trueromance

GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART by Teresa Medeiros

Since Borders Romance Buyer and True Romance host Sue Grimshaw and author Teresa Medeiros chat all the time on Twitter, we thought it would be fun to do our Borders interview about Teresa’s new “Twitter” novel GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART in tweets today!

@SueGrimshaw: So what is the setting for your very first women’s fiction novel GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART?
@TeresaMedeiros: My heroine Abby Donovan actually lives at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. It’s always been a personal fantasy of mine!
@SueGrimshaw: The idea of writing the book primarily in tweets is a groundbreaking one. Do you think you’re creating a new subgenre?
@TeresaMedeiros: I really consider the book women’s fiction because Mark and Abby’s tweets are framed with vignettes from Abby’s life.
@SueGrimshaw: What do you think is the difference between romance and women’s fiction?
@TeresaMedeiros: Romance focuses almost exclusively on the relationship between the hero and the heroine. In GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART, we see the effect of that relationship on one woman’s life.
@SueGrimshaw: Tell us about the heroine of GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART.
@TeresaMedeiros: When we first meet Abby, she’s a washed-up, semi-agoraphobic writer who has let the pressure of being chosen for Oprah’s book club freeze her creatively.
@SueGrimshaw: Do you think that would happen to you?
@TeresaMedeiros: Wouldn’t I love to find out?
@SueGrimshaw: What missing quality does Mark bring into Abby’s life after they start tweeting?
@TeresaMedeiros: Mark is smart and has a very self-deprecating sense of humor that Abby finds irresistible. He refuses to let her take herself (or anything) too seriously.
@SueGrimshaw: Can you sum up the book in one sentence?
@TeresaMedeiros: Can a couple who meet (and tweet) by chance find the love of a lifetime?
@SueGrimshaw: Out of all of their tweet exchanges, which one is your favorite?
@TeresaMedeiros: There’s a hilarious scene where Abby thinks she is Direct Messaging Mark (which would be private) but she accidentally sends something rather naughty to all her Followers.
@SueGrimshaw: Ouch! Anyone who has ever accidentally hit Reply to All could relate to that! Give us one thing Abby would never be caught dead doing or saying?
@TeresaMedeiros: I hate cats.
@SueGrimshaw: So is Mark a boxer or a brief kind of guy?
@TeresaMedeiros: Oh, definitely boxer! I’ve spent my entire career writing about the perfect fantasy man. Mark is more like the guy you’d actually end up marrying.
@SueGrimshaw: Who’s your favorite secondary character in the book?
@TeresaMedeiros: Abby’s friend Margo. She’s from Atlanta and can leave you sobbing on the floor with nothing more than a “God love her” or “Bless her little heart!”
@SueGrimshaw: Aside from tweeting, what is Abby’s favorite hobby?
@TeresaMedeiros: Going to Starbucks. (Just like me.)
@SueGrimshaw: And what would Mark’s favorite hobby be?
@TeresaMedeiros: Traveling! He tweets Abby from exotic locales all over the world. Oh, and keeping secrets because he has a secret that turns out to be a real game-changer for both he and Abby.
@SueGrimshaw: What you think readers will like best about this book?
@TeresaMedeiros: I’m already hearing from readers who said they read the book in one sitting and it made them laugh and cry. I can’t think of a higher compliment.
@SueGrimshaw: What else makes GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART special?
@TeresaMedeiros: It would be the perfect choice for a Book Club or Reader’s Group because I even included Discussion Questions in the back of the book.

If you could pick a contemporary actor to play a hero like Mark in a movie version of GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART, who would it be?

Two randomly chosen commenters in the U.S. and/or Canada will win a copy of GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART!

Setting: Early Victorian era

Heroine: Marguerite Laurent

One sentence summary:

Convinced she will not survive beyond the year’s end, prim Marguerite Laurent intends to live what remains of her life to the very fullest, but hours before embarking upon a grand adventure, Marguerite is abducted—by an unscrupulous rogue who boldly announces his intentions to bed and wed her before the week is out.

Scene you like most and would never cut:

If I confess the scene I most like, I’d give away the climax of the book (does she actually DIE??!! Hmm). I’ll settle for a close runner-up — one of Marguerite’s attempts to escape the hero and stick to her “plan” for passion and adventure … not yet understanding Ash might be the very thing she’s been looking for.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:

Considering my heroine has less than a year to live, she is as bold as can be and up for anything.

What celebrity is your hero like:

I’d have to say Brad Pitt in the movie TROY. Not actually Brad Pitt but his character, Achilles. Everything about Ash shouts out “driven warrior”. Oh, and there’s the hotness factor!!

What celebrity is your heroine like:

The closest is probably Mila Kunis. She’s how I imagined the exotic, raven-haired Marguerite – and strong and spunky, too.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing:

Marguerite is employed as a sick nurse. In the Victorian era, a “sick nurse” was actually like a modern day hospice nurse. Marguerite stays with her charge until her demise and then moves on to her next assignment. Ironically, she’s spent much of her grown-up life surrounded by death … and then she discovers her own death is imminent. She always assumed she had years left. This is what prompts her to seize the day and live whatever time she has left to the fullest.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing:

Ash is your self-made man. Although he grew up on the streets, he’s extremely wealthy, now owning several gaming hells and other properties. But his “rough” roots make him very formidable and unlikely to give up anything he wants, namely Marguerite.

What you think readers will like best about this book:

It’s a fun, refreshing and emotional read, featuring a historical heroine, very much confined by the conventions of her time, who discovers she’s going to die (…or will she?). What else can she do but create her own bucket list? Readers will enjoy reading Marguerite’s bold quest for love and adventure. Um, and did I say it’s sexy? And tension-packed? Her very life hangs in the balance! Will she live or die? And will she find the passion and adventure she set out to experience? And will is Ash be strong enough to fight death for the woman he wants above all else – even the revenge that prompted him to abduct her in the first place?

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:

I’ve been asked to write about Ethan from SINS OF A WICKED DUKE. No plans for him yet … but you never know.

What’s next:

Up next is WICKED IN YOUR ARMS, scheduled to release Aug 2011. This is Grier’s book, whom you will meet in WICKED NIGHTS WITH A LOVER. She’s an especially feisty heroine. A tomboy and a low-born bastard more comfortable wearing trousers and hunting game, she’s got more spunk than your average heroine. Of course, her hero is none other than a royal prince! Could he be anything else?

Also, coming up around this same time is the second book (VANISH) in my young adult trilogy.

Thanks, Sue, for having me here today! I’ve had a great time discussing my newest release, WICKED NIGHTS WITH A LOVER. Did I mention it takes place during the holidays? There’s kissing in the snow and holly gathering … and kissing in the snow. It’s a perfect book to curl up with before the fireplace.

You can learn more about my books by visiting me at www.sophiejordan.net. I’m also on facebook and twitter, regularly chatting up a storm. One random commenter will win a signed copy of WICKED NIGHTS WITH A LOVER and my recent hardcover YA debut, FIRELIGHT (no fear, it’s got a steamy romance, too, and already optioned for film!)

Here’s a question to get things rolling: What would you put on your bucket list? Would you be like Marguerite and place passion at the top?