A Chat With Cathy Tully || TRAINING TRAVIS || Book Review

After the death of his ex-wife, Travis McGill becomes sole parent to his fifteen-year-old daughter. Determined to do what’s best for her—even if it means reopening old wounds—Travis moves back to his Pennsylvania hometown.

Rebecca Evans never forgave Travis for the way he dumped her. Not only did he break her heart sixteen years ago, but he and his daughter are a reminder of the family she lost.  But when Travis asks her to redecorate his Victorian house, she can’t turn her back on him or his angry, grieving daughter.

Getting Rebecca back in his life might not be the easiest task, but Travis is determined to try. Can he earn the trust of the two most important women in his life? Or will he need on-the-job training?

Hi Cathy! Thanks for joining me today.  May I ask... What does your writing space look like?

It’s located in the spare bedroom of our house, painted celery green and my favorite room…..my favorite books, pictures surround me. I can close the door and write for hours.

How long have you been writing? Thirteen years.

Do you write with music going in the background? What are some of your favorite types/bands? 

Yes. Absolutely. Depends on the genre I’m writing to. Christmas story/Christmas music, western series/country music.  Contemporary romance can be anything from Josh Groban to Barry Manilow. Yes….I said Barry Manilow. Uh Oh, I’ve aged myself : )

Name one person, living or dead, you'd most like to meet.

Tom Hanks.

What is your favorite book genre? Who are your favorite authors?

Contemporary Romance: Kristen Higgins, Jane Graves, Erin Kern, Candis Terry, Maria Geraci.

Do you have a favorite character from your books? Who is it and why? 

Yes. Gram from All You Need Is Love. I created her as the Gram I would have liked to have, since I didn’t know my either of my grandmothers.

Tell us something strange or interesting about yourself. 

I am a brown belt in Issinryu Karate. And I won’t stop until I’m a black belt : )

What was your proudest life experience?

Giving birth to my beautiful daughters…..they’re young women now, one a scientist and the younger a commercial interior designer. I love watching them carving careers for themselves and becoming young women I’m so very proud of them.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three modern conveniences would you take with you?

Duct tape, a water purifier, and a very sharp knife.

Is there anything else you'd really like our readers to know? 

Come visit my website cathytully.com or look me up on Facebook under Cathy Tully.

Quick quiz:

• Favorite food?  Chinese
• Favorite color?  Brown
• Favorite animal? Dogs all shapes, breeds and sizes.
• Biggest pet peeve? When people chew with their mouths open.
• Dream car? One that flies itself : )

Excerpt:

Travis sat opposite Becca so he could watch her cook. When she turned to place the bottle on the counter, he noticed she was wore a pair of pointy high heels. Damn. She looked good in anything she wore. He couldn’t help think she looked great in everything that was underneath too.

In an effort to get his mind off her curves and avoid the embarrassment of

being caught staring, he said, “So where did you learn to cook?”

Rebecca opened the broiler and turned the pork chops. “Television.”  She placed the fork on the spoon rest and covered the cooked carrots with foil. “What’s so funny?”

His laugh was husky and low. “That’s where I learned. I’m surprised Liz hasn’t bragged about my culinary skills by now.”

Rebecca smiled. “She has mentioned you make one mean marinara sauce.”

He shook his head. “Leave it to a kid to only remember spaghetti sauce.” She held out a wooden spoon filled with salad greens she had just tossed for him to taste.

When Travis’ tongue flicked over his lips, her knees went a little weak.

“What is this dressing? It’s delicious.” He took the spoon from her hand and ate the remainder.

When he licked his fingers, she groaned inwardly.

“Homemade vinaigrette,” she answered weakly.

Travis handed her the wooden spoon and the tips of their fingers touched. Hers tingled. Now more than ever, she knew whatever barrier she had thought she put between them no longer existed.

God help her.

Review by Melissa Snark: 

TRAINING TRAVIS is a contemporary romance about childhood sweethearts who are granted a second chance at love. The author skillfully handles grown up relationships that not only accommodate but incorporate the realities of death, disappointment and the demands of teenage children. The tone is both heartwarming and humorous in turn. (Oh My God, the heroine's oversexed mother is hilarious.)

Following the death of his ex-wife, Travis' teenage daughter comes to live with him. He moves back to his home town in an attempt to give her what he thinks she needs but the poor guy really isn't prepared for full time fatherhood. The hero's interactions with his daughter, Liz, cracked me up. I especially laughed through his reaction to an extra set of ear piercings. (And I'm so thankful that my own daughter is only three.)

The heroine, Rebecca, is an independent and strong-minded woman but her loneliness is palpable. I understood her trust issues with regard to the hero's dependability. I liked how the author paid attention to Rebecca's relationship with Liz also. She manages a good balance of the three personalities that would ultimately have to blend into a family unit for the hero and heroine to be together.

The hero and heroine's interactions are charismatic and wonderful but I really wanted hotter sex scenes. (Thanks to the rather interesting title, I can't get the image of the hero on a leash out of my head.) Personal preferences aside, it's a superb story with lost lovers reunited, complex family dynamics and funny flashes of humor taken straight from real life.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available for purchase:

Amazon

Wild Rose Press

Author Bio:

Cathy Tully writes Contemporary Romance, Sweet Romance, and Women’s Fiction. Prior to writing romance, Cathy published a children’s non-fiction book titled, NEBRASKA for Kidhaven Press in 2004. Her first Sweet Romance, ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE, is available through Astraea Press, and Amazon.com. Cathy’s first novella, MARRYING MR. RIGHT is available through, The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.com. Her latest release, TRAINING TRAVIS, is a Contemporary Romance, available through The Wild Rose Press.

A Pro member of Romance Writer’s Of America, and Pan member of The Liberty States Fiction Writer’s, Cathy is a firm believer in continually honing her writing craft. A brown belt in Isshinryu Karate, she loves the feeling of strength and independence it allows her. Cathy can be found on Facebook, and at www.cathytully.com. A born and bred Jersey girl, Cathy lives in central New Jersey with her husband and their two daughters.

 

Author Links: 

Email: cathytully23@gmail.com

Website

Facebook

Twitter:  @_cathytully

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page