Hello everyone! Today I am so pleased to welcome author Skylar M. Cates to the blog. Skylar is here to talk about her new release, The Guy From Glamour. She has also brought a great excerpt to share, as well as a giveaway. So please give Skylar a big welcome!

 

Thanks for hosting me today!

In The Guy From Glamour, I modeled Anthony’s ex-boyfriend Rick, or “Rick the Prick” as Anthony’s sisters called him, on many lousy ex-boyfriends of various friends as well as my own experiences with the issue.  I wanted to explore this idea: what if you love you family and you love your boyfriend, but they do not like each other?

In the story, Anthony’s family makes it clear that they do not care for Rick, and that they hope Anthony will not take him back. Moreover, they never liked Rick and he never liked them. This, of course, has contributed to the breakup significantly.

According to Studies of Love, the number one way to know if your boyfriend is a loser is if “your family and friends dislike him.”

Assuming for a moment that your family is pretty decent and genuinely cares for your happiness, it might be important to listen to why they hate your love interest.  Maybe you’re being isolated from them? Maybe you’re always being blamed for everything?  Or worse. Anthony has to question his own role in his past relationship, and his ex makes it harder for him to trust in his new relationship with Dean.

My question for you is this: Have you ever allowed friends and family to sway you about a love interest or not?  Have you stuck by your partner and been glad you did so? Or have you looked back and realized your family was —*gasp*– right all along? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic!

Excerpt 

In this excerpt, Anthony’s mom is questioning his old relationship with Rick and asking about his new one with Dean.

Anthony got busy with the dough for the cheese bread while the oven heated. He melted half a cup of butter and mixed up the flour and special Italian cheese his mother always used. After combining things, he began to roll the dough into balls and place them on a cookie sheet, but then he stopped, frowning. After wiping his hands on a dishtowel, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed.

“Hello?”

“Do I have to put the dough balls in the freezer before I make your cheese bread? I can’t remember.”

“Hello to you too, Anthony.”

“Sorry. Hiya, Mom.”

“Hi. And yes, you freeze the dough first, then put it on the baking sheet. It will crisp up to a golden brown.”

“Thanks. I should get back to it.”

“Wait a minute. You hardly call and now you’re rushing off the phone? Why are you making my cheese bread? You usually only make that with me on Dad’s birthday.”

Anthony hesitated. “I’m having a friend over.”

“Is it this Dean fellow? Your father told me about him.”

No surprise there. Mia had caved and told Cody, and Cody had told their dad, thinking he’d already known…. Still, Anthony’s fingers tightened around the phone.

“Yeah, it’s for Dean.”

“Your father told me about his adoption case. Why didn’t you call me? It is my area.”

“Because you were in New Jersey and because you’re retired.” Anthony didn’t add it was also because of his mom’s declining health. That would make her go ballistic. “Anyhow, Pete took care of it pretty quickly.”

“I suppose that makes sense….” She still sounded a little hurt. “When am I going to meet Dean, exactly?”

“Mom, you just got back into town last week.”

“So? I still want to meet him. I usually meet all of your boyfriends.”

“He isn’t like my other boyfriends.”

“Meaning what?”

Oh crap. Anthony hadn’t meant to say that to her. He stalled a moment, taking the dough balls and sliding them into his freezer.

“Well?” his mom demanded. “You don’t define him as a real boyfriend like your others? So how do you define him?”

That was the trouble with a lawyer for a mother—he was always being interrogated over semantics.

“It’s a casual thing. That’s all. We like each other, but neither of us is ready for a permanent relationship, so we are keeping it casual, having some fun, we’re—”

“A ‘wham, bam, thank you, ma’am’ type of thing? That’s not okay. It’s not you.”

“I’m fine.” Anthony tried to sound like a responsible adult.

“What about Rick?”

“Rick? What about him?”

“Are you really over him? When I was shopping the other day, I spotted Rick across the mall and—”

“Mom. Remember that I told you Rick left the area? You couldn’t have spotted him.”

“It looked just like him.”

“It wasn’t.”

“If you say so. In any case, I’m still not convinced about Dean. Not at all. It’s unlike you to jump into something with a man you barely know.”

“Mom, stop it! Maybe this isn’t my usual choice, but Dean’s a good man, really good, and when he looks at me, it’s like….” Anthony shook his head. “It’s enough for now.”

There was a long silence. “Okay,” his mom finally said. “I worry, that’s all. A mother’s prerogative. Actually, sweetheart, it’s nice to hear some life in your voice. Some fire. For too many months, you seemed deflated.” She didn’t add that it had been all his months with Rick deflating him, but Anthony understood her. He appreciated that his mom spared him from saying the words out loud.

“Let’s change the subject, okay?” Anthony began to mix the ingredients for his pepper sauce.

“Fine. How’s work? Are they treating you right?”

“Yes, it’s going well.”

“Don’t let them make it all about the teachers.”

“It should be about the teachers. They’re the most important thing.”

“Nonsense. Guidance counselors are every bit as important.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“But they really should give you a raise. It’s a crime what they pay the people serving our children’s future. You know Emily and I went to school together, right? I can always call her.”

“She’s a great principal. And our raises are always two percent across the board. Nice and fair. No calls needed,” Anthony said. “Now, tell me all about my new nephew in New Jersey.”


Blurb

Guy from GlamourAnthony Carrino loves his big, gregarious Italian-American family, even if his sisters are interfering, and his dad, the local sheriff, knows everything going on in town. He’s happy as a middle school guidance counselor. Despite helping kids and their parents fix their problems, Anthony can’t manage to get his own love life right. If only everyone would stop calling him the “nice” guy.

Dean Pierce doesn’t do relationships. A tough-minded military man, he is dedicated to his job as a Night Stalker, flying Chinook helicopters and not speaking much to anybody. He certainly doesn’t want to deal with a mess of emotions. But when tragedy strikes, Dean finds his hands full with his troubled niece, her irresistible guidance counselor, and a meddlesome family, which includes a rather large puppy.


Bio

Skylar M. Cates loves a good romance. She is quite happy to drink some coffee, curl up with a good book, and not move all day. Most days, however, Skylar is chasing after her husband, her kids, and her giant dog, Wasabi. Skylar dreams about spending her days writing her novels, walking along the beach, and making more time for her good friends. On a shoestring budget, Skylar has traveled all over in her early years. Although, lately, the laundry room is the farthest place she has visited, Skylar still loves to chat with people from all around the globe. Skylar can be found on Facebook, Goodreads, or her website: http://skylarmcates.wordpress.com.

Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4557


Giveaway

Skylar has brought a copy of The Guy From Glamour to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter.  The contest ends on Sunday, January 19th at 11:59 pm EST.

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