In Which I Adore the Romance of WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED by Kristin Rae

WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED, coming at the end of the month from Bloomsbury’s  If Only line, is a delightful, romantic, beach read romp. Main character Maddie Brooks loves drama, musicals, and romantic Hollywood heartthrobs—the old-fashioned classic kind who can sing and tap dance, who ‘cute meet’ their true loves and dress in dapper fashions and woe a girl off her feet with dance moves and sweet kisses. Think: Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire or Cary Grant. (Okay I don’t know if Cary Grant can tap dance. But dapper, he definitely was!) Like many of my own more modern film favorites—think: Sleepless in Seattle, or Kate and Leopold or The Holiday— WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED is about that movie version of love—the one where the guy you think you want is not exactly the guy you need. And where the reader knows that despite the many complications, all will be well in the end.

So Maddie moves with her family from Chicago to Texas. She is not happy about the outer burbs of Houston. She hates their small house; she hates the weather; she hates the pollen; she hates that her father is starting over in his new job and that her mother is pregnant.She wants her first kiss to be perfect but what boy can meet her fantasy, movie-romance standards?

Enter Jess Morales, the boy next door. Baseball star. Hunk. Sweet. And unbeknownst to Maddie, a tap dancer extraordinaire, even if he’s given it up for baseball and a dream of the pros.

Enter a grand and pleasing story about a quirky girl who needs to grow up before she's ready for true love and a talented boy who needs to learn that his true friends won’t care if he can both pitch a no-hitter AND tap a three beat shuffle.

My very talented friend Kristin Rae is a gem of a romance writer. Like Maddie, she knows her way around classic movies and musicals. When she first told me the premise for this book, I couldn’t wait for her to write it so I could read it.

Want a happy ending? Vibrant, relatable characters? Sweet romance?

Then pre-order your copy of WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED by Kristin Rae. And settle into your lawn chair and read!

And check out the Kirkus Reviews love for WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED here!  

WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN: A Debut Novel by Kristin Rae hits the shelves

Happy Book Birthday to Kristin Rae's WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN, which debuts today from Bloomsbury!

I've known Kristin for awhile now: We write together, eat cupcakes together, and do all the other 'authors in the wild' things that one would expect. It's been a true pleasure to watch her journey from finishing WISH to querying agents to signing to selling to today, when she officially joins the tribe and her first novel arrives into the world. (In truth, it's been sneaking out there for a few days, as first novels often do, thrilling everyone with sightings at this bookstore and that)

WISH is a wonderful, fun summer (or any season!) read and I can hardly wait to buy my own 'real' copy. Because we all want to go to Italy like main character Pippa and meet cute boys and learn about who we are beyond our parents' vision for us. Plus gelato. Lots of gelato. And a kiss or two because how sweet are kisses in Italy with cute boys?

You will LOVE Kristin's WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN!
Cheers to Kristin Rae! Keep an eye on this up and coming author. She is on fire with ideas and you are going to love them all.

Here's the full Amazon blurb:

The summer before senior year of high school. It’s supposed to be one of the biggest summers of her life, but Pippa is headed to an art program she has no interest in. The one saving grace is it’s in Italy. And when the opportunity strikes, she decides to ditch the program and travel Italy accomplishing her own list of goals. Things like swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, eating a whole pizza in one sitting…and falling in love with an Italian boy!

As she explores the famous cities of Rome and Pompeii, Pippa finds herself falling for two boys: a local guy she knows is nothing but trouble and a cute American archaeology student who keeps disappearing and reappearing at the strangest moments. Will Pippa find her true love before her parents find out the truth about her summer program?

WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN: COVER REVEAL!!

So thrilled today to help reveal the brand-spanking new cover for my friend Kristin Rae's forthcoming WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN, an adorable and romantic contemporary (cute boys! Italy! gelato! pizza! cute boys!) that will be out in May from Bloomsbury. Kristin is my Starbucks writing partner, and I couldn't be more excited for her as I've watched her go from drafting to pitching to agented to sold to this!

Isn't it the best??

Here's what you can expect in WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN (May 6, 2014, Bloomsbury), blurbed by the fabulous Lindsey Leavitt!

Pippa always wanted to go to Italy, but not by herself. And not to sit in a classroom the summer before senior year learning about paintings by dead guys. Tempted by the romance of Rome and the chance to photograph ancient ruins, Pippa ditches the program and sets her own list of goals—get my picture taken at the Colosseum; get a makeover; fall in love with an Italian.

She befriends a local girl whose gorgeous cousin may be just the Italian Pippa’s looking for, but the road to amore gets detoured when she keeps running into a cute American student. And she can’t forget that her summer abroad is only temporary. As she explores the famous cities of Rome and Pompeii, Pippa must sort out her feelings before her parents figure out where she really is.

Praise:

“With Italy's brilliant landscapes, a main character you'll love from the first line and a new dreamy book boyfriend (he's mine!), WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN is a charming and addictive read. Devour this delicious treat like a double scoop of gelato.” —Lindsey Leavitt, author of Going Vintage and Sean Griswold’s Head.

I know, right? I want gelato now. And a trip to Italy. And you know that things are going to turn out in different ways than Pippa expects, right?

Kristin has actually been to Italy (but of course!) and here are some of places and things that inspired this story, along with her own words about them:

The gelato, of course!

KR: Gelato plays a big part in Pippa’s story, but I won’t give anything away! There’s really nothing quite like authentic Italian gelato. It was actually hard for me to eat ice cream once we came back home after our trip to Italy. I think it’s the texture and unique flavors that sets it apart. My favorites were mint and stracciatella, though, like Pippa does, I had to at least TASTE the pistachio! I don’t know how they get a nut to taste good as ice cream, but they do!

The view!

KR: It’s a dream come true for Pippa to photograph ancient ruins and historic monuments like the Colosseum, but quite a lot of the story takes place in a coastal region called Cinque Terre (“five lands” – pronounced CHING-kway TAY-ray). The views have to be seen to be believed, the food is the best I’ve ever eaten (it’s the birthplace of pesto!), and it’s ROMANTIC! You can even walk on a path between all five villages along the coast, shopping and sampling food in each. I think about going back there EVERY DAY.

And oh my, the pizza!
Pippa’s from Chicago, so she’s had her fair share of deep-dish pizzas! But she’s quickly won over by the simplicity of Italian pizzas and the papery thin crusts. She makes it one of her summer goals to eat entire pizza by herself. If I get a chance to visit Italy again one day, I think this will be a goal of mine too! DELIZIOSO

I say that we all need to pre-order WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN today!

Want to hang out on line with Kristin Rae? Here's where you can find her and WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN:

Website: http://www.kristinrae.com/

Twitter: @kristincreative

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kristinraewrites

Instagram: http://instagram.com/kristinraesnaps/#

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18042393-wish-you-were-italian

Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781619632851

Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Wish-You-Were-Italian-Kristin-Rae/9781619632851

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wish-You-Were-Italian-novel/dp/1619632861/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383157495&sr=8-1&keywords=wish+you+were+italian

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wish-you-were-italian-kristin-rae/1117011662?ean=9781619632851

Member of the Class of 2k14: http://classof2k14.com/