We're not letting Bethany Chase get away...plus a book giveaway

Bethany Chase and I first connected on Facebook due to our mutual love for chick lit (no surprise there, right?). We also found out that we are both Weird Al fans, but that's another story for a different time. Anyway, I was thrilled to find out that she was publishing a book and eagerly awaiting the day it would be published. Well, that day is almost here, as her debut novel, The One That Got Away, hits shelves on March 31st! It's already generating buzz with rave reviews from Emily Giffin, Allie Larkin, Patti Callahan Henry, and Liz and Lisa...just to name a few. Her writing style is being compared to Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner. Needless to say, her book is next in my TBR pile and I can't wait to dig in (I just hope to not get any matzah crumbs on it).

Thanks to Penguin Random House, FIVE lucky US readers will be in my shoes soon!

You can find Bethany on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Today, she's here to talk about books and reading with us.

Synopsis of The One That Got Away:
Sarina Mahler thinks she has her life all nailed down: a growing architecture practice in Austin, Texas, and an any-day-now proposal from her loving boyfriend, Noah. She’s well on her way to having the family she’s hoped for since her mother’s death ten years ago. But with Noah on a temporary assignment abroad and retired Olympic swimmer—and former flame—Eamon Roy back in town asking her to renovate his new fixer-upper, Sarina’s life takes an unexpected turn. Eamon proves to be Sarina’s dream client, someone who instinctively trusts every one of her choices—and Sarina is reminded of all the reasons she was first drawn to him back in the day. Suddenly her carefully planned future with Noah seems a little less than perfect. And when tragedy strikes, Sarina is left reeling. With her world completely upended, she is forced to question what she truly wants in life—and in love.

Full of both humor and heartbreak, The One That Got Away is the story of one woman’s discovery that, sometimes, life is what happens when you leave the blueprints behind. (Courtesy of Random House).

What is your guilty pleasure read?
Dlisted.

Which book do you wish you wrote?
Joshilyn Jackson’s Gods in Alabama is a masterpiece in my opinion. Brilliant plotting, sharply drawn and interesting characters, an authentic and vivid setting, terrific humor—this book just has everything going for it.

What was your favorite book (or series) to read as a child/pre-teen/teenager?
Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon. Those series are basically the Bookish Young Girl’s Guide to Life.

What is your favorite book to movie translation?
A Room With a View! It was my mother’s favorite movie, and one of mine as well when I was growing up. Terrific cast, terrific writing, sumptuous settings, wonderful wit, and swoonable romance – I adore that movie.

What book genre would surprise someone if you told them you read it?
Probably fantasy. I don’t read a ton of it, but some of the books on my keeper shelf are Guy Gavriel Kay’s quasi-historical epics and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. And as always I love me some Chuck Wendig.

Is there a certain place you've visited that inspires you to write? Or a specific environment you need to be surrounded by for inspiration?
I have a long-standing tradition of getting big bouts of writing done when I am on my annual Florida vacation with my husband and his brother and sister-in-law. I have literally nothing to do all day except write, drink beer and eat, and it is absolutely divine. I have many fond memories of developing good ideas while a half-empty Blue Moon is within hand’s reach. I’ll let you decide if that’s causation or correlation.

Thanks to Bethany for visiting with us and to Penguin Random House for sharing her book with our readers. 

~Introduction by Melissa Amster

Aside from our giveaway here, you can also enter to win THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY through Bethany's blog tour (US only, ends 4/16), Confessions of a Bookaholic (worldwide, ends 3/31; also at @jenny_oregan), and Manic Mommy Reviews and Reads (US only, ends 3/29)!

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

US only. Giveaway ends March 31st at midnight EST.