Out in the Open Blog Tour! (+$25 Amazon GC Giveaway!)

Title: Out in the Open

Author: JB. Glazer

Series: N/A

Pages:  326

Date Published: July 1st, 2014

Publisher: CreateSpace

Format: Paperback

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: Goddess Fish Blog Tour
Buy Me!

Synopsis:

Advertising executive Lexi Winters had a plan, but leaving her cheating fiancé, her beloved New York, and a successful career weren’t on her agenda. At twenty-seven she faces the harsh reality of starting over again. She returns to her hometown of Chicago and lands a new job, where she meets Jake Hartman, the agency founder’s captivating nephew. Their chemistry is undeniable, but Lexi is protective of her fragile heart and isn’t ready to date again. Jake is on the fast track to leading the company and has vowed to his uncle never to let anything—or anyone—get in his way. What begins as harmless flirtation soon crosses a line that threatens to destroy Lexi and Jake’s promising careers. In a relationship plagued by secrets, will they risk everything to be out in the open?

~Guest Post!~
When I heard that I get to have JB on the blog, I was thrilled! As captain sass-master, I decided to be difficult and just say...write whatever you want! So...here's JB!

When Andra asked me to write about the topic of my choice, I thought, “This is every writer’s dream.” But as a stream of ideas came I dismissed each one and fretted over what readers would want to hear. I decided to pull inspiration from my blog and be true to what I write about: love and life. I am an author and a marketer, but I’m a mom first and foremost. While my life experiences inspire my novels, my kids inspire my blog. I decided to dig deep into the archives and revisit the topic that sparked my very first blog post.

But a bit of background first. I am a middle child and have always been a people pleaser. I do not like dealing with confrontation and like my protagonist, Lexi, I may have some avoidance issues. Luckily my kids are young so I have yet to tackle the difficult topics. Time is on my side for now because at ages six and four, I’m usually refereeing who got the bigger dessert or whose turn it is to choose the TV show. I can deal with these kinds of issues. Simple and logical explanations suffice—most of the time. And when they don’t, I use my trump card: because I said so. But I know that someday soon this will fail to be a compelling answer. Because they’ll realize I don’t have all of the answers. And the questions will get far more challenging. 

So I’m living up these early years. One thing I especially love is my family’s bedtime ritual. There’s something irresistible about cuddly kids in their footie pajamas (who also happen to be going to sleep soon). About a year ago I was tucking in my then kindergartener, Madison, and she started asking me a series of questions. We ended up having an enlightening conversation that began a new bedtime tradition: the question game. It entailed her getting to ask one question each weeknight and two on the weekends about any topic of her choice. If her dad or I didn’t know the answer we’d go look it up on the iPad—her end goal. I enjoyed this game because it gave me insight into her interests and the often forgotten subjects that she was learning about at school.

One night I had to work late but promised her I’d stop in to say goodnight when I got home. It was well after 9:00 so I was surprised to see that she was still up. I guess she wanted to make sure I stayed true to my word. We chatted for a few minutes and as I was about to leave she said, “Mommy, can I ask you just one question?” Although it was late I felt guilty for not spending time with her so I agreed. Usually she wants to know about rainbows and flowers, so I was not at all prepared for the words that came out of her mouth. “Mommy, where do babies come from?” It was the dreaded question that I thought I wouldn’t have to deal with for at least a few more years. I tried to evade the topic by saying that a baby grows in a mommy’s tummy. Her response, “I know that, but how does it get there?” In my tired and hungry state, I couldn’t think of a clever response. I figured when the time came to discuss the birds and the bees I could just Google it to see what would be an appropriate response. I had done no such research. And then it hit me: a brilliant response. Babies come from love. I am a romance writer, after all. She seemed satisfied for a minute, and then wanted to know how. I told her it was late and we’d talk more in the morning. Luckily, my avoidance approach worked and she forgot about it. But I since haven’t. After that wake-up call I went online to learn more about how to talk to kids about sex. What people did before the Internet I’ll never know. I discovered that most sites are geared toward parents of older children, naturally. I found one article that got straight to the point, but I really hope I don’t have to talk to my daughter about my or my husband’s anatomy any time soon. They say that love conquers all, but in this case, it’s love that got me into this predicament. 

~Try an Excerpt!~

“I like your dress,” Jake says, lightly touching the fabric on my shoulder. He slides his hand down the length of my dress, grazing my breast, and rests it on my knee. I raise my eyebrows at him.

           

“You don’t mind, do you?” he asks in a low voice.

          

“No,” I say, meeting his gaze.

           

He stands up, and I stand up too, thinking we’re leaving. “Wait here,” he says, then closes the curtains to our seating area, giving us complete privacy. He makes his way back toward me wearing a determined expression that makes my heart beat wildly in my chest. Is he going to kiss me here, in the middle of the bar? He looms over me and takes the drink out of my hand. I feel the color rise in my face, and my breathing becomes ragged. Jake tilts my chin so I meet his gaze and leans in close when suddenly the curtains part and Brad walks in. “Sorry, dude,” he says to Jake, “but Maurice just informed me there’s a girl here looking for you. She says you work together, and she’s on her way down.”

Jake’s demeanor immediately changes. He fully opens the curtains and moves to the other side of the couch, putting some distance between us. I look at him questioningly, but his flirty smile is gone, replaced with a cool stare. Then I see a brunette talking to the bouncer, and I’m guessing she’s looking for Jake. She makes eye contact, and he motions her over.

~Meet JB!~ 

J B Glazer developed a love of writing at a young age. She followed that passion to the University of Illinois, where she graduated with a degree from the College of Communications. She pursued a career in advertising, a field that provided an outlet to express her creativity. She has fifteen years of experience at the renowned Leo Burnett advertising agency in Chicago, which served as inspiration for her novel. She’s also a wife, mom, marketer, referee, short-order cook, maid, chocoholic, shopaholic, and multitasker extraordinaire. Visit her website at www.jbglazer.com, follow her on Twitter @JBGlazer, or connect with her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jbglazer

Out in the Open is available at national retailers including Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com.

JB will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway