USA Today Best Selling Author – Renee Carlino
Please welcome our Feature Friday Author – Renee Carlino, author of Sweet Thing, Sweet Little Thing, and Nowhere But Here. Nowhere But Here is also our book of the month for May! Look for our double review later this month!
Renee’s first friends were the imaginary kind and even though her characters haven’t gone away, thankfully the delusions have. She admits she’s a wildly hopeless romantic and she blames 80’s movies staring Molly Ringwald for that. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or working on the next book, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate.
Connect with Renee:
Title: Nowhere but Here
Published On: 2014-05-05
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Pages: 320
Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Purchase Links:
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SYNOPSIS
A jaded Chicago reporter in her twenties unexpectedly finds love in Napa Valley when she’s assigned to spend a week with a famously reclusive genius in this rich and deeply satisfying contemporary romance by the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing.Kate Corbin has lost her spark. A year ago, she had a handsome boyfriend and a budding career as a reporter at a popular Chicago newspaper. But after the woman who raised her passed away, leaving her lost and alone, she fell into a rut—and never got out. Now she’s stuck writing fluff pieces about lipstick and wine, and feeling trapped in a relationship that’s going nowhere.Trusting that the hungry, ace reporter is buried somewhere deep inside, Kate’s boss and mentor gives her the opportunity to jump-start her career. The assignment: spend a week interviewing R. J. Lawson, a famously reclusive tech genius who disappeared years ago but recently reemerged as the owner of a well-respected Napa Valley winery. Kate jumps at the chance, but the trip begins in disaster, both personally and professionally. After alienating R.J., her only saving grace is Jamie, a charming vineyard hand who shows her the beauty of wine country—and stirs her aching heart. It doesn’t take long for Kate and Jamie to fall hard, and for Kate to rethink her life in the city. But the week ends with a heartbreaking journey back to Chicago that sends Kate reeling, wondering what went wrong in those four perfect days.
 “You have to teach your heart and mind how to sing together…then you’ll hear the sound of your soul.”Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She’s an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use and exploring music, her true love.When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father’s café, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays host to undiscovered musicians and artists. She’s denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passions-for him, for music-but her father’s legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more.
A “heartbreaking and romantic” (Aestas Book Blog) debut, Sweet Thing explores the intensity and complexities of first love and self-discovery.
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Ever wonder what happened after the final pages of Sweet Thing? From his candid and sometimes neurotic point of view, Will tells all in this musical and sexy follow-up novella to Renée Carlino’s USA Today Bestseller. Life is pure bliss for Mia and Will. They have a puppy, a loft in Brooklyn, and a new music studio on the rise. It seems things couldn’t get any better for this talented couple when life decides to throw them a sweet little curve ball. They quickly learn that things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes happily ever after is one giant leap of faith away. Watch this duo grow in more ways than one in SWEET Little THING.
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Our Reviews for Sweet Little Thing
[usr 5]
I’ve got two words – LOVED IT!!!!
This was a beautiful story, I just loved it. I did not really like Mia in Sweet Thing, she frustrated me so much, but I just adore Mia in Sweet Little Thing! And of course I just love Will. I loved how they were so chill about June pooping on the floor! That brought a smile to my face, it reminds me of our current potty training of our little pup Minnie.
For the most part I am at a loss for words and all I can think to say is I loved this book!
[usr 5]
I’ll keep this review short and sweet, just like Sweet Little Thing was. It’s almost as if this isn’t a separate novella and was just a really long epilogue that you’ve been waiting for from Sweet Thing. There’s a tiny bit of drama mixed in between the sweet and the spicy scenes to keep things interesting, and Mia and Will have a wonderfully playful banter even when things go wrong that just makes this book truly a Sweet Little Thing.
Oh and watch this first, it’ll help with the visuals later 😉
Why did you decide to become a writer?
I became a writer because I wanted to tell the stories in my head and give a lot of couples a happily ever after.
Who/what are your writing inspirations?
Most of my writing inspiration comes from music and my own experiences and relationships.
What are your favorite genres to read?
I love historical romance.
Favorite writing food / snack?
My favorite food is chocolate. I would eat it for every meal.
What do you hope readers take away most from your writing?
I hope that my readers will embrace the change my characters make over time. My biggest dream is for readers to connect feel experience that human feeling when we fall in love.
Who’s the favorite character of yours that you’ve written and why?
Of course I love my male characters. Will from Sweet Thing, Jamie from Nowhere But Here and Nate from After the Rain, which will be out in November.
What is your writing style? Outliner/Planner or Seat of the Pantser?
I usually write based on a rough outline but I like to allow for changes when I feel like it makes sense to do so.
If someone wanted to become a writer, what tips would you give to them?
I always tell aspiring writers that the first step is always just to write. Writers have tons of ideas but the action of writing it down is the part requires the effort and follow through. So I always say, just get to the writing part.
Have you ever purchased something from a late-night infomercial?
If so, what? Hahah. That’s a great question. I bought spacebags to preserve clothes and vacuum seal them. Spacebags are awesome!!!
If you could collaborate with any other author(living, dead, or undead) who would that be and why?
At this very moment I would have to say Paulina Simons because she blows my mind.
If you weren’t a writer, what would you do?
Well I was a teacher before so I’d probably go back to that.
Coke, Pepsi, or?
I drink sparkling water. I am a fanatic for it and will only drink flat water if I am severely dehydrated and have to.
What’s one thing people should / don’t know about you?
I think that I am very sensitive. I think people would be surprised because my female characters are tough but really I’m a softy.
Thank you!
Thanks for having me. 🙂 Renee
