(Hometown Players #1)
by Victoria Denault
They say you only get one shot at making your dreams come true.
Jordan is determined to take two.
Drafted by the NHL at eighteen, Jordan Garrison was headed for fame, and there was only one person he wanted to share it with—Jessie Caplan. He was crazy in love with her, and had finally told her so. They shared an amazing night . . . and then everything fell apart.
Jessie tries not to think about the night she gave herself to Jordan—or how he broke her heart. She tries not to think about it, but she does. Especially now, when she's staring into his sky-blue eyes for the first time in six years. After so much time and torment, she can't tell if she loves him or hates him. But Jordan has learned enough to know a connection like theirs is rare. He was lucky to find Jessie once. No way will he lose her again
Author Bio
Victoria Denault loves long walks on the beach, cinnamon dolce lattes and writing angst-filled romance. Before focusing exclusively on writing novels Victoria was a journalist, a stand-up comic and dabbled in acting. She has lived in many major cities across North America, spent her childhood summers in Maine and adult summers in Spain. She’s now happily settled in Los Angeles with her husband and their two chubby Chihuahuas.
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Interview
Please welcome One More Shot author Victoria Denault to Diane’s Book Blog.
What is your favorite part of the story, One More Shot?
I love the scene where Jordan tries to reconnect with Jessie for the first time in the kitchen of her farmhouse. I love the tension of it and some of the snarky banter. I also absolutely adore the scene between Jordan and Jessie at the end in the hockey arena.
How long did it take you to write One More Shot?
It percolated in my head for several months before I wrote the first chapter. But once I actually started typing it was about three months.
If you were stranded on a desert island which of your characters do you want by your side?
Devin Garrison, Jordan’s older brother, because if you have to be stranded you might as well have eye candy, but also he’s incredibly driven and he’d find a way to get us rescued quickly.
If you could be best friends with one of your characters, who would it be?
Callie Caplan. She’s wild, outspoken, loyal and just a ton of fun… but I’d probably need bail money with her as my bestie but it would be worth it. LOL
What inspired you to write your first book?
The first season of HBO 24-7 Road to the Winter Classic TV show featuring the Penguins and the Capitals. Although I watched a lot of hockey prior, that was my first real look inside players’ lives. I was enamored by the small towns a lot of them were from and the tight-knit families that were usually behind them. I was already an avid romance reader and was thinking of writing my own and that show made me decide on a hockey player for a lead.
What is your favorite book that you wrote?
I love every book the most until I start the next one then that one becomes my favorite.
Who or what inspired you to be a writer?
My love of reading inspired me to be a writer. That started as a pre-teen when I discovered the Sweet Valley High books and the thrillers Christopher Pike used to write. Then I started to write my own ‘stories’ for fun.
What books have most influenced your life?
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, She’s Come Undone by Wally E Lamb and The Lovely Bones by Alice Seabold really stuck with me. More currently Christina Lauren books because they blend a fun amount of sex and story and that’s what I hope to do.
What's your favorite book-turned movie?
The Outsiders. It’s old but I still love it. And the amount of talent in that movie (Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, etc.) is insane. I also love A Walk to Remember and most Nicholas Sparks-based movies.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
S.E. Hinton because she writes a lot about kids with hard starts in life, which I gravitate towards. I’m a very firm believer that broken characters are the best characters (and people). Perfection and the quest for it is creepy to me. LOL. I also really like Karina Halle’s books for this reason. Her characters have flaws and crappy things sometimes happen to them but they push through it. Her male heroes aren’t perfect, they’re real.
What is your typical day like?
A typical writing day for me is - wake up around 7am. Walk the dogs. Make coffee. Coffee is key to anything else being done. J I watch a little HGTV while drinking coffee and checking social media (I can’t do just one thing at once). Then shut off the TV, turn on Pandora and start writing around 9am. I take little breaks as need be if something stumps me or I need to mull over the next move my character will make. So those little breaks end up being breakfast, lunch, and shower. It’s usually enough time to figure out my little hurdle and get back to writing. If I’m in the zone, I’ll go right through without food or a shower – not recommended but I will never pull myself out of ‘the zone’. It’s too precious a feeling.
How do you overcome writer’s block?
I read. I watch a rerun of a favorite TV show or movie. Watching or reading something that I admire and that moves me often motivates me to try harder in my own writing.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Currently I’m in copy edits for Making a Play so I’m reliving the angst and passion that is Rose and Luc. These two don’t have an easy path. I’m waiting for notes on The Final Move, which is about Callie and… her suitor who shall remain nameless for now (I like to build suspense). Callie’s book is the one I am currently madly in love with because it’s the one I just finished. She’s such a fun character for me to write. I’m also working on book 1 of a non-hockey trilogy. The first book is set in San Sebastian, Spain, one of my favorite places in the world, so I love writing about it. I won’t tell you the main characters names but I will tell you they nicknamed each other “Lucky Charms” and “Maple”. It’s very much a love-hate in the beginning. LOL
What book are you reading now?
