Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Kristan Higgins Talks Heroes and Heartache with a Tasty Giveaway


Today is BEYOND an exciting day for me...I have the AMAZINGLY TALENTED author, Kristan Higgins as my guest today and right now I am doing a bit of a HAPPY DANCE, Today is ALSO Release day of her Newest Romance, Somebody to Love.  If you have NEVER picked up a Kristan Higgins Romance then I believe we can't be friends anymore...ok...just kidding...but it is time to get started today. 



I am also hosting a GIVEAWAY for One Lucky Commenter to win SOMEBODY TO LOVE.  So PLEASE make sure to read the entire post and answer the GIVEAWAY QUESTION at the end with a Valid Email Address included.  I'll pick the winner tomorrow morning, and if you are NOT the winner, PLEASE purchase the book anyway.  Kristan is giving part of the first week proceeds to Save the Children.  So...It's for a GREAT cause!!!


A Tasty Read: Kristan, welcome to A Tasty Read...gush, gush, gush, wipe the drool, I'll contain the Fan Girl Screams in just a moment.



Kristan Higgins: Oh, let it all out! I love Fan Girl Screaming! Gush away—it never gets old.



A Tasty Read: Kristan, Firstly I just wanted to tell you that each time I have met you, you have been one of the nicest, sweetest, most gracious people I have ever met.  And so darn funny!  I know both times I met you, I was nervous and probably stuttered...A LOT.  Is it strange when fans gush over you, or when people recognize you while you are out?  Do you have any "Funny" Fan moments that come to mind?



Kristan: See, now we’re best friends, given all those nice things you’ve said. I generally am not recognized when I’m out, except at writer conferences or once in a while when I hand over my credit card, since Kristan Higgins is my real name. It’s always thrilling…the clerk might say, “Are you…a writer?” And I say, “Yes! I am! Seriously? You’ve heard of me? Kids! She’s heard of me! Mommy’s famous!”



I do have a funny fan moment—a woman came up to me at a signing once and just burst into tears, hands shaking (like me if I met Jeremy Renner), and I said, “What happened? Are you okay? Want me to call someone?” because you know, I figured her dog had died or something. But no, she was just a little overwhelmed. And being me, I said, “You’re crying because you met me? That is so great!” I still have a picture of us together.



Another time, a librarian chased me down a street at an American Library Association conference. I thought she was a mugger. That was exciting. I believe I offered her my wallet if I could keep the pictures of my kids.




A Tasty Read: Only you...I am cracking up over here.

OK...onto the important stuff...Trevor Meade...*swoon*.....Sorry....*wipes chin*. 

Since you are the Author of the book that features My Favorite Hero, (ok...he shares the spot with Luc "Lucky" Martineau from See Jane Score, but you are friends with Rachel, so I figure you won't mind) I wanted to ask you who your Favorite Hero is?



Kristan: Okay, first of all, I do mind! That Rachel! How dare she write such great books! (Luc…I love you!) Trevor…sigh! Any man who will carry you out of a burning building…so sexy.



Anyway, my favorite hero is usually the one I’m writing at the moment, the blush of first love and all that. When I was writing SOMEBODY TO LOVE, though, I got to revisit Malone from CATCH OF THE DAY—he makes an appearance—and I found him just as smokin’ delicious as ever.




A Tasty Read: Malone definitely has that...something.  Haha

Kristan, your books can have the reader cracking up laughing one minute and then bawling their eyes out a few pages later.  From Widowed Characters, to Loving from Afar, to Broken Families, Is there one particular book of yours that was the hardest to write emotionally? 



Kristan: Yes, and that’s an excellent question. The hardest book to write was, by far, THE NEXT BEST THING, because my heroine was a widow. I’d read a lot of books featuring a widow, and it seemed that the trend was to make the first husband nice, but not the love of her life…the new guy, he’s the love of her life. I wanted Lucy to lose the love of her life and try to get over that.



It was also hard because there are a lot of young widows in my family. My own mom was widowed young, and because McIrish, my sainted husband, is a firefighter, I’m always worried about losing him. One time, he came home from work half an hour later, and I was sitting there, typing and crying. He said, “What are you working on?” My answer: “Your eulogy.”



