A couple of weeks ago I told you about this new trend I see emerging: the New Year’s Eve romances, and I mentioned that lately I have read two such romances, one of which was Yours at Midnight by Robin Bielman, which I loved! This was my introduction to Robin’s writing and I immediately took notice, trust me she’s an author to watch! SO I was very happy when I got the chance to interview her and get to know more about how the novel came to be. Please give the warmest welcome to Robin Bielman and read on, and pick up Yours at Midnight, I’m sure you’ll love it! 😉

Stella: Hi Robin, welcome to Book Lovers Inc! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Robin: Hi Stella! Thank you so much for having me here today! Let’s see, I work part-time in the medical field, am surrounded by boys (even my dog is male) and in addition to writing romance, I also love to write young adult.

Stella: Are you a planner or pantser? Can you tell us a bit about your writing process? How did your novel come to life?

Robin: I’m very much a pantser. Before I start a story, though, I do write a pretty detailed sketch of my main characters and what I generally see happening in each chapter, but that’s it. (And I do that long hand, all my thinking is done with pen and paper, but the actual writing is done on my laptop) I love having my story unfold like I’m right there with my characters and I love when the story takes me in a direction I didn’t see coming. Yours At Midnight came to life very quickly for me. I knew I wanted to write something that involved family and how life can sometimes be messy and hard and full of regret, but if given a second chance, things can be righted.

Stella: What do you think is the difference between a reader and a real Book Lover?

Robin: Hmm… well I think readers just read. They enjoy it, but maybe can put that book down to do something else. A real Book Lover cannot stop reading! She or he will stay up until the wee hours of the night reading because they are in love with the characters and storyline and have to see how things end. They’re 100% invested. Real Book Lovers don’t want to be interrupted, they’ll let the housecleaning slide, the laundry pile up, the dinner plans revolve around cereal—oh, wait, that’s me.

Stella: Yours at Midnight was a special New Year’s Eve romance, could you tell our readers what they can expect of it? 

Robin: Sure, thanks for asking. Yours At Midnight is about Lyric Whetstone and Quinn Sobel. Quinn is the boy next door, the boy who drove Lyric crazy growing up. Now adults, they’re next door to each other again after Quinn returns home for the holidays. They haven’t seen each other in four years, not since their one-night stand. Quinn is back to apologize to his family and Lyric for leaving like he did. Tension and sparks immediately fly between the two. But Lyric has a secret—a secret that could push Quinn away for good.

Here’s a teaser:

“Hi,” Quinn said.

“Hi.”

“Anyone ever tell you, you make a funny face when you go down the slide?”

“I do not.”

“How do you know?” His breath floated in the air. She wanted to feel it over every inch of her skin.

“Because.” She shivered—from more than the cold temperature.

“Is that the standard mom answer to questions you know you’re wrong about?” He cut a quick glance to Max. He’d kept a protective eye on Max all afternoon.

She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to lean in and suck on his bottom lip, taste and tease him, and tell him without words how the past was forgotten and she liked this new Quinn. She liked him very much.

“Maybe,” she said.

“Then I feel it’s my duty to coach you on the art of the perfect answer.”

“Oh really?” She couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from lifting. “You’ve got all the right answers?”

He raised one eyebrow. “I’ve got the perfect answers. There’s a difference.” He shifted slightly so her knees skimmed his chest. The move made the space around them more intimate, but kept her at a safe distance.

“So if I ask you a question—”

“Nothing that starts with why.”

“You’ll give me the perfect answer.” She glanced at Max. He was happily building a sand tower.

“Yes.” Quinn leaned forward, annihilating their safe distance and grazing her earlobe with his mouth. “Make it a good question.”

Holy sand trap, she wanted to fall back on the slide and pull him down on top of her. Run her fingers through his hair and ask him to put his mouth to better use than talking.

Quinn stayed put. If she turned her head ever so slightly, she could press her lips to his cheek, feel the stubble on his jaw.

“Go ahead, Lyric,” he whispered. “Ask me anything.”

Stella: What inspired you to write a romance set around this quite neglected holiday (compared to Christmas), do you have a personal experience that makes this holiday memorable or you just think it has some potential for romance? 😀

Robin: That’s exactly it. I wanted to write about a holiday that wasn’t as popular as Christmas. I also think New Year’s Eve can be very romantic and I love the idea of kissing at midnight. 😉

Alexis Bledel as Lyric

Stella: Could you introduce the hero and heroine of Yours at Midnight to us, or even better yet invite them to come and say hi?

Lyric: Hey Book Lovers! Lyric here. (eyes Quinn up and down) Quinn has light brown hair, warm eyes the color of pennies, and a smile that can stop traffic. (Quinn demonstrates, Lyric sighs) He speaks several languages and loves to tease me by telling me things in those foreign languages. He thinks I should start jogging with him. I think he should do yoga with me. He’s protective and loyal, but if he leaves his dirty clothes lying on the floor one more time I may—

Quinn: My turn. (Quinn takes Lyric’s hand) I could get lost in Lyric’s light blue eyes. And when her gaze is directed at me, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. I love when she gathers her hair up and holds it in place with a pencil. I love her laugh. I love screwing with her coffee order so she makes the most adorable face when she takes that first sip. She cares about family and helping others. She’s beautiful inside and out, adventurous, and thinks she’s in charge, but—

Lyric: (Lyric gives a playful shove) You can stop there.

Stella: If Yours at Midnight was made into a movie, who would be your dream cast?

Rick Malambri as Quinn

Robin: Rick Malambri would play Quinn and Alexis Bledel would play Lyric. Just in case you want a picture of Rick, here you go… 😉

Stella: And since the heroine has such a musical name I have to ask: what song would be Lyric and Quinn’s song?

