LET'S WELCOME CHRISTINA HOVLAND AUTHOR OF: GOING DOWN ON ONE KNEE

 LET’S  
WELCOME
CHRISTINA
HOVLAND
AUTHOR OF:





Rad-Reader:  How did you come up with this story of the rockers and bikers becoming a wedding planner?




Christina:  Well, the idea for Going Down on One Knee came to me in early 2016 when I’d just finished writing my first novel—what would become The Honeymoon Trap. I was actually working on a royal series with chocolate and baking and handsome princes. I started percolating on some ideas for putting alpha men into unlikely employment and a biker named Brek blazed into my subconscious. I just knew he HAD to plan weddings. I only had to figure out how to make that happen. Knowing that he’d do anything for his family, the rest fell into place. 





Rad-Reader:  How did you come up with the Velma character?




Christina:  Once I had the concept of Brek down, I knew I had to create the perfect heroine who was his absolute opposite. One who would challenge him, and vice versa. So, Velma showed up with all her spreadsheets and life plans. I knew she was perfect. 




Rad-Reader:  Was I reading to much into the story or was Velma comparing all men to Dean?



Christina:  She was, in the beginning. Velma had decided early on that Dean was perfection, and she wanted that for herself. Knowing the character of Dean, he has his own challenges. He’s not perfect, by any means. He and Velma also would’ve made the dullest of dull couples.

Velma didn’t understand that though—she just felt that Dean was the perfect man. When he got together with her sister, Velma decided to go search for her own Dean. And that’s why she had the comparison to him on her spreadsheet.

Rad-Reader:  The way Velma and Breck meet for the first time in the parking area, was that always the way you had the two, meeting?




Christina:  No. In the early drafts, there was a large dinner party happening to celebrate the engagement and Brek showed up at her door with the beer and “wine.” That first scene had so many characters introduced, it was hard to connect with any of them. So, I scrapped it. Rewrote the scene so it was just Velma and Brek before Dean and Claire showed up. In the original, the entire family was there, including Pops. Brek’s mother even made an appearance. It was just too much to follow for a reader. 




Rad-Reader:  When you came up with the story was it always your plan to put Velma and Breck together?  Not like a couple but her helping him out by renting her a room?



Christina:  In the original first draft, Velma actually didn’t have a job and she was really down on her luck. So, she needed Brek to rent her room to help her with her mortgage. As she evolved as a character, I realized that this just wasn’t who she was—she wasn’t down on her luck at all. So, yes, in every draft he moved in with her, but for different reasons.




Rad-Reader:  Was it easier to write any of the characters in the book over another one?



Christina:  Surprisingly, Brek was the easiest for me to write. He’s so upfront with everything! I don’t personally cuss too often, but I found when I was writing his scenes I would cuss a lot more often. My husband would give me some side-eye and he’d know I was working on a Brek point-of-view scene.



Rad-Reader:  As someone that has been married 39 years, do brides really care what stamp is on the outside of the envelope?  It did make for a funny scene.



Christina:  Ha! Yes. The look of the invitation can be important to a lot of brides and those darn love stamps are imperative. I was also a bit surprised, but it’s part of the whole “package” of the wedding. Everything must be perfect and must match.

Now, Brek? He wouldn’t care at all about love stamps. We’re just lucky he didn’t pick Snoopy stamps.




Rad-Reader:  Breck pinning on Pinterest and then using the phrase bride #1 and #2- How were you able to go from funny to then sounding like a guy?



Christina:  I knew as soon as Brek rolled into the story that he’d have to be on Pinterest. And he’d hate it. I also knew the brides would drive him nuts with it. So that scene was pretty easy to put together. Numbering the brides was actually harder for me as a writer because then I had to keep track of who brides 1, 2 and 3 were. So when he talked about them, it was the right bride. It would’ve been easier with names, frankly. But Brek insisted that they are numbered, so I did that. I had a cheat sheet beside me of which bride wanted what so when I wrote the scenes I made sure he referenced the right bride/wedding.



Rad-Reader:  Velma and her algorithm rhythm that she does after every date.  Is that something you came up with or do you know people that do that?



Christina:  I wanted Velma to keep a list to track her dates, similar to a man’s little black book. But she was VELMA, so I knew it had to be more than just a written list. She was always a money manager, so I knew she’d be amazing with spreadsheets. (I happen to be married to a forensic accountant and he’s exceptional with spreadsheets.) She created the algorithm and the spreadsheet. It was just SO Velma. 



Rad-Reader:  Was Breck’s mom always in your story or was she added?  If so, was she always a matchmaker or did you add that part to go along with Velma’s online dating?



Christina:  Brek’s mom, Pam, was always part of the story and she was always a matchmaker. I expected when she popped in that she’d have a bigger role. I actually considered cutting her subplot at one point, but I really wanted her to stick around. So, I kept it, and it worked out. 




Rad-Reader:  Do you write with an outline or do you just sit down and write and see where this story leads then add characters as you go?



Christina:  Both. I write an outline. Scrap it. Write another. Then I just write the darn story. I do hang onto an outline (yes, a spreadsheet ;) ) of the scenes to make edits easier. Then I have a note of what is mentioned in various scenes, so I don’t miss anything when the edit letter comes from my editor.




Rad-Reader:  When you introduced a new character, Wayne, Velma’s friend from childhood was there any reason for him being a police officer or just biker (bad guy – good guy)?



Christina:  In the original draft, after Brek decks the guy at the bar, he’s actually arrested. Velma had to bail him out. That’s when Wayne showed up. He was a cop, and I think eventually I’d like to write him his HEA. He was a bit misguided in his feelings for Velma, but I think he’s a fantastic character. I’d love him to find the right woman.



Rad-Reader:  Are you able to write the books or stories you want to or do you have a contract that says what you have to write?



Christina:  I get to choose. Even with my traditionally published book, I got to choose what I would write. Going Down on One Knee was independently published, with the help of my literary agent, so I had a bit more control over the storyline. That said, I did listen to my editor and I worked through her suggestions to make the story a better story. No contract to tell me what to do, but I make it a point to listen to the people who know more than I do. ;)



Rad-Reader:  Was there something behind the scene with Breck tying the ribbons on the invitations and not getting them straight?  That you had to put it in the story?  I know my fingers can’t do those little things.



Christina:  My literary agent asked me to add more wedding details to the story early on. So I made a list of all the parts that go into a wedding—invitations, flowers, catering, etc. Then I went through and brainstormed how those individual segments would be a challenge for Brek. He has clunky hands, so I knew tying ribbons would not go well. I also remember, when I got married they had these little tissue paper inserts that were SUCH a pain to get straight. I figured he’d struggle with the folding and the typing and the tissue and all of that. It turned into such a fun scene!




Rad-Reader:  This may sound strange but is it possible to come up with the ending first then write back to the beginning?



Christina:  Not at all. I actually knew early on the dialogue that happened at the end before I started writing. The location and the timing changed, but the dialogue was written in chicken scratch on a Post-It note in my office early on, just waiting for me to get to that point in the story. It still gives me goosebumps when I re-read what they said to each other at the end.  



Rad-Reader:  The emotion at the wedding really before then, after I was expecting something but not then, why then?  (I will understand if you don’t want to answer this one.)



Christina:  Honestly? Because it made it harder on the characters. As a writer, it’s my job to make things as difficult for them as possible. To throw up as many roadblocks as I can. So, I knew, in those scenes, it had to be hard for both of them. I couldn’t cut them a break. 



Rad-Reader:  Was there anything special for you as a writer to come up with that ending or did it just happen for you?



Christina:  I touched on this above, but the ending is one of my favorite things. The epilogue came later, and I knew we had to see the total growth arc for both of them. But the actual ending of the story—man, it gets me every time.




Rad-Reader:  Do you remember your first royalty check and if so what if anything you did nice, for yourself?



Christina:  My first book came out in August, and there is a lag time between the publisher getting the check to my agent and then the agency getting it to me. Authors get paid quarterly, so I… actually, haven’t been paid yet. ;)




Rad-Reader:  If you book was made into a movie who would you want to play…

Velma:  Francesca Eastwood
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/91549804901207256/

Breck:  Mark Callaway
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/159807486763226220/

Claire:  Julie Gonzalo
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/469429961143987381/

Dean:  Steve Lund
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/132785888993740696/




Christina:  Wow! You did really good with your picks! I like them all. I have a Pinterest inspiration board for characters, but mostly the way I see them in my head is unique to them. Here’s a link to the inspiration I used while I was writing. Not all of it made it into the story: https://www.pinterest.com/hovlandwrites/brek-velma/



Velma:   Think a young Kate Winslet. That’s how I see her in my mind.