So yes, that book was hard, and it has a special place in my heart because of it. Of all my heroines, I think Lucy had the most to overcome, and that last scene, when she’s so brave…blerk! I’m tearing up just thinking about it.




A Tasty Read: Don't get me started now...I cried like a baby while reading My One and Only, and thought my heart would crush into a million pieces while reading Until There Was You.  What can I expect with your new release, Somebody to Love?  Is it true that we might see some old friends?



Kristan: So glad to have made you cry! I know, I’m cruel that way. I cry while writing these scenes, too, so it goes both ways…



SOMEBODY TO LOVE: Parker Welles is sitting pretty in life. She’s wealthy, she has her perfect son, she’s successful…and then she loses everything (except her kid). Dear old Dad gambles away her trust fund in an insider-trading scheme, and voila. Parker’s broke. No money, no job…just a decrepit little shack on the coast of Maine that’s her only hope of a nest egg. When her dad’s lawyer, whom Parker calls Thing One, shows up on the scene, she’s forced to accept his help, even though she hates that she has to. But maybe James has more going for him than being a slick lawyer, and maybe losing everything was the best thing that ever happened to Parker.



So yes, you’ll see a few familiar faces: though the book isn’t part of a series, Parker first made an appearance in THE NEXT BEST THING, and she goes to Gideon’s Cove, Maine, the setting of CATCH OF THE DAY. For readers of those books, I think it’ll be nice to see some of those characters, though the book is definitely a stand-alone.



A Tasty Read: I know they are stand-alones, but I think EVERYONE should experience The Next Best Thing and Catch of the Day ALSO...oh and Just One of the Guys, Until There Was You, My One and Only, Too Good to be True....I can go on and on....

What's next for Ms. Higgins?  Is it true that you are planning a series?



Kristan: Yes! I’m giving a series a try. McIrish and I went up to the Finger Lakes region of New York, and we fell madly in love with the area. One of the things I like best is writing the town where my books are set, and I thought it’d be nice to see a place again. SOMEBODY TO LOVE was my first attempt to revisit a place or character, and I loved doing it, so voila! A series. I’ll let you know how it goes.



A Tasty Read: I can't tell you what an HONOR it was to have you as a guest today.  You write some of the most amazing Romances and anyone who has not read your books has some major catching up to do.  I will try to contain the gushing from here.....


Kristan: Thank YOU! More gushing right back atcha.


Giveaway Question: Which Kristan Higgins Romance has made you cry like a baby??  And If you haven't read a Higgins Romance, what romance have you read that had you bawling like a baby? 

(Please include a valid email address.  U.S. Residents Only.  Giveaway will run until 7am on 4/25/12, Eastern Time)


Congratulations Candice Valdez, you have won the Somebody To Love Giveaway!!  I will be contacting you today for your information. 

A special Thank You to ALL of you who entered, I hope you will all come back to enter more Giveaway's!! 


About Kristan

I started writing romance novels when my kids were little. I’d always been a writer of some type—public relations, advertising, research—but wanted to stay home with the bunnies. I’d been reading romance novels ever since I swiped Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss from my grandmother’s night table. “Higgins,” I said to myself, “I bet you could write one of these.” And so I sat down every afternoon when the kids were napping, took my lifelong love of romance novels and tried to make a career out of it. We’ve been living happily ever after since.

32 comments:

amandakgc said...

Fantastic interview! I laughed when she told her hubby that she was writing his eulogy. I've not read anything by Kristan but she will be on top of my TBR stack.

P.S. Love the covers on the books!

Amanda G said...

Omg, what a wonderful interview! Makes me want to read all the Kristan Higgins books! I am starting my first Higgins book tonight (Thanks Lisa)! Very anxious to start My One and Only however I guess I better have that box of kleenex through the entire book. The covers of the books are amazing and I hope I get the chance to read them all very soon. As for a book that made me cry... I just read Memories by Deanna Sletten... cried like a baby! It was a free book and I just loved it. Thanks Lisa and Kristan for the great interview and AWESOME giveaway.

mertime@q.com

Johanna J said...

