December Joyathon: Interview + Giveaway with Lila DiPasqua

click to read an excerpt

Meet Lila:
At age fourteen, Lila’s best friend sneaked a romance novel out of her grandmother’s house. After devouring it, Lila was hooked on romance novels for life. Today she lives with her real-life hero husband and three children and is a firm believer in the happily-ever-after. She loves history and enjoys traveling. She has been to four continents so far. Weaving in interesting historical facts she discovers during her travels, Lila writes stories about historical alpha-heroes and the heroines who make them lose their hearts.

Where To Find Lila: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Blog

Kati: Who is Lila during the holidays? (author, gift giver, last minute shopper, baker)
Lila: Definitely author (I always seem to have deadlines during the holiday season) and gift giver. I love Christmas shopping! I used to have my Christmas shopping done in October. (Yeah, you read that correctly. LOL). Plus, I have a wild obsession with Christmas ornaments. And it’s my birthday during the holiday season. I just love this time of year. (Happy Birthday!)

Funky red tree purchased by Mr. D

As for baker, forget it! I’m horrible. Seriously, I’m so challenged in this department. I have baker-envy of anyone who does it well---because I can’t. :) My gift to those around me is to *not* bake for them. LOL

K: What is your favorite thing about the holidays?
L: Getting together with people I love—and the decorations! (Did I mention my obsession with Christmas ornaments? *winks*). It’s the reason why we have multiple trees in our home.

K: Do you write more or less during the holidays?
L: That depends on the deadline. I have a lot of writing to do this Christmas. And last Christmas I was doing edits on A MIDNIGHT DANCE. Being an author has been my dream. So I’m not complaining! :)

click to read an excerpt

K: If you’ve written a holiday themed/titled book, what is it about? If you have not, would you write a holiday themed/titled book in the future?
L: Actually, I had planned to write a short Fiery Tale with a Christmas theme this Christmas. But I’ve had to put it aside for now. I do intend to return to it. I’d love to give my readers something with a holiday theme to enjoy.

K: Which of your heroes would you go on a sleigh ride with? (with permission from the heroine of course)
L: Can I pick them all? I adore them equally. LOL. (taking the easy way out, I see.)

K: What is your favorite Christmas story, book or movie? (Mine is White Christmas)
L: My favorite movie has to be Charles Dickens’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL. There have been so many movie remakes, and I never tire of watching them. But I think my favorite is the old black and white 1951 version starring Alastair Sim. He made such a great Scrooge.

As for favorite Christmas story, I’m going to pick THE CHRISTMAS DOLL by Elvira Woodruff. It’s a children’s novel I’ve read to my girls. Sadly, this book is out of print, though you might be able to find it in your local library. It’s 151 pages long and one of the most touching,
beautifully written stories about two little orphaned sisters with no one to count on but each other—and an ordinary doll they find discarded near the river—set in Victorian, England. If you find a copy of this book, get it and read it! It’s sure to bring a tear to your eye and put a smile on your face. Your children will love it. And so will you.

Lila's tree. Purty isn't it?

K: Real tree or fake tree?
L: We have five Christmas trees every year. The largest one is ten feet tall with a foot tall angel on top. They’re all artificial, and we love them all.

K: Specific gifts or gift cards?
L: Specific gifts, definitely.

K: Fruit cake or gingerbread?
L: Definitely gingerbread. We make a gingerbread house every year.

K: Home for the holidays or visiting relatives?
L: Home for the holidays. We always host Christmas dinner—Mr. DiPasqua is a fabulous cook!

K: What is on your New Year’s resolution list?
L: To write more steamy, romantic—and of course scandalous—historical romances to delight my readers. (YES PLEASE!)

K: Do you celebrate the holidays differently since you live in a different country?
L: Our Christmas celebration is no different than you’d find in the US. I live in Toronto. Believe it or not, we don’t always have a snowy winter. We’ve had many Christmases where we haven’t had any snow at all. We have a big turkey dinner. Desserts. With Christmas carols playing softly in the background. And a warm fire burning in the fireplace.

K: Author’s choice.
L: Tell me –what’s your favorite holiday movie or Christmas carol?

One lucky commenter will win a great, sexy holiday anthology –THE NAUGHTY LIST BY Donna Kauffman, Cynthia Eden and Susan Fox and a signed set of Romance Trading cards from my Fiery Tales series!

Thanks Lila for participating in the Joyathon!

THE NAUGHTY LIST:

Naughty But Nice- DONNA KAUFFMAN
Businessman Griffin’s never believed in luck…until sassy-sweet small-town baker Melody turns his world around. Except there’s a catch: There’s no way he’ll be able to build his empire and hold on to her. His new “lucky charm” could destroy all his dreams…or make this Christmas better than he ever imagined possible…
All I Want for Christmas- CYNTHIA EDEN
Good girl toy inventor Christie takes a walk on the naughty side when she sparks a no-strings fling with Santa—actually, sexy cop Jonas in a Santa suit. She loves her new “bad girl” persona, except as the holidays approach, she starts falling, and hard, for this known’ “love ’em and leave ’em” ladies man…
Tattoos and Mistletoe- SUSAN FOX
Charlie returns to her hometown to fix up her aunt’s B&B, but she doesn’t count on LJ handling the renovations. Nerdy LJ pined for her in school, but now he’s grown into the town’s hottest bachelor. Charlie’s been burned before and won’t let him get close. But LJ’s determined to break down her walls and make her dearest Christmas wish come true.

Where To Buy: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Nook | Book Depository
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt from Cynthia Eden and Susan Fox

You heard the lady! Lila is giving away a copy of THE NAUGHTY LIST anthology as well as a set of her Fiery Fairy Tales trading cards to one(1) lucky reader. Here's how to enter:

• Leave a comment answering Lila's question along with your email addy, ninja style: yourname at gmail dot com.
• Fill out the rafflecopter form below. You must answer Lila's question. All other entries are optional but I would recommend on following Lila's blog. She's got an awesome feature at the beginning of the month where Mr. D interviews a Romance Husband(RH)--the man behind the author.

Easy peasy right? Don't forget to enter for the awesome super secret prize here.

A huge thank you to Lila for participating in the Joyathon, providing the fun pictures and for giving away a copy of THE NAUGHTY LIST and a set of her trading cards.