{Giveaway & Blog Tour} On the Rim of Love by Marie Astor

Hey everyone! I would like to welcome Marie Astor, author of On the Rim of Love, to Better Read Than Dead. She has been kind enough to provide us with a great guest post on developing story lines as well as a Fantastic Contest! The Big Prize - A Kindle Touch...not to mention a Kindle 3G Skin. I want to thank Kismet Tours for allowing me to take part in this completely awesome tour! Shout outs to Heather and Danny!

About Marie Astor - website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

Marie Astor is a die-hard romantic who wholeheartedly believes in true love, which is why she writes in the contemporary romance genre.

Marie is the author of contemporary romance novels, On the Rim of Love, Lucky Charm, and a short story collection, A Chance Encounter and Other Stories.

In addition to being a writer, Marie is an avid hiker, an excellent swimmer, a good skier, and a capable badminton player.

Currently, Marie is working on her next novel – stay tuned for details! If you would like to receive updates about book releases and events, please visit Marie’s website or visit Marie at her Facebook page.

How do you develop your story lines?

I often get asked how I develop the storylines in my novels. I am always thinking of new plots for romance novels, and I have to say that the storyline development process varies for each novel: some plots are driven by characters, while others are inspired by locations.

When I started writing my contemporary romance, Lucky Charm, I knew that wanted to write a humorous contemporary romance about love, luck and friendship. As I started to think about the friendship between the heroine, Annabel, and her best friend, Lilly, the characters of Annabel and Lilly started to crystallize in my mind. The two women could not be more different: Annabel is quiet and cautious, while Lilly is boisterous and easygoing – I enjoyed writing about their friendship, as I did about the different approaches to relationships that Annabel and Lilly took. And then, of course, it would not be a contemporary romance without the male leads – Annabel’s and Lilly’s beaus: Etienne and Simon who are the perfect counterparts to their ladies.

For my contemporary romance, On the Rim of Love, which takes place in British Columbia, the setting was the inspiration for the plot. I visited Banff, British Columbia two winters ago and I was instantly smitten by its beauty – the vast open spaces, the towering mountain cliffs and the white, sparkling snow that seemed to stretch endlessly. I have always thought that there is something very special about the atmosphere of ski towns, and I was charmed by Banff’s quaint streets and the wonderful people who walked them. An idea for a contemporary romance became to form in my mind: big city girl meets a big-mountain skier who is rooted in his small hometown. By the end of my ten-day stay at Banff, I had jotted down an outline and notes on the main characters: Maggie and Taylor, as well as Taylor’s best friends: Shawn and Hannah. The hardest part was over: all that remained for me to do was to sit down and write Maggie’s and Taylor’s story. I hope that you’ll join Maggie and Taylor on their journey!

About On The Rim Of Love - Goodreads, Amazon

Twenty-two-year-old Maggie Robin has been dating the irresistibly good-looking Jeffrey Preston for a year. But when Jeffrey proposes marriage to her a week after her college graduation, Maggie finds herself wondering if she wants to spend the rest of her life married to a workaholic TV show producer.

Her doubts culminate when during a ski trip to British Columbia she meets Taylor Denton, a handsome, free-spirited big mountain skier.

Maggie’s attraction to Taylor is undeniable, but she is engaged to marry Jeffrey. Will Maggie have the courage to follow her heart?

Now that you know a little about On the Rim of Love...enter to win a beautiful Kindle 3G Skin...

How? Just complete this Rafflecopter...that's it! Easy-Peasy.

Open US/Canada. See full contest rules here.

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A Complete list of all the tour stops...be sure to drop by!

Monday, February 13th - Riverina Romantics 
Tuesday, February 14th - Snowdrop Dreams of Books 
Wednesday, February 15th - My Reading Room 
Thursday, February 16th - Books Like Breathing 
Friday, February 17th - Obsession with Books 


Monday, February 20th - Reviews By Molly 
Tuesday, February 21st - Sweeping Me 
Wednesday, February 22nd - A Casual Reader's Blog 
Thursday, February 23rd - Better Read Than Dead 
Friday, February 24th - I'm Just Sitting Here and Read 


Monday, February 27th - Hesperia Loves Books 
Tuesday, February 28th - A Tale of Many Reviews 
Wednesday, February 29th - Library Mosaic 
Thursday, March 1st - The Magic Attic 
Friday, March 2nd - Ce-Ce's Garden Reviews