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Talli Roland, Build A Man and Giveaways!

We have Talli Roland at Romance Book Paradise!

And she's also got giveaways for you!


But before we give over to her...a reminder! My Blog's sidebars on both sides have links to follow Tracy Sumner and Nina Jade Singer! Please follow on and comment on the blogs to go in mega draws! Tracy is giving away a KINDLE and Nina has a $100.00 Amazon Gift Certificate. As well as BOOKS to give away on all the stops!

And there are still more places to visit and books to win with

KATE WALKER and CHRISTINA HOLLIS . Follow on these blog tours for MEGA GIVEAWAYS! Follow and Comment for giveaways and to go in the Grand Prize Draw!
Now over to Talli...

Back Off: I Don’t Need Saving

Traditional romance usually features a strong hero, swooping in and rescuing the heroine in peril. And while I can see how, for some, the idea of a savior coming along and saving the day is attractive, I don’t quite get its relevance today. After all, in our modern society, it would more likely be the woman using her smarts to get the man out of danger.

Since I write chick lit, there’s always a thread of romance running through my narratives. But that thread is secondary to the main character’s journey – a journey to come to terms with herself – which is something she needs to do alone. How can a person grow, when there’s always someone in the background who can come get her out of trouble?

No, my female characters learn and develop on their own, and as a result of that development, their relationship with the male in their life becomes stronger. The man only comes in once the woman has done the work herself.  It may not sound as romantic, but really, how romantic is someone barging into your life and making everything right instantly? Wouldn’t you feel inferior? To me, true romance lies in an equal partnership; when neither one actually needs the other, but chooses to be with them.

So, to all the shirtless male heroines out there just itching to burst through the door and save my struggling heroines: back off. They don’t need – or want – saving!

For Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father's antique shop; nights watching fuzzy telly whilst the elderly residents of Britain's Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation is uploaded to YouTube. A canny viewer spots Marilyn's ghostly image hidden in the film and Willow becomes an international sensation. Her dire little town is suddenly overrun with fans proclaiming her to be the 'new Marilyn'. Egged on by the villagers - whose shops and businesses are cashing in - Willow eagerly embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and scoffing cakes to achieve Marilyn's legendary curves. But when the only man she has ever truly loved returns, seeking the old Willow, it's decision time. Should she risk stardom and the village's new-found fortune on love? Or is being Marilyn Willow's real ticket to happiness?

Talli Roland has three loves in her life: chick lit, coffee and cupcakes. Born and raised in Canada, Talli now lives in London, where she savours the great cultural life (coffee and cupcakes). Despite training as a journalist, Talli soon found she preferred making up her own stories – complete with happy endings. Her debut novel, The Hating Game, was an Amazon Top 100 bestseller and shortlisted for Best Romantic Read at the UK’s Festival of Romance, and her second, Watching Willow Watts, was selected as a 2011 Amazon Customer Favourite. Build A Man is her latest release. Talli blogs here and can be found on Twitter here.

Two winners will be picked from random.org for ecopies of BUILD A MAN!

39 comments:

  1. Sounds like fun read, Talli! Congratulations on your success to date.

    (And may fellow Canuck expats bask in your reflected glory? ;-) )

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  2. What a delight to see one of my favorite authors on your blog, Nas! Talli, I can't wait to enjoy your new release. Your books and blog are wonderful reads.

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  3. Hear, hear! I love heroines that grow during the course of a story, and couldn't agree more. Heroines don't need saving at all. In fact it's great when the heroine manages to save the hero - as long as this doesn't make him appear wimpy. Your books sound wonderful.

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  4. I like the sound of Build a Man and would love to find out how far she'll go for the story.

    kacbooks(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  5. Hi Nas! Thank you so much for hosting me!

    Hi LP! Yay for fellow Canucks. Bask away! :)

    Michelle -- thank you so much!

    Shelley -- completely agree. I love it when women and men are seen as equals, and both can grow and mature on their own.

    Karen C -- thanks so much for entering. Good luck!

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  6. Great blog, Talli! I'm the same way. I write about strong heroines that don't need the shirtless guy. I believe in standing on her own two feet with a strong man next to her! Reading BAM now and LOVING it!

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  7. I love a great herione. And a great female villain too. Great point about not having someone in the background to always pull them to safety. Some characters have to stand on their own and be the hero ... errr ... herione.

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  8. Hi Tonya! Thanks so much for dropping by. I know you and I are one the same page when it comes to heroines -- I could see that in Carpe Bead-em.

    Stephen, thank you. And a big YES on a female villain, too!

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  9. I much prefer to see the hero's love interest be a woman who is his equal, rather than someone he has to "earn" by saving her from whatever trouble she's in. Romance shouldn't be about anyone "earning" anything, rather it should be about two people drawn to one another, whose relationship serves as the catalyst for both their development.

