ABOUT THE BOOK
In high school, Charlotte Windham was a typical student going through an awkward phase -- glasses and all. She harbored a crush on Garrett Stephens, the teen heartthrob everyone can’t help but fall for during that unfortunate ugly duckling phase of one’s teen years. Flash forward fifteen years later, and Charlotte and Garrett have a second chance encounter at a Los Angeles restaurant. However, this time around, Charlotte has leveled the playing field. She’s a bestselling novelist and no longer “Glasses,” the humiliating nickname Garrett called her in high school. In short, she’s a catch now and, thanks to corrective eye surgery, it’s not just her eyes that see better…so does her heart! Garrett hasn’t fared poorly either, transforming from teen heartbreaker to adult lothario. A now successful professional golfer, he’s recently suffered a major setback in the form of a possible career-ending injury. With the upper hand, can Charlotte forgive Garrett for his past ways, and for his more recent Don Juan lifestyle? Will she even want to? And, can Garrett change his ways for a second chance with Charlotte, who may just be the perfect fit for him?LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT INTERVIEW WITH LISA BECKER
Hardest thing about being a writer:
Self-motivating. It is so easy to get distracted with all of the other fun things to do in life such as grocery shopping, online banking, and laundry.
Easiest thing about being a writer:
The uniform. Nothing's better than being productive in a cozy pair of sweatpants and slippers.
★
Things you love about where you live: I live less than two miles from the beach and love being able to see the ocean every day, take a walk along the beach and enjoy the sea air.
Things that make you want to move:
Because my little beach town is so lovely, we endure lots of traffic and parking woes due to people wanting to visit.
★
Words that describe you: I've always been described as "nice" and now that I'm a parent and living in a world where kindness seems to be in short supply, it's a label I'm proud to wear.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t:
"Nice." I've joked in the past that my tombstone will read, "Here lies Lisa Becker. A very nice girl." As much as I appreciate that I'm known as a "good" person, there are times it would feel good to be the bad girl.
★
Favorite beverage: A margarita on the rocks with extra salt around the rim. Mmmmm.
Something that gives you a pickle face:
Beer. Believe it or not, I haven't had one since my freshman year of college.
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Favorite smell: Baking brownies.
Something that makes you hold your nose:
Pumpkin. I can't even be in the room when my kids carve them for Halloween.
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Something you’re really good at: Baking and making desserts. I have a recipe for amazing chocolate chip cookie dough truffles that are always a hit.
Something you’re really bad at: Unfortunately, I'm not so good at resisting aforementioned desserts.
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Something you wish you could do:I've always wanted to know how to professionally decorate cakes. Not only does it sound fun, but quite yummy.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do:
I wish I never learned to write compelling complaint letters that yield action. My family has taken notice and now anytime anyone has a problem with an airline, bank or retail store, I am enlisted to write their complaint letter for them.
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Something you like to do: I love to read. I could spend hours every day, sitting in a cozy chair and reading a good book. My favorites are romance novels with flawed heroes, major heart swoons and happily ever afters.
Something you wish you’d never done:
I wish I had never attempted zip lining. After hiking up a ridiculously tall mountain and careening through one course, I chickened out of the rest only to hear there was no other way down the mountain. I ended up screaming my way through a 10-rope course in Costa Rica.
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Favorite places you’ve been: My favorite place on the planet is Lizard Island, a small private island off the coast of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It is a little slice of heaven.
Places you never want to go to again:
If I didn't need to go for hygiene reasons, I would never step foot into the dentist office again.
★
Things that make you happy: My children. I have two girls - ages 12 and 10. They are smart, silly, clever and so fun to be around.
Things that drive you crazy:
My children. Didn't you notice above I have two girls - ages 12 and 10. Enough said!
★
Best thing you’ve ever done: Online dating. I met my husband 17 years ago when online dating was in its infancy. Not only is he my soulmate, he also helped create the two loves of my life - our children. Our relationship also spawned my third baby; our story loosely inspired my first novel, Click: An Online Love Story.