Brek:  Long-haired Chris Hemsworth

meets Vin Diesel

meets The Rock. 


Claire:  I like who you picked for Claire! In my mind she was just so perfect, I don’t know that I ever had a movie star or actor picked out for her. 


Dean:  A young, Thomas Gibson, was who I had modeled him after. But, again, I like your pick!




Rad-Reader:  What song or songs best describes your couple or your book as a whole?

“You If I Tell You I Love– Beth Hart”
https://youtu.be/phaQSVeXJuU


“Start of Something Good – Daughtry”
https://youtu.be/WKsyxZWQ_g0



Christina:   I actually have a playlist that I used when I was writing. Here are the songs I had on repeat:

Hold On Forever - Rob Thomas

The Great Unknown - Rob Thomas


Things I’ll Never Say - Avril Lavigne

It’s Not Over - Daughtry

Far Away - Nickelback

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

Look Heart, No Hands - Randy Travis




Rad-Reader:  What are three things you can’t leave home with every day?




Christina:   My cell phone. The diaper bag. And my almost-toddler. ;)




Rad-Reader:  Where is the one place you have always wanted to travel on vacation?




Christina:  A European cruise—I love cruising. We’ve done several, but haven’t made it to Europe yet. 




Rad-Reader:  What is your favorite food or dessert?




Christina:  I love cake and cupcakes. 





Rad-Reader:  What is your next project and when is it coming out?




Christina:  Jase and Heather’s story! It’s called Blow Me Away and it’ll come out in early 2019—no date set yet, but hopefully before Valentine’s Day! These two have been SO much fun to write.




Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers buy your books?  Links




Christina:  
Going Down on One Knee:

Available here: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07G1WNBLK/ 
& in Kindle Unlimited.
 

Rock Hard Cowboy 
(A prequel to Going Down on One Knee—part of the Christmas with a Colorado Cowboy Boxed Set.)

Available here: 
https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Colorado-Cowboy-Cindi-Myers-ebook/dp/B07HY52VNM 
& in Kindle Unlimited.

 
The Honeymoon Trap
Available here:
 
Amazon: 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G14PT3P20


Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781640636453?name=The%20Honeymoon%20Trap


Apple iBooks: 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781640636453?name=The%20Honeymoon%20Trap&uo=8&at=1010lsQz



Kobo: 





Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers find you on the Web?  Links




Christina:  
Christinahovland.com

Facebook.com/HovlandWrites

Instagram.com/HovlandWrites

Goodreads.com/HovlandWrites

Twitter.com/HovlandWrites


Bookbub.com/profile/christina-hovland




Christina,

 Thanks so much for giving your time to be with us and taking away from your writing schedule and your toddler.  I really enjoyed your book and can't wait to read another.  Make sure to let us know when your next book drops so Char can put it on our Shout Out: An Author's Place page to let our readers know when it comes out.
Thanks again,
Pat & Char





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FALLING FOR MY BOSS (One Night Stand #3)

FALLING FOR MY BOSS                         J.S. & HELEN COOPER

Scott Taylor was sex on legs and it was all Elizabeth Jeffries could do to resist him. 

When Elizabeth Jeffries was hired for a job with her party gram company, she had no idea that her new boss Scott Taylor was going to have such an effect on her. He was a handsome flirt and he liked to push the boundaries of their office relationship. Only Elizabeth, with the guidance of her best friend, has decided to push right back. She wants Scott to know that he’s not the only one that can play games. 

Thus begins the ultimate game of cat and mouse. They both begin to tease and lure each other into their webs and then something explosive happens. The games go too far and Elizabeth is pushed to the limit. Scott doesn’t know what to think when he finds out Elizabeth’s big secret and the reason why she took the job. The truth causes everything to blow up, however, neither one of them were to know that that wasn’t to be the last job that Elizabeth would take that would bring her back into his world. 

Falling For My Boss is a two book series that features characters from One Night Stand and Falling For My Best Friend’s Brother. Readers should be 18 and over due to mature content.