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  10. Hi Talli, I like your 'tude here, very fun and strong, too! Congrats on all the success your books are finding :)

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  11. Hey Talli!
    Your books have such a great energy to them. Can't wait to buy your newest one!

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  12. I think it *does* sound romantic, for the heroine to be strong. I'm not sure if I'm following actual romance guidelines with my story - though with the few romances I've read in the past year it definitely seems to be a trend - but I tend to have my hero and heroine on an equal footing. She does one thing to save them in one situation, he helps figure out the villain's motives in another. Fifty fifty!

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  13. Paul, yes! YEEESSSS! My thoughts exactly. I've always wondered what's romantic about one person being weaker.

    Joanne, thank you so much for dropping by!

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  14. Lydia, thank you for your kind words.

    Deniz, exactly. Thankfully, it does seem to be more of a trend for woman to be stronger. Let's hope it stays that way. 50-50 is a good split!

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  15. Nothing beats a strong woman. And Talli is one of my favorite bloggers ever, if her books are as good as her blog, we're all in for an absolute treat. (pick me pick me pick me!)

    Sarah Allen
    (my creative writing blog)

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  16. Don't need to enter, but wanted to let Talli know I think she'll really like the female character in my next book.

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  17. I love you, Talli! Nothing annoys me more than an MC that needs rescuing by a man in the end. I mean maybe if there is some mutual rescuing, sure, but not strictly damsel in distress stuff. I am making a point with my Cozy series to have a man in need of a rescue in each of the first few. I don't want to get too predictable, but I will keep going as long as I can keep it fresh.

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  18. Hi Talli and Nas - yea certainly do things our way and be secure in ourselves AND then choose to be with our man - I agree to that ..

    Love the premise here - fun chick lit - cheers Hilary

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  19. I agree, Talli. The only one who can save us is ourselves. Congrats on the new release!

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  20. Teamwork is always a good plan! Great post Talli :)

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  21. OOH! Such a postmodern mentality. I love, Love, LOVE it!

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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  22. I love women who don't need saving. That's what was good about Mattie in your first book. Perhaps her growth was that she needed to learn to trust a bit and not just rely on herself.

    Can't wait to read your next books. I'm waiting on the paperback for Watching Willow Watts.

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  23. Sarah, that's so lovely. Thank you so much!

    Alex, I can't wait! Bring on CassaFire!

    Hart, yay for strong woman! And MEN who need rescuing. Somehow, I can't see you as predictable!

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  24. Hilary, thanks so much for dropping by! Equal partner is the only way for any relationship to work, I think.

    M Pax, thank you!

    William, thanks for coming by!

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  25. Jemi, teamwork in any relationship is fab. :)

    Stephen, I am all about postmodernism!

    Theresa, spot on with Mattie! Thank you!

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  26. Back off, you shirtless heroes - I love it! And I can't wait to read Build a Man!

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  27. Woohoo! I love a kick-ass heroine!

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  28. Susan, yes! Who needs shirtless man to save them? :)

    Rachel, yes, me too!

    Lynda, strong women ROCK. Thanks for dropping by!

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  29. Hi Talli! Hooray for strong heroines who don't need a man to rescue them. Best wishes with your latest release!

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  30. Give me those "let me at 'em" women any day! Love that there are books that give us some females who take care of the situation and are still open to sharing their lives with a loving partner--not turning it over to them.

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  31. Hi Susanne! Thank you!

    clee - I totally agree. I'm glad so many others are on the same page as me!

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  32. Sounds fantastic -- Talli, I love how wildly creative your books always are. No cookie-cutter chick lit here! I admire your publicity just as much -- you have a real gift for involving your fans in publicity in a way that creates a real sense of community.

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  33. Hi Friends,

    I'm in complete agreement with you all! Talli creates a community wherever she blogs and connects to everybody!
    Thank you Talli! And thank you for being here and chatting with us all!

    Friends, Talli would announce the winners of her books soon....

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  34. Don't enter me. I already have Build a Man.

    Chick lit, coffee and cupcakes...Talli has good taste. :)

    I loved Watching Willow Watts, and I look forward to reading my copies of Build a Man and The Hating Game.

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  35. And the winners are:

    Karen C and Sarah Allen! Yay! Congrats, ladies. I'll be in touch shortly. Thanks again to Nas for hosting me.

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  36. Yay me!! Thanks Talli. Congrats to you, too, Sarah!

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  37. Congratulations to Karen C and Sarah Allen!

    And thank you Talli for this giveaway and for chatting with all my friends!

    Special thanks to all my lovely friends for dropping in and chatting with Talli! Check out Talli's blog, there are still a few places where you can win BUILD A MAN!

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