The Mortal Library: Hard Glamour Excerpt + Interview

Author Maggie Marr introduces a new adult contemporary romance series called the Glamour Series. The first book of the new series, Hard Glamour, has been released just a few days ago on January 14th 2014. It is a story containing promises, of standing on the brink of success, and a twist of fate. Tour hosted by: ATOMR Tours.

About Hard Glamour:

"

A promise to keep….

Honoring her mother’s last wish, Lane Channing vows to follow her dreams. She

takes the ‘big risk’ and leaves her small Kansas town behind and heads to LA, the 

city of dreams. She’s got a stellar job lined up, an old jeep, and 20 bucks to last 

her to her first paycheck. Her hopes shatter when she arrives to find her job’s

been given to someone else. Now she’s broke and will soon be living on the

streets if she doesn’t do something fast. Welcome to cutthroat – Lane is most

certainly not in Kansas anymore.

On the cusp of success…

Dillon MacAvoy has one goal–to become a star–whatever it takes. Even if it

means honing his bad-boy can’t-be-tamed-and-forever-single image. Besides the

image isn’t far from the truth. Dillon cares only about his younger brother and his

career. He’s on the brink of superstardom if he can just decide on the next right 

script. But for that, he needs a script reader he can trust.

In a strange twist of fate…

Lane Channing is Dillon’s last chance. If Lane lasts the summer without becoming 

MacAvoy’s latest conquest, she’s guaranteed a job in entertainment. No problem, 

as long as she can ignore the heat that pulses through her every time Dillon is in 

the room. After all, love and commitment with a sweet, hometown girl would 

only ruin the Dillon MacAvoy brand."

Hard Glamour links: Goodreads / Amazon / B&N

About the Author: 

Maggie Marr grew up in the Midwest and made the move to Los Angeles to work in the movie business. She was a motion picture literary agent for ICM before  becoming a full time writer. She's written for film and TV and ghostwritten for celebrities. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.

Maggie Marr gives us an insiders view of her writing and of Hard Glamour in the exciting interview below!

Q: Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?

Maggie: I write first thing in the morning. My mind is clear and it's the best time for me to get my words down. Also, I am trying to send a message to my muse that Writing Is Important by making my writing the first thing I do in my day. Plus, it is so easy with everything else that goes on in a day to not get the writing done if I don't make it the first thing I do. 

Q: Where did you get the idea or inspiration for HARD GLAMOUR?

Maggie: I love the New Adult genre. I've lived and worked in Hollywood and written about Hollywood for nearly a decade so when Dillon and Lane started telling me their story it seemed like a natural fit. 

Q: What was your favorite part writing this novel? Don’t forget to tell us why. 

Maggie: I love it when the characters start to act on their own and surprise me. This usually starts to happen around page 60 or so. Up to then I am listening to them tell me their story but I kind of know what they are doing and where I *think* they are going to go with it but then all the sudden Wham! The characters are off and they are surprising me with their words and their actions--I love that!

Q: What was the most difficult part writing this novel?

Maggie: How hard Dillon was as a male character in the beginning. He is just so Alpha and is unlikeable and closed off--we start to understand why and see that this is a defense mechanism and how Lane is able to break through those barriers but at first he was a really tough guy to like.

Q: What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Maggie: Read!I love to read! I read all kinds of books truly it is my favorite activity. I also love chasing after the children and yoga.

Q: Any future writing news you would like to share?

Maggie: So many fun things this year! Broken Glamour, book 2 in the Glamour Series publishes March 2014, Fast Glamour, book 3 comes out in May, and finally Easy Glamour, book 4 is set to publish in July.

An inside look at Maggie Marr's favorite quotes and why they are her favorite from Hard Glamour! 

"Maybe this summer in Los Angeles was a Big Risk, but I wanted into the world of entertainment. I wanted to make movies. I wanted to live in California. I wanted to feel alive and whole. I wanted so much more than a girl from Kansas should ever want." --Lane Channing

Maggie: I love the above quote because it is so Lane. The quote expresses her excitement and her optimism as well as this fearlessness that resides deep inside her. Even though things have been tough for Lane she still believes in dreams and taking chances. 

