Gilmore Girls or From the Start with Melissa Tagg!

I am beyond stoked for today’s post. The fantabulous
Melissa Tagg is here and if you know anything about her, she’s a huge fan of
Gilmore Girls. So we’re going to play a few rounds of Would You Rather with her
and she has to choose from Gilmore Girls or her newest novel, From the Start! Oh yeah, it’s a blast! PS, I’m over on her blog today sharing comparisons in relation to my newest novella, Just the Way You Are, so hop over ther next! CLICK HERE.
Let’s do this!
Would You Rather…
…live in Stars Hollow (GG) or Maple Valley (FTS)?
ACK that’s so hard. But I’m going to go with Maple
Valley and here’s why: It’s in Iowa. As quirky and wonderful as Stars Hollow
is, it’s in Connecticut and I know no one there.
Then again, if Jess was there…
…go canoeing with Luke Danes (GG) or your very own star, Colton Greene?
Luke! I love Colton, I do. But he’s got this bad
shoulder from a football injury so what if we get stuck in the middle of a
river and he can’t row and the current is crazy and I’m too wimpy to get us
back to shore? Luke, to my knowledge, has no such injury so I feel confident in
his rowing abilities.
Plus, he could entertain me with one of his
anti-Taylor Doose rants. Plus, I appreciate his style—flannel shirts and that green
army-ish jacket. So that gives him an edge.
…sit in a town meeting under Mayor Taylor Doose (GG) or the Mayor of
Maple Valley who, if I remember correctly, used a megaphone in one of the town
meetings?
I like my mayor, I do. But other than his megaphone
scene, he’s a pretty brief shadow in From the Start. So I’m going to go with
Taylor because I would get immense enjoyment out of listening to him talk about
the dangers of ticks or the need for better leash laws or his intense
competition with the farmers market people in the Town Square.
…have a first kiss with Jess (GG) or Colton (FTS)? Oooooh! That’s gonna
be tough for you, isn’t it since you’re such a big Jess fan?!
Honestly, this is not even hard for me. I would
absolutely pick Jess. Thing is, I LOVE Colton. I really do. But he is so firmly
connected to Kate in my mind that I’d feel like a cheater if I kissed him.
Whereas Jess, last we heard from him, is happily unconnected. (Because stupid
Rory doesn’t know a good thing when she has it.) So I would feel zero guilt
about kissing him.
 
…hang out for a day with Lorelei Gilmore or Kate Walker (FTS)?
Kate Walker. I think Lorelai is awesome…we have some
striking similarities. But Kate…Kate would get me. Kate would understand my
deepest emotions and shallowest quirks. And she would talk about writing and
watch old movies with me. We’d totally bond.
…be best buds with Rory Gilmore or Hailey (FTS)?
Hailey, no question. Here’s the thing with Rory: By
the end of Gilmore Girls, she’s kind of an idiot. I’m sorry, but she makes the
most ridiculous decisions from season 5 on. Now, if we were talking strictly
early seasons Rory, I might have a different answer.
But the great thing about Hailey in FTS is that she
isn’t afraid to challenge Kate. We see it early on in the book and we see it
later on at the end of the book. She’s hugely influential in Kate’s life and
she’s wise. So I’d definitely go with her.
…have Richard Gilmore as a father figure or Kate’s dad, Case Walker.
Kate’s dad! Not hard at all to decide on that one.
Richard Gilmore is a wonderful character and we definitely get to see his
loving, caring side in Gilmore Girls. But…we also know he wasn’t all that
emotionally available or understanding as Lorelai’s father. And a lot of
Lorelai’s mistakes in the show are side effects of feeling unaccepted or
misunderstood by her family.
Case Walker on the other hand is, of course, not
perfect. But he is a wonderful listener. He’ll challenge his daughter, but
always from a place of love. He somehow manages to be stern and gentle at once.
And he sees past the fronts his adult kids put up.
…go to a Gilmore Friday night dinner or a Friday night football game in
Maple Valley?
Gilmore Friday night dinner! I’m sure a football game
would be fun, but a Gilmore dinner would include crazy amounts of wit and
banter and snark. And I would highly enjoy the awkward moments…highly.
…erase Logan Huntzberger from Rory’s life and make sure Jess stays in
the picture or go on romantic date with Logan Walker which includes a glorious
kiss at the end? (I’m torn here so I’m personally not answering ha!)
Oh my gosh! When I first read this, I thought the
second option was a romantic date with Logan Huntzberger and I was like, “Why
would you even ask me this? Logan Huntzberger is so far from my type it’s
hilarious. There’s not even a decision to be made here!”
Then I realized you said Logan Walkermy Logan. And
things got DIFFICULT. Because I adore Logan Walker and have an amazingly
unreasonable crush on the guy who portrays him on my cover (that I wish so
badly I could share!).
And yet, I love Jess…I will love him forever.
But you know, in my imagination, Jess DOES stay in the
picture for Rory. And Logan Huntzberger may not be my thing—not even a little
bit—but he does have his good moments and there are ways Rory does grow (I
suppose) from her relationship with him. (Even if mostly he just encourages her
stupid decisions and spends the bulk of his time on screen whining.) I don’t
think he needs to be entirely erased from her life.
So my choice is a romantic date with Logan Walker
which includes a glorious kiss at the end.
And now I realize half of this post has been talk of
kissing fictional people. I’m not sure how I feel about this…lol!
(Jess here) Well, I feel good about it so that’s what
counts, right? Great answers, Melissa! This was so much fun!
Okay,
friends, are you a Gilmore Girls fan? If so, we’d love for you to answer a few
of the questions in the comments. If not, who would you share a fictional first
kiss with?