MY REVIEW:
     I really wanted to like this book because I really enjoyed all the others.  Yet, I have to say I am not happy with the way this book ended at all.  In a total CLIFFHANGER!  Then you have to pay another $3.99 that I paid for this book of 300+ page for the remainder of the story which is only 90+ pages.  Really?  Nope, not happy.  It’s like this that make me wish I still read books that were actual books and not my phone so I could throw it.
     Not to mention in the other book with Aiden and Alice and Xander and Liv I liked Scott.  A lot.  He seemed so carefree and so not the alpha male arrogant type.  Flirty yes, but not a jerk, but in this book so not true.  He is annoying.  Eliza was a totally weak female character I kept thinking throughout the entire book, “What are you thinking.”  Her friend Lacey was not a not good word of wisdom most of the times that’s for sure.
     So, when I got to the cliffhanger and once again, she was going to walk headlong into her weakness before knowing what Shane her ex-brought her.  Just the thought of leaving the room when she was finally making up with Scott regardless of the craziness of it, but she’s going to get up out of the beginnings of lovemaking to go talk to her ex who just shows up out of the blue.
     She is worse than easy of the men she spoke about throughout the book.  She’s easy, wishy-washy, and a commit-a-phoebe.  Never felt connected enough to these characters because they weren’t to each other.  I did keep hoping.
     I would have to say skip this one if she’s not on the phone with her best friend or was allowing Scott to do things to her at the workplace that is highly against the law as her boss.  There was no respect for boundaries which was also very annoying.  Because if he wasn’t doing her, he was disrespecting her for not allowing him to do stuff to her.  Not all bad Aiden figures out a way to get Alice to be his girlfriend.

     Although he’s doing it to find out if she is serious since she is always being childish and not serious yet his method to find out is that exact scenario.  I give this: 2 stars.  Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com.
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RACING HEARTS (Curvy Hips and Sexy Lips, #1)

RACING HEARTS                                    CANDI HEART

When race car mechanic Charlyse Cruise gets invited to the Grand Prix kickoff party of the year, she can’t believe her luck. It isn’t long before popular playboy race car driver and team owner, Tyler Dalton, of Dalton Enterprises, spots her at the party. Her voluptuous curves, dark fiery hair, and a dimpled smile immediately have him gravitating in her direction. He willingly drags her away from the party, and soon, the two are locked in a sexy, explosive tryst. 

On impulse, Tyler convinces her to accompany him to NASCAR in Las Vegas. Without a second thought, she hops in his Bugatti and finds herself on her way to the big race with him. Things seem to heat up and then suddenly, drastically cool down once they reach the sparkling lights of the city that never sleeps. 

How’s a girl supposed to move on when she has no idea what she’s done wrong? Finicky, gorgeous billionaires… who has time for their games? She just hopes what happens in Vegas, really does stay in Vegas. 

Racing Hearts is book 1 in the Curvy Hips and Sexy Lips series and is for readers 18+. 

OTHER BOOKS IN THE CURVY HIPS AND SEXY LIPS SERIES: 
Racing hearts 
Walking Dick 
Love Handles 
Big Escapes 
Sweet Treats (preorder) 
Each BBW romance in the series is a stand-alone love story with an HEA and can be read in any order.

 MY REVIEW:
     For being a very short story, this has all the elements you want in a sexy romance.  The characters in this BBW love story were totally engaging and funny, witty, realistic in that like so many relationships they become bed buddies first then the true relationship starts.  Odd but true.
     Although, Ty really tries to fight that portion of it as long as he can.  He likes their sex and their friendship for sure.  It’s the commitment that scares the daylights out of him.
     As for Char, she is a little worried she is not one to really date since high school because guys are jerks.  Mainly they just want sex.  So, she likes to be the one in charge of her life.  She’s good at her job at her dad’s auto shop as a mechanic especially race cars.  So, they don’t need to provide for her that is for sure.
     Yes, she has curves but it doesn’t stop her from getting or being asked out.  She likes to be girly and “Victoria Secret” is her friend for her private wear.  She loves her footwear too, the sexier the better.
     Just be aware some scenes will curl your toes but worth it.  Free on Amazon.  I give this: 5 stars. 

