The Starlight Motel a Contemporary Holiday Animal-Lover Romance by Amy Craig Release Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway

 

THE STARLIGHT MOTEL

Amy Craig

 

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GENRE:  Contemporary Romance

 

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BLURB:

 

Experienced muralist Kada took charge of her family's Palm Springs motel to give her mother time to grieve. As a grant deadline approaches, Kada must convince her mother to manage the motel so she can return to her art. Late in December, Kada encounters a horseman approaching the property. Dane, the reserved son of a local farming family, is a loyal workaholic with limited spare time or experience outside the valley. When lightning startles his horse, he lingers at the motel and stirs up Kada's emotions about leaving the desert oasis. Wary of mixing business with pleasure, she struggles with her attraction. As New Year's Eve approaches, will the cowboy convince her to chart a new course?

 

 

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EXCERPT

Her skin warmed from the heat of his palms. “I can’t afford to sit around the laundry room and gossip with the guests.”

 

“Trust me, Kada, I’m not here to gossip.”

 

“You’re ready to pitch in on odd jobs? You’re such a good neighbor.” She swallowed past the dryness in her throat. She had a three-date rule, but if she never started the first date, did the rule apply? “Thanks for helping with Lucky.”

 

“Any time.” He tipped up her chin. “Are you sure that’s where you want to stop? You brought me your number and rode out into the desert with me, but now you’re skittish?”


 

Her throat felt parched, but she wanted to lean forward and test his intent. Instead, she kicked her feet against the machine’s vibrating drum. “I’m not skittish, but I’m not into quick romps on a washing machine.”

 

He raised his eyebrows. “I wasn’t suggesting a quick romp.”

 

She wanted to test the innuendo behind his offer, but the sequence felt out of order. Before she considered kissing the handsome farmer, she needed dinner, candlelight, and time to breathe.

 

Her body offered a different opinion. Clearing her throat, she hopped off the washing machine, ducked under his arm, and ran her tongue along her teeth. In the tiny room, his skin smelled like fresh lime, warm spices, and a hint of honey, but his shirt held the leathery undertones of a hard day’s work. He looked handsome, and she wanted to taste his kiss, but she needed a different setup. “Or long romps.”

 

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AUTHOR Interview

1. Author name: Amy Craig

 

2. Website (and any other links you’d like included: Facebook, Twitter, buy pages, etc.):

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/amycraig

Website: https://www.amy-craig.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmyCraig/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_amy_craig/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authoramycraig

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18011214

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amy-craig

 

3. Title of book we’re promoting: The Starlight Motel

 

4. Genre of book: Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, Animal-Lover Romance

 

5. Bio:

 

Amy Craig lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with her family and a small menagerie of pets. She writes contemporary romances featuring intelligent heroines. She can't always vouch for the men. In her spare time, she plays tennis and expands her husband’s honey-do list. Before pursuing writing, she worked as an engineer, project manager, and incompetent waitress.

 

THE STARLIGHT MOTEL

 

Muralist Kada took charge of her family's Palm Springs motel to give her mother time to grieve. As a grant deadline approaches, Kada must convince her mother to manage the motel so she can return to her art.

 

Late in December, Kada encounters a horseman approaching the property. Dane, the reserved son of a local farming family, is a loyal workaholic with limited spare time or experience outside the valley. When lightning startles his horse, he lingers at the motel and stirs up Kada's emotions about leaving the desert oasis.

 

Wary of mixing business with pleasure, she struggles with her attraction. As New Year's Eve approaches, will the cowboy convince her to chart a new course?

 

In the course of writing our books, there is always a fascinating piece of research that we stumble on and it may, or may not make it into our stories. Really good research should, of course, never be intrusive so here is your opportunity to let that little piece of trivia or major research point have its moment in the sun. For your post, it would be wonderful if you could share a “Fun Fact”.

I live in Louisiana, but I’m a California girl by birth. I still read Bay Area online news sites for restaurant trends, wildfire updates, and changes to the cities where I lived. A few years ago, a news story about a San Francisco mural caught my eye. The 455 Hyde Street murals, collectively known as Le Papillon, tell the story of San Francisco’s urban butterflies.

As I learned more about the work, Kada, the main character in THE STARLIGHT MOTEL, came into focus. When crowd-funding stalls her next art installation, she helps her family run a Palm Springs motel. The question is, why does she love it?

Not being a muralist by training, I had to research the craft. Fictional muralists often undergo significant personal growth ("The Murals" by William Bayer, "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver, or "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older). As these characters create murals, they confront personal challenges, heal from past traumas, or discover new facets of themselves. Unfortunately, this process is too long for contemporary romances. Baby, we’re falling in love in a week!

Muralists are also storytellers, activists, and community builders. They bring color and complexity to narratives, just like they bring art to public spaces. Those butterflies on the San Francisco building? One of the most beautiful is the Xerces blue butterfly. It might be the first butterfly species in the United States to go extinct due to human development and habitat loss.

I doubt butterfly extinction is a fun fact, but it does reinforce the fragile coexistence between humans and other species. I recently started morning runs, which means I also started catching glimpses of foxes and coyotes (my neighborhood connects to an urban creek/bayou). If I had an outdoor cat, I might be nervous, but I’m just a girl out on a very slow run. Back when I lived in California? I would see mountain lions on the hillsides. Not as benignly cute, but just as important to protect.

I love this prompt, “really good research should, of course, never be intrusive,” because, yeah, I’m a nerd, but I love putting characters in silly situations and watching them fall in love! As long as I’m not getting into their way, I’m doing my job.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Amy Craig lives in Louisiana with her family and a small menagerie of pets. She writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense featuring intelligent heroines. In her spare time, she plays tennis and expands her husband’s honey-do list. Before writing, she worked as an oilfield engineer, project manager, and incompetent waitress. For more information and giveaways, visit www.amy-craig.com or follow her on social media channels.

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/amycraig

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@authoramycraig

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_amy_craig/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmyCraig/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18011214

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amy-craig

Website: https://www.amy-craig.com/

 

https://linktr.ee/authoramycraig

 

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GIVEAWAY 

 

Amy Craig will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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