one Young Adult romance.  Keeper by Surprise is her latest release.  She lives in the Midwest with a strenuous day job, a husband of more than two decades, two amazing sons and Gracie the Wonder Dog. To keep up with Laurie and her books, visit her at www.authorlaurielarsen.com, on Twitter or Facebook.

FREE READ on Smashwords:

Inner Diva:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/214208

Website/blog:  www.authorlaurielarsen.com
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AuthorLaurie
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/authorlaurielarsen
Author co-op:  www.randommoonbooks.com
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/412692.Laurie_Larsen

**********GIVEAWAY**********

Laurie will be awarding promo items to random commenters at every stop, and the choice of a basic Nook or Kindle to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. 

-Giveaway is only OPEN TO US/CANADA.
-To be entered, leave a comment, along with your email addy.
-A winner will be chosen randomly from all comments made throughout the tour, so the more you comment the greater your chances of winning.  A list of all participating blogs can be found here.
-Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST on 2/4/13.

20 comments:

  1. Dear Princess, I look forward to spending the day with you and your readers today! Thanks for having me.

    Laurie

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    Replies
    1. Thank YOU, Laurie, for being here! I look forward to learning more about your book!

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  2. This story sounds fascinating and different than most.

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    1. Good morning MomJane!! Thanks so much for checking it out.

      Laurie

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  3. The book sounds wonderful and I love the cover.

    Andrea
    andreanow1999 at yahoo.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Andrea! How sweet of you to say and thank you very much! I hope you'll include Keeper by Surprise on your Christmas list to Santa this year! :)

      Laurie

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  4. Well, it's about bedtime in my corner of the world so it's time to pick my winner for the weekly prize of a gift pack of Laurie Larsen promo items. Drumroll please ... and the winner is ... Andrea!

    Andrea, I'll send you an email with instructions for claiming your prize.

    If you commented today, you'll be entered in my grand prize in February at the end of my blog tour for a free Kindle or Nook!

    Everyone who read the blog and didn't comment, I thank you and wish you a Merry Christmas!!

    Laurie

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  5. Sounds like a great read!! Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

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  6. Laurie...This sounds like a powerful book!
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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  7. would love to win & read! PICK ME!!!

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  8. Great excerpt! :) Sounds like a fun book!

    maybe31 at yahoo.com

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  9. This sounds like a wonderful read strong on emotion, family and definitely love! Thanks for sharing...I'll check this out! Happy 2013!
    ivegotmail8889(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  10. Definitely sounds like a story with bittersweet moments but one with a lot of heart.

    strive4bst(At) yahoo(Dot) com

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  11. such an amazing giveaway!!! thanks so much!


    stefanie.gladden(at)gmail.com

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  12. I have multiple scarves but sadly only remember to wear one when it is very cold outside. Thank you for sharing your excerpt, it sounds like a lovely story.

    elewkf1 at yahoo dot com

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  13. Wonderful excerpt! :) Love it!

    maybe31 at yahoo.com

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  14. I can't believe how many authors I have been exposed to with your bog, Thanks! I will be picking this book up, and maybe a few others too!

    Tiggbabe(at)aol.com

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  15. Sounds like a great book! It's one I'll definitely be picking up to read :) Happy reading! Great giveaway, too!

    Megan @ Megz Madd Readz

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