Welcome Katherine Garbera! (Feel the wind in your, Kathy?)
My upcoming Harlequin Desire READY FOR HER CLOSE-UP is all about a woman who decides that this is the year she’s going to get what she wants. And what she wants is a family. This is very centered in me. I knew from a very early age all I wanted to be was a mom. I had my kids at 23 & 27 and always thought I want them with me for the journey that my life was going to take me on. And I’m glad I made that choice.
Gail Little on the other hand put her career first. After graduation she decided to start her own PR firm and started out small before slowly building to be one of the most sought after publicity crisis managers in the U.S. But after spending Christmas and New Year’s home alone, she knows she’s ready for a change. Plus she staring at 30 and still childless something she hadn’t anticipated.
Gail does something I could never do. She goes to a matchmaker and puts her fate in another person’s hands. I am not that trusting that answering some questions would give anyone enough of a picture of me to find me a mate. But I have a good friend who was that trusting…she’s the person who gave me the idea for this story. Gail just doesn’t have a good a track record with men or really the time to go out and meet a bunch of guys she’s met online for coffee.
One of the things Gail and I have in common is that once we set our minds to something, we want to see results quickly. For Gail the matchmaker seems the most expedient way to get what she wants. I’m so impatient that maybe if I was in Gail’s situation I might do the same thing.
Where things kind of go out of Gail’s control is when her best-friend Willow, a reality TV show producer, decides the matchmaking idea should be the subject of her next television series. Gail goes from a private personal decision to being part of the first couple on Sexy & Single. Normally, I’m a very private person so I get Gail’s reluctance to take part in a reality TV show, but back in 2010 I auditioned for TLCs Four Weddings. That’s how I got the second part of my story idea for READY FOR HER CLOSE-UP.
I didn’t get selected to be on the show, which turned out to be a blessing. I don’t think I could have gone through with it. I would have found sharing one of the most intimate days of my life with the audience at home too invasive. The other thing that was an element of Four Weddings, which isn’t an element of Sexy & Single, is that I would have had to kind of ‘trash talk’ the other brides and their weddings. I just don’t have the right temperament to play that kind of game to win. Though the prize a honeymoon anywhere in the world would have been nice!
In the book Gail does go through with it and finds herself matched to a billionaire playboy (it’s a book for Desire all the heroes are super-wealthy!). She can’t decide if he’s really right for her or if they were picked because it would make good TV.
Have you ever auditioned for a TV show? If not, would you? And what show would you like to be on?
I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of REUNITED…WITH CHILD to three lucky blog participants today. That’s the book where you first meet our hero Russell Holloway!
Thank you riders for inviting me to join you today!
Riding With The Top Down 
I love love love Katherine Garbera AND her books! Also love this blog in the way that you relate your experiences versus the heroine’s. Whew, I have no interest in being on a reality show. The closest I could get would be Wheel of Fortune!:) OR Name That Tune (which no longer exists). This sounds like a GREAT series. I can’t wait to get this book!:)
Leanne–you are simply one of my favorite people in the world! Thanks for your kind words.
Good morning, Katherine!
In general I’m not a fan of reality shows, but I love me some wedding shows. Not all. Can’t bear Bridezillas. My favorite is My Fair Wedding, and I hope David Tutera is as sweet in real life as he is in Reality life. I’ve watched 4 Weddings, and I’ve often wondered how being part of the show would influence the wedding. Very interesting. I’m dying to read READY FOR HER CLOSE-UP.
I love watching the train-wreck of other people’s lives on reality tv. I mean Bridezillas makes me feel so much better about myself…not sure what that says about me.
I have never and I am pretty sure I would never audition for a reality TV show… But other people who do, I say more power to them. Now if if was a show like Jeopordy or something like that, I may re think it. . I am looking forward to reading this book. Sounds like a winner..
I’d love to be on Jeopardy. When I watch with my dad we keep score and see who “wins”. My kids really love trivia type shows as well.
Hi Kathy! Great to have you back in the convertible. It’s been too long! I love your blog post and the ideas that sparked your latest releases. Never auditioned for a TV show. If I was a little tougher I’d try out for The Amazing Race. What a great way to see the world!
Hi Cindy! It has been too long. The Amazing Race is my sister’s fav show, I’ve often thought we should try out for it. I think we’d do pretty good since she’s crazy and will do anything!
I dont know if i really would want to be on a reality show. some of them look really crazy. maybe, Survivior. I love that show. I just dont think I could be on the show.
Ebony–I’m with you. I don’t know if its the way the shows are edited or what but most people do seem crazy on them. I don’t think I could be on Survivor because I like a little more luxury than that show provides. 🙂
Welcome, Katherine! Sounds like a fun idea for a story. Don’t watch reality, but I think I’d like to be on a cooking show. I often slip into ‘explanation mode’ as I’m cooking, and imagine an audience ooing and aahing over my culinary expertise (of which, is all in my imagination). 🙂
Michele
Michele–too funny. I sort of do the same thing my husband often says to me when I’m cooking be sure to tell the audience at home how you did that. Smart @$$!
