Interview with Debbie Rigaud for Truly Madly Royally

Truly Madly Royally

by Debbie Rigaud
Publisher: Point
Release Date: July 30th 2019

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Fiercely independent and smart, Zora Emerson wants to change the world. She's excited to be attending a prestigious summer program, even if she feels out of place among her privileged, mostly white classmates. So she's definitely not expecting to feel a connection to Owen, who's an actual prince of an island off the coast of England. But Owen is funny, charming...and undeniably cute. Zora can't ignore the chemistry between them. When Owen invites Zora to be his date at his big brother's big royal wedding, Zora is suddenly thrust into the spotlight, along with her family and friends. Everyone is talking about her, in real life and online, and while Owen is used to the scrutiny, Zora's not sure it's something she can live with. Can she maintain her sense of self while moving between two very different worlds? And can her feelings for Owen survive and thrive in the midst of the crazy? Find out in this charming romantic comedy that's like The Princess Diaries for a new generation.

Can you briefly describe TRULY MADLY ROYALLY and their main characters?

TRULY MADLY ROYALLY follows what happens after Zora (a Jersey girl-next-door) meets and falls for Owen (an actual prince of a European country) at a prestigious college program one summer. Is that brief enough? Because I can go on and on about their memorable meet-cute, their sweet chemistry and, yes, their colliding worlds. It’s a fun ride—one I hope readers enjoy coming along for!

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

I love them all, but my favorite character is Zora. I admire her. Even though she’s way out of her comfort zone, and figuring things out isn’t easy, she handles it. Sometimes she handles it clumsily, sometimes she handles it like a bawse, but she handles it. Plus it’s cool she has a few life hacks for staying on task, including mapping goals out with her best friend. But at the end of it all, I love that she has a big heart. She loves her community actively, and wants to make a difference in it. Zora knows life is interconnected, and she works hard to be a strong link in her family and her neighborhood.

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?

When it came to crafting Zora’s personality, I found inspiration in the girls and women around me who are quick to pitch in, lend a hand, make an impact. I interviewed a community-minded friend who is always thinking up ways to add social or creative value to her neighbourhood. I wanted to learn what makes her tick. I gave Zora some of the same impulses she has, and I think this brought Zora to life. As far as the theme, I was definitely inspired by Meghan Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry, as well as by the community reaction to their nuptials. All over Black Twitter, there was excitement, curiosity, judgement, indifference, support and so I tried to weave those sentiments throughout the story where it made sense.

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?

“Get Back to Me” by Abby Deneke, a song on The Paragon Project, Vol. 2: Medicinal Music album (and streaming on Spotify). This song is so special because it was written and performed by Columbus, Ohio high school students. I just love it. When I heard this song, I was struck by how perfectly it captures Zora’s struggle at one point—the should-I-or-shouldn’t-I tug of war. She’s got this mapped-out summer, but should she allow herself to get distracted by this cute boy, this prince with the swoon-worthy accent? The song brings to life this mood so well.

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

Oooh, fun! I’d love to see Skai Jackson play Zora. She’s definitely a goal-getter like Zora. She also supports causes close to her heart, like Zora does. And whoa, she’s such a fashionista! You just know she’d look stunning attending a royal wedding. For Owen, I’m going with Lucas Jade Zumann from the Netflix series “Anne with an E.” I am a huge fan of that show, and he’s a standout on it. On the show he and Anne have this ongoing crush, and he plays into the will-they-or-won’t-they role so well. And of course, if Meghan Markle ever comes out of acting retirement, she’d make a lovely Sadie, the royal bride. Just putting that out there. ;-)

Summer is here and we love to go out and enjoy the sun. What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

The cover covers it all. ;-) A picturesque picnic, summery drinks, adorable company. Yes, Zora and Owen chilled on a college campus with some cool drinks—fruit smoothies for starters. But I’d also recommend a peach iced tea at the park. Even Jersey girls like Zora and I are allowed to enjoy signature Southern refreshments on a romantic summer’s day.

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish TRULY MADLY ROYALLY?

There are diverse royal romances tearing up the adult lit world right now (by Alyssa Cole and Jasmine Guillory to name two), and I’m all over them. In the YA/NA world, royal romances are hot as well. There’s Casey McQuiston’s RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE, Rachel Hawkins’ HER ROYAL HIGHNESS and the upcoming AMERICAN ROYALS by Katharine McGee. As for contemporary YA romances starring Black girls, I highly recommend I WANNA BE WHERE YOU ARE by Kristina Forest, and Justin Reynolds’ THE OPPOSITE OF ALWAYS. 

What’s next for you?

I am co-writing a middle grade series with activist/actor Alyssa Milano! The first book comes out in October and I can’t wait. I’m also working on another YA rom-com, this time centering on an overprotective Haitian-American girl. It’s been something I’ve been working on for years, so I’m glad it’s just about ready to share with editors.

