I am stoked to be hosting a stop on the
blog tour for REFORMING THE CEO by Marisa Cleveland ! I have an interview with Marisa to share
with you today check it out and enter to win the giveaway below!
About the Book:
Author: Marisa Cleveland
Pub. Date: November 11,
2019
Publisher: Entangled
Publishing, LLC (Indulgence)
Formats: Paperback,
eBook
Pages: 200
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Amazon
UK, Amazon
Canada, Amazon
Australia, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, Entangled
Publishing
What happens when
your next door neighbor is the hottest, most notorious playboy in all of South
Beach?
Reece Rowe is on
hiatus from respectability. Before she returns to her stable, boring existence
of charity events and dating predictable, stuffy suitors who are only
interested in getting closer to the wealthy family who adopted her, she’s going
to get a taste of what she’s been missing. She screws up her courage and heads
to Vincent Ferguson’s office to find out what all the women in South Beach
already seem to know about him.
Once CEO Vin
Ferguson’s tech company goes public, he’ll have proved he’s no longer the poor,
gritty kid from the wrong side of the tracks. But, citing his bad boy
reputation, some financial backers waver, and his friends suggest dating a more
respectable woman to improve his image. Ridiculous. Because delectable but
snooty socialites, like his next door neighbor, are way out of his league.
And then, Reese
walks through his office door and makes him an offer. To say his jaw hits the floor
is an understatement.
And he can’t
believe what she just proposed...
Book Trailer:
Interview:
Hey Marisa!! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books I’m
glad you could stop by for a chat! REFORMING THE CEO sounds AWESOME and I can’t
wait for everyone to read it!
Thanks so much for having me!!!
For the readers:
can you tell us a little bit about the REFORMING THE CEO and the characters?
This book is about an insecure girl and the guy who helps her become
the fun person she wants to be. It’s about stepping out of any self-defined
expectations and following your heart. Mostly it’s about two people who realize
they are better together than they are apart. Because for Vin and Reece, this
book makes them let go of heavy things like bitterness and resentment to make
space for living a truly purposeful life.
How many more
books are planned for the series?
All the South Beach books could be read in
any order, but I have at least two more I’d love to work through.
Were any of the
characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
That’s tricky to answer. Maybe.
Who was your
favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
Vin was definitely my favorite character to
write. I had a clear picture of him from the start, all fun and adventure with
a charming grin that sucks you into his orbit. My least favorite character to
write was Landon, because I know how he ends up, but his journey isn’t in this
book, so there are areas where I was really frustrated with how he behaved,
even though it was true to his character at this point in time.
What is your
favorite passages/scenes in REFORMING THE CEO?
This is a totally unfair question. But there
is one scene… Vin and Reece are at a work luncheon, and Vin is reminded yet again how
differently they’ve been raised, but this time, he’s not bitter about it. He’s started to appreciate
Reece for who she is now and not how she was raised then. That was one of my
favorite scenes, because of what it means for Vin. For the significance for Vin
to heal some of his past anger and maybe become comfortable with his new
wealth.
What kind of
research did you have to do for the story?
This book was sooooo fun to research! How
rated should I keep this? PG? R? I know it’s a common “thing” with romance
writers, but I love when my husband tells people “being married to a romance
writer is as awesome as it sounds.” He’s always been so proud and supportive of
my dreams, and because of that, he’s an integral part of my research. We take a
lot of road trips, and for the South Beach series, we just had to visit South
Beach! We’ve stayed at and visited pretty much every place mentioned in the
book (some I renamed and redesigned, of course, to suit the book’s needs).
Who is your
ultimate book boyfriend?