Visit Melissa on Facebook, Twitter @melissatagg and her blog
Take a peek at From
the Start
then go buy the book! I loved it!

Buy the book!

Kate Walker used to believe in true love and happily
ever after. While her own love life may have left her brokenhearted, it hasn’t
kept her from churning out made-for-TV romance movie screenplays…until a
major career slump and a longing to do something meaningful send her running
back to her hometown of Maple Valley.

Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is
temporarily hiding out in a friend’s hometown to avoid the media and the
reminders of all he’s lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn
how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is he’s never really done normal
before.

While Kate plays things safe and Colton is all about big risks and grand
gestures, they both get what it’s like to desperately need direction in life.
An unexpected project gives them both a chance to jumpstart their new lives,
but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn’t part of
the plan, but could it be the best thing that’s ever happened to them?

Chatting with the cast of Here to Stay and Melissa Tagg!

@Melissa_Tagg
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Website/blog
Today, I’m beyond excited to once again have my amazing friend and author Melissa Tagg hanging out. Anytime she’s here is going to be loads of fun. So prepare to laugh, ya’ll. Melissa’s second contemporary romantic comedy just released and I can tell you, it’s one for your bookshelf! You can read my REVIEW on Goodreads.
JP: You said the idea for your first
novel, Made to Last, came from watching Christmas in Connecticut. What inspired
you or helped inspire the masterpiece, Here to Stay?
MT: Well, mainly the inspiration for
this story was Blake. He first appeared in Made
to Last
, playing more of a secondary role and a total goofball. But a lot
of people said he was their favorite character and the longer I worked on Made to Last, the more I realized this
guy had a story of his own to tell. And though the story itself doesn’t exactly
mirror a movie like Made to Last,
Autumn, the main female in the story is loosely inspired by George Bailey from
It’s a Wonderful Life—one of the greatest movies ever.
JP: I was a huge fan of Blake in book 1
and fell further in love with him in Here
to Stay!
And you’re right, It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the greatest
movies ever. Since Blake was a minor character and a reader fave in Made to Last, who would you consider to
be your favorite minor character in Here
to Stay
?
MT: Ah, good question. Blake and Autumn
felt so huge and real to me writing Here
to Stay
, so thinking of a favorite minor character is harder. You know, I
really like Ike the flight instructor. He’s only in a few scenes, but he’s this
calming force in Blake’s life…but he also sees Blake’s deeper desires, his
hopes, and he says just the right things. Like when he tells Blake he doesn’t
have to see every open door on the way to his future…just the next one in front
of him. I resonated with that quite a bit.
JP: I did too! It was great insight. I
loved Harry. He made me laugh and I’d like to see Autumn’s sister have a story.
She lost so much, it’d be nice to see her find love and purpose, hint hint.
Well, we’re talking peeps, do you have pictures of who you would cast as Blake
and Autumn?
MT: Actually…I saw the cover for Here to Stay before the characters had
fully formed in my brain. So I picture Autumn and Blake from the cover as THE
Autumn and Blake. I can’t even picture anyone else in place of those models!
