It's my pleasure to introduce you to author Nicki Elson, who's stopping by to promote her latest release, Vibrizzio! Her guest post today is part of her blog tour, hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. Don't forget to check out the giveaway below! And now, without further ado:
5 Real Things in VIBRIZZIO
& 5 Things I WISH Were Real
Thank you, Aria, for having me over during the tour. And double thanks for giving me free rein on choosing a topic! Bits and pieces of writers’ real lives often find their way into their stories, so I thought it would be fun to let you in on 5 real life things in VIBRIZZIO plus 5 things I wish were real.
Real:
- Like Lyssa and Hayden, I was an investment consultant in Chicago. I left that life to stay home with my babies, and I’ve honestly never felt any pull to go back to it, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed dipping a pinkie toe back into investment theory while writing this story.
- Lula’s farm is a replica of a friend’s family farm where a group of us had some gooood times when we were in our mid-twenties. The back bedroom (which I always seemed get stuck with) truly was totally creepy, and the real farm is also complete with a family cemetery.
- Lizzie McNeill’s Irish Pub along the Chicago River is 100% real. My cousin once threw her husband a big birthday bash there, and the bar has such wonderful charm that I was excited for the opportunity to throw a fictional bash there in VIBRIZZIO.
- CFO Randall “Shep” Shepherd is inspired by a lovable good ol’ Southern boy who was a major client of mine during my investment consulting days. Heaven forbid I ever opened a door for myself with my very own delicate little hands whilst he was present.
- Afternoon tea at The Drake is a lovely experience that I’ve taken in a few times IRL (minus Lyssa’s passive-aggressive mother). There really is a live harpist—be careful what you do with her strings.
Wish:
- Oh, how I wish someone would come out with a Hawaiian version of Hall and Oates’ “You Make My Dreams”—just like what Lyssa and Hayden dance to in Dallas. If ever you come across one, please Tweet me a link! (@NickiElson3D)
- The Field Museum of Natural History is my favorite, favorite of all the Chicago museums, and I’ve been there a ton, but I’ve not yet been invited to an elegant private party like the one in VIBRIZZIO.
- Though I’ve spent many a fun weekend in Lincoln Park, I’ve never had my own apartment there. It’s such a pretty neighborhood with the vintage architecture, fantastic zoo, gorgeous gardens, and the lake—plus the great pubs and restaurants. It was a treat to get to live there vicariously through Lyssa.
- I’ve never met anyone like Lula Bell—quirky investor-savant and Lyssa & Hayden’s quasi-nemesis—but I sure would like to.
- I think everyone should have a “gazebo of vice” like the one Lyssa escapes to during extended family gatherings, don’t you?
Lyssa Bates doesn’t need a man. Not when the world is fully stocked with double A batteries and a wide array of options in Amazon’s health and sexual wellness category. After yet another failed relationship, the twenty-six-year-old investment analyst is convinced that real guys aren’t ever going to live up to her expectations—so why should she bother with them? She’s determined to keep her dating life purely electronic…though she occasionally fantasizes about Hayden King, the delicious new associate she just got partnered with at work.
While Lyssa manages her romantic risks by deleting men from of the equation, the ever-charming Hayden protects his heart by diversifying his love life across multiple women. As the two young professionals travel together around the country for business, their flirty working relationship develops into a close friendship that hurtles toward something more. Between hot tub confessions in Baltimore, an accidental kiss in Dallas, and an all-nighter in Chicago, Hayden proves himself to be better than any fantasy.
About Nicki:
Writing wasn't something Nicki set out to do; it just sort of happened when she realized writing reports was by far her favorite part of her investment consulting position. She traded stock allocation and diversification for story arcs and dialogue and now weaves her creative writing time in with the other activities of her busy life with her family in the Chicago suburbs.
Nicki writes with two goals in mind: #1 to keep the characters realistic, even when their circumstances are anything but, and #2 to make the reader feel. Watch for her new title Vibrizzio, coming in 2015 from Swoon Romance. Her published works include Three Daves, a light-hearted romantic romp through a 1980s college campus, Divine Temptation, a romantic novel of angelic proportions, and Hans & Greta: a Twisted Fairy Tale Novella. Her published short stories include “Sway” (available as a single), “I Don’t Do Valentine’s Day” (part of A Valentine Anthology), and “Impressionism 101” (included in the debut issue of Insatiable: The Magazine of Paranormal Desire
Nicki writes with two goals in mind: #1 to keep the characters realistic, even when their circumstances are anything but, and #2 to make the reader feel. Watch for her new title Vibrizzio, coming in 2015 from Swoon Romance. Her published works include Three Daves, a light-hearted romantic romp through a 1980s college campus, Divine Temptation, a romantic novel of angelic proportions, and Hans & Greta: a Twisted Fairy Tale Novella. Her published short stories include “Sway” (available as a single), “I Don’t Do Valentine’s Day” (part of A Valentine Anthology), and “Impressionism 101” (included in the debut issue of Insatiable: The Magazine of Paranormal Desire
Connect with Nicki through:
Her Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads
Thanks for hosting today, Aria! :)
ReplyDeleteI also know Lizzie McNeil's but I've yet to have high tea at the Drake. Fun info about Lula's farm and the inspiration for Shep!
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