I am a HUGE fan of Julia London’s work (both her contemporary and historical romances), so I was seriously stoked to get the chance to host her as she shared a little about her newest, One Mad Night.
About a year ago, I got the pleasure of reading half of this anthology, The Bridesmaid – my review can be found here.ย If you haven’t read it yet, make sureย you do as soon as possible.ย ย Two-for-one y’all!
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One of the popular tropes in short romantic fiction is the idea of enemies or rivals becoming lovers.
I love this trope. Thereโs nothing like a little healthy competition between a man and a woman to get thing stirred up, right? Especially if the two people competing are sexy and neither of them are above using their sexiness to win. With that kind of sexual tension, the desire to win becomes an all-consuming need. If the two people are going head to head to win an important account that could make or break their career, the stakes just got that much higher. So as a writer, what do I enjoy about this situation? Creating a blizzard that shuts down the city and locks just the two of them in the office overnight with nothing but a couple of Lean Cuisines and a bar to entertain them. I suppose they could go back to their cubicles and work on their presentations, but that wouldnโt be any fun. Better for them to make a drink and go wandering around the other cubicles, right?
This is exactly what happens to Chelsea Crawford and Ian Rafferty in One Mad Night.
This kind of trope is perfect for a novella. Itโs straightforward and the arc can be really explosive. The story opens with Chelsea and Ian flinging zingers at each other as they head toward the big showdown, then realize that they are stuck, and worse, going to have to work together to make it through the night, to the slow and dawning understanding that maybe, just maybe, thereโs something more to their arch rival than an advertising campaign they privately know is great, but are each still clinging to the hope that it isnโt as great as their own. But is that enough?
And if you like blizzards, try The Bridesmaid. Itโs a companion to this novella, packaged with it, and is about a couple caught travelling across the nation in the same blizzard. What if you had to share a travel space with someone who was just as determined to get the last seat on the train, plane, or car as you were? Blizzards are the best for romance.
I hope you enjoy the novella. Thank you for having me today.
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One Mad Night Anthology
By Julia London
January 6, 2015
Sourcebooks Casablanca
$5.99/ยฃ4.99
Blurb:
Two Romantic Adventures…One Mad Night
Two delightful contemporary romance novellas in one book from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia London.
One winterโs night a blizzard sweeps across the country, demonstrating that fate can change the course of lives in an instantโฆand fate has got a sense of humor.
One Mad Night
Chelsea Crawford and Ian Rafferty are high profile ad execs in cutthroat competition for a client. When a major winter storm puts New York City on lockdown, the two rivals have to make it through the night togetherโoh, the many ways in which opposites attract…
The Bridesmaid – Bonus Novella
RITA Award Nominee for Best Romance Novella of 2013
Kate Preston has just moved to New York. Joe Firretti is contemplating a move to Seattle. When the weather wreaks havoc with transportation systems, Kate and Joe meet as they are both trying to rent the last car availableโฆ As Kate races to make her best friendโs wedding, and Joe races to a life-altering job interview, it looks like together is the only way theyโll make it at all.
Praise for Julia London:
“London knows how to keep pages turning…winningly fresh and funny.” โPublishers Weekly, on RITA Award nominee The Bridesmaid
Amazon | B&N | BAM | !ndigo | IndieBound
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Excerpt:
It took a moment for Chelsea to notice him, which gave Ian a moment to admire her. He was going to crush her tomorrow, but that didnโt stop him from appreciating a figure that guys like him dreamed about. Chelsea was wearing a skirt today. It hit about mid-thigh and was tight enough to show off all her curves. She looked a bit taller today too. He glanced at her feet and noticed the shoes. Chelsea was walking on stilts, and her legs, good God, her legs. She was smoking hot in that dress and those shoes.
โHey!โ she said sharply, her voice full of accusation.
Ianโs head snapped up. โHey,โ he said con-genially. โPracticing your pitch?โ He settled one hip onto the conference table.
โDo you mind?โ She gestured to the door in a be-ยญoff-ยญwith-ยญyou way.
โIf you want, I could listen and give you some feedback.โ
Chelseaโs mouth dropped open. And then her green eyes narrowed into little slits. โYou have got to be the most arrogant man Iโve ever met.โ
Ian smiled and shrugged.