___

"I turned off the jets of water and wrapped a towel around my waist, then stepped out of the shower and turned toward the steamed mirror. I wiped it clean and looked into that face of mine. The hard, cold eyes of a man who would never get the chance to love a good girl like Lane Channing stared back. Sometimes I hated that guy." --Dillon MacAvoy

Maggie: I love this quote because it shows who Dillon is in the beginning of the story. He is closed off and he doesn't even like the guy he's become and yet he has no idea how to change himself, how to be the guy that deep down he wants to be. 

___

"I was falling in love with Dillon MacAvoy. A love that could never be returned. I could have my summer, I could have him for a while, but the girl that would have him for forever—I knew for certain that girl wouldn’t be me." --Lane Channing

Maggie: This quote is great because Lane won't stop herself from falling in love with Dillon--actually she can't stop herself and yet she can't believe that possibly she is the right girl for him--at least not yet. 

___

"My heart thudded and my throat thickened. I closed my eyes and licked my lips. I was an asshole. I was a man-whore. I was a guy that used girls and kicked them to the curb and now finally, when I met a girl I couldn’t get out of my system, a girl I wanted to stay, a girl I cared about, I was going to pay for my past sins." --Dillon MacAvoy

Maggie: Again, another quote where Dillon doesn't like who he was or what he was, but here he is starting to accept that his past actions have repercussions. Here in this quote we see remorse and a desire by Dillon to change so that he won't ruin his future. 

___

"You’ll walk out there to the premiere, you’ll go to the party, and you’ll pretend. You’ll pretend none of this bothers you. You’ll pretend you’re having a great time. You’ll follow Dillon and his team’s lead and you’ll even pretend you aren’t sleeping with him and you aren’t in love. And you’ll do it for his career. For the business.” --Amanda Sterling

Maggie: I LOVE Amanda. She grew up in the entertainment industry and totally gets it. Amanda is giving Lane the truth about being a part of entertainment. About the compromises that Amanda has made in her life and the compromises that she is certain that Lane will have to make and all for a career in an amazing but demanding industry.

Behind the Scenes with the Characters of Hard Glamour: 

"Dillon MacAvoy is a study in contradictions. He is a great character to get
to write. Here is a guy who is completely an alpha male but with this soft
interior. An interior that was not honored when he was a child. He gets plucked from obscurity, does a huge underwear add and is now on his fourth film. Dillon is on the ride of his life when we meet him--but he is also terrified and lonely and he is doing what he learned to do when he was a child when he was terrified and that is to act tough and not feel--or at least act like he doesn't feel. Many of Dillon's qualities come from being raised by a very tough dictatorial father who never showed emotion. A father that believed everything was disposable. Dillon was a kind and emotional kid and his father quite literally tried to beat the emotion out of Dillon. Dillon's father saw his son's caring nature as a vulnerability, a weakness so he did everything he could to 'toughen' Dillon up. We also see how dictatorial the MacAvoy family was/is in their reaction to their youngest son Choo. Dillon makes a painful choice to support his brother, Dillon eschews a relationship with his parents because of their refusal to accept Choo for who he is: A gay man. Dillon is loyal and kind and just and he will do anything to protect his brother from any further pain inflicted by their parents. Dillon is a physically gifted man. He has dark hair, beautiful blue eyes. He is thick and well-muscled. He exudes a fearless confidence. When I write him  I often see glimpses of Channing Tatum, in his looks and the way he moves.  He has a great appetite for women, and woman love Dillon. He is that good-looking guy that you can take home to mom but really he is a bad-boy in disguise."

"Lane Channing is effervescent, and kind, and compassionate, and strong.
You look at her and can make the mistake of thinking she is a pushover
that perhaps you are just dealing with another pretty face but you aren't.
The most amazing part of Lane is her resilience. She refuses to be knocked
down for long. Just before the start of the story Lane lost her mother--but Lane refuses to let that pain bury her. Instead, Lane follows through on her promise to her mom to follow her dreams and leaves Kansas City to come to Los Angeles for a summer job. I love how Lane opens herself up. How even after the pain and confusion she's endured she continues to allow herself to feel and be vulnerable. I think this is why Dillon is drawn to her, because deep down he too wants to let his emotional side out--but is quite simply terrified to do so. He sees in Lane a deep emotional strength that he admires. Lane opens within Dillon his own emotions so that he can express his feelings. Lane has been focused first on school and getting through school and then on her mother while her mother was ill. So while she's not necessarily been sheltered she hasn't had much time for boys and parties. She isn't someone who is going to toss away her first time. She doesn't want to 'get it over with' she's been waiting for the right guy. Dillon is that guy. When they fall for each other, the heat is amazing. Lane reminds me of Jennifer Lawrence only with darker hair. I love how Lane views the world with a continued joy and openness even after the pain and loss she's suffered."

