Harlequin has reissued 16 of my backlist titles in
ebook. Today I'm talking with Britt
Carlton and Ashley Thornton from MUCH ADO ABOUT MARRIAGE, a Silhouette Desire originally
released in print and currently available as a Harlequin Desire in ebook.
Hello, Britt and
Ashley. Welcome and thanks for taking
the time to be here today.
Britt: Our pleasure.
As I understand it, you want to know about our road to romance?
Ashley: Road to romance…(chuckles) that was the last
thing on my mind when we met. After a
broken engagement to a man who turned out to be cheating on me while I was
wearing his engagement ring, I had no intention of giving it another try. The only thing on my agenda was settling into
my new city and my new job so I could make some new friends and start my new
life. Everything new and fresh.
Britt: Romance was definitely off my list, too. Been there, done that. I had no use for the concept of a committed
relationship let alone where that could logically lead. I'd been burned before. No-strings-attached was the only thing I
wanted. But even if I had been looking
for that certain someone, (he gives her a quick wink) I have to admit that I
made a really bad first impression.
A bad first
impression? That sounds
interesting. How and where did the two
of you meet?
Ashley: I was just moving into my studio apartment,
boxes piled on furniture and things in disarray. I was hanging pictures and suddenly this very
rude man was standing at my opened front door telling me to keep the noise down. Since it was the middle of the afternoon
rather than early morning or late at night, I was definitely put off by his
attitude. Not to mention that he looked
like he'd been up all night partying. My
first impression was decidedly unfavorable.
Obviously a womanizer…just like my ex-fiancé.
Britt: I had over indulged at a bachelor party that
I wished I could have avoided, but didn't have a graceful way out. I offered to help her unpack the boxes and
even invited her to dinner as a means of apologizing for my rudeness…no
ulterior motive, just friends.
Ashley: I agreed to meet him at his apartment after I
showered and put on some clean clothes.
I knew immediately he was the type of man that a woman should not get
involved with, the type who would break her heart. But two friends having a meal together? No problem…as long as we were just
friends. But what did I find when I went
next door to his apartment?
Britt: (groans as if in pain) The first impression I
made went from bad to worse. The couple
upstairs had an out of town relative visiting and they brought her to my
apartment thinking the four of us could have dinner together. To say this woman was overly aggressive would
be an understatement. Ashley walked in
just as she wrapped herself around me.
Needless to say, Ashley made a hasty retreat. (a thoughtful expression crosses his face)
I'll never forget that look on her face…(he gives her hand an affectionate
squeeze)…a combination of disgust and hurt.
And that was strike
two?
Britt: Exactly.
It took some fancy footwork to get all of that smoothed over, but things
finally settled down and over the next couple of weeks we became genuine good
friends.
Ashley: And then he ended up with the flu, I took
care of him, and to repay me he offered to take me on a flying sight-seeing
tour.
You're a pilot,
Britt? Do you work for one of the
airlines?
Britt: No, a private charter company.
You mean like tour
groups going on vacation?
Britt: No, usually business executives and
occasionally freight.
A flight-seeing tour
sounds like fun. Seattle is a beautiful
part of the country with mountains and ocean as far as you can see.
Ashley: (laughs) It was incredible…right up until the
time the plane ended up in the ocean.
You crashed? That sounds scary. What happened?
Ashley: It was definitely scary.
Britt: And it's all in the book.
Did that put a damper
on your relationship?
Ashley: No, no…you forgot. There was no relationship—we were just
friends.
Britt: Yep…just friends.
Well…obviously at some
point being just friends wasn't enough.
When and how did friendship expand to include romance?
Britt: That was a rocky road, too. And it's all in the—
I know. It's in the book!
Ashley: Absolutely…in the book.
Well, it sounds like you're not going to divulge any more of
the details. I appreciate both of you
stopping by. Thank you, Britt and
Ashley.
MUCH ADO ABOUT MARRIAGE, a Silhouette by Shawna Delacorte reissued
in ebook format. Available at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com (do search
for Shawna Delacorte author name). Also
available from Amazon for Kindle and Barnes & Noble for Nook as well as
other online vendors.
Check out my website for additional excerpts from MUCH AGO
ABOUT MARRIAGE and information on my Harlequin ebook reissues
Blurb:
WHEN BRITT MET ASHLEY
Britt Carlton wasn't looking to fall in love—he'd been
there, done that…and didn't want to do it again! Then Ashley Thornton moved in
to his apartment complex, all smiles and sass—and incredibly sexy—and Britt
knew there was only one safe course of action: they had to be strictly friends.
Nothing more. Uh-uh, no way.
But…
No matter how hard they resisted the pull between them, no
matter how vehemently they rejected the idea of love and marriage, Britt and
Ashley couldn't get away from one inescapable fact: they might have started out
as just friends, but that just wasn't enough anymore….
Inside front cover:
What the opposing sexes say about marriage:
He Says: "Marriage? Forget it. I'll never consider
marrying another woman ever again—one broken engagement's enough, thank you
very much. No, I enjoy my bachelor life too much to get serious about anyone.
Of course, my very attractive next-door neighbor has been causing me some
sleepless nights—no, just friends, that's all I'm looking for…"
--Britt Carlton, 31
She Says: "Marriage?!
I'm taking a break from dating for the rest of my life. I'm young, I'm
attractive…I'm stupid. After all, I was the last to know that my fiancé was the
Womanizer of Wichita! Anyway, I'm not bitter, I just want to start a new life…with
new friends. Speaking of friends, there's this handsome charmer who lives next
door. He could be fun to hang out with—on a strictly platonic level, of
course…"
--Ashley Thornton, 25
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