YA author Debbie M. Rigaud began her writing career covering news and entertainment for magazines. She’s interviewed celebs, politicians, social figures and “real” girls. Her writing has appeared in Seventeen, CosmoGIRL!, Essence, J-14, Trace, Heart&Soul and Vibe Vixen, to name a few. Her first YA fiction writing was published in the anthology HALLWAY DIARIES (KimaniTru Press/September 2007). Her first standalone YA book--a Simon Pulse romantic comedy titled PERFECT SHOT--is due out in the Fall of 2009.

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Better When He's Brave (Welcome to the Point #3) by Jay Crownover

I'm so incredibly excited to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour for Jay Crownover's BETTER WHEN HE'S BRAVE!! BETTER WHEN HE’S BRAVE is a New Adult Contemporary Romance novel being published by HarperCollins, and it is the 3rd book in Welcome to the Point Series. This amazing book releases on August 11th!!

Better When He's Brave (Welcome to the Point #3)
by Jay Crownover
Release Date: August 11th 2015

Synopsis:

In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover’s third novel in her sexy, thrilling Welcome to the Point series, a woman’s search for repentance leads her to the one man from her past she can’t forget as they join forces to save their city—and the explosive love neither can live without.

Titus King has always seen his world in black and white. There is a firm right and wrong in his mind, which is why as a teenager he left behind the only family he’d ever known to make a better life for himself. Now a police detective in one of the worst cities in the country, he can’t deny his life has turned into a million different shades of gray.

The new criminal element in The Point has brought vengeance and destruction right to Titus’s front door, and walking the straight and narrow seems far less important now. The difference between right and wrong is nothing compared to keeping those he loves alive. To add to his already strained moral compass, the beautiful and mysterious Reeve Black has made her way back to town. This girl might be as dangerous to Titus as the guy trying to destroy the Point but he can’t walk away because he needs her—in more ways than one.

Reeve knows all about the threat trying to destroy The Point. She knows how ruthless, how vicious, and how cruel this new danger can be… and instead of running away, she wants to help. Reeve knows that she has a lot to repent for and saving the city, plus the hot cop that she hasn’t been able to forget might just be the only way she can finally find some inner peace.

With an entire city poised on the brink of war, Titus and Reeve stand in the crossfire—and it will take two brave souls to fight for the ultimate love.

Prove it.

Those odd, dark blue eyes flashed the challenge at me and I couldn’t resist it. Not the challenge or the girl. I didn’t like that she got under my skin. I hated that she was right at the center of this mess with Roark, and it really, really grated across my already taut nerves that even with no makeup on and looking like she hadn’t slept a wink, she was still the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. I didn’t want to notice that. I didn’t want my dick to twitch when she touched me, but it did, which was going to make pretending to be infatuated with her easy and so much harder at the same time. She knew it too.

Prove it.

Okay. I would prove the shit out of the fact that I could do what I had to do in order to make this scheme of mine work. I could pretend to like her, which really was the only thing that would be fake. I couldn’t reconcile the way my pulse leaped every time she turned that midnight-blue gaze on me with the fact that she had orchestrated a man’s murder. She was beautiful but she was also deadly. She was just as hard as this place we came from, and I’d had enough of the city hammering against my foundation, as it was. Lusting after a woman who had it in her to be just as cold, and just as calculating, as any other criminal I locked up on a day-to-day basis was nowhere for my head to be while I was on the brink of war with her deranged ex-lover.

I was pissed off when I bent my head toward her. I was mad at myself. I was mad at her. More than all of that, though, I was furious that either one of us had to be in this situation in the first place. Every time I turned around, another bad thing or bad person was nipping at my heels. It was getting harder and harder to stay a step ahead. Eventually I was going to trip up and go down and there would no one left with any kind of conscience in this place, no one left that cared about justice and righteousness.

That anger had my hands shaking as I reached up and used my thumbs to tilt her head back so her mouth was pointed up at me. I didn’t have much time to date, didn’t have the patience for a woman who didn’t understand that I was trying to save an entire city from itself and that this took up most of my attention and energy. The ones I did date were never just the right height, just the right size, and they sure as hell never looked as perfect and as tempting as this woman did. None of them had ever fit me the way she did and that pissed me off even more.

Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series. She also introduced the dark and sexy world of The Point in a new series this last summer starting with BETTER WHEN HE's BAD. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.

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Release Week Blitz: Better When He's Brave (Welcome to the Point #3) by Jay Crownover

 

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Week Blitz for Jay Crownover's BETTER WHEN HE'S BRAVE!! BETTER WHEN HE’S BRAVE is a New Adult Contemporary Romance and is a part of Jay Crownover’s Welcome to the Point Series. This awesome book is available now! Go grab your copy today!