JP: I can totally see Autumn as the
cover model, but in my mind, I see Blake bigger with flippier hair. J Okay, it’s time
for a round of Would You Rather with you, Autumn and Blake!
·       
What
is your favorite TV show? The one you can. not. miss.
Me: I can’t decide
between 24 or Sherlock. Sherlock is smart…24 has the nostalgia factor for me.
So, instead I’ll say Gilmore Girls. LOL!
(Jess—Yes! Gilmore Girls!)
Blake: I am seriously
not the TV watcher type at all. But if I had to pick something, I think I’d watch
From the Ground Up starring Randi
Woodruff just so I could say to people, “Hey I pretended to be married to her
for a month once.” (Am I allowed to pick a fake show for Blake?)
(Jess—I guess. It was pretty clever
actually!)
Autumn: That one show
on PBS with the guy who travels different places and tells you about it.
(There’s a show like that, right?)
(Jess—Dr. Who???? Lol I don’t know. I
don’t think so rofl!)
·       
When
you’ve had a bad day, what is your go-to food?
Melissa: It’s a toss up
between pizza and Chinese.
Blake: Lasagna made by
yours truly.
Autumn: Pop-tarts. Or
really basically anything as long as my friend Betsy makes it.
·       
What
is your guilty-pleasure movie?
Melissa: What’s Up Doc.
NOT because I feel guilty about the movie itself. It’s one of the greatest
movies ever. The guilt comes in when I realize just how many times I’ve watched
it. I mean…it’s ridiculous.
Blake: Wild Hearts
Can’t Be Broken. Don’t tell anyone.
Autumn: Nacho Libre.
LOL!
(Jess—These are hilarious!)
·       
If
you had one last day on this earth and you had to spend it doing one super-fun
thing, what activity would you choose?
Melissa: This question
makes me sad! But if I did have just one last day, I’d definitely want to hang
out with family…and maybe just go on one long road trip all together. Maybe
through the Appalachians. Because that’s my favorite place and car rides with
the family are always hilarious and fun.
Blake: I would take
Autumn flying. J
Autumn: I would tell
Blake to take me flying. J
(Jess—Aaaww! I love that! Great
answers.)
Thanks for hanging out today, Melissa.
It’s been so much fun. Everyone, you really should buy Here to Stay. I know you’ll
love it as much as I did. Lots of grinning, swooning, out-loud-laughing, and
thinking…yes…thinking. Weaved into this story are some amazing truths to
consider.
Buy the book! 
After playing nomad for five years, Blake Hunziker has finally had enough of adventure. Not sure what reception he’ll get from everyone back in Whisper Shore, he’s stunned at not only a warm welcome from his hometown but also a job offer. The job is his if he can successfully pull off the annual Christmas Festival. If only he knew the first thing about coordinating events…

If there’s one thing Autumn Kingsley knows, it’s Whisper Shore. For years, she’s been stuck running her family’s inn when all she wants is to see the world. Now she has a visit scheduled from a potential investor who could take over the inn, as well as a dream job offer in Paris. But with just two weeks to whip the inn into shape, her chance at escape is a long shot.

The Hunzikers and the Kingsleys may not get along, but Blake knows Autumn’s the only one who can help him. She agrees to a trade–she’ll help with the Festival and he’ll help with inn repairs. But what was meant to be a simple deal quickly becomes much more than that when the guy who’s done running away joins forces with the girl who can’t wait to leave.

Okay,
your turn! Answer one or all of the Would You Rather? questions in the comments.
 Have a great weekend!