Author Spotlight - Excerpt from "Opposites Attract"

Thanks so much for supporting Angela during her spotlight week featuring "Opposites Attract." Leave a comment on the excerpt post today, Saturday, and Sunday, and on Monday I'll pick a winner out of a hat to receive a PDF copy of Angela's story, "Opposites Attract."

Enjoy the excerpt!
Smiles
Moderator Steph

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THE SET UP: Holly and Brett are in Paris for the weekend courtesy of the 'Opposites Attract' agency. They've just spent the evening touring the city with their parents and are about to return to their hotel.


Brett's hand grasped her arm and pulled her back in the shadows as their parents walked towards the waiting taxi. "You're not tired, are you? I thought we might walk back to the hotel. Maybe grab a coffee on the way."

She couldn't make the excuse of having on unsuitable shoes and didn't think she could convincingly claim the awareness zinging through her was fatigue. Before she could deny him. Brett shouted over to his father.

"We'll catch you later. Don't wait for us. We're going to walk a while and see some more sights."

There was no protest from her mother. What a surprise. Good old Mum might as well have handed her to Brett on a plate.

The black car drove away, leaving them alone on the street. Brett grabbed Holly's hand and strode off, dragging her along at his fast pace.

What was with the man?

After several minutes he slowed down, stared around and headed off again in front of the Trocadero fountains. Out of the blue, he stopped at one of the pavement cafés.

"Sit."

Holly resented being dragged around like a mongrel, and she hated taking orders. She opened her mouth to complain, but something in his no-nonsense tone made her obey. She stayed quiet as he ordered two coffees in perfect French. Well, at least she couldn't tell the difference between his accent and the waiter's.

She sipped her drink while he stared down at the table and didn't speak. Finally, Holly couldn't stand it any more. "So what's your problem now? You dragged me here and now you're glaring at the coffee cup as if it contains arsenic. If you can't be better company, I'll get a taxi and leave you to your sulk."

Brett flung his head up. "You're dense, aren't you?"

She didn't answer because he plainly didn't mean her to.

"Come on. I'll walk you home." He growled the words, making her wonder if there was some kind of latent madness in him she should worry about.

He jerked her to her feet, spilling his untouched cup. Holly watched the liquid spread over the glass table and drip off the edge to the pavement beneath.

"Why? You wanted to walk and see some more of the city..."

"No, I didn't." He fixed her with an angry stare.

"Well, that's what you said. What do you really want?"

Brett gave an exasperated sigh. "You must be the most obtuse woman on the planet. This is what I want."

He seized her face with his strong hands and pulled her close. Brett's fingers pressed into her skin and his mouth covered her lips.

At first, his kisses were hard and demanding. Just when she would have pulled away, he changed tactics and nipped gently at her lips with his teeth. The wild sensations about drove Holly out of her mind and she moaned with pleasure. His tongue teased her lips until she gave way and allowed him in. She tasted whisky and passion, and she couldn't get enough. Her skin tingled everywhere Brett touched as one large hand moved down her spine.

PUBLISHER'S BUY LINK:http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-248/Opposites-Attract-Angela-Britnell/Detail.bok

Author Spotlight - Angela Britnell talks about using theme in Opposites Attract

I was thinking about why I write a certain kind of stories and it struck me that the title of my new book sums it up perfectly. At their core my novels all involve some kind of attraction of opposites from geographical to personality or lifestyle.

In 'Opposites Attract' Holly is a very correct, neatly dressed Englishwoman with an organized life. To make things interesting she had to be unwillingly matched with Brett, her complete antithesis. He's Southern to the core, relaxed in his appearance and laid-back way of life. It's fun to play around with the culture differences and I don't need to look any further for research than my own marriage! Brett's dislike of English hamburgers and Holly's revulsion of okra are easy outward signs of the much deeper differences they need to overcome. The main characters in my next book, 'It's Complicated', are both English but are still about as opposite as possible. Emily is a quietly spoken math professor with a limited social life and content to stay that way. And then there's Ash - a tattooed professional poker player with a playboy lifestyle. When they meet it's another huge clash.

But underneath that surface oppositeness deep down my characters have to have the same desires and values. They all want to love and be loved in return, to live a good productive life and raise a family together.

The getting there can't be too easy for them because after all who wants to read about two perfectly compatible people with no obstacles to their Happy Ever After.

PUBLISHER'S BUY LINK: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-248/Opposites-Attract-Angela-Britnell/Detail.bok

Author Spotlight -Character Interview with Brett & Holly from Opposites Attract

Sally Fowke, owner of the 'Opposites Attract' dating agency, is interviewing Holly and Brett in London after their return from a weekend in Paris.

So Holly, did you enjoy Paris with the man we chose specially for you?

HOLLY. Paris was lovely and it was a pleasure to spend time with my mother.

Brett, I think the lady's being coy. How would you say the weekend went?

