Valentine's Day Special Author Interview & Giveaway with Juliette Sobanet

Join me in this fun post on Valentine's day filled with loads of chocolates and romance ideas to brighten your day! 

If you day-dream about falling in love in the most romantic city of the world, Paris and dig funny, romantic chick-lit, then Juliette Sobanet is one author you must check out! With her latest release, “Kissed in Paris”, she is all pumped up to celebrate Valentine’s day with my readers on “The Review Girl” by giving away free copies of her book (check out special giveaway at the end of this post!). 


Not just this, we are chatting about her perfect Valentine’s day, favourite romance reads, movies and much more! She is sweet, she is hilarious and she loves chocolates! Drooling already? *wink*

RG: Welcome to my blog, Juliette! I will start with a straight-forward question. Why chick-lit?
I love reading and writing chick-lit because it’s a great way to escape at the end of a long, busy day. There’s nothing better than pouring a glass of wine, curling up on the couch, and being swept into a funny, romantic story that makes me forget about my troubles.

RG: Is chick-lit “fun and romance” or about “chicks” who are “beauty with brains”? How do you think it is different from regular women’s fiction?
I think a strong chick-lit novel can encompass all of the above. Well-written chick-lit stories are fun and romantic with engaging heroines who may seem to have it all, but who clearly need to work through their issues over the course of the book. Chick-lit is lighter than regular women’s fiction, and this light-hearted, humorous nature should only enhance the quality of the book. Don’t we all need a good laugh every now and then?

RG: I could not agree more! I am a big sucker for chick-lit that provides a right blend of romance and comedy. In the majority of chick-lit, the character of hero is limited or sometimes half-sketched, do you think it affects the overall depth of story or it’s no biggie?
Since chick-lit novels focus primarily on the woman’s journey, it is understandable that in some stories, the hero may not be as well developed as the heroine. But I do feel it’s important to develop the hero’s character as much as possible because there needs to be something beyond his good looks to make the reader fall in love with him.

RG: I agree. In spite of female being the main protagonist, to carry the story forward, all the secondary characters including the hero, have to play their part, otherwise it does get dreary and the reader may not feel “connected” to the story. As a reader/reviewer I find such stories, one-dimensional. Moving on, tell us about your books. Can you give us a sneak peak into your latest book? 

In my debut novel, Sleeping with Paris, we follow a sassy, young French teacher on her wild romp through the City of Love where she is determined not to fall in love. But with a slew of Parisian men at her doorstep, including a mysterious new neighbour who feeds her chocolate in bed, it seems as though Paris has other plans. As a Valentine’s Day treat, this novel is FREE on Amazon for today!

My second novel, Kissed in Paris, was released this week, just in time for Valentine’s Day! It’s a romantic, action-packed story about a straight-laced event planner who takes a last minute business trip to Paris only days before her wedding and gets duped by a French con-man in the process. Her only hope at clearing her name from a looming police investigation and making it to her wedding in time lies in the hands of a rugged, undercover agent who has a few secrets of his own.

RG: If you could be one character from your books, who would you choose to be and why?
Tough choice, but ultimately I would choose Charlotte from "Sleeping with Paris" because her main love interest, Luc, feeds her chocolate in bed. What woman could turn that down?

RG: Chocolates are good enough to make any woman weak at the knees! *wink* So, where do you get ideas for your stories and characters?

I spent a year and a half studying in France, so many of my ideas originated from my experiences abroad. Also, my girlfriends serve as a never-ending source of inspiration on dating topics, relationships, and love.

RG: Do you have any upcoming books/projects? Will it be chick lit or some other genre?

I am currently wrapping up the edits on my third novel, “Dancing with Paris”. It's “Midnight in Paris” meets “Moulin Rouge” with a bit of mystery and a lot of romance. While it will still appeal to fans of the chick-lit genre, the murder mystery aspect of the story may reel in a whole new type of reader.

RG: Sounds intriguing! List 3 suggestions/writing tips for those who want to venture into writing fiction.