Better When He's Brave (Welcome to the Point #3)
by Jay Crownover
Release Date: August 11th 2015

Synopsis:

In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover’s third novel in her sexy, thrilling Welcome to the Point series, a woman’s search for repentance leads her to the one man from her past she can’t forget as they join forces to save their city—and the explosive love neither can live without.

Titus King has always seen his world in black and white. There is a firm right and wrong in his mind, which is why as a teenager he left behind the only family he’d ever known to make a better life for himself. Now a police detective in one of the worst cities in the country, he can’t deny his life has turned into a million different shades of gray.

The new criminal element in The Point has brought vengeance and destruction right to Titus’s front door, and walking the straight and narrow seems far less important now. The difference between right and wrong is nothing compared to keeping those he loves alive. To add to his already strained moral compass, the beautiful and mysterious Reeve Black has made her way back to town. This girl might be as dangerous to Titus as the guy trying to destroy the Point but he can’t walk away because he needs her—in more ways than one.

Reeve knows all about the threat trying to destroy The Point. She knows how ruthless, how vicious, and how cruel this new danger can be… and instead of running away, she wants to help. Reeve knows that she has a lot to repent for and saving the city, plus the hot cop that she hasn’t been able to forget might just be the only way she can finally find some inner peace.

With an entire city poised on the brink of war, Titus and Reeve stand in the crossfire—and it will take two brave souls to fight for the ultimate love.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. So heavy and hard it almost took me to my knees. Roark had been going after the thing that mattered most to me from the very beginning. I cared about the people that still had a shot to make it out of the Point. I fought for the innocent and the young because I often felt like no one else was going to. Every person that Roark had hurt, had twisted, had infected in his quest to exact his revenge had been someone I’d sworn I would protect and keep safe.

It started with the kid whose neck he snapped and ditched outside of the Pit. Just some dumb jock barely in his twenties that liked to gamble, but he was just a kid and deserved a better end. Then it was the club. Before it burned to the ground, Nassir had been deliberately lured away and all the victims were just kids out looking for some trouble and fun. They lost their lives doing what kids all across the country did every single day. After that it was the girl on the dock and the armed stripper at Spanky’s. Two girls too young to be caught up in that kind of life and too young to be dead. Two girls I should’ve been able to keep safe. And lastly there was my brother. Sure, Bax was far from innocent, far from having a shot at a good and law-abiding life, but he was still my only family, my blood, and even if I had let him down in the past, I took my duty to keep him safe and keep him out of trouble to heart now. Killing Bax would have served the dual purpose of exacting revenge on the man who Roark thought was responsible for his father’s death and rubbing salt into the wound I would suffer for being unable to protect him.

The realization of how insidious and malicious as well as how fucking brilliant in his evil machinations Roark was had me shaking so hard I almost missed Brysen’s words as she whispered “Someone needs to stop him; he can’t be allowed to go after anyone anymore.”

I blew out a breath and tried to steady myself. “I’m trying.”

She narrowed her very blue eyes. “Try harder.”

No wonder Race was sprung on her. She looked like a doll but had the bite of a barracuda. She was his perfect match in that way—all golden and glossy on the outside but made of stronger, more resilient stuff on the inside. If Roark did have Karsen, I sure hoped the younger Carter was as tough as Brysen.

Just as the big, black utility vehicles with SWAT team members and the bomb technicians rolled up to the scene, the metal front doors at the front of the school clanked open and Booker came striding through with his arm wrapped around an obviously shaken and upset Karsen. The teen looked so tiny and fragile next to the giant man that it had murderous rage toward Roark thumping heavy not just through my heart but the heart of the beast that was wide awake in my chest and hungry for retribution.

Brysen let out a squeal and took off running toward the duo. I should’ve stopped her considering the building still wasn’t secure and I still had no idea where Roark was lurking, but I didn’t have the heart to keep her away from her sister. The two blondes hugged and then they were both crying as Booker was ripped away from the teen and slapped into cuffs by the same cop he has shoved over only moments before.

Karsen started yelling when the cop started to haul Booker away, but Brysen shushed her and guided her over to where I was still standing. I watched curiously as the guys dressed in black tactical gear unloaded a robot that looked like something from Star Wars and used a computer to guide it toward the front of the school. I was dying to know if they were going to find anything or if this had all been some elaborate ruse Roark had staged only to show me he had me right where he wanted me.

“Are you okay?” The teenager was crying big, fat, silent tears but she looked unharmed. She nodded and looked in the direction where the cops had taken Booker.

“Why is he getting arrested? He was the only one that came and looked for me.” Ouch. That accusation burned hot across my skin.

“He pushed a cop. They tend to take offense at that. Why were you still inside the building, Karsen? What happened?” I didn’t want to press her too hard because she was obviously pretty shaken up but I didn’t have any time to waste either.

Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series. She also introduced the dark and sexy world of The Point in a new series this last summer starting with BETTER WHEN HE's BAD. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.

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