Awesome Romance Author Cheri Allan

Be ready for something different. This week’s author interview has a new feel thanks to bestselling romantic comedy writer Cheri Allan. It will leave a smile on your face, I am sure.

Take it away Cheri…

WILL CHERI ALLAN BE THE NEXT BACHELORETTE?

Hi, everyone! *waves* I’m Cheri Allan, and I write hopeful, humorous contemporary romances. If you’ve heard of me (bless you!) you may already know I have a not-so-secret obsession with reality dating shows. I know what you’re thinking, and, no, I have no plans to watch UnReal, but if it’s a reality show where contestants/cast members vie for the affections of one or more other contestants/cast members whether with the help of matchmakers, in a South American rain forest, or in exotic cities around the globe, I’m in! Bring on the popcorn! This is why today’s spotlight book is ALL OR NOTHING, a story about what happens after the cameras stop rolling and our hero returns to his small town, still single, hoping he can drift back into obscurity. (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work out that way.) 😉

With that theme in mind, I thought it would be fun today to make up some reality dating show questions to answer for you. Here it goes…

So, Cheri, if you were twenty years younger, would you consider going on a reality dating show?

 Assuming we live in a fictional universe where I’d also be fifty pounds thinner, have a dedicated bikini/evening gown budget, a job where my boss is like, “You wanna go on a reality dating show in the slim chance you’ll find your true love? Sure thing. We’ll hold your spot for a few months. Go have fun.” Then… maybe. The truth is, I don’t think I’d make for good TV. I tend not to be the jump-in-the-fray sort of personality. Mostly I think I’d quietly walk around the other girls straightening up because, we’re on TV people!, obsessing over whether I should or should not go to bed with a full face of makeup, and end up feeding luncheon meats to the stray cat that wanders on set and then quietly sobbing in a bathroom stall wondering why the ‘good’ girls never get noticed. On second thought, I’d make excellent TV, and so the answer is, yes, but only if you could promise me we wouldn’t be going to any humid locales where my naturally curly hair would garner its own twitter parody following.

Fess up. Would you sabotage the other girls?

 Oooh. Tough question. Does making brownies count? LOL Never mind. I’d eat them myself, so the answer is, no. But I don’t promise not to take notes on the other girls for putting into future books. I *love* people-watching. I think one of the biggest appeals of shows like this is studying how different personalities behave in unusual and stressful situations. And if dating on national TV doesn’t count as unusual and stressful, I don’t know what does.

We all know these shows have ‘archetypes’ that emerge, the Nurturer, the Bad Girl, the Sensible One, the Villain. Which would you be?

 Oh, another tough question. I can tell you which we can rule out. I’m not a Nurturer type, and I have zero patience for junior high drama. So, I’m guessing I’d be the Sensible One. <cringe> I can’t tell you how much I hate that that’s true. LOL I’m just as likely, though, to think the lead bachelor is self-centered and overrated and bake brownies (disregarding the obvious self-sabotage) which I would share with the cute but nerdy cameraman I’d develop a not-so-secret crush on.

Say you make it to the ‘finals’ in your show and the bachelor invites you to the Fantasy Suite on national TV. Do you go?

Are my parents still alive? Seriously, can we just call this room on these shows the ‘private talking room’? Must we assume the couple will get frisky behind those doors? I know I write romance, but I’m seriously already blushing thinking what it would be like if everyone across the country knew I was spending the night with some guy, everyone wiggling their eyebrows as the camera zeroes in on our locking the door. I can only imagine what the conversation would be like behind that door.

Me: Phew! They’re gone. Do you think they bought how we just want time to talk all night and don’t plan on getting it on? I mean, puh-leez,  like I want my grandmother seeing me have a one-night stand on national TV!
Hot Guy: Whatever you say, baby. Here, have a chocolate covered strawberry and some champagne.
Me: I could really go for a cheeseburger and fries. I haven’t eaten real food in weeks.

Hot Guy wiggles his eyebrows.

I stifle a yawn because I haven’t slept since the show began because–hello?–there are cameras EVERYWHERE and I’m petrified they’d catch me snorting in my sleep and the video will go viral.

Do you think these shows ever work? Do you believe it’s possible to find love on a reality TV show?

