Interview with Kaira Rouda, Author of Best Day Ever + Giveaway (US only)

It is my utmost pleasure to introduce Kaira Rouda to the blog today to celebrate the exciting release of Best Day Ever from Graydon House, a Harlequin imprint!

Welcome to Books à la Mode, Kaira! Let's get this interview started.

Will you please share a brief bio with us?

Kaira Rouda is the USA Today bestselling author of novels including Here, Home, Hope, The Goodbye Year, In the Mirror, All the Difference, and most recently, Best Day Ever. Her stories explore what goes on behind closed doors of seemingly perfect lives. She lives in Southern California with her family and she's at work on her next novel.

It's amazing to get to feature you today! Readers, here's a bit about the book, which hit shelves last month:

Paul Strom has the perfect life: a glittering career as an advertising executive, a beautiful wife, two healthy boys and a big house in a wealthy suburb. And he’s the perfect husband: breadwinner, protector, provider. That’s why he’s planned a romantic weekend for his wife, Mia, at their lake house, just the two of them. And he's promised today will be the best day ever.

But as Paul and Mia drive out of the city and toward the countryside, a spike of tension begins to wedge itself between them and doubts start to arise. How much do they trust each other? And how perfect is their marriage, or any marriage, really?

Forcing us to ask ourselves just how well we know those who are closest to us, Best Day Ever crackles with dark energy, spinning ever tighter toward its shocking conclusion. In the bestselling, page-turning vein of The Couple Next Door and The Dinner, Kaira Rouda weaves a gripping, tautly suspenseful tale of deception and betrayal dark enough to destroy a marriage... or a life.

Buy the book from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Books-a-Million | iTunes | Kobo | Google Play | Publisher

As a huge fan of first lines, I’d love to hear the first line of Best Day Ever. Could you give us a brief commentary on it?

I glance at my wife as she climbs into the passenger seat, sunlight bouncing off her shiny blond hair like sparklers lit for the Fourth of July, and I am bursting with confidence.

This is Paul Strom, my narrator, introducing himself to you. His life is perfect. His wife is perfect. They are the all-American couple. He is confident the day will go just as he has planned.

Tell us about your road to publication, such as how you first queried, unexpected challenges, and things you picked up along the way.

It has been a long and winding road to publication, with five different literary agents, five novels, two romance series with small press and self-publishing, and a nonfiction book published by Wiley under my belt.

It was six years ago when I published my first novel, Here, Home, Hope. I have so many stories I could share, so many query letters, so many rejections. Perhaps the most poignant was the first time I tried to go for my dream in 1999. I found my first literary agent at the Antioch Writer’s Conference. She loved my novel In the Mirror and went out on submission. A famous editor with a huge publisher called me and told me she loved it and a contract was on the way. She died the next day suddenly in the back seat of a cab in midtown. It was a traumatic, shocking and extremely sad situation. Of course, I didn’t have a signed contract. My agent dropped me because she said the manuscript was now bad luck. I didn’t submit another fiction work for years.

Are the characters from your book based off anyone you know in real life?

No, they aren’t based on real life people, but a lifetime of experience goes into each one.

Out of all the fantastic books out there, what makes Best Day Ever stand out from the rest?

Two things. The gorgeous red cover. I just love it, and I had nothing to do with it! My fabulous publisher Graydon House has a great cover artist. And second, a male first-person narrator in the domestic suspense arena. I’ve come to find out that is unique.

Blog babes, click "Read more" to find out Kaira's best advice. We're also hosting a giveaway for a finished copy of Best Day Ever, so you don't want to miss that either!

Laguna Nights by Kaira Rouda Giveaway! (US only)

Laguna Nights
Kaira Rouda

Madison Alcott was back in her hometown, caring for her sick mom and working long hours at the best resort in Laguna Beach. She never imagined she'd return to the place where she became famous on the hit reality TV show Laguna Nights, and the place where she was humiliated on national television. Fortunately, the past had stayed tucked away until her old high school boyfriend appeared in the lobby.

Josh Welsh was a superstar by age eighteen, the bad boy break-out star of Laguna Nights. Since then, his star had lost its shine and he barely was holding onto his Hollywood status. When he was asked to host a new reality travel show, he jumped at the chance. The only problem was the first episode was shooting in Laguna Beach. Of all the reasons Josh didn't want to return home, he hadn't even imagined the worst scenario: running into Madison "Holly" Alcott.

Josh's connection to Madison was still as strong as her anger at his betrayal. When the new reality series forces them together, they must face Laguna Nights past and present, and navigate a journey where nothing is as it seems.