Fitzwilliam Darcy. I recently wrote an
article on examining the ways in which Austen reveals the power of women even
when living within the confines of the social structures of her time. To Darcy,
Elizabeth is worth more than his strong opinion about social structures. Darcy
states, “You showed me how insufficient were all my pretentions to please a
woman worthy of being pleased” (Austen). Furthermore, Austen wrote during a
time when patriarchal structures allowed females the opportunity to present
their view of life, and as such was able to give agency to the power that
females did hold during a time when so many other aspects of the times limited
them. Through Fitzwilliam Darcy, Austen proved the power of the female to great
than the power of familial or societal objection, and that Darcy was able to
see this and adjust his behavior is the ultimate grand gesture, in my opinion.
Lets talk about
the book trailer and song! How did that all come about? BTW I’m a
new fan of Ben Allen because of the video love his voice!!!
Oh, yay! Ben’s voice is magical, in my
opinion! I’m still a bit star-struck that he and Dan took the time to develop
my idea. So… the book actually started with the song. My husband—with his long, powerful
strides—usually adjusts to my
strolling speed, but in this one instance, he said, “We can’t slow down,” and that became
the chorus. From there, this montage of FUN became a challenge of sorts, and
then I wanted to put a tilt to the good girl-bad boy trope. Instead of the good
girl making the bad boy good, I wanted the bad boy to make the good girl bad.
So I had Vin write the song for Reece, and that’s when my super supportive
husband suggested I get it produced.
Lightning Round
Questions
What are you
reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
Next up, I have Shelley Shepard Gray’s Hold
on Tight (The Bridgeport Social Club Series Book 3). She’s one of my favorite
authors of all time, and I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t had a chance to read
this yet, even though it released in June.
What Hogwarts
House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
Full disclosure: I took a quiz to find out
the answer. The quiz placed me 55% in Ravenclaw, although I’ve always responded
that I belong with the Hufflepuffs. This may call for another HP marathon so I
can definitely decide. Here’s the link to the quiz: https://time.com/4809884/harry-potter-house-sorting-hat-quiz/
Twitter or
Facebook?
Twitter.
Favorite
Superhero?
Argh! Last year I would have answered Wonder
Woman or Batman. But I recently discovered Zatanna (I know, I’m late to the party),
and I’m sort of crushing on her right now.
Favorite TV show?
Billions. Can I give the runners up? Killing
Eve and The Blacklist.
Sweet or Salty?
Sweet.
Any Phobias?
Too many to name, although I’m getting
better.
Song you can’t get
enough of right now?
Just Get Crazy by Ben Allen.
2019/2020 Movie
you’re most looking forward to?
Mulan, releasing March 27, 2020.
Thanks so much Marisa for answering my questions! I can’t wait for
everyone to read REFORMING THE CEO!
Thanks so much for having me!!!! I really appreciate your time and
space here!
Cheers,
Marisa
Marisa
About Marisa:
New York Times and
USA Today bestselling author Marisa Cleveland loves to laugh, hates to cry, and
does both often while enjoying the journey one sunset at a time with her
husband. Expressing herself through writing, music, and dance is her lifestyle,
and as a former gymnast, cheerleader, and dancer, she understands the
importance of balance and encourages everyone to stay flexible. Marisa loves to
connect with other readers and writers through social media, and she can be
found on Instagram (@thereisnobox) and Twitter (@marisacleveland).
Giveaway Details: 2 GIVEAWAYS!
Giveaway 1:
1 winner will win a $15 Amazon GC, International.
Giveaway 2:
1 winner will win a $20 eGift card to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
iBooks (winner’s choice), ends 11/23.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
11/11/2019
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Interview
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11/11/2019
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Excerpt
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11/12/2019
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Review
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11/12/2019
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Review
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11/13/2019
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Review
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11/13/2019
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Guest Post
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11/14/2019
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Excerpt
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11/14/2019
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Review
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11/15/2019
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Review
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11/15/2019
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Review
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Week Two:
11/18/2019
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Review
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11/18/2019
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Interview
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11/19/2019
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Review
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11/19/2019
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Excerpt
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11/20/2019
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Interview
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11/20/2019
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Guest Post
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11/21/2019
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Review
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11/21/2019
|
Review
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11/22/2019
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Guest Post
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11/22/2019
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Review
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