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THAT NIGHT WITH MY BOSS (One Night Stand #2.5)

THAT NIGHT WITH MY BOSS             J.S. & HELEN COOPER

Can one passionate night change everything? 

"Scott Taylor is a Sex God." That's what Elizabeth Jeffries told her best friend Lacey, the moment after she laid eyes on him. It wasn't just because his azure blue eyes seemed to pierce her soul or the fact that his dark silky hair drew her fingers in like a magnet. It wasn't even that he smelled like sex on the beach on a cool balmy night or the fact that when he grabbed her around the waist and drew her to him, she lost her breath. No, those weren't the only reasons why Elizabeth called Scott a sex god. They weren't even the reasons why she decided to spend the night with him. Or the reasons why she decided to accept the one job that would change her life and complicate everything they had. 

No, the fact that Scott Taylor was a Sex God was the reason she was drawn to him, but the reason why she stayed was a whole lot more complicated. 

NOTE: This novella is a free steamy prequel to the full-length standalone novel Falling For My Boss, that will be released on May 16th. It will also be included Falling For My Boss when it is released so you can read it first as a free download or you can read it as part of the novel on release day. 

 MY REVIEW:
     This is a very short story, too short really to really get into what is really happening.  If I had not read all of the other stories.  I don’t know if I would buy the full-length of this.  Falling for my Boss.
     I do think it’s cute but somewhat immature and predictable.  Scott to me doesn’t seem anything like I thought he would be.  I was expecting someone more enlightened than Aiden and Xander who are smirky alpha males.
     It seems I was wrong.  Looks like he uses and abuses the woman he likes or thinks of as his toy for his enjoyment when he wants.  At least from this portion of the story.  Also, seems to find it easy to lie to women he has before him in his bed.
     Hope he remembers that when and if it comes time for Elizabeth to reveal the truth of her lie and who hired her to do some thinking about all his withholding of info.  Because I am invested in the characters and have read the books out of order with no problems to me, I will order the two full-length versions remaining.

     I give this: 3 stars.  Got free on Amazon.  Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com.
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ONE NIGHT STAND (One Night Stand #1)

ONE NIGHT STAND                          J.S. & HELEN COOPER

**STANDALONE BOOK with no cliffhanger** 

New Sexy Standalone from New York Times Bestselling Authors Helen Cooper and JS Cooper 

It was only supposed to be one night! 

We met at a wedding. He was hot. And I’d been in a year’s drought. 

He smiled. We got drunk. We flirted. We hooked up. I left early the next morning without saying goodbye. It was only meant to be a one night stand. I didn’t want the awkward morning after a moment. Not at all. 

Then I went home for the weekend. And he was there. Sitting on the couch chatting to my dad. Turns out he was more than just a stranger. Turns out that my one night stand was about to cause a whole heap of trouble. Turns out that it never just stops with one night. 

Readers should be 18 and over due to mature situations and language.

 MY REVIEW:
     This story was highly unusual since this was to be a “one and done” situation.  But both Liv and Xander felt more than they ever expected.  But she left doing her early walk of shame to make it back to her apartment to tell Alice her best friend since childhood and roommate all about him. 
     This is a highly sexual book so be aware but this is also as some reviewers have written about betrayal.  Yes, I have to say that you have to read the whole crazy sorted mess to understand it really is not.
     In fact, her sister Gabby is a real piece of work that is someone who needs her mouth taped and a reboot on how to be a decent human being.  She plays everyone in her life yet everyone has always gotten after Liv for talking negatively about Gabby her older princess sister the beautiful one.
     As much as I really wanted to dislike Xander for his smirks and cockiness and taking advantage of Liv.  Especially, since she is really very young and naïve.  No thanks to her family who are overprotective to a fault at all times.  But he, Xander does try to change the mistakes early on which we find out later.  So, I just couldn’t dislike him. 
     Aiden is beginning to see Alice but she tries to look at Scott differently as Liv told her and it backfires and now Aiden is upset.  Still too shy just to claim her.

     Take the time to read this series it is funny.  But do it with an open mind and know this is one big dysfunctional family and their friends.  Will it change your life?  Yes, if you like, as the characters themselves call it Jerry Springer, sex, and Sexual tension.  I give this: 4 stars.  Got this free on Amazon.  
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