Now that you know a little bit about the book, you know the author, and the characters, check out this sneak peek of Hard Glamour!

Hard Glamour Excerpt:

"

I might have been straight out of the fly-over states, but I wasn’t a moron. I definitely didn’t appreciate the looks or the attitude being shot my way. I stood in the center of the human resources department in my new suit and my new heels with my new bag and my new haircut, expecting to start my new job. “What do you mean my job is gone?” My fingertips tingled and my heart jolted in my chest. I stared wide-eyed at the blonde behind the human resources desk. She settled her chin on her hand. She looked bored. My problem was definitely not her problem. A part of me wanted to reach over and shake her. “A client needed a summer internship for his brother.”“But you have something else for me, right?” My voice grew louder as the idea of what was going down sank into my brain. “I just drove two thousand miles for a summer job.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I need the money.”Her eyes slitted and she tilted her head. “It’s an internship,” she said. “You don’t get paid for an internship in entertainment.” Her eyes roamed over me and my sixty-dollar suit like I was a hick from Hicksville, USA. When was the last time this little girl had ever paid for anything on her own? Her HR assistant gig wasn’t paying for those Loubies on her feet, which were peeking out from under her desk. Damn, those were some great-looking shoes. “What kind of company doesn’t pay a person for summer work?” I asked. “The kind of company that gets five thousand résumés a week.” She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling as though she was educating a Neanderthal and not someone who’d just locked down her third year of college. She resettled her gaze on me. “Who do you even know to get in here?” she asked as though there had been some tragic mistake other than CTA giving away my internship to some overindulged rich kid and me believing my internship would be paid. Who did I even know? I cocked my hip to the side and sucked in my cheeks. Little Miss Attitude was not so great at HR. “A friend of my mom referred me,” I said. “But I nailed the Skype interview.”“Who’s your mom?” She twisted her blond extensions between her finger and thumb, suddenly interested that maybe I was somebody she should know. A piece of my heart broke with the word mom on her lips. Who was my mom? She was my world—had been my entire world—with her wild, curly golden hair and bright blue eyes, eyes that always seemed to smile even when things were remarkably bad. Tiny pinpricks of heat started at the backs of my eyes and I swallowed and forced myself to concentrate on the entitled girl in front of me. “That’s not important.” I cleared my throat and looked around the gray room full of cubicles. “Is there anyone else I can talk to? You know, about a real job?” I’d rolled into L.A. on gas fumes and grabbed a bed and a shower in a Best Western. I didn’t know a soul in Los Angeles. I had approximately seventy dollars to last me until my first paycheck, and I dearly hoped one of my coworkers needed a roommate for the summer. Call me a gambler, call me a risk-taker, call me crazy—I’d been called worse—but when I found out I’d gotten the gig for the summer at CTA, the biggest entertainment agency in L.A., I didn’t think twice about hitting the road from Lawrence for my opportunity of a lifetime. Especially after the hell of the past year. The only problem was that it appeared that my “opportunity of a lifetime” had evaporated. “You can talk to Nancy,” the blonde said and jerked her head toward the door. “She’s the head of HR, but she won’t have anything for you either. Not if you need money.” A flush blossomed on my neck and bloomed on my cheeks. Who didn’t need money? Oh, right, rich kids with trust funds and parents that stole other kids’ jobs. Yes, I was one of those people that needed money. No daddy to bail my ass out, no mama with a trust fund to pay for my entire life. I had to actually work and get paid to have clothes, a car, a place to live, and even school.“Take a seat. I’ll see if she has time.” Half a day later, after meeting with two other people, both of whom seemed grandly perplexed that I would assume my internship was paid, I had no job, no internship, and in twenty-four hours most likely no place to stay."

We hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into Maggie Marr's new series! We want to hear what you think about Dillian and Lane from Hard Glamour in the comments below!

Holiday Book Blitz: Exclusive 'Savor' excerpt from Kate Evangelista

We are opening a new section of the Institute that we feel Tessa and Will would love....The Mortal Library!

