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Kate Willoughby

USA Today Bestselling Author

  • USA Today Bestselling Author

02.03.2014 Other

Blog Hopping, Shoes and Water Bottles

I’m so excited to be part of Cassandra Carr’s Sports Romance Blog Hop. On The Surface, my first sports romance novel isn’t coming out until April 14, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me!

For this blog hop, I thought I would touch on an event in hockey history that ignited my imagination when I was just starting to write On The Surface. I had in my mind that I wanted my hero to have been recently traded from his old team amid a flurry of bad press. I turned to the internet for help.

Lo and behold, I found Mike Milbury’s shoe incident. There was a fight. A fan started whacking the players with a hockey stick and Mike Milbury ended up going up into the stands and hitting a fan on the leg with his own shoe.

Here’s a video if you’re interested in seeing what actually transpired.

Inspired by this true event, I changed the item from a shoe to a water bottle and gave my hero, Tim Hollander, a strong reason to act the way he did. Here’s an excerpt in which the incident is first mentioned in Chapter Two. Tim was traded to the San Diego Barracudas a couple of weeks earlier and is on his way to the car dealership to pick up his new Escalade. In the taxi, he has a conversation with the driver.

“What’s your name, man? People sometimes ask what famous people I’ve driven and I’d like to add your name to the list.”
“Tim Hollander. I play right wing. I’m a forward.”
“That’s offense, right?”
Tim laughed. So did Garcia.
“Hell, I told you baseball’s my game.”
“Yeah, forwards are offense.”
They continued on the 163 through a large interchange. The signs said they were in Mission Valley now. Tim relaxed, knowing this guy wasn’t going to hassle him about his performance last season or ask about Bottlegate. They talked some more. Garcia was easy to talk to. Part of the job, Tim figured. Cabbies were probably a lot like bartenders, but with wheels. Oddly, the more they talked, the more Tim felt like unloading and he ended up telling Garcia about Bottlegate anyway.
“Wait a second,” Garcia said. “Let me get this straight. The guy actually said that your daughter was better off dead than having a father like you?”
“Yes,” Tim said. The Philly fan had actually said much more than that while Tim had sat in the penalty box. He hadn’t shut up for a full minute, criticizing Tim’s play, or lack thereof, and eventually getting personal.
“What an asshole.”
“Thing is, my daughter had died only a few weeks before that.”
Silence.
“She died?”
“Yeah. Leukemia.”
“Shit, man.” Garcia met Tim’s gaze briefly in the rearview mirror. “I’m sorry to hear that. Really sorry. That’s fucked.”
“Thanks.” Tim gave him the tight-lipped smile he always did when people offered their sympathy.
           A few moments passed. “You know what, man? I admire your restraint. I probably would have done a lot more than hit him with a water bottle. I’d probably have killed the guy.”

So, I owe a debt of gratitude to Mike Milbury for inspiring Tim’s tragic backstory, even if I don’t care for his hockey commentary on NBCSN.

Like I said, On The Surface doesn’t come out until April 14, but I want to give away an Advanced Reader Copy to one lucky person. There are many ways to enter. Make sure you leave your email address in the comment section so I can notify you if you win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here are links to the rest of the authors participating in the blog hop. Please visit them to win more fun stuff!

1. Cassandra Carr
2. Jami Davenport
3. N Kuhn
4. Liz Matis
5. VL Locey
6. Laurie Peterson writing as Laurie Terson
7. Michel Prince
8. Jean Joachim
9. Kate Willoughby
10. Lily Harlem
11. Donna Gallagher
12. Normandie Alleman
13. Keira Andrews
14. Melanie Ting
15. Raw Talent Series
16. Bianca Sommerland
17. Suzan Butler
18. Megan Linden

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Comments

  1. Kim Pinch says

    02.03.2014 at 4:41 pm

    I love hockey romances. Congrats on your new book.

  2. KIM TALBOT says

    02.03.2014 at 6:12 pm

    Hockey romances are new to me, thanks Cassandra Carr! I look forward to your book.

  3. Kate Willoughby says

    02.03.2014 at 6:42 pm

    Thanks, Kim! I love them too. The book that got me started loving them was Rachel Gibson's SEE JANE SCORE. I can still picture Luc's horseshoe tattoo!

  4. Kate Willoughby says

    02.03.2014 at 7:29 pm

    Hi, Kim T! Thanks for visiting my blog. Cassandra Carr isn't actually here, but she was the one sponsoring the blog hop. I'll let her know you wished her well. 🙂

  5. V.L. Locey says

    02.03.2014 at 9:33 pm

    Oh dear me, do I love hockey romance as well! Thanks for dropping in to visit my blog!

  6. Robena Grant says

    02.04.2014 at 7:07 pm

    I loved the excerpt. Looking forward to this read. Congrats!Kate!

  7. Samanthe Beck says

    02.04.2014 at 7:40 pm

    Great excerpt! Bottlegate?! The guy had it coming! (And, clearly, I'm already deep in this story)!

  8. Lynne Marshall says

    02.04.2014 at 8:09 pm

    Just popping in to say hi, and to tell you I am very excited about your book coming out in April.

  9. Robin Bielman says

    02.04.2014 at 9:01 pm

    I am so excited for this book! Loved the excerpt, Kate! And hey, we're sharing a release day! April 14th is gonna be extra special for me now. (Okay and also, the hero's last name in my August book is Hollander. Great minds think alike, huh?)

    Hugs!

  10. Veronica Scott says

    02.05.2014 at 1:24 am

    Excellent excerpt, really enjoyed it. Best wishes with the book!

  11. Kate Willoughby says

    02.05.2014 at 4:59 am

    Back atcha, VL!

    Thanks, Roben!

    Sam, that's exactly what I hope the reader thinks too.

    Thanks, Lynne! No one's more excited than I am!

    Robin, I kinda-sorta remember that. Didn't we sort of discuss doing some sort of dual PR bloggy thing? And OMG, really? Hollander? That's so weird!

    Thanks Veronica!

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Kate Willoughby

USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Willoughby happily writes her contemporary hockey romances in Southern California. She is married and has two sons and a Chihuahua. When she’s not writing, she’s watching hockey. When it’s not hockey season, she whines a lot.

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