Are you thinking about reading #TheLeftoverBride with your book club? This book club kit includes possible discussion questions as well as behind-the-scenes info and more… Click here to access the pdf.
“This book is so much fun! The perfect combination of romance, angst, and humor, it’s your favorite Hallmark movie’s sassier, sexier cousin.”
Amazon reviewer
All Sorcha O’Connor wants for Christmas is for her life to turn into a Hallmark movie—but sexier. Ryan Sawyer has a few things on his wishlist, such as staying away from Swans Cove and getting his NHL career back. And he wants Sorcha. Always has, always will.
A little excerpt:
He shouldn’t be here. He moved to the West Coast right after high school. The first chance he got to leave our little town? He grabbed it with both hands and never skated back here. And now what? He shows up unannounced in my parking lot? In snow boots, jeans that hug his strong thighs, and a parka that doesn’t hide his muscular frame.
Everywhere he goes, Ryan Sawyer always looks like he owns the place.
Like he owns a piece of my heart.
And goddamn him, he does.
Grab your copy of #TheLeftoverBride:
- Kindle & Kindle Unlimited
- Paperback: Amazon, coming soon to Bookshop.org and other retailers.
Would you like to invite the author (virtually) to your book club?
Don’t hesitate to email me directly: authorelodienowodazkij@gmail.com to check her availability. I would either participate at a Q&A at the beginning or end of your book club or I could join the discussion (up to 45 minutes). If you’re wondering how to pronounce my name, click here. Oh, and Plato the Dog as well as Bobbie Voltaire the Cat may do a special appearance (but this is not guaranteed).
Possible topics of discussion & questions.
Question 1:
Second chance romance: why do you think Sorcha and Ryan were able to make it work this time around? What other second chance romance books have you read?
Question 2:
Sorcha, Ryan and Nathan all have very different experience with their stories and themselves going viral. Why do you think that is? How do you think you would react if a moment of your life went viral?
Question 3:
In Chapter 3, Sorcha says, “You can get warm and fuzzy feelings for characters with a redeeming storyline. Right? Asking for me.”: What do you think? What “difficult” topics are part of this romantic comedy? In Sorcha’s life? And in Ryan’s?
Question 4:
Sorcha and Ryan’s lists: What top 3 items would you have on a “List of Things To Do Before …”?
Question 5:
Ryan’s injuries may have pushed him to come back to Swans Cove but do you think his return had been brewing no matter what? Why?
Question 6:
#TheLeftoverBride is set up in a small town in Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Do you think the story would have been different if it was set up in a big city? Why?
Question 7:
The story starts a few days before Christmas and ends a bit after New Year’s Eve, including a polar bear plunge: have you ever participated in one? How do you think the family dynamics played a role within this context?
Question 8:
Who would be your dream casting for #TheLeftoverBride?
Question 9:
What moment(s) in #TheLeftoverBride made you smile?
Little known facts about #TheLeftoverBride (from the author):
Did you know that in a previous draft …
- Sorcha had four siblings instead of three.
- Sorcha didn’t live with her sister but with her best friend.
- Pops and Ryan’s father were the same, then I split them into two different characters.
- The Christmas scene was way, way different: the grandparents were also present and there was a big big fight during that evening, where people slammed doors and left. There’s still some tension but the sweet and then funny scenes weren’t there.
- Sorcha and Ryan didn’t have that big fight in the bar – they had it later.
- Ryan was a baseball player. While this isn’t a sports romance, hockey plays a part into who Ryan is – and he just wasn’t a baseball player.
- Nathan and Ryan had never crossed paths before.
- When Pops and Ryan’s father were the same character, he didn’t like Sorcha.
- The dog Sorcha adopted was a beagle at first – but knowing how much beagles bay, I thought it would be hard in the apartment. Plus, when we adopted Plato The Dog with The Chemical Engineer, he was already two years-old and it took us a bit of time to housetrain him. And with Sorcha so busy I didn’t think it would work or would need way more scenes to make it work. So the beagle became a dog in the shelter, ready to be picked up by a Beagle Rescue Association and that beagle is now in the epilogue.
The magic of revision:
See the magic of revision by looking at one paragraph with track-changes…
Ryan & Sorcha’s Favorite Book Club Snacks:
- Sorcha would ask Aisling and Ava to help her bake cookies: the ones with marshmallows and chocolate and butternut scotch. And then, she’d bring a cheese plate with delicious crackers.
- Ryan… well, Ryan might have to go all the way. First, he would bake snickerdoodles because those are his favorite cookies (even if he doesn’t bake super often) and he would bring Goldfish because these were, apparently, some of Julia Child’s favorite snacks. Then, he would bring jalapeno poppers filled with crab cake and he might try his hand at Julia Child’s Spinach Souffle.
About Elodie (Newsletter with bonus scenes, Readers’ Group, Podcast, and more).
- If you’d like to receive #TheLeftoverBride bonus scenes, make sure you sign up to Elodie’s newsletter.
- She also has a readers’ group on Facebook: Elodie’s Cozy Nook.
- Are you interested in the behind-the-scenes of writing and publishing? Elodie has just the podcast for you.
Happy Reading!
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Elodie Nowodazkij 