I don’t watch Reality Shows. If I could have been on a TV show it would have been the Newlywed Game. (which would have been 34 years ago) I volunteer my husband for the Jeopardy Show, since he has a lot of “useless information”. I enjoy reading a variety of different topics. So can’t wait to read your next one!
Thanks,
Cathy
Thanks Cathy! I have a ton of useless information in my head too. There is a show over here in the UK (where I live now) called Pointless that’s a lot of fun you have to find the obscure answer to their trivia questions. I’ve pulled out a few pointless answers!
Hey, Kathy!! So nice to see your smiling face. Love the color palette on the new book! I’ve never auditioned for a TV show, but I think I’d love to host a quilting show! Although many times when you turn a hobby into your vocation it’s not nearly as much fun as you think. (g)
Hey Deb!!! I had no control over the cover but I love it too!!! I agree that turning a hobby into a job takes some of the fun out of it at a certain point it just becomes work but sometimes that can lead to a new hobby.
I have never auditioned for a TV show and have no desire to do so. I would love to read this book, have heard so many good things about her books.
Thanks QuiltLady!
I have never auditioned for a TV show and I have no wish to do so either. I’ve never enjoyed performing in front of any kind of audience, so the thought of cameras and TV audience isn’t exactly a dream come true.
I agree. Once I was in the audition a part of me was like what am I doing here?! I was sort of relieved when they said no thanks!
A friend my kids grew up with was on “The Price Is Right” (he won a car) and got his family on “Family Feud.” They were the winners for the week and ended up in a championship feud-off–made the final round in that. Mike really wanted to be an actor, and he’s still out there in la-la land–hasn’t gotten his “big break” yet. But he knew how to audition for game shows. So funny. He got his mom to jump up and down like she was on a pogo stick every time they got points or whatever. She was an audience favorite. The woman is really pretty quiet, but for her son she was willing to be the Energizer Bunny!
I love that his mom was so supportive! It takes so much luck and timing to be successful in Hollywood.
Welcome, Kathy.
Son One asked me to try to get on the Amazing Race with him. When I asked if it wouldn’t make sense for him to do so with his amazingly gorgeous wife, he said, “Well, there’s a high probabability she would hate me at the end of the race, but as my mom, you don’t have that option.”
So…why not?
Lois–I love it. Your son is one smart cookie…so did you do it?
I don’t see myself auditioning for a reality tv show, it’s way outside my comfort zone. I am more a behind the scene kind of person. I had my kids at the same age as you. 🙂
Nicole, sounds like we have a lot in common. Sometimes I do things outside my comfort zone to show my kids its okay to take a chance on something.
Your book sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to read it!
Back when I was in college, I dropped out for a while to traveling with Monte Foreman, a horse trainer who gave horse training clinics all over the country. His other rider and I went to do laundry in a town in California and stopped in at a bakery, where a guy was standing at the counter. He asked us all sorts of questions about marriage. Turned out that there were cameras peeking through a curtain, and Susie answered better than I did, because they asked her to be on the game show–I think it was called something like Love, American Style. We went to the game show and she was on it along with some celebrities, while I sat in the audience. She won a raft of things including a couple sets of bath towels, and she gave me a towel. That was the extent of my TV experience and prize winning. 🙂
That’s a great story, Roxanne! That sounds like it was a lot of fun.
Hi, Kathy! Love the premise for your book. And I also love that cover. Looks exciting and rich playboy-ish. I would never want to be on a TV show. I did think about auditioning once upon a time…they had a makeover one for a big event (can’t remember the title, it’s now cancelled) and I thought it would be fun to do before a RWA conference or RITA ceremony, but it was already over before I came up with the idea, darn it all.
Hey Christie! You are always so gorgeous, I can’t imagine what they would have done.
The book sounds good. I’ve never auditioned for a tv show, but it would be fun to go on The Price Is Right.
Thanks! I’ve never watched The Price Is Right–have to check it out.
I’ve never tried to be on a TV show. I ‘d love to be on AMAZING RACE with one of my sons. i don’t think my husband coud handle it.
My husband and I decided we couldn’t do couples Wipe-Out because he’s good at physical things and I’m a klutz and he’d be yelling from the finish line back to me on how to do it. 🙂
Never did audition for a TV show. If I ever did, it would be THE AMAZING RACE. It fits our family perfectly. If they did a family race, our oldest daughter (brains and personality), our son (physical ability and strength), my husband (navigator and driver) and myself (cultural awareness) have the individual skills to do well in most areas. Unfortunately our health got a little iffy this past year and I’m not sure my DH and I would qualify. Our kids response was they didn’t want everyone to see how dysfunctional a family we were. After watching the family show, we are the Cleavers by comparison.