~MARINA ADAIR~

Hi, Angela and UTC! Thanks for having me here today! Okay, five thing about me…

1.      My high school year book says that I will marry Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block.

2.      I have an unhealthy obsession with eggo waffles.

3.      I had a pet chicken named Princess growing up. We used to sit on the couch and watch Magnum PI and Highway to Heaven together. (Before Jordan Knight I was going to marry Tom Selleck)

4.      I am a former competitive cheerleading coach.

5.      My daughter and I watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer re-runs religiously. (And, yes, I also wanted to marry Angel.)

SUMMER IN NAPA is the second book in the St. Helena Vineyard series. It follows the next to youngest DeLuca brother, Marco, and releases May 14, 2013. This book was so much fun to write because my hero and heroine are not only fighting the need to get naked every time they see each other, they are also fighting against their past—Lexi’s cheat of an ex-husband just so happens to be Marco’s childhood best friend. Finding a good reason for Marc to break man-law and fall for—and into bed with—his best-bro’s ex was entertaining.

I grew up with a live-in grannie who spent most of the 50’s and 60’s running a southern diner. So, the pressure to master the buttermilk biscuit, bumble-berry jam, and perfect the flake factor in pie crust was intense. Problem was, in my house there were no recipes, it was all by touch and feel, and let’s just say that I didn’t inherit the touch or feel for culinary greatness. If there is a recipe and it has less than 10 ingredients, I can hold my own. But the whole hippy, listen-to-the-ingredients thing that Lexi has going on is all my grandma.

Marc oozes swaggeer in his own sexy, laid back way—and the man loves women. He loves the way the smell, they way sound, feel, and look. He loves women so much that he has dedicated every waking hour of his life to perfecting how to treat them, sweet talk them, and seduce them into his bed. The only thing he has never done with a woman is committ, and yet he finds himself wanting a relationship with a woman who has sworn off men.

Man-law states that every palyboy needs his own personal wingman, right? So, I paired Marc up with the best chick magnet on the planet—a two-hundred pound bull-mastiff  named Wingman. Wingman isn’t just loyal, he is great with the ladies and knows just when to step in and help his human counterpart score.

The St. Helena Vineyard series will follow all five of the DeLuca siblings as they each come to terms with the death of their parents, and in turn open themselves up to the possibility of love. Even ChiChi, if she can get her nose out of her grandkid’s business long enough, gets her second chance at love.

The next book, AUTUMN AT THE VINEYARD, releases October 2013 and centers around Nate, the brother who always has a well-laid plan for every occasion. Until he lands the most sought after vineyard in the Napa Valley and finds himself locked in a land dispute and forced to cohabitate with a hot-headed, irrational, and incredibly sexy woman, who doesn’t have a logical bone in her luscious body. Nate is surprised to discover that chaos could be so much fun—especially when she sleeps in nothing but lace.

For Frankie Baudouin, Steel Red Cellars isn’t just a vineyard, it is her last chance to prove to her family, and to herself, that she has what it takes to be an award-winning winemaker. And she’ll stop at nothing to ensure her success—even if it means playing nice with the over-starched Italian who cost her her job, her grandfather’s respect, and her standing in the family winery. But when Frankie discovers that she is in over her head with more than just her wine, she fears that come harvest it will be more than just her grapes that will be crushed.

I am so excited about this series. The Sugar Series takes place in the small town of Sugar, Georgia and centers around the sexy, Southern, and absolutely swoon-worthy McGraw brothers.

The first book, SUGAR’S TWICE AS SWEET, hits books stores everywhere May 2014 and follows the middle brother, Brett Mcgraw, a PGA playboy who has three Master’s Jackets and a nasty sex scandal under his belt. He decides to return home and lay low before he does something else stupid . . . like lose his corporate endorsements.

Blackmailed by his enterprising grandmother, Brett calls on the new neighbor to settle an ongoing Poker-night feud, only to be given a tool belt and a hammer. One look at the girl-next-door’s long legs and city-girl sass, and playing contractor doesn’t seem so bad. Especially if it means spending his days watching her parade around in those ridiculous heels and his nights in her bed.

I wait until everyone is off to school/work and the house is quiet. Then it is butt in chair, head down, and write. Lately, my goal has been a steady 2500-3000 words a day, and when I reach that I get to relax.

I just finished AUTUMN AT THE VINEYARD, which revolves around the Crush—or the harvest season. I know a lot about wine—okay, mainily the only thing I know about wine is that I excell at drinking it—but I realized that even though I used to live in the Napa Valley, on a vineyard no less, that I knew absolutly nothing about planting vines or the actual process behind harvesting grapes. So I was lucky enough to meet Gary Galleron of Galleron Speciality Wines in the Napa Valley, my go-to-grape-guy. He walked me through the entire process from irrigation, to planting, to harvest, even what happens to wine on the sales side of things. The best part was at the end of the day, after hours of wine talk, I could sit down with a nice glass of red and call it research!

Best job ever!

Quick-fire questions!
Sausage or bacon? Burger
Red wine or beer? Yes!
Cream puff or Crème brûlée? Cream puff…yummmm
Jock or nerd? Italian (hahaha!)

Thanks for having me, UTC!

Six months ago, New York restaurant owner Alexis “Lexi” Moreau walked in on her husband, Jeff, and their sous chef mixing business with pleasure. Now, Lexi is back in her hometown of St. Helena, California, rebuilding her life and hoping to turn her grandmother’s patisserie into the bistro of her dreams. All she needs is luck, lots of hard work, and a way to avoid the thirty blind dates her matchmaking grandmother arranged. Enter Marco DeLuca — Jeff’s handsome, commitment-phobe best friend who has always had his sights set on Lexi. In high school, Marco convinced himself that Lexi was off-limits. And she still is, especially since Marco’s family’s wine business all depends on a deal with Jeff. But a fake summer romance is the perfect way for Lexi to distract the would-be suitors her grandmother has set up for her. A perfect way for Marco to realize she’s the only one that ever mattered. And a perfect way to fall deliciously in love.

About the Author:

Marina Adair is a National bestselling author of romance novels. Along with the St. Helena Vineyard series, she is also the author of Tucker’s Crossing, part of the Sweet Plains series. She currently lives in a hundred-year-old log cabin, nestled in the majestic redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, with her husband and daughter.

As a writer, Marina is devoted to giving her readers contemporary romance where the towns are small, the personalities large, and the romance explosive.

You can follow Marina here:
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Marina is offering a signed copy of Summer in Napa for one US follower.