Catch of the Day made me sob like a a baby! Thanks a a lot! LOL! I loved that book! Malone is so swoonworthy! I have love all of Kristan Higgans books that I read. I can't wait to get the latest! Thanks for sharing with us today!

evjochum[AT]aol[DOT]com

Dawn Cripps said...

Spartan Heart Part 2 made me cry like a baby! I love Kristine Cheney!
dawnhagan18@yahoo.com

Alison said...

Great interview! My favorite thing about Kristan's books is the humor, they always have me LOLing at least once. I totally cried when I read All I Ever Wanted.

krg said...

I read Catch of the Day and of course I cried when her dog died.
Thanks for the wonderful interview and giveaway!

joy said...

Fools Rush In definitely made me cry, but probably also laugh the loudest too. Even after I'd read it twice. Great interview.

Lorelei B. said...

They ALL made me cry-like a baby!! Maybe Until There Was You, a little more than the rest. Her books should come with coupons from Kleenex or something. I just got a copy of Somebody to Love and my daughter caught me crying and said, "Are you reading Kristan, again? I say, *sniff *sniff It's her latest book!".But before that I was hooting with laughter. She just has it all!
buzzetta@hotmail.com
Every one of her books hold a special place in my heart, love the heroes and heroines- makes them seem so real! I also love Luc, by the way ;D

bookbunny68 said...

Yep, have to agree - Catch of the Day when her dog died. The reason I started reading you was because of the dogs on the cover and then to have her dog die - even though he was old - very sad.

Unknown said...

I haven't read any of Kristan's books yet, but I plan to. The dogs on the covers caught my attention since I have two crazy Jack Russells myself. I've never actually cried while reading a romance, but the closest I've come to doing so would have to be while enjoying a classic: Romeo & Juliet.

Kelli
krolvaag@gmail.com

Carrie E. said...

Oh man...I think most of your books have made me cry like a baby!! I read "Catch of the Day" from the library and have since bought all of your books!! Thank you so much for all the tears and laughter--I have on occassion awakened my husband from a dead sleep because I couldn't keep the giggles in.

Traci said...

I too am a HUGE Kristan Higgins fan girl. The Next Best Thing is my favorite romance period. It just had me sobbing like preschooler, but in a good way.

Thanks for a great interview ladies!

Tracir76@hotmail.com

haomom said...

huge fan of yours and love Catch of the day...thanks for your gift of writing and developing such memorable characters..

Candice valdez said...

Just one of the guys had me bawling like a baby! I thought they would never get together! So looking forward to reading this one!
Valdezc_1@sbcglobal.net

Rosie1313 said...

Great interview! I love all of Kristen's books. I'm not a very emotional person when I read, so any author that can make me laugh AND cry is ok :) None of KH books have ever left me feeling like I should have borrowed from the library instead of wasting my money. On the few occasions I did borrow first, I had to buy the book to read again. Her books are keepers - and ones that I can share with my teenaged daughters.

girlygirlhoosier52 said...

Fools Rush In... made laugh, made me cry.. made me laugh until I was crying... I love her writing.. But the eulogy quote is the best.. wonder if she saved it for updating...

Leanna said...

I'm not really someone who cries at books or movies, so I haven't ever cried at a book that I can remember. The thing that first attracted me to Kristan's books are the dogs on the covers, as a dog owner/lover I love when the main character has a dog.

leanna.hiner@gmail.com

Kristan Higgins said...

All this crying! I'm so proud! And listen. Colonel had a great life and a gentle death. He's waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for Maggie, and he's very content.

Thank you all for coming by today! It's lovely to hear what you have to say!

Anonymous said...

I don't cry over books, but Until There Was You made me sad. The reason-somewhere inside me is still the teen who suffered her first guy to break her heart. The
fact that she is still there after
60 years shows how deep the hurt and embarassment was. Why on earth is that still around when there is no interest in that guy? I enjoyed the book and hope to win this one.
jeanereads(@)sbcglobal{dot}net6

Jen Shields said...