Biggest mistake:
Letting petty family squabbles impact relationships I have with people I care about.
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EXCERPT FROM LINKS
I stand but hesitate when I see Tamika's disapproving look. Fi notices as well. "It's okay, T. I got this," she says, motioning for me to follow her back. When we get to her small office, she closes the door and gestures for me to sit on a red vinyl chair, circa 1972. She stands in front of me, leaning against the desk, and crosses her arms in front of her chest. "Spill!"
"Where should I start?"
"At the beginning." She walks around to her chair behind the desk and pulls out a yellow legal pad.
For the next half hour, I go over my encounter with Garrett, from the moment we bumped into each other and he didn't recognize me, to the embarrassment of being called 'Glasses.'
Fi takes notes furiously on her pad and grins, nods, and cringes at all the appropriate times. When I finish, she puts her pen down and asks, "Do you want the 'best friend experience' or the 'brilliant legal mind experience'?"
I can't help but laugh. "Are they mutually exclusive?"
"They are," she says nodding.
"Okay. I want the best friend experience."
She rushes around from behind the desk, wraps her arms around me soothingly. "I'm so sorry, hon. That sounds just awful. Let's go get margaritas tomorrow and drown our sorrows in tequila and lime wedges."
"Thanks, Fi. You're the best."
"Anytime," she says, rubbing my back. She pulls away and walks around to the back of her desk. She sits down and puts the legal pad to the side. I can't help but notice the writing scrawled across it.
"Just for kicks, what would you have said if I had asked for the 'brilliant legal mind experience'?"
"You sure you want to know?" Her lips pull into a grim line. Honestly, I'm not sure I do want to know, but curiosity gets the better of me.
"Lay it on me," I say.
"You need to get laid. Not the kind of bland, missionary style sex you had with Alex. You need hot heat, sweating up the sheets, crazy animal sex."
I bust out laughing. "That's your brilliant legal advice. Crazy animal sex?"
"Yes. That's my brilliant legal advice," she says with complete seriousness. "Listen, hon, it's been a year since that insecure jerk Keane dumped you. I have no doubt it's been even longer since you've, well, you know." She wags her eyebrows up and down. "Before that, you only seriously dated Travis the cheater and Alex who, let's face it, despite being completely gonzo for you, was a cold fish and a bore. It's time to stop comparing every man to this fantasy of Garrett Stephens and just do it with him to get it out of your system. He asked you out for Saturday night. Go! Enjoy!"
"I don't compare every man to Garrett," I snap at her.
"Don't you?" she asks, looking down at me sternly.
"I'm offended you even suggested that." She looks at me, her sharp eyes boring into me, like she can read my every thought and knows I'm full of it. I imagine this is how she bears down on witnesses on the stand. I don't like being on the receiving end of that look.
"Even if that's true," I start and she nods her head, "and I'm not conceding it is." I point my finger at her. "Even if he did mean to ask me out, there's no way it's a good idea. He's a total player. It would only be one night of fun and I don't think I could get over that kind of hurt."
"Then you need to get over it now. Sorry for the tough love, hon, but you need to move past the fantasy of this man and find someone passionate and amazing who is deserving to love you for all of the great things you have to offer including your messed-up childhood and your incredible success today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Becker is a romance writer whose previous novels include Click: An Online Love Story, Double Click and Right Click. The books, about a young woman's search for love online in Los Angeles, have been called, “a fast read that will keep you entertained,” “a fun, quick read for fans of Sex and the City,” and “hard to put down.” The first in the series was optioned for a major motion picture.Lisa’s writings about online dating have been featured in Cupid’s Pulse, GalTime.com, Single Edition, The Perfect Soulmate, Chick Lit Central and numerous other book blogs and websites.
As Lisa's grandmother used to say, "For every chair, there's a rush." Lisa is now happily married to a man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone!
Connect with Lisa:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Book Trailer
Buy the book:
Amazon | Kobo
