Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews: Interview with contemporary romance author Victoria Grant

Romance author Victoria Grant is here today and we are having fun talking about her new contemporary romance, Stranded in Love.

During her virtual book tour, Victoria will be awarding 3 signed paperback copies of the novel to 3 lucky randomly drawn winners (North America only). To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Welcome, Victoria. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Born in England to a Monty Python-loving dad and a Lawrence Welk-loving mum - tea drinkers all - we moved to Canada when I was seven. "Say book, say look" my new classmates would hound me just so they could have a good chuckle at my accent. But being incredibly shy, this was a great way for me to make friends.

My love of words and a creative imagination prompted English teachers to urge me to write for a living, especially after I got a letter from the Prime Minister who thanked me for writing to him! So cool for a twelve-year-old!

Through the years, I wrote while I earned a living as an Administrative Assistant in various companies; then I owned a Wedding Coordination business for six years (talk about romance!), all the while being happily married to the love of my life.

These interesting jobs plus wedded bliss gave me oodles of ideas for romantic plot lines, tall, dark and handsome heroes and feisty, beautiful heroines, and, of course, the happily ever afters.

I currently live in Mississauga and spend time with family and friends, and struggle daily with the wine and chocolate that somehow magically appear in my house...

And, amidst the endless cups of strong tea, while the dead parrot sketch and Cole Porter songs whirl around in my brain, I write. I will always write romances because I love creating fascinating characters whose lives I can make completely miserable before I give them their happily ever after.

Please share a little bit about your current release.

Stranded in Love is a contemporary romance. It’s Book #1 in the Calderone Family Romance Series, set in the beautiful city of Toronto. Laney Calderone is the heroine, who, when the story starts, is experiencing the worst day of her life. The hero of the story, Tyler Hammond, is not having his best day, either. The two get stuck together during a brutal snowstorm and do their best not to kill each other…or fall in love.

What inspired you to write this book?

I always wanted to write a romance novel and one day, as I watched the snow really come down, I decided that would be a fun place to start by putting the leading lady in a bad mood, then making things worse with the weather and other uncontrollable circumstances, then see what happens from there. Stranded in Love is the result.

Excerpt from Stranded in Love:
Tyler took Laney into his arms and pulled her close. The music changed to that unforgettable jazz melody she knew so well, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed Stephen on the balcony with the band leader, a devilish grin on his face. Up to his old tricks again.

“You look ravishing tonight, Ginger.” Tyler whispered in her ear. “Did I ever tell you red is my favourite colour?”

Laney tried to move to the rhythm except her feet would not obey. She felt clumsy and self-conscious dancing with Tyler with so many people watching, especially her family.

“You feel a little tense, my love. Relax and enjoy.”

She closed her eyes wishing she could walk away, but that wasn’t going to happen. Tyler held her tight and guided her effortlessly around the floor. The mesmerizing scent of his cologne reverberated through her senses and she surprised herself when she realized she was smiling. The Tyler Trap, she thought. You’ve gotten stuck in it again, you idiot!

With a deep sigh, she let herself surrender and leaned into him. He smiled and pulled her even closer. It didn’t matter to her anymore who saw them, who noticed they were so close; she didn’t care.

As she floated around the hall Laney became immersed in her surroundings. The Christmas tree lights twinkling, the distant chatter and laughter of the guests, the captivating tune, and the wonderful feel of this amazing man in her arms.

Laney wanted to freeze time again. This man, this music, this moment. She rested her chin on his shoulder and let him take complete control. They moved as one, oblivious to every eye on them as they soared in the clouds, leaving all the other guests back on Earth.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m thrilled to announce that Book #2 in the Calderone Family Romance Series, Write to Love, will be released next year. The hero is the youngest Calderone brother, Noel, the playboy of the family, and tells what happens when he meets feisty KC Dunlop, a newly published mystery author. I’m currently working on Book #6, the final book in this series, which tells the story of the parents, Eve and Boyd, and the obstacles they had to overcome to have their happily ever after.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I was quite young. I started reading when I was 4 years old, thanks to my parents, and soon after I discovered writing came naturally to me. I always received the highest marks in class for my stories, they were always pinned on the “A Star is Born board” for Parent-Teacher night. And when teachers began telling me I had a real talent, especially for dialogue, I decided to take extra courses to improve and hone my skill as an author.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I’m fortunate to be able to write full-time and I love it! I’m an afternoon/night owl, I’ve discovered that’s when my creativity is at its peak, so I try to get all my errands and chores done in the morning, then I spend anywhere from 8-12 hours at my laptop. And if I’m on a roll and the story is evolving nicely, it can be 2 or 3am before I get to bed. One night just recently, I stayed up the entire night writing almost 12,000 words. I was exhausted the next day, but it was worth it.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

After I’ve written a chapter, I read it out loud. It’s a completely different experience from just seeing the words on the laptop or on paper, and when I hear the dialogue, it helps me decide if that dialogue sounds right and fits the character. It also helps me catch grammar and punctuation issues.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

You mean besides a princess and a rock ‘n roll star? Unfortunately, when I was growing up, there didn’t seem to be nearly as many career choices available to women as there are now. I remember at one point wanting to be a stewardess (they now prefer to be called flight attendants), but that soon went by the wayside when I got sick on my first airplane trip. LOL. I also considered being a teacher, a nurse, and a secretary, which is what I eventually did for 25 years (and that title has changed too, they’re called administrative assistants now).

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I would love your readers to pick up Stranded in Love and immerse themselves in the wealthy, powerful world of Toronto’s Calderone Family. Tyler and Laney’s story is what romance novels are all about – there’s a snowball fight, dancing by firelight, a few heated arguments, and a richly deserved happily ever after. It’s getting fabulous reviews so I hope readers will enjoy my debut novel and look forward to reading the entire series.