Buy the book from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Books-a-Million | iTunes | Kobo | Google Play

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away one print copy of Laguna Nights—yay!!

To enter, all you have to do is answer Kaira's question:

If you could take an all-expense paid vacation anywhere, where would you pick? Personally, our family always visited Laguna Beach and now we get to live here. I pinch myself every day!

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. Kaira and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publicist and author—a huge thank you to the lovely Suzy Missirlian and Kaira Rouda!

Giveaway ends September 20th at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US readers only. Sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open internationally. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

Winners have 48 hours to claim their prize once they are chosen, or else their winnings will be forfeited.
Although I do randomly select winners, I am in no way responsible for prizes, nor for shipping and handling.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda

Here, Home, Hope
Kaira Rouda

Release Date: May 1st, 2011

Publisher: Green Leaf Book Group

Page Count: 310

Source: Complimentary ARC provided by publicist, BookSparks PR, via Romancing the Book, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you both!!)

Desperate Housewives meets The Middle Place in this absorbing, witty story about one suburban mother's journey from a midlife crisis to reinvention with the help of her husband, friends, and neighbors.

Kelly Mills Johnson becomes restless in her thirty-ninth year. An appetite for more forces her to take stock of her middling middle-American existence and her neighbors' seemingly perfect lives. Her marriage to a successful attorney has settled into a comfortable routine, and being the mother of two adorable sons has been rewarding. But Kelly's own passions lie wasted. She eyes with envy the lives of her two best friends, Kathryn and Charlotte, both beautiful, successful businesswomen who seem to have it all. Kelly takes charge of her life, devising a midlife makeover plan.

From page one, Kelly's witty reflections, self-deprecating humor, and clever tactics in executing that plan—she places Post-it notes all over her house and car—will have readers laughing out loud. The next instant, however, they might rant right along with Kelly as her commitment to a sullen, anorexic teenager left on her doorstep tries her patience or as she deflects the boozy advances of a divorced neighbor. Readers will need to keep the tissue box handy, too, as Kelly repairs the damage she inflicted on a high school friend; realizes how deeply her husband, Patrick, understands and loves her; and ultimately grows into a woman empowered by her own blend of home and career. 

Here, Home, Hope will surely appeal to readers of chick lit and other women's fiction titles who are ready to transition into something new in their own life.

What Stephanie Thought: Some people observe objects and places and things. Some people observe people, and some people observe life. Kaira Rouda is one author who knows how to observe life, and it is clearly portrayed through the main character, Kelly Johnson, of her debut contemporary novel.

The perfect time to take in a troubled teenage girl whose parents act like she doesn't exist, even when one of the parents (the mother) is your best friend, is right amid your midlife crisis. I mean, what else could be better? 

Kelly Johnson is just beginning to re-evaluate her life as a full-time stay-at-home mom, suddenly realizing she has the potential to be something greater. With the determination to take on a job in real estate, but still be the same loving mother to her two preteen sons, Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. Until Melanie—fifteen, unsatisfied, and anorexic—walks into her life.

Kelly has never encountered a situation as big or as serious as this. As she begins to realize the truth about adult selfishness and the power of the helping hand, Kelly learns more than to take care of a distant teenage girl; she learns to take care of herself.

It was really touching how Kelly managed to really affect Melanie. The character progression was astounding; Melanie starts off snooty and unlikeable, but evolves into a sweet, understanding young lady who knows more than she leads on. 

Kelly's voice is fresh, but there is nothing really fascinating about her daily life. Rouda has a style of more telling than showing, so while reading, I was never at the edge of my seat. Things just happen throughout the novel, but I wish Rouda had done a better job of really portraying everything that occurred. 

I also feel Kelly's character is supposed to be very funny and likable, but she is the opposite of that. There is plenty of attempted wit and dry humor that, at a psychological level, should make the reader laugh out loud, but it just didn't work for me. For instance, Kelly constantly nags about herself and her life with "self-deprecating comments" (as quoted in the blurb) but at the same time, she calls herself "a great friend" and "really pretty", which just negates everything humble and likable about a character. 

The story itself is enjoyable—fast-moving plot with a plethora of Wisteria Lane characters and a heart-wrenching climax—but Rouda's style just falls flat for me. More dynamic characters and better usage of imagery and other figurative language expressions could have gone a long way with Here, Home, Hope. But overall, I'm glad to have gotten the opportunity to read and review it.

Stephanie Loves: "I ... tend to indulge in shopping sprees that fill my closest with assorted clothes and accessories I don't need. A check of my closet right now would already reveal a few hangtags. I rationalize that if I keep the tags on, I can always take the clothes back."

Radical Rating: 7 hearts: Not without flaws, but overall enjoyable. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