Real Kind of Love

Ever connect with someone on social media and realize you have a lot in common? Then go on to realize that not only do they say nice things about YOUR books, but they write kick ass books of their own? This is a tale of two Canadians, who are actually in the same province and not so far apart that we can’t meet IRL who share a mutual affection for reading and writing swoon worthy romances. Okay, it’s actually a story of how one of them just had a new book release and I can’t wait to read it.
                                                             Meet my friend Sara Rider. 

​ike me, she lives in British Columbia, Canada. Sara writes contemporary romances full of heart and heat about strong women and the men who can’t resist them. I can attest to the accuracy of this statement because I just finished reading For the Win and fell in love with her characters, her writing, and the story. I’m very much looking forward to reading not only the other two books in that series, but her newest release, Real Kind of Love. This is Sara’s first self-published title and it released on June 5th, 2018 (another bit of kismet since that’s my birthday so it seemed like a gift just for me).

I asked Sara a few questions about her new book. First, let’s take a look at her gorgeous cover.

                        Isn’t it pretty? And it sounds great, too! Read the blurb below:

What happens when a fake relationship turns into a real kind of love?
As an audiobook narrator, Clementine Cox has no trouble mastering the voices of space aliens, elven warriors, or even demon-possessed cats. But the moment she tries her hand at an erotic romance, she’s stumped. With her deadline looming, she books a week at a secluded cabin to restore her inner muse, telling her loving-but-overbearing family it’s a romantic getaway with her not-so-existent new boyfriend to keep them from worrying. She never expects them to invite themselves along to meet the new guy. Now, she has less than twenty-four hours to find a pretend boyfriend in order to save her job and, potentially, her sanity.
Workaholic Jake Donovan isn’t interested in a real relationship. After a broken engagement, all he wants to do is focus on keeping his brewpub, the Holy Grale, afloat. But when he finds out his favorite customer is in need of a fake boyfriend, and his business partners insist he take a long overdue vacation, he has no choice but to help Clem out. All he has to do is enjoy the sunshine, play nice with her family, and keep his hands to himself for the week.
But Jake’s not prepared to like waking up next to Clem every morning as much as he does. Or to feel so welcome by her quirky family. And as the line between real and fake starts to blur, he realizes one week might never be enough.
                                                                          ****
I love fake relationship stories so this is right up my alley. Leave a comment below or on the Romance Chicks Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram telling me what your favorite trope is and I’ll randomly choose one person to win a copy of Sara’s book For the Win.

​

                              FAST FIVE with Sara Rider 
Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to talk about my book! Trying to figure out exactly why my characters would fall for each other is one of my favourite parts of writing, so it’s fun to be able to talk about it here 

1.Where did the idea for Clem and Jake’s story come from?
Unlike most of my stories, REAL KIND OF LOVE just popped into my head one morning, almost completely plotted from start to finish. I was drafting another book at the time and had to put it aside to write this one. It was the quickest book I’ve ever written. I’d been playing with the idea of writing a very introverted heroine for a while and I love the fake relationship trope, so the story practically wrote itself. Most of my stories, however, come from a spark of an idea or scene that makes me laugh, and I build the story around that.
2.What do you think Clem adores most about Jake?
Clem is first drawn to Jake because he makes her feel comfortable in her skin. He doesn’t pry or pressure her into talking about herself when she’s not ready. But as she gets to know him better, she realizes he treats every person with complete respect and kindness, and that’s what makes her fall for him. Once she sees how hard he tries to fit in with her family in spite of their quirks, she’s a goner.
3.Same question but for Jake?
Jake has always been drawn to the mysterious woman who’s been coming to his bar for the last three years, ordering the same meal and reading her books. But as he gets to know her better, it’s her passion that makes him fall for her. Jake spent a long time in a failed relationship feeling like he didn’t recognize himself, so he respects the way Clem is unapologetically herself—whether it’s her love of romance novels or her quirky sense of humour or her need for time to herself.
4.Fake relationship stories can lend themselves to some embarrassing, albeit fun for the readers, moments. What is a favorite of yours for your characters?
REAL KIND OF LOVE is a lighthearted, funny book, so there are quite a few of those awkward moments full of sexual tension. My personal favourite is the moment Clem and Jake realize there is only one bed in the cabin where they’re staying for the week. Clem is already panicking about what to do when she discovers her older sisters have snuck in earlier in the day to leave a giant box of condoms on the pillow. Jake comes into the room just as she’s trying to hide them, only to have the box explode and the packets of condoms go flying everywhere.
5.How was the process of self pubbing different than going through a traditional publisher?
On the surface, the process is pretty similar: draft, revise a million times, edits, copy edits, proofread. But aside from the fact all the decisions were solely in my hands, the biggest difference was the freedom I felt when writing the book. I knew from the get-go I wanted to self-publish this, so I let myself write the book of my heart without worrying about whether anyone else would like it or even read it. Self-publishing meant I could write a heroine on the extreme end of introversion and let my particular brand of humour run wild. On the downside, self-publishing also meant I could tinker with the book right up until publication date, which is a very hard compulsion to resist!