Here's our plan. We want to bring you book tours and reviews on our favorite books that we have shelved in our favorite little section of the Institute. From YA to Adult, we are sharing our passion of reading with you!

The first book we'll be delving into is the delicious new adult paranormal romance Savor by Kate Evangelista.

Hold on to your seats, ladies and gents, this is one saucy bit of lit that will keep you craving more! Like all adult books, discretion is advised because there are a few steamy scenes not suited for younger reading audiences. With that being said....

Savor Blurb:
Mature and explicit content. Not recommended for readers below 18-years-old. Yup, you’ve got to be that old to read my story. Consider yourself warned.

I’m Dakota Collins, a tough talking, eye patch wearing, workaholic photography student. Why am I important? Well, maybe because I get to spend an entire month with Vicious, only the sickest indie rock band out there.

You see, I needed a subject for my Spring Showcase introspective in order to graduate. During a chance encounter at a club I’d been sent to cover for the Daily Gossip, our ironically named college paper, the features writer I usually teamed up with introduced me to the band—by accident, I might add. It involved a run in with a scary, bald bodyguard. Anyway, long story short, I signed a contract to take pictures of Vicious.

I should have known their handsome yet way too serious for his own good bassist, Luka Visraya, wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself. He’s gorgeous and all, but the way he smiles spelled trouble with a capital L. I’m in for a long month with him around.

Crazy shit happens and then some. So, if you want the skinny on Vicious and the events revolving around my stay at Lunar Manor, read my story.

Again, refer to the warning above.

Buy Links:
Amazon
B&N
The Book Depository
Crescent Moon Press

Author Bio:

When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she lives in the Philippines and writes full-time.

Author Links:
Website: www.kateevangelista.com
Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads.
Add Savor to GR link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17159305-savor

Savor Exclusive Excerpt:

“Dakota Collins!”

I lowered my camera. The use of my full name never came with good consequences. I blinked my vision back at her even if I wanted to spend the rest of the night taking his picture. Sweat rose over my upper lip. I may just have found my subject for the Spring Showcase.

The only problem?
I had to find a way to convince him to be in my project. Something told me this wouldn’t be easy. By the way my heart beat in my ears, drowning out the music and Silvia having a fit in front of me, I wanted it too much. I wanted him too much.

“This the guy you were saying?” I showed Silvia the picture I’d taken. This seemed to pacify her because she sidled closer, mesmerized like a moth to a flame.

“Luka Visraya,” she said with a moan like she’d just tasted the most luscious chocolate before taking a long gulp of her cocktail. The name didn’t register. Silvia must have noticed my blank expression because she continued. “He’s the bassist for Vicious.”

Still no pings of recognition in my head.

She slapped her thigh. “Where have you been? It’s weird that you haven’t heard of them. Their songs are on the radio like every second.”
Of course I hadn’t heard of them. I liked listening to country and I hardly kept up with current events.
“Name one?”

Okay, I had a name. Luka. Exotic. A bassist. Part of a band I should know about. So he’s famous. I slowly felt my chances of asking him to be my subject slip from my grasp. If he was someone famous, fat chance he’d say yes to a graduating photography student like me. I just about deflated when Silvia mentioned one of their songs. “Oh, I know that one!” By accident. It played in the radio of the cab I rode in to Sacrifice. I stared at the picture of him then lifted my gaze to where he sat. “He’s gone.”

“What?” Silvia whipped around in time to come face to face with a wall of man. “Whoa!” She pushed at him. “Watch it, buddy!”

“Give me the camera,” he said in a threatening tone. Big. Beefy. Bald. The three Bs that made up the quintessential bodyguard.

I clutched my DSLR closer to my chest and looked up at him with my good eye.“And why would I do that?” The patch didn’t seem to intimidate him because he just reached out. So much for my Bond villain aspirations. I moved away from his grubby hand. No one touched my camera but me.

Despite her size, Silvia came between me and the mountain. “We’re here to cover Sacrifice for our college paper. You don’t have the right to take away my colleague’s camera.”

Yeah! You give it to him, Silvy.
Not that I couldn’t take care of myself. But if Silvia wanted to play hero, I wouldn’t stand in her way.

“What seems to be the problem here?” a soft, authoritative voice chimed in. The bodyguard moved aside to reveal the Gothic Lolita.
She stood at just about the same height as Silvia, but she possessed an older aura even if she seemed to be our age.

