This week I’m welcoming fellow Momentum author to my blog, Claire Boston.
While it’s true at Momentum we like to spread the love and support our fellow authors, another reason I invited Claire to my blog was because I read her first novel in the Texan Quartet series, What Goes On Tour, and loved it.
So I’m really looking forward to reading her new release, All That Sparkles. And even more so since I discovered it features a Houston mansion, a rich girl swept off her feet by the gardener’s hot son turned hotshot corporate lawyer.
Plus any writer that can pen 80,000 words in one month has got my respect!
All That Sparkles is the second book in the Texan Quartet series. In the first novel in the series, What Goes On Tour, we met the rather distracting Texan Adrian Hart. Can we expect to meet another show-stopping Texan in All That Sparkles, and tell us more!
You’ll get to see more of the lovely Adrian Hart in All that Sparkles, but of course you’ll also get another gorgeous Texan. Christian Barker is a corporate lawyer with a chip on his shoulder, but Imogen is just the right person to knock it off.
Our heroine, Imogen Fontaine, in All That Sparkles is a fashion designer and lives in her family’s mansion. Can you tell us more about where this book is set? (because let’s face it, most of us aren’t lucky enough to live in a mansion and it’s nice to live vicariously occasionally) . . .
I had so much fun researching Imogen’s house! I knew the mansion would have to be reminiscent of France which is where Imogen’s father grew up, so I made it a French chateau. Then I went real estate hunting in Houston and found a gorgeous house, exactly as I pictured in one of the wealthier suburbs. I’ve actually got some pictures of it on my Pinterest site.
Then Christian, the boy at the centre of her childhood heartbreak walks back into Imogen’s life and everything starts to unravel. Ooh. Drama! Secrets! We know you can’t share any spoilers with us, but can you tell us a little about what Imogen finds so attractive about Christian?
Part of Imogen’s attraction goes back to when they first met as teenagers. Imogen was only allowed to socialise with people her father approved, but he didn’t know about her secret rendezvous with the gardener’s son. Christian was one of the first people to treat Imogen as a normal person (not a rich kid) and from the very beginning they fell into an easy friendship. After the heartbreak, Imogen used the memory of Christian as her happy thought, the memory that would cheer her up on a bad day, and when they reconnect, she wants to see if that connection is still there.
Talk us through the inspiration for All That Sparkles.
All that Sparkles was inspired by a dream. I woke up one morning with the remnants of a dream swirling in my head and such a feeling of excitement that I had to write it down immediately. What I knew of the story was:
- A boy and girl had met in the girl’s huge garden (hence the mansion)
- The boy wasn’t supposed to be there
- The girl’s father wouldn’t approve
- They kept their meetings secret
From this basic information, All that Sparkles was born.
What did enjoy most about writing All That Sparkles?
I loved writing Remy Fontaine, Imogen’s father. I’m not sure what it was about him, but everything he said just flowed from my fingertips. He was so much fun – possibly because his behaviour wasn’t the best.
I also really enjoyed researching the fashion industry and getting to know Imogen and Christian, discovering what made them tick.
What was the toughest part of writing All That Sparkles?
I gave myself a deadline which was possibly a little unrealistic. I’d taken some long service leave from work and decided that I needed to get the first draft finished in a month. That’s roughly 80,000 words in four weeks which is a really high word count. Some days were really difficult to hit my required word count so I put myself under more stress than I really had to.
What do you think (or hope) readers will enjoy most about All That Sparkles?
I hope readers will enjoy following Imogen and Christian’s story. Imogen is the sweetest person, and while she does grow as a character, she still retains her caring side. I also hope readers will like (or hate) her father, Remy and that readers of What Goes on Tour will enjoy the appearance of those characters in this book.
Book description:
Imogen Fontaine is living every girl’s dream.
She is a fashion designer for her family’s haute couture label, lives in a mansion, has a great circle of friends and is the apple of her father’s eye. Everything is perfect.
Until the day that Christian, the boy at the center of her childhood heartbreak, walks back into her life.
From there her life starts to unravel, as long-kept secrets are revealed. Imogen learns that her past was built on lies and betrayal, shattering the illusion of her perfect existence. She must seek out the truth if she has any hope of forging a new path for herself and discovering true freedom.
But can she convince Christian that there is a place for him in her new life?
About the author:
Claire Boston was a voracious reader as a child, devouring anything by Enid Blyton as well as series such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, The Baby-sitters Club and Sweet Valley High. Then one school holidays when she’d run out of books to read her mother handed her Hot Ice by Nora Roberts and Claire instantly fell in love with romance novels.
The love of reading soon turned to a love of writing and she struggled to keep within the 1500 word limit set by her teachers for her creative writing assignments. When she finally decided to become serious about her stories she joined Romance Writers of Australia, found her wonderful critique group and hasn’t looked back.
When Claire’s not reading or writing she can be found in the garden attempting to grow vegetables, or racing around a vintage motocross track. If she can convince anyone to play with her, she also enjoys cards and board games.
Claire lives in Western Australia, just south of Perth, with her husband, who loves even her most annoying quirks, and her two grubby but adorable Australian bulldog.
Belinda Williams 