1. Learn your craft. Write, re-write, and edit until you’ve written the absolute best book you could write. Then . . .

2. Submit to contests for feedback and ask other writers to critique your work. Then...you guessed it, keep on editing and re-writing! Don’t get discouraged—this process is supposed to take a long time.

3. Never give up! Have faith that you’ve stumbled upon this writing path for a reason, and your stories will find a home one day. And once they do, all of the hours you’ve spent writing and re-writing will be totally worth it.

RG: Valentine’s Day is being celebrated the whole month of February on my blog and I am asking every special guest who appears on my blog, about their perfect valentines. So, let’s talk about your idea of romance. What is your perfect Valentine's Day like?

Going out to a romantic dinner with my husband, then eating loads of delicious chocolate together. (Oh, and if he wanted to take me to Paris for a Valentine’s Day surprise, that would be nice too:)

RG: That is one heck of a perfect Valentine’s! I am jealous! *laughs* Okay, it leads me to my next question, What is your all-time favourite romantic movie?
The Notebook. I love that movie so much. And I know he’s going to kill me for saying this, but my husband loves it too.

RG: What is your all-time favourite romance book/novel?
Not sure if this is allowed, but since I’m so engrossed in the love story I’m creating in my third book, "Dancing with Paris", I have to go with this one. It’s a love that must survive incredible obstacles—time travel and murder to name a few. I can’t tell you how it ends though . . . you’ll just have to read it when it comes out!

RG: It does count when the story is so tempting! What is your all-time favourite romantic place? (I am guessing favourite romantic place would be Paris, but still curious to know from you.)
Paris is definitely high on the list, but ultimately I have to go with Annecy. It’s a fairy-tale town located in the French Alps, and with winding cobblestone streets and a sparkly blue lake surrounded by gorgeous snow-capped mountains, it’s simply breathtaking. I can’t wait to take my husband there one day. Maybe for Valentine’s Day next year?

RG: Complete these sentences:

· Romance is...the passion of life. Without it, what are we doing here?

· Life is...a wild ride. Hang on and eats loads of chocolate along the way.

· Chick lit is...fabulous, sexy, and fun. Mix with chocolate and wine and you’ve got a perfect night ahead of you!

RG: Oh my! You are making me crave chocolate right now! How about we share a lindt (your favorite chocolate!) Yummy! *laughs* Is there any such thing as "food-gasm"? *wink*

RG: Thanks so much for such a lovely conversation, full of laughs and yummy chocolates! Great to have you on my blog for Valentine's Day. Wish you all the best for your books.

About the Author:

Juliette Sobanet is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York University in France, and she has lived and studied in both Paris and Lyon. She is currently a French professor in the Washington, DC area where she lives with her husband and their two massive cats. When she's not writing, she's eating chocolate, practicing yoga, or scheming on when she can travel back to France.

Author’s website: Chocolate for Writers – http://www.juliettesobanet.com/

Visit her website, stalk her on Twitter or “like” her page on Facebook!


Purchase links for her books:

Amazon link for “Sleeping with Paris”: http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-with-Paris-ebook/dp/B005TNM736/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

Amazon link for “Kissed in Paris”: http://www.amazon.com/Kissed-in-Paris-ebook/dp/B0075MR85G/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1328745414&sr=1-2

Valentine’s Day Special Giveaway!!!

International!

Prize: Kissed in Paris (E-book)

To: Three (3) lucky winners

Open till 26^th February, 2012

To Enter,

CLICK HERE!!!

Good Luck Everyone! J

NOTE: 

The results will be drawn through Random.org. 

The winner will be notified through e-mail by “The Review Girl”. 

Thanks to my lovely friend and amazing author, Juliette Sobanet, for this wonderful giveaway. 

Before signing off, I would like to thank all my followers, for their support and love, as I have reached 500 mark today. Thanks so much everyone! xxx 

To express my gratitude, I am having lots of giveaways to give you chances to win fantastic books. Happy reading everyone!

To take part in other Valentine’s Day Special Giveaways on my blog, click here.