GUEST AUTHOR: Ally Blake

ALLY BLAKE was born in Millmerran a small town in outback Queensland, Australia after which she enjoyed an idyllic childhood in sunny Brisbane.

Ally has a Bachelor of Arts with a double English major from the University of Queensland.

She danced in front of up to 50,000 people per game as a cheerleader for the Brisbane Broncos football team.  In her third year she became cheer captain.  She cheered for the Gold Coast Rollers basketball team and on The Footy Show, a weekly television program all about rugby league.  During this time she travelled to Santa Barbara, California to take part in a cheerleading camp and her squad won the much coveted Spirit Award at the culmination of the camp.

After marrying her television producer husband Mark in Las Vegas, Ally moved to Melbourne with their miniature fox terrier, Squiffy, their two black-headed pythons, Mary and Frederick.  Melbourne fast became Ally's muse as she set most of her novels there.  They have also since added lizards, turtles, fish, chooks and two beautiful, adventuresome daughters and one heavenly son to their brood.  The lot of them made a recent move back to family, and perennial sunshine, and they now reside in Brisbane, Australia.

When not writing, Ally enjoys eating M&Ms, watching The West Wing reruns, and barracking at Collingwood football games. 

About the book...
This year I'm doing a retrospective on backlist titles that are now available as eBooks.  May's look back book is HIRED: THE BOSS'S BRIDE.  This was one of those books that seemed to write itself.  The heroine just burst onto the page with so much bravado and light.

The girl turns up to a job interview in knee high red boots, skinny jeans and black t-shirt with the classic Rolling Stones mouth and tongue pic splashed across the front.  From that moment on the hero doesn't stand a chance ;).

Loved this book so much after writing it I even named my second daughter after the heroine!!

Just to add to the specialness, it was nominated for Romantic Times' BEST HARLEQUIN ROMANCE of 2008 and they had this to say:  "Ally Blake's Hired: The Boss's Bride is as breezy, sexy and warm hearted as its remarkable heroine, and its hero is pretty special too."  Aren't they sweet?!

You can find the eBook here. 

Mitch Hanover

Title - HIRED: THE BOSS'S BRIDE 
Setting - Melbourne, and specifically High Street Armadale.
Hero - Mitch Hanover - entrepreneur.
Heroine - Veronica Bing - auctioneer.

Scene you would never cut -  The bit with the ring.   In fact, the working title was Ring-A-Ding-Ding.  Read it to find out why ;). 

Something your hero or heroine would never do or say -  Heroine's not the type of girl who'd wear pink or frills or flowers in her hair.  Hero either for that matter ;).

Veronica Bing

What's one quirky thing about your hero/heroine? She wanted to be Barbie when she grew up.  The only Barbie thing about her is the hot pink Corvette.

What do you think the readers will like about this book? Hopefully the warmth and honesty beneath the bright and breezy surface will give them a warm and fuzzy read. 



HIRED: THE BOSS'S BRIDE 
Auctioneer Veronica Bing has left the glitz and glamour and year long sunshine of the Gold Coast to come home to Melbourne, a city that harbours sad memories she'd rather have left behind.  But that's what a girl has to do when she has a touchy feely boss, car payments up the wazoo and a job opportunity of a lifetime...
Mitch Hanover is willing to give Hanover House - the venerable art and antique auction house his parents started years before - one last chance to tow the line or the Hanover Enterprises business he has since built into an empire or he's going to have to let it go.  Finding a new auctioneer to run what may well be the last show the crumbling old building ever sees is his last throw of the dice.
When a hot pink corvette rumbles up to the kerb outside and out steps a brunette bombshell in knee-high boots and a Rolling Stones t-shirt, he wonders what he's let himself in for... 

What's next for you?  THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, a Sexy Romance, is out in the UK in July, with Australia in August!  More about the book here. 

Heroine's corvette

About you...
Favorite movie of all time - Currently it's Tangled.  I watch it weekly with my girls and it only gets better with each viewing.  I had to explain to my four year old what "happy tears" were as I blub every time I watch it!
Favorite fairytale - The Little Mermaid.  Heartbreaker! 
Favorite story to disappear into - Anything by Dick Francis.  I've read his books so many times I can tell which book each is by the first line alone!  His heroes, are to my mind, perfection.
Favorite TV program -  TV shows I can watch a million times over are The West Wing, Arrested Development, Gilmore girls and Sex and the City.
First book you remember reading -  Folk of the Faraway Tree.  My dad had a copy from when he was a kid.  The book's falling apart and the dust jacket  is now nothing but dust.  But it's a beautiful thing, that book.  Beloved. 
Dog or cat person (or other) - Dog.

Hero's gallery

Author (living or dead) you'd most like to meet - I met Dick Francis once, so would have to say John Christopher.  He wrote my favourite books from when I was a kid. I wrote him a thank-you letter years later and he - gorgeous man that he is, wrote back.  We corresponded for a good while about the time I sold my first book.  He'd be 93 now!
A romantic retreat for you would be...Anywhere without the kids in tow!
What do you do to unwind or relax?  Read and eat chocolate.  Preferably both at the same time. 
What era would you like to time travel and visit? And why?  The height of the Kennedy 60s.  I'm a total Kennedy-phile to the point that I lugged my then brand new husband with me all over the States on our honeymoon to JFK-was-here sites.  To be a part of something magical and positive and innocent.
What does love mean to you?  A million tiny little things.   From the warm clench I  get in my tummy every time my husband walks in the door all the way to the small everyday stuff.  My husband cooks, vacuums and washes the dishes every night.  If that ain't love I don't know what is!

More about the book...
MORE ABOUT HIRED: THE BOSS'S BRIDE here.

Buy link for e-book HERE

You can find Ally here:  Facebook, blog, twitter or www.allyblake.com