Welcome Teodora Kostova - Kiss and Ride
A big welcome today to Teodora Kostova as part of her blog tour with Eyes on Books for Kiss and Ride.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing?
Hi, guys! Thanks for having me. I’m Teodora, I live in London and I love romance books! I’m a romance writer, through and through. I don't see myself writing anything that doesn’t have a love story, even as a subplot. I write contemporary romance, it’s the genre that I love reading as well, but I can definitely see myself experimenting with other genres in the future like YA or paranormal.
Can you tell us about your new release? What inspired you to write it?
My new book is called Kiss and Ride and it’s a contemporary romance set in Rome. I wanted to write a Christmas story, but I had this idea of a guy speaking at his father’s funeral, saying how much he hated the man. Not very Christmassy. I was playing around with it for a while, but nothing much came out of it. I was just about to put it on the back burner and start working on something else when I went to Rome for a few days. I wasn’t prepared how much the city would inspire me! I had Luca and Vin’s story outlined in 2 days, including whole scenes and character back stories. So, in a way, Rome chose me, not the other way around.
How did you come up with the title?
The title, Kiss and Ride, is what the drop-off point at airports and train stations are called in Rome. Probably other cities in Italy, too, but Rome was where I first noticed it. When I saw it, I thought it was some sort of lost in translation thing, but it turned out it’s not. It’s the actual name, with no Italian alternative, so it’s not a translation at all.
It’s such an Italian thing - you need to kiss whoever you’re with when you see them and when you bid them goodbye. So when I was thinking about a title for Luca and Vin’s story, that was the first thing that popped into my head, and it fits the story perfectly.
What are your writing and personal goals for 2017 and beyond?
Next year I’m hoping to publish 4 books - 2 sequels to my book Cookies, which will be stand-alones, about other couples, but with cameos from Jay and Amir as well, and 2 novellas, one will be a fun summer read about Hayden who was first introduced in A Sip of Rio, and a Christmas story for the holidays.
On a personal level, I’ve been trying to learn Italian for a while now, so I hope to focus on that more, and also I really want to learn to play the guitar. I’d love to spend more quality time with my family, too, so I’ve planned short trips to Barcelona, Florence and Sardinia.
When is your next book coming out, and what’s it about?
My next book is called Grounded, it’s a sequel to Cookies, and it’s Greg and Shane’s story. Hopefully, it’ll be out in February.
What are you working on at present? Would you like to share a snippet?
I