[VBT] Close Up Magic by Michelle Garren Flye

CLOSE UP MAGIC

by Michelle Garren Flye

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Do you believe in magic?

Reporter Stacey Matthewson has made a living writing sensational stories that knock celebrities off their pedestals. Now she's got a hot lead on an even hotter magician who's mystifying Las Vegas with his new show--the problem is, she's had a crush on him for years. How can she write a story that might ruin him, especially when he proves himself to be so much more than she'd ever dreamed?

Magician Andre Hawke has a knack for making things disappear, but when it comes to his brother's drinking and gambling, he's got a problem. Hiring the sexy reporter who threatens to blow away his carefully wrought illusion might be the answer to his problems...or she might bring on a whole new set of them.

Stacey’s never believed in magic, and Andre doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Can passion overcome their inhibitions, or will betrayal stem the tide of love?

Andre caught up to her, wheeled around and started walking backward in front of her. He was amazingly nimble on his feet, able to avoid oncoming traffic without even glancing over his shoulder. Stacey shook her head. “Don’t you think you need to watch where you’re going?”

“Why?” He shrugged. “I can never see it until it’s past anyway. Most people can’t.”

She rolled her eyes. “I had no idea kissing made you philosophical.”

He tsked. “Kissing makes me horny. Life makes me philosophical.”

He was starting to get on her nerves. “Get over it, Andre. So we made out. We got carried away, that’s all.”

“I think it was more than that…for at least one of us.” His words teased her, but she wouldn’t ask him which one of them he was talking about. He kept walking backward, and this time, he was heading directly toward another man--a very large one--walking toward them. Stacey opened her mouth to say something but before she could, he’d walked directly into the other man, almost as if he’d intended to do it. He laughed out loud, catching himself by putting his arms around her. He glanced over at the large man, breaking off his embrace of Stacey to turn and shake his hand. “Thank you! That was perfect. Sorry about that, I’m trying to make a point, though, and you just did it very effectively.”

He turned back to Stacey. “You say you never saw it coming. I say we never see things coming. I mean, look at this particular incident. I was walking backward, couldn’t possibly have seen him, right? But what’s his excuse?”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Michelle Garren Flye is the award-winning romance author of five novels. Her most recent novel, Where the Heart Lies, has been described as an “engaging novel with charming and likable characters” and a story that “will make you believe in love and second chances.”

Michelle placed third in the Hyperink Romance Writing Contest for her short story “Life After”. Her short stories have been published by the romance anthology Foreign Affairs, Opium.com, SmokelongQuarterly.com and Flashquake.com. She has served on the editorial staffs of Horror Library Volume 1, Horror Library Volume 3, Butcher Shop Quartet, Butcher Shop Quartet II and Tattered Souls.

Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the mother of three and lives in North Carolina with her husband and their rapidly growing collection of pets.

Connect with Michelle Garren Flye online:

Website: http://michellegflye.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Garren-Flye/132688623422175

Twitter: https://twitter.com/michellegflye

Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Garren-Flye/e/B006QG88WY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

What sparked your interest in becoming a romance writer?

I’ve always been a romantic, but I used to try to combine it with other genres like horror and science fiction because I love to read those. It never really worked though. And then I had my kids and just decided I wanted to write stuff that makes people happy and what makes people happier than love?

What was the first romance novel you read that made an impression on you?

I know it’s not really just a romance, but Little Women. I read it when I was ten and the “wedding parts” were my favorites. My only problem was that I really, really wanted Jo and Laurie to get married, but he went off and married her sister instead!

What is your writing environment?

It’s a mess. I am literally surrounded by books. I volunteer at my kids’ school library and bring a lot of books home to work on, and they end up in boxes and piles around me. And running amongst them all is Freddy, my four-month old Yorkie who pulls all of his bedding out of his kennel so he can lay at my feet when I work. I’ve got some actual office furniture ordered to try to make sense out of the whole thing, but it’s been weeks and I have yet to see any of it.

Do you have a website recommendation for other writers?

Yes! Zoetrope.com is where I learned most of what I know about writing fiction. It can be a very supportive, creative environment where you post stories and exchange reviews with other writers. It’s a great place to start, and I always send new writers there.

What is your favorite scene in your new release?

I like a lot about this book, but I guess my favorite scene would be one of the magic tricks that the magician hero does with the heroine as his assistant from the audience. He asks her to choose the card he telepathically instructs her to choose. After she chooses, he tells the audience he told her to choose the Queen of Hearts and takes a bow. Of course she’s chosen the Ace of Spades, so he shrugs it off and tells the audience she never does what he tells her to, anyway. Then he tells her to hold the card against his chest and he’ll fix it. It’s a very sweet moment where they’re looking into each other’s eyes and sort of forgetting the audience, and when she takes the card away from his chest, it’s the Queen of Hearts, although she can’t figure out how he managed the switch.

Flirting Questions:

Which actor or book character do you have a crush on?

Misha Collins. He’s the angel Castiel on Supernatural.

What’s your favorite body part of the opposite sex?

Eyes. Seriously.

What does love feel like?

As delicate as a butterfly wing but it makes you strong.

Hey, baby! What’s your sign?

One of those crop circles in the cornfields.

When was your last kiss?

About ten minutes ago when I dropped my daughter off at reading class.

What’s an absolute no-no in a relationship?

Eating your partner’s dessert he or she saved in the refrigerator for lunch the next day without asking.

How did you meet your significant other?

In the student ID line the first week of my first year of college.

What’s your idea of a perfect date?

Picnic on the beach with a bottle of wine and no kids!

If you could take a romantic trip, where would it be?

Vegas, Baby!

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yes. I think it’s possible, but I don’t think you should jump to the conclusion that it really is love immediately. You have to give a relationship time to grow.

Flirting Quickies: 

Boxers or Briefs? Boxers!

Facial hair or clean shaven? Depends.

Planner or Pantser? Planner who flies by the seat of her pants.

White wine or red? Who cares? It’s wine!

Coffee or tea? Coffee.

Vanilla or chocolate? Chocolate.

Sweet or salty? Both together.

Sleep in or get up early? Sleep.

Laptop or desktop? Laptop.

Beach or mountains? Beach.

Winter or summer? Summer.

Cat or dog? One of each.

Twilight or Fifty Shades? Neither.

Spotlight or In the Shadows? Shadows.

City or Country? Country with frequent trips to the city.

Clubbing or candlelight dinner? Candlelight dinner.

Backpacking or luxury hotel? Backpacking TO a luxury hotel.

Morning or night person? Night.

Christmas or Halloween? Halloween…or Christmas.

Optimist or pessimist? Optimist.

Michelle will award a Magic Gift Basket, including a copy of "Magic for Dummies" by David Pogue to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US only), and one commenter at every stop will win a $5 Amazon GC. Leave a comment below with your correct email address. 

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