Standing By
Claudia Burgoa
Release date: September 23rd
2014
About
Standing By:
Mitch Knight
1. Loves a good challenge
2. Never turns his back on a dare
3. Loves to create nicknames
4. Nobody cooks better than him
5. Doesn’t believe in love
When Parker Welsh sells Mitch Knight his organic restaurant,
Willows, he not only gives Mitch ownership; but everything entangled with it.
Including the annoying pastry chef who supplies the muffins and cupcakes.
Hayley Roth-Welsh
1. Loves To-Do Lists and Five-Year Plans
2. Has her dream job of baking sweets
3. Always tries to make others happy
4. Never seems to succeed with her family
5. Is still a virgin, waiting for love
Hayley played by her mother’s rules for the first eighteen
years of her life, instead of heading to college as her family expected, she
rebelled and opened a bakery, Pieces of Heaven. Her family expects her to fail
and head back to school and their wish may come true once Parker sells his
restaurant to the handsome, arrogant Mitchel Knight. It’s either join forces
with him or lose her dream.
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Excerpt
Mitch
“Repeat after me,” Hayley says. “’This is
good’, or if that’s too hard for you, try to say: ‘Not
bad’ then rub your tummy and make a yum sound. Now, if all of the
above are beyond your scope, then stay quiet instead of making yourself sound
like an arrogant ass.”
“Arrogant ass?”
“Yes, it’s when you say things like: ‘I can cook
you something much better. This is too greasy.’”
“Do I also sound like a whiney little girl?” she stomps her
foot and makes a noise that sounds more like a moan.
We’re at the bowling alley at four in the afternoon eating
junk: mac-n-cheese—Hayley’s favorite meal, nachos and a variety of tacos. They
are acceptable but as I told her before, I can cook something better.
“From the first day we’ve eaten together, you’ve made sure
to inform me that there’s nothing better than what you cook.”
“You admitted that my mac-n-cheese is the best you’ve ever
tasted,” I say as she takes her bowling ball. She walks toward the lane, seizes
the target and swings her arm after walking two steps, then Hayley and I watch
her stupid ball score another strike. As of yet, I haven’t found anything
that’ll take her concentration away. “I haven’t said such a thing about your
pastries, Miss Éclair.”
“Because those are baked goods.” She grins.
I shake my head, surprised that she didn’t sneer about the
nickname. I need a new pastry related nickname for her.
“You’re the one who makes me sound like an egotistical
asshole.” I grab my ball and head to the lane. “Which I’m not.”
“That’s you, Mitch, without the a-hole
part,” she says as I try to tune her out. “Your ego likes to take part in every
event, Mr. Knight. I can guarantee you that it is the biggest thing you have
going there.” She pokes me on the back with that pointy finger of hers.
Gutter ball.
“Oh sweetheart, I do pretty well in all departments.” I turn
to look at her and pin her down with my stare, one I try to complement with a
provocative grin. I’m trying to behave and stay away from those tempting curves
of hers, but there’s only so much a man can stand before acting stupid instead
of moving away. I bend to brush her cheek with my lips, and the surge of
electricity that hits me is too intense for me to handle, but I try to act
casual. A week with this woman has been more fun than I thought. “I have
something bigger than my ego; let me know when you want to try it.”
“And that would be?” she takes her ball and releases it, not
missing one pin, damn it. When she comes back I look down at my groin; the
furrows in her brow deepen, and her eyes shine for a second before they close.
“Are you going to finish losing or would you rather call this a day?”
Nice recovery, I want to
say.
Q&A:
Tell us about your first book. What would
readers find different about the first one and your most recent published work?
First and most, Where Life Takes You is in one
word, Drama, while Standing By has a fun, light hearted touch to it. I also
want to think that the readers will find a degree of maturity on my writing
from WLTY to Standing By. A growth so to speak.
Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
Definitely, always remember that everyone
struggles in one way or another, and that even the most put together person can
be a total mess on the inside.
Does music play any type of role in your
writing?
It’s a huge part of my first drafts I like to
listen mostly to Alternative-Indie music. Upbeat with angsty lyrics
my favorite.
About Claudia Burgoa:
Born on the mystical day of October 30th in the not so
mystical lands of Mexico City, Claudia grew up with a childhood that resembled
a caffeine-injected soap opera. Seventeen years ago she ventured to the lands
of her techie husband—a.k.a. the U.S.—with their offspring to start a new
adventure.
She now lives in Colorado working as a CFO for a small IT
company, managing her household filled with three confused dogs, said nerd
husband, two daughters wrought with fandoms and a son who thinks he’s the boss
of the house. To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices
flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to
keep the last threads of sanity intact.
Thank you for being part of the release tour :)
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