I have a pile of higgins books in my household but have not had time to read them yet. This review has me jazzed!! Ms. Higgins is so charming :-) I cant wait to buy a bix of tissues, a box of redvines and get reading this summer!

Sherie said...

Ok I have been good, I have only cried once and the only book I have missed of Kristan is Catch of the Day. I know I am slacker, it is her first book, how can I miss the first one but I did. But I plan to read it before I read Parker's story. Which will be very hard because I loved Parker in Lucy and Ethan's story and I want to revist them so bad! Anyway the only time I have ever cried, like put the book down to get tissues is, All I Ever Wanted!

Cindy said...

I have read all of Kristin's books and the one that got me teary-eyed would have to be "My one and Only". Loved that book! I have read it 3 times!

Cindy
s.kanavyatattdotnet

Christene Houston {Author - A Heart So Broken} said...

I am a belated fan of Kristan Higgins so I haven't read any of her works - this will not remain true for long. After reading your fun interview, I am more interested than ever in adding her works to my MUST READ list. I'm not a typical romance reader so I hope you'll forgive my example: one book that made me cry like a baby was A Thousand Splendid Suns. Not necessarily a romance, but the romance that developed was so heartbreaking. This was a lot of fun to read. Thanks for interviewing Kristan!

Betty Hamilton said...

Believe it or not...Ms. Higgins is still a new-to-me author. I havwe seen many of her books advertised and been tempted to pick one up. BUT...I always have such a BIG TBR pile that I figure, I'll catch up first and then pick up her book. How great it would be to win one.... problem solved! Best Wisheson the new release!!

jennymartin116 said...

Ooh--I am going to have to pick up some of her books--I have never read any.

I read a lot of different kinds of books--the last to make me teary eyed was a Lisa Scottoline--Look Again

M. Tanney said...

Well, I'm a HUGE fan of Kristan Higgins!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE HER! I've read ALL of her books at least 2 or 3 times...but Until There Was You really did it for me! I really could relate to this book. The humor, parenting challenges and worries were so real to me that I was drawn into the book from beginning to end. There were moments when I was laughing out loud and then crying my eyes out!!! If you haven't picked up a Kristan Higgins book, you don't know what you're missing!! GET STARTED TODAY!!!
M. Tanney (mindy1107@verizon.net)

Sue P. said...

Maybe not cried like a baby but definately teared up pretty good - Until There Was You and My One and Only. Most good romances make me tear up though! Very great interview. Thanks so much for sharing.

suepete12@yahoo.com

Karen Lawson said...

This interview was so good that I had to download one of Kristan's book right away. I have never read one before, so I downloaded Until There Was You. I can't wait to read it and weep! I tear up all the time reading books, but the series that made me tear up the most was probably the Treading Water Series by Marie Force. Each one of those books had some tender moments in them.

I would love to get started on Kristan Higgins as another go to author! Thanks for such a great interview!

klawson5@roadrunner.com

Anonymous said...

Hands down, the scene where Maggie's dog Colonel dies in Catch of the Day is the most crybaby worthy! I don't know how anyone can have a dry eye after reading that scene! The ending of The Next Best Thing did have me sniffling but Colonel takes the cake.

Kris A said...

What a fun interview! I love Kristan's books and have read every single one and can't wait to get my hands on this new one. I think my favorite book her books is Just One of The Guys. I cried and cried at the end I had to read it again to make sure I got it all through the tears. That book did not have my crying the most though. I think that honor goes to The Next Best Thing.

Tasty Book Tours said...

I am LOVING everyone's comments!! I so forgot how much I cried during All I Ever Wanted...My Noah...I loved him so much!!

I wish I could Giveaway a book to all of you, but I am so happy to have so many NEW Higgins fans coming around, and hopefully many of you will purchase the rest of her books...sinve they are ALL amazing reads!!

PL said...

I'm with you on Just One of the Guys. It was one of my favorite endings too, though the ending of Somebody to Love is pretty awesome too.