guest blogger – Barbara Edwards Comments

Greetings and a huge THANK YOU to my dear friend Barbara Edwards for hosting me!! Yay! I’m so excited to be here to celebrate the release of my latest contemporary romance, She’s Got Dibs! Whoo Hoo!

I know you’ve all probably heard comments like this before, but this story holds a special place in my heart. Yeah, yeah, you’re saying, every author gets all gushy whenever one of their stories get published. *yawn* Been there, done that. But I do have a specific reason for my fixation. From concept to publication, She’s Got Dibs took five loooong years to complete. Yep. Think about that for a second. That’s longer than high school, people. Longer than college…longer than it took me to birth two kids. No surprise having this story finally appear on the web, not to mention being able to hold a copy in my hands, has me left me giddier than my ten year old daughter at an arts and crafts fair.

I’m not going to bore you with the gory details of this story’s path to publication. Suffice to say when I first sent it to a publisher, thankfully the manuscript landed in the hands of an editor who saw the potential in my prose despite the run-on sentences, my obsessive use of “as” phrasing and my pervading tendency to over-explain everything. I mention these five years because, for me, to now see She’s Got Dibs garner some attention has been…epic. And quite honestly a huge relief. Thank goodness I can say all those years in rewrites and production were worth it—something no author knows for certain until those first reviews come in.

But something else has also happened. Something I didn’t really expect.

It’s my hero, Dibs. As an author of romance, it’s pretty standard I always try to craft a hero that is swoon-worthy. I mean, this comes with the territory, right? We write (or try to write) men whom women love to fall in love with. But this attention Dibs has been getting has really sorta left me scratching my head. Don’t get me wrong. It’s wonderful to receive reviews that say “Dibs is my favorite hero of all time!” or “I call dibs on Dibs!”, but there’s one piece of this puzzle I haven’t admitted yet.

The entire story—from start to finish—is written in the heroine’s POV. (O.O) I’m not kidding. At no time during the story is the reader in Dibs’s head.

If you’re anything like me, right about now you’re asking yourself, “Wait…how’s that work?” How could so many reviewers comment on how great Dibs is…admit they’ve fallen in love with him…without ever getting a single thought from his character?

Truth is, I’m not entirely sure. What I do know is that from the onset of She’s Got Dibs, I knew it would be paramount to make sure the reader clearly “saw” Dibs through Tessa’s eyes—because she, alone, tells the story. During every scene, I had to be certain whatever Dibs was thinking or feeling was shown to the reader…so they would be left no doubts about what was going on internally with him. Apparently, whatever I did worked. I just ever anticipated it would work that well. I mean, geesh, the guy has his own little fan club. Sorta makes me jealous. 🙂

Regardless, this hub-bub surrounding my hero has been a wonderful bonus in seeing this story come to life. One I would love to share with one commenter by offering to give away a copy of She’s Got Dibs!

If you’d like to see what everyone is talking about, just leave me a comment and Dibs is yours!

Thank you, Barbara for hosting me!

Blurb:

True love does not exist…or so event planner Tessa Adams learns the day she gets jilted—twenty-four hours prior to walking down the aisle. One-night stands are much easier, and with sexy philanthropists like David Brenner, how can she resist? Now if she could just get rid of him. Had she known the biggest event of her career would be working for David’s father, she would have cut and run. Instead, she’s unwittingly become a part of his parents’ plan to destroy his life-long dreams. Will sacrificing her love protect him or be the ultimate betrayal?

Wealthy and gorgeous, David Brenner seemingly holds the world in the palm of his hand—his generous heart and infectious smile are just two in an endless stream of attractive qualities. But the one thing he wants, he can’t have—a repeat of the passionate night he spent in the arms of a skittish Tessa Adams. His family’s far-reaching power threatens to crush their dreams. To prove his love, he would risk everything…but will the return of her ex-fiancé be their final undoing?
Excerpt:

“Dibs.” He extended his hand.
Frowning, she accepted his greeting. “Dibs on what”
“No.” He chuckled. “That’s my name. Or well, actually, my nickname. Either way, it’s what everyone calls me.”
“O-o-okay…” The guy definitely had the smolder covered…and those incredible ice-blue eyes. Yikes!
“And you are?”
“Oh, Tessa Adams.” She laughed.
“And everyone calls you…?”
Her frown returned. “Tessa.”
“Oh.” He scanned her face. “No nickname, huh?”
“Not that I recall at the moment.”
He pressed his full lips together as if restraining a smile, eyes twinkling with merriment, and handed her the notepad. “Here’s your confirmation number. The room’s at the Waldorf Towers over on Park.”
Two suites at the Waldorf? In this mess? What was he, a wizard? “Wow, great. Thanks so much for the help.”
“Glad to be of service.” He retrieved his briefcase and started down the corridor, abruptly stopped, and peered at her over the perfect slant of his shoulder. “And don’t worry, Tessa, I’ll think of a good nickname for you.”
She offered him a blank stare. “Hey, knock yourself out.”
Mischief danced along his lips before a grin broke free and he continued down the hallway.
“What a whack job,” she muttered.