“She’s been taking pictures,” Baldy said. Lolita’s kohl eyes landed on me then shifted to my camera.

“As I was saying to the big guy,” Silvia explained. “My colleague and I are covering the opening of Sacrifice.”

“For what paper?” Lolita asked without taking her eyes off me. I clutched my camera like an extra appendage. In some ways it was. After losing half my sight, I relied on my camera like an extra eye, seeing the world through its lens. I would rather die than lose it.

“The Daily Gossip,” I said before Silvia could answer just to relieve some of the awkward tension building in me under her gaze.
“We study at Wexler U.”

She tilted her head, crossing her arms.

“Okay,” I quickly stammered out. “I get that the name of our paper sounds like a tabloid, but the Daily Gossip is a cool campus paper.” The last part maybe only I believed since Silvia raised her eyebrow at me, but Lolita and the mountain didn’t have to know that.

No one spoke after that. Even in a noisy club, the silence in our group rang in my ears. Not waiting for the situation to get any more awkward, I plowed forward with my own selfish intensions.

“You know Luka.” I said it more as a statement, but it came out like a question.

Lolita nodded.

“I’m Dakota Collins and I’m graduating this spring. I was wondering if Luka would be interested in—”

“What would I be interested in?” a smooth voice joined our group.

The walls of my throat closed, chocking the rest of what I had to say. All eyes turned to Luka. Silvia dropped her empty glass. It bounced off the bodyguard’s shoe and landed in a clatter but didn’t break. Even with my height, I still had to look up at him.

“What are you doing here?” Lolita admonished. “You should be backstage.”

One side of his lips came up. God. Without the scowl, his face lit up. I had to stop the urge to lift my camera and start snapping away. And his eyes were piercing blue. The kind that stretched over my mother’s farm in the summer. Damn. Seeing him up close, I knew I’d give any one of my kidneys for a chance to take his picture in a formal shoot.

“We have five minutes. Chill, Yana.” He tugged at one of her pigtails.

“Luka,” Silvia managed. “I’m a big fan. Will you sign my chest?”

Bypassing my petite colleague, Luka’s intensely blue gaze studied me. He reached out and I flinched back. His fingers almost grazed my patch. What the hell was the matter with him? Trying to touch my eye patch was tantamount to poking a bandage over a wound and asking the person if it hurts.

Gothic Lolita—Yana—yanked Luka’s arm down. “I’m so sorry!” Her whole aura changed. She went from all business to panicky. “My brother sometimes forgets his manners. He didn’t mean anything about touching your…” She bit her lower lip, maybe trying to keep herself from saying the wrong thing.

That little faux pas cleared my head of the Luka haze and spurred me into action. “Luka, will you let me take your picture for my final project?”

I didn’t know where my courage came from, but I knew if I didn’t take this chance, I’d regret it. I had to have him as my subject. Still not removing his gaze from my face, like my patch transfixed him, he tilted his head to one side very much like his sister did earlier.

“Luka, don’t!” Yana said, but from the consideration on Luka’s face, she was too late.

“You’re a photographer?”

“Yes.” I nodded, in case the word wasn’t enough.

“And you’d like me to be the subject of your project?”

God yes! This time, I could only nod. I didn’t want him to see how eager I was. And I couldn’t live with myself if I embarrassed myself further.

I waited with baited breath.

It seemed everyone in our group waited with baited breath for what the golden god had to say about my brazen request. I soon realized when Luka spoke, everyone listened. The way he pronounced every word precisely yet still spoke so smoothly, like butter on warm toast, captured everyone’s attention. To say he captivated us was an understatement. Something in me certainly wanted to hear him keep speaking. He could read from an accounting textbook in that voice and no one would get bored.

“I need to know that you’re good,” he finally said.

Something about his words seemed to hold a different meaning. I must have missed the alcohol in the soda Silvia had given me. Maybe I was drunk and this was all a blackout dream.

“What are you saying?” Yana faced Luka all the way now, her petite form all rigid.

He unleashed a full on megawatt smile my way. I almost had to cover my eye from it. At my side, Silvia gasped. Her long nails dug into my arm. Like staring at the sun, I couldn’t take my gaze away from him no matter how bad it was for me.

“We’re about to perform. I want you to take several pictures then send them to Yana. If she approves, we’ll see about your request.”

Then, like smoke, he disappeared into the crowd.