Robin: Oh, that’s a great question. And a hard one! There are so many great songs. How about an oldie, but a goodie… Etta James’ “At Last.”

Stella: Aw I LOVE that song! 😀 Yours at Midnight is full of wonderful, heart-warming secondary characters the reader grows to love quite instantly. Did you have a favourite supporting character you particularly liked to write or see on the scene?

Robin: Thank you for your kind words, Stella. 😀 It’s really hard to pick just one favourite. I so loved writing all of them. I do have a soft spot for Max. I have two boys and they’re not so little anymore, so getting to think back to when they were young and then writing Max was a lot of fun.

Stella: And speaking of the secondary characters: Lyric has so many siblings that the question arises, will you maybe revisit this family and tell one of her brother/sister’s story?

Robin: I love that you’ve asked that. I don’t currently have any plans to write any of their stories since they’re all married. But I do love this family, so maybe I’ll have to put some thought into it.

Stella: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read Yours at Midnight?

Robin: The first would be the characters. Quinn and Lyric’s story is filled with sexual tension, banter, and past mistakes. They’re perfect for each other, but have something huge to overcome first. Plus Quinn is hot. I had a serious crush on him as I was writing.

The second reason would be there’s a secret. It’s a whopper and who isn’t intrigued by secrets?

And the third reason would be all the secondary characters you mentioned. From Lyric’s mom to her sister and brothers to four-legged Teddy, I’d like to think they all offer some great fun.

Stella: Could you please summarize Yours at Midnight for us Twitter-style (in 140 characters or less)?

Robin: I am seriously Twitter challenged, but here goes…

Lyric and Quinn…two hearts meant to be one, but will a secret destroy their chance
at happily ever after?

(And just to let you know you what a dork I am, I just popped over to Twitter to make sure this fit. It does! :-D)

Stella: Can you tell us any behind the scenes secret about the novel (either related to the writing process or how a character/scene turned out way different than it was originally intended to, if any character was based on real life acquaintances, etc.)?

Robin: I wish I had a behind the scenes secret to share. I wrote this book very fast. It just flowed out of me. And none of the characters are based on anyone I know. Although I did lose my dad unexpectedly a few years ago and I definitely thought a lot about him as I was writing the feelings Quinn and Lyric had about Oliver. Also, at about the same time I started writing Yours At Midnight, I developed a serious fondness for Café Mochas from Starbucks and that could be why I included a scene set there. It’s actually one of my favourite scenes.

Stella: Can you tell us what is next on your schedule? Any future plans you’d like to share with us?

Robin: I recently finished a category romance and another novella, so hopefully I’ll get to share those with everyone. I’m currently working on revisions for a contemporary young adult novel. Oh, and I’ve got a fun Goodreads giveaway going on right now that I hope people will check out.

Stella: Could you share with us something, a trivia that not many people know about you?

Robin: Umm, I used to be a spy. Just kidding. Growing up I was a state ranked tennis player – I lived and breathed tennis until I met my high school boyfriend. Then tennis totally took a backseat. LOL He’s now my husband, though, so it all worked out perfectly!

Thank you again, Stella! I’m thinking I’m not the only one with a love for coffee, so I’d like to give a $10 Starbucks gift card to one commenter. Since the Book Lovers here are quite the international group, I’d love to know where you’re from! Let me know in the comments and you’re entered!

Robin lives in Southern California, a bike ride away from the ocean if she’s feeling really adventurous, with her high school sweetheart husband, two sons, and a very cute mini labradoodle named Harry (after Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files books).

When Robin’s not reading or writing her next story, she loves to bake, run, hike, and dream of all the travel adventures she hopes to have. She is addicted to cafe mochas, and if every day were Cupcake Day, she’d be a happy camper.

She writes contemporary romance for Entangled Publishing.

Visit Robin at
Website | Twitter |  Facebook | Goodreads

Yours at Midnight by Robin Bielman

Lyric Whetsone only had eyes for Quinn Sobel’s brother Oliver, until a car crash took Oliver’s life on New Year’s Eve. Then, a moment of shared grief between Quinn and Lyric became something more impassioned, something that frightened Quinn so much he ran from Lyric’s bed and her life, disappearing for four long years.

Now Quinn’s back for another New Year’s Eve, struggling for closure, desperate to leave his grief in the past and make amends with the girl of his dreams.

But Lyric has a secret–one that could drive Quinn from her life forever. Will Quinn run away from the love and acceptance he’s always wanted…or will he claim his New Year’s kiss and make her his at midnight?

Read an excerpt 

Buy at Amazon | B&N

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~*~*Giveaway*~*~

There are TWO giveaways:

Blog giveaway

Robin has generously offered a $10 Starbucks gift card to one lucky commenter!

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell us where you’re from. 😀

This giveaway is open to all!

(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please be sure to include a valid email address in the comment form (need not be in the actual body of the comment).

Giveaway ends on Saturday 16 February 2013 and we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

Goodreads giveaway

One lucky international winner will receive a character name in Robin Bielman’s upcoming book and one U.S. winner will receive an autographed cover poster of Yours at Midnight.

To be entered just fill out the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Stella

Stella is a proud bookaholic and a self-taught multilinguist in training. Besides reading, her other great passions are travelling and baking. When she is not globetrotting she lives in sunny Budapest, where she loves to spend her free time preparing (and feasting on) delicious cookies or devouring equally yummy books. Her favourite genres are urban fantasy and romance and she couldn't live without her daily dose of sunshine. Besides being the Latin Lover on BLI Stella also blogs about books and a bookish life on Ex Libris.

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