โYou can go, Ian,โ she said, marching around the conference table to usher him out. โI think Iโve got it.โ
โSuit yourself.โ
โI will.โ
โSo hostile,โ he said with a wink as he stood up. โIโm just trying to help. It never hurts for someone to hear the pitch, right? Youโve had someone listen to you go through it, right?โ
โYes, Iโve hadโยญHey, hey,โ she said, poking him in the chest. โAre you trying to play me?โ she demanded. โBecause it wonโt work. Iโm not some junior account person, you know. You canโt intimidate me.โ
โWell, obviously,โ Ian said and poked her back. โYou wouldnโt be pitching at all if you were a junior account person. I know I canโt intimidate you. It wasnโt a declaration of war, you know; it was an offer to help.โ
โIt wasnโt a let-ยญme-ยญhelp, best-ยญfriends-ยญforever offer, either. Iโm not playing games with you. This account means a lot to meโยญโ
โMe too.โ
โOh yeah?โ she said, shifting closer. โWell, donโt get too attached to the idea. Iโve got seniority, you know.โ
โSo why are you so afraid to show me what youโve got?โ
โBecause itโs none of your business.โ
โOn the eve of the championship, itโs okay to go out and shoot some hoops with your competitor. Itโs not going to affect tomorrowโs big game. Itโs not like I can go out and change weeks of work overnight if I see youโve got something better.โ
She laughed. โGood try, Rafferty, but I think maybe the reason you want to see my pitch is because youโre worried about the strength of your pitch. Is it a little rough? Maybe I should listen to you.โ She winked, and her green eyes shone with pleasure at her comeback.
โIโm definitely not worried about my pitch.โ
โNo? Seems to me if youโre presenting three,โ she said, holding up three fingers and wiggling them at him, โthen you must be uncertain which one is the winner.โ Her smile broadened into sheer triumph, as if she thought sheโd really zinged him.
She hadnโt zinged him, but Ian did wonder how she knew what he hadโฆZach. Of course. That rat bastard. โHave you been talking to Zimmerman?โ he asked accusingly.
She shrugged and studied her manicure. โMaybe. Does it matter? I thought we were doing the letโs-ยญhelp-ยญeach-ยญother thing. But if weโre not, would you mind toddling off? I have a lot of work I need to do before tomorrow. I plan to hit the ground running with this account on Monday.โ
She was amazingly and annoyingly confident. Ian was generally a confident guy, but she was making him a teensy bit nervous. โYou really think youโre going to get this, donโt you?โ
โI donโt think, I know,โ she said, looking up.
He tilted his head to one side to study her. โIsnโt it obvious to you why they brought me in?โ
โI donโt knowโยญI havenโt given it the slightest bit of thought.โ She lifted her chin, and Ian realized she lied about as well as she engaged in verbal volleyball. โIโve been promised that this account is as good as mine. Didnโt they tell you that when they brought you in?โ
A bit more of Ianโs confidence leaked out of him. Heโd been in New York advertising long enough to know that the industry was full of snakes. He wouldnโt put it past anyone to feed him a bunch of half-ยญbaked promises to get him to commit. โWho told you?โ
She grinned. โNone of your beeswax.โ
โCome on, tell meโยญโ His phone rang, distracting him momentarily. He fished it out of his pocket and noticed the number was the Grabber-ยญPaulson main number. That was weird. โListen, Iโll just say this,โ he said, clicking off the phone. โDonโt be so sure of things. People say things they donโt mean, especially in this industry.โ He started for the door.
โUh-ยญhuh, I know. And I would offer you the same advice, Mr. Rafferty,โ she said in a singsong voice, and she flashed a dazzling smile, full of straight white teeth.
โCocky too. I like that about you,โ he said. โIโll keep it in mind when I make partner.โ He winked at her, smiled as if he was completely unbothered, and went out of the conference room.
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Author Info:
Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the Homecoming Ranch contemporary series, the Secrets of Hadley Green historical romance series, and numerous other works. She is a four-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction, and RT Bookclub award recipient for Best Historical Romance.ย She lives in Austin, Texas.
Connect with Julia London:
www.julialondon.com | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
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Giveaway:
Three copies of One Mad Night
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af743/
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Special thanks to Julia for joining us today!