I just started When I Fall by J. Daniels. I haven’t read any of the other Alabama Summer books but I hear so many good things about them that I figured I’d jump in with this one. Loving it so far. I also have Dearest Clementine by Lex Martin lined up for my next read.
What do you prefer paperback, hardcover, or ebooks?
Ebooks because that keeps my whole library accessible at all times. My tablet is synced with my phone so I ‘can pick up a book’ and continue reading at any time.
What is your favorite thing about sports romances?
The sports. LOL. I’ve never been attracted to a man in a suit unless he was wearing it while walking into a hockey/football/soccer arena. Athletes are so much hotter than business men to me. In real life sports fans really only see the persona of an athlete so I like sports romances because it creates the personal side we don’t always get to see in real life.
What do you love most about hockey?
How fast paced it is. When you watch it on TV it doesn’t have commercial breaks every five seconds like baseball or football. How physical it is. These guys are beasts, they play through injuries that other athletes would not. Meanwhile, although it’s physical and rough, skating is incredibly graceful. Such a crazy dynamic.
Who is you favorite real life hockey team?
I don’t have one favorite team, which drives almost everyone I know crazy. I have favorite players and support whatever team they’re on and follow them when they’re traded. So right now my favorites are LA Kings (Jeff Carter), Montreal Canadiens (Carey Price, PK Subban), Pittsburgh Penguins (Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang), Canucks (Kevin Bieksa and Eddie Lack) and any team with a Staal brother (Canes and NYR).
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you. I’m eternally grateful to you all.
Character Interview
Please welcome Rose Caplan from Victoria Denault’s One More Shot Diane’s Book Blog.
What is your full name? Do you have a nickname?
Rose Caplan but almost everyone calls me Rosie. My friend Luc calls me Fleur, which means flower in French.
What is your hair color? Eye color?
My hair is dark brown/almost black and my eyes are dark brown too. When we were little my sister Callie used to say I looked like Snow White, which annoyed me because my favorite Disney Princess is Cinderella.
How old are you?
21
Where were you born? Where have you lived since then? Where do you currently call home?
I was born in Sacramento, California. I moved to Silver Bay, Maine, the hometown of my parents, when I was 5 and a half. I now spend my time in Vermont at school or back in Silver Bay in the summers. Next year I’m thinking of taking a year off and going to Europe.
What is in your refrigerator right now? On your bedroom floor? On your nightstand? In your garbage can?
My refrigerator has lots of fruits and veggies and Starbucks Ice Coffee drinks to get me through exams. My bedroom floor has my clothes from last night and a new cool rug I bought from Anthropolgie and my laptop because I sit on the floor when I Skype and I just finished a call with my sister Callie who lives in California. In my garbage can is an empty family size pack of peanut M&Ms, my study food.
Who are the people you are closest to?
My sisters Jessie and Callie, the Garrisons and my friend Luc.
Who is your funniest friend?
Luc. He never fails to make me laugh. He’s goofy and he likes to say things that make me blush.
What is your biggest fear?
Unrequited love.
What is your most treasured possession?
A photo of me and my sisters with my mom that was taken on a day at the beach in Santa Monica about three months before my mom died.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Well… I know who I want to be the greatest love of my life, Luc Richard. Unfortunately when he’s not giving me mixed signals, he’s giving me no signals. I keep hoping that will change.
Which living person do you most despise?
I don’t despise anyone because I believe that creates negative energy for the person doing the hating. But I’m most disappointed in my dad. He left us and even after my mom died he didn’t step up and become a dad.
What is your greatest regret?
That I don’t have the courage to make a play for the one guy I’ve been crushing on since I was a kid. I keep telling myself to just do it, but I can’t.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I wish I could draw or paint. My sister Callie is the really artistic one.
What is the quality you most like in a man/woman?
Kindness.
What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty. If you aren’t honest I can’t trust you. If I can’t trust you I don’t care how witty or fun you are, I don’t need you as a friend.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction? In real life?
In fiction I like the March sisters in Little Women. I’m an English Lit major and that’s one of my favorite books. Each sister is strong in their own way. In real life my sister Jessie is my hero. She’s the only reason my childhood wasn’t completely horrible.
Which living person do you most admire?
Donna and Wyatt Garrison because they are good, caring people and they go out of their way to help others.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Hmm… that’s a hard one. Dude. Unless you’re a surfer, don’t call people dude.
What is your motto?
Have courage and be kind. (Cinderella quote).
What do you love most about hockey?
The extreme highs and lows. When a team can go from losing to winning in a matter of minutes and vice versa. Hockey is full of amazing comebacks. I love a comeback.
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