BRETT. Being a gentleman I'm not about to do a kiss and tell. Let's just say we had us a pretty good time didn't we sweetheart?

HOLLY. That's one way of phrasing it but how many times have I asked you to use my proper name? You wouldn't want me to revert to calling you a ..."

You two certainly have a little spark going. Are you both glad you signed up for my wonderful agency?

BRETT. It's sure been an experience. Y'all certainly know what you're doin.'

HOLLY. Oh for goodness sake -- when are you going to stop laying on the syrupy charm?

BRETT. When it stops workin' honey.

HOLLY. I've had enough I'm off.

But I haven't finished. I need a photo of you together for the newspaper.

HOLLY. I hope you're joking.

BRETT. What is it you Brits say? Don't be a spoilsport? Come here and snuggle into me.

HOLLY. Not in this lifetime.

I think we'll leave it for now. You're probably both tired.

BRETT. I sure am. She about wore me out.

HOLLY. That's it I've had quite enough. Miss. Fowke I'd appreciate you taking me off the agency's books. One weekend was more than enough.

Some women don't know when they're lucky, do they Mister Adair?

BRETT. They sure don't. But she will soon. I can promise you that.

PUBLISHER'S BUY LINK: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-248/Opposites-Attract-Angela-Britnell/Detail.bok

Author Spotlight - Q&A with Angela Britnell

STEPH: I don't know much about "Opposites Attract." What's it about?

ANGELA: The 'Opposites Attract' dating agency has the theory if normal matchmaking hasn't worked for you then try it their way. They turn things around and purposely mismatch people. Holly and Brett are content with their single lives but their parents aren't and give them subscriptions to the agency. Holly, an uptight British policewoman and Brett, a laid-back Southern writer couldn't be more opposite. They're thrown together on a weekend in Paris. It turns magical but secrets, lies and sheer stubbornness threaten the romance before it hardly gets off the ground. Holly and Brett will fight love all the way and it’s a question of who’ll give in first.

STEPH: Where did you find the inspiration for the story?

ANGELA: So many people these days find love in what would’ve been considered unconventional ways. I kept reading about on-line dating sites and agencies and they all stress how carefully they try to match people. It got me thinking about what would happen if they purposely did the opposite. Also I’ve been married for nearly 30 years to a wonderful man and we're opposite in many ways. I’m pretty sure no dating agency would ever have matched us.

STEPH: How long did it take to write?

ANGELA: I think about four months – it was one of those stories which flowed pretty quickly.

STEPH: Did you have to do a lot of research for the story?



ANGELA: Not too much. The three settings for the story are all places I’ve been. Plymouth in England was very familiar as it’s not that far from where I grew up and I lived near there while in the Royal Navy many years ago. I’ve been to Paris several times so just needed to do some online research to refresh my memory about certain places. As for the Smokey Mountains I’ve visited there multiple times. On one visit there I photographed a log cabin which a year later was the inspiration for Brett’s favorite home.

STEPH: Holly is the heroine. What are her strengths? Weaknesses?

ANGELA: Her strengths are that she’s very smart, determined and completely focused on her job. She’s also very loyal to the mother who’s essentially brought her up alone. The problem is that the same determination and focus are also her weaknesses at times. She doesn’t believe it’s possible to have a private life and do her job well. Holly’s seen a lot of police marriages fail because of those conflicts. Also she is wary of loving a man ‘too much’ because she saw how hard it was for her own mother to keep going after her father’s tragic death.

STEPH: What does Brett find appealing about Holly?

ANGELA: Physically he’s very attracted to her and enjoys the fact she’s intelligent and he can talk to her both in and out of the bedroom. He appreciates her witty sense of humor when she relaxes enough to show him that side of her.

STEPH: Hollywood is calling. Cast the main characters.

ANGELA: I’d try to persuade Dierks Bentley the country singer to take the part of Brett – he just looks so much like the Brett of my imagination. Emily Blunt could do Holly well – she’d just need a little time in the tanning salon to mimic Holly’s Mediterranean coloring better!

STEPH: Do you have a eBook reader? If so, which one? What do you like about it?

ANGELA: I got a Kindle about three years ago and love it although I still read plenty of print books as well. I travel back to England frequently and it saves me carrying five or six books in my carry on bag. Another bonus is the fact I can watch TV and read at the same time without my hated bi-focal glasses by adjusting the Kindle’s font size.

STEPH: What's your writing space like?

When my oldest son moved out several years ago I commandeered his bedroom and turned it into my office. I painted it peach and put up lace curtains to guarantee he wouldn’t want it back! I’ve got a lovely oak desk which belonged to my father-law, a sofa, bookcase and most important of all a tea table. Without regular doses of hot tea this writing brain doesn’t function!

STEPH: Fun question: Do you make new year's resolutions? Did you make one this year?

ANGELA: I have done in the past but not this year – it’s one less thing to fail at!