Tag: romantic comedy

A Side of Krista Phillips

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
@kristaphillips
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Guess who is uber excited today? Me. Why? Because the
hilarious and sweet Krista Phillips is in the house! 
Krista Phillips is the author of Sandwich, with a Side of Romance and A Side of Faith. She enjoys life with
her husband and their four beautiful daughters in Tennessee. She is an advocate
for congenital heart defect and organ donation awareness and blogs at www.kristaphillips.com.
In honor of her newest
release, A Side of Faith, we’re playing a few rounds of Would You Rather with
her and her characters!
Would You Rather….
…Have a car but no shoes or shoes but no car?

Krista:
<— wimp: Car but no shoes… as long as the car has plenty of gas! Momma prefers
not to be stuck stranded… walking… with no shoes!

Cameron:
Shoes. Definitely. He’s has a deep love of soccer and yeah, can’t be kicking
balls barefoot!
 Rachel: Oh, this one is harder. I think it would depend what the
shoes looked like. Not that she’s vain or anything, but she does like to look
snazzy! So ugly shoes = car… pretty shoes = shoes.
…a perfect sense of direction or a perfect sense of time?

Krista:
Neither, but direction more than time!

Cameron:
Definitely time! He’s an investment broker (aka handsome nerd…) so keeps an
eye on the stock markets, so would always know what time it is in relation to
the market open/close.

Rachel:
Probably direction. She knows exactly what she does and doesn’t want in life,
and I think the same would go for “where” she wants to go!
…lie in the sand or the grass?

Krista: Sand.
Grass is SCRATCHY! YUCK!

Cameron:
Grass! Repeat: Soccer player. He is one with the green!

Rachel:
Rachel’s my girl. Her and I would totally be laying out on the sandy beach
together! (She would have a respectable 2-piece tankini… I would have overly
large momma suit complete with skirt…. just bein’ honest here!)
…be the funniest person in the world or the smartest?

Krista:
By
far the hardest question! My humor and my brain are both super important to me!
I guess I’ll say humor, because boring smart people are boo… but that doesn’t
mean I have to be dumb, either, right?

Cameron:
Smartest.
I mean, he can be funny in his own right, but he definitely values a good
brain.

Rachel:
Honestly,
I’ll go with smartest here too. She was super immature and made some really
huge mistakes in her early 20’s, so now that she’s “grown up” she’s
determined to make smarter choices, steering life with her brain and not her
heart.
Oh my word! I loved all these answers. Thank you for being
here today, Krista, you RAWK! 
Here is a peek at Side of Faith: 
Buy the Book! 
Rachel Carter is on top of the world. A new job in a new town, friends, and a house to call her own. Men? Eh, someday. And when the time comes, she’ll go for a nice safe geek or something. She will NOT be repeating the mistakes of her youth.

But then Cameron Foster comes knocking on her door, reminding her of the man she vows never to think of again.

God wouldn’t send her a man who reminds her of everything she is trying to put behind her…would He?


***Don’t forget, I’m on blogging break for awhile and you can sign up for my newsletter at the top on the right hand side! I won’t give your email out or spam you! 


Play
with us and answer one or more of the questions in the comments!

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

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
@Melissa_Tagg
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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!

Faith Readers Group Review: Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

I’m not sure if it was the fresh baked chocolate cobbler or heart-shaped pumpkin, chocolate chip muffins, or the chocolate cake with drizzled chocolate icing that threw me off or the heavenly aroma of coffee, but I forgot to get a picture of our Faith Readers book club group–and we had a brand new member!

For the month of February, we read the romantic comedy, Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones. 

It was pretty funny as we sat around eating dessert and sipping coffee because no one had tons to say. Why? We were all in agreement! For once! 

Here’s some of the things that were said:

“I didn’t want to read this book. I’m not a fan of romance, but a few pages in, I was like, ‘hey, this book is really good’.” 

“I thought the comedy and the romance was a perfect blend.”

“My favorite part of the whole book? She was a size ten!”

We talked about who  we pictured playing the part in a movie, because this book could most definitely be right up there with some of the best romantic comedies. 

No one thought the girl on the cover fit their profile of Lucy, the main character, but after a long discussion and a second…or third piece of cake, it was agreed if Kate Hudson put on about 30 pounds she could play Lucy. 

Some more thoughts:

“I loved the scene when she was took off down the sidewalk in her pajamas and he drove along beside her.”

“I loved the prayer with the new quirky Christians, “like a gold card, Lord, like a gold card!“

Serious Thoughts: 
“I loved when the Youth Pastor had the teenagers nail lies the enemy had been telling them to the cross. I think that’s a great idea. Lucy had been believing lies so long too.”

“I don’t know how I’d feel if I found out a lie about my family.”

We talked about forgiveness, lies the enemy tells us about who we are and what we can’t do. 

It wasn’t a simple, light-hearted read. The theme was deep, at times a tear-jerker, but the mix of relevant humor and fun gave us breathing room and things to laugh out loud about. Literally laugh out loud. 

Out of 5 stars, we rated it a 4! 
Here’s a peek:

Jenny B. Jones

“You are cordially invited to the wedding of the year with the most unlikely bride and groom. Save the date…and say your prayers. When funding for Lucy’s non-profit job is pulled, she is determined to find out why. Enter Alex Sinclair Enterprises–the primary donor to Lucy’s non-profit organizaiton. Both Lucy and Alex have something the other desperately wants. Alex has it all…except for the votes he needs to win his bid for Congress. Despite their mutual dislike, Alex makes Lucy a proposition: pose as his fiancee in return for the money she desperately needs. Bound to a man who isn’t quite what he seems, Lucy finds her heart–and her future–on the line. Save the Date is a spunky romance that will have readers laughing out loud as this dubious pair try to save their careers, their dreams…and maybe even a date. “
If your life were a movie, what kind would it be? Drama, action-adventure, romantic comedy, B movie? LOL Can’t wait to hear these answers!