Is my hopeless romantic showing if I say, yes? But to clarify, I don’t believe these people ever find love because of the show. I think the real story is that they find love despite it, which is the premise I have such fun with in All Or Nothing. To me, the most interesting seasons aren’t when we kind-of-sort-of know from the get-go who the lead is going to pick. The most interesting seasons are when we believe these two have something between them, but… is it friendship? Does he like her quirkiness or is he bemused by it? Is that a look of interest or a ‘he’d be perfect if he just didn’t speak’ expression on her face? Because THAT’s real life. Right there. That’s what makes a great romance story. It’s best when we all know that these two are worthy of love and belong together but the story–the fun part–is when they have to push through the barriers around them, push themselves outside their comfort zones, to discover something truly extraordinary. And maybe they ‘talk’ in the Fantasy Suite along the way. 😉

Well, looks like my time is up. <sniff!> Before I step into the limo, let me just say, I’m so grateful for this opportunity. And if you want to chat, go ahead and comment below. Or, look for more quirky love stories with my Lucky Charm series coming out later this year. Feel free to stalk me on social media. <shares social media links> There will be puppies… and brownies! <limo door closes> Ooh, champagne!

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MORE ABOUT ALL OR NOTHING

When finding Mrs. Right goes, oh, so wrong…

Self-made tech millionaire Ian McIntyre has suffered through a reality dating show only to return home to idyllic Sugar Falls, New Hampshire, empty-handed, swarmed by paparazzi, and hounded by a Hollywood producer determined to deliver a Happily Ever After. But then his home is invaded by a sexy, snarky local staging it for the season finale, and Ian finds himself more interested in the cute and scrappy hometown girl dusting off his action figures than the audience’s favorite southern belle.

Auto mechanic Bailey Adams grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and is struggling to patch together enough odd jobs to buy a garage of her own. When the Golden Boy of Sugar Falls entangles her in his disastrous season of Happily Ever After, they both discover that some long-held dreams are only as ‘real’ as ‘reality’ TV.  Now, with the deal on her dream garage in jeopardy and her unlikely love affair with America’s favorite geeky hunk playing out on national TV, Bailey must decide if she’s willing to risk it all for love… or be left with nothing.

*** Mild sexual content; Mild language; No violence ***

 

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Excerpt

“Then take off your coat and avoid hypothermia.”

Her bottom lip jutted out. “You first.”

He shrugged out of his parka and hung it on a hook by the door, raising one eyebrow as he did so.

She took another long drink then tugged her coat off and hung it next to his. Melting snow dripped onto the floorboards beneath it. Stubborn woman.

“Your lovely flannel shirt is also soaked,” he said.

“Yeah, like I’m falling for that.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve seen lumberjacks make flannel sexier than you do.”

He didn’t know why he was goading her, but he felt on edge… wet, chilled and restless.

“Like you could resist me if I were standing naked in front of you,” she said.

She paused, as if she weren’t sure how those words came to be floating in the air between them. But there they were, raining down over him like hot sparks. Heat flooded through him, and he could feel his blood pumping. He watched her, the air crackling with awareness. The fire in the stove popped and something tumbled inside. His heart thudded in his chest at the word ‘naked.’

“Try me,” he said.

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Buy Links

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | B&N  |   Google Play

Luck of the Draw * Stacking the Deck * All or Nothing * Deal Me In

All titles available in print and e-book
Sign up for my New Book Alert! www.cheriallan.com

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More About Cheri Allen

Cheri Allan is an Amazon Romantic Comedy bestselling author of hopeful, humorous contemporary romances. She lives in a charming fixer-upper in rural New Hampshire with her husband, two children, two dogs, five cats and an excessive amount of optimism (and pet hair!) She’s a firm believer in do-it-yourself, new beginnings and happily-ever-afters, so after years of wearing suits, she’s grateful to finally put her English degree to good use writing romance. When not writing, you might find her whizzing down the slopes of a nearby mountain or inadvertently killing perennials in her garden. Books in her debut Betting on Romance series have been nominated for both the Carolyn Readers Choice Award and the Golden Quill.

Betting on Romance…because every woman deserves to get lucky.

Find Cheri Allan here…

Website: www.cheriallan.com

Facebook: Friend me at http://www.facebook.com/cheriallanauthor or Like me at www.facebook.com/cheriallanbooks

Twitter: @CheriAllan

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/cheriallan

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Cheri Allan is ready and waiting to hear from you.

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