Interview & Giveaway ~*~ Weak at the Knees by Jo Kessel

1. What is the first curse word that comes to mind? How often and why do you use it?
It begins with an ‘F’ and if the children weren’t around and I wasn’t constantly censoring myself, I would use it far too often.

2. How would you spend ten thousand bucks?
If I was lucky enough to have that kind of money after all the bills had been paid, then I would treat myself to a baby grand piano. I’ve enjoyed playing the piano since I was a little girl and always vowed that when I had the funds I would swap my upright for a classy baby grand piano.


3. What are 5 things within touching distance? As I sit at my desk writing the 5 things within touching distance are:
1. My notepad – full of lots of barely legible squiggles which to the trained eye contain ideas for storylines and boring lists of things which need to be done.
2. My first and only proof paperback copy of Weak at the Knees
3. A designer mouse-pad recently given to me by my brother as a birthday present – he bought it whilst in South Africa on business.
4. My kindle which is charging up – I’ve loaded lots of great books on it for when I next go away and I can’t wait to have some time on a sun lounger to read uninterrupted. At least, that’s the plan.
5. A recipe I’ve torn out from a magazine: Leg of lamb with garlic, rosemary and anchovies. It looked so easy and delicious that I convinced myself that even I could manage it.

4. Do you have a crush on anyone?
Hugh Jackman - I so wanted to be Nicole Kidman in the film Australia where she got to kiss him on and on……….their on-screen chemistry was amazing.

5. What is your least favorite word?
Beetroot – there’s not many foods I refuse to eat, but beetroot is one of them. It’s the color of the liquid oozing from it. Just saying the word ‘beetroot’ makes me gag ever so slightly and sends shivers of repulsion across my skin.

Blurb ~*~
“We got so busy living life that we forgot to live our dreams.”

Danni Lewis has been playing it safe for twenty-six years, but her sheltered existence is making her feel old ahead of time. When a sudden death plunges her into a spiral of grief, she throws caution to the wind and runs away to France in search of a new beginning.

The moment ski instructor Olivier du Pape enters her shattered world she falls hard, in more ways than one.

Their mutual desire is as powerful and seductive as the mountains around them. His dark gypsy looks and piercing blue eyes are irresistible.

Only she must resist, because he has a wife – and she’d made a pact to never get involved with a married man.

But how do you choose between keeping your word and being true to your soul?

Weak at the Knees is Jo’s debut novel in the new adult, contemporary romance genre – a story about love, loss and relationships, set between London and the heart of the French Alps.

Excerpt ~*~ 
Olivier sits next to me on the piano stool. We’re even closer than that day up the mountain and it’s even more intoxicating. His body is so close to mine that the slightest adjustment would have us touching. I can feel his heat, an electrical charge which makes the side of my leg that’s almost brushing his tingle all the way down. He pulls up his woolly, navy sleeves. “Shall we?” I note the gold wedding band on his dark, manly hands as his fingers hover above the keyboard. I nod, not trusting myself to speak, thinking the sooner he starts playing piano the better, to distract me from this powerful attraction. He crashes both hands down with flair and starts playing his version of the Boogie Woogie. It’s slightly jazzier and more sophisticated than mine. I let him play by himself for a while, enjoying watching him, surprised by how good he is.

The rhythm gets to me, my upper torso unconsciously pulsing forward, toes tapping in my shoes. I put my mug down on top of the piano and start trying to improvise a Gerswhin-esque melody line, fluttering my right hand up and down the keyboard in syncopation to Olivier’s beat. For about ten minutes we thump away, cheesy grins on our faces, occasionally catching each others’ eye. We play whatever comes into our heads, changing the mood and key from time to time. Sometimes it works and sometimes it’s a discordant mess, but it doesn’t matter. By the time Olivier eventually tires and crashes a final chord, our bodies are touching all the way from our shoulders to our knees. I don’t want to move, which is exactly why I do. I stand up, to recover my senses and my drink.

~*~ Buy Links ~*~

Amazon US   ~   Amazon UK 

AUTHOR INFORMATION:
When Jo was ten years old she wrote a short story about losing a loved one. Her mother and big sister were so moved by the tale that it made them cry. Having reduced them to tears she vowed that the next time she wrote a story it would make them smile instead. Happily she succeeded and with this success grew an addiction for wanting to reach out and touch people with words. Jo lives in London with her husband and three children where she works as a TV and print journalist. She tells life stories and can often be found travelling the globe researching the next big holiday hotspots for readers to enjoy. Since becoming a mother anything even remotely sad makes her cry. She’s a sucker for a good romance and tear-jerker movies are the worst. She’s that woman in the cinema, struggling to muffle audible wails as everyone else turns round to stare.

P.S Jo’s pretty certain one of her daughters has inherited this gene.


Jo loves to hear from her readers and they can connect with her on:
Her website: www.jokessel.com
Twitter: @jo_kessel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kesseljo
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7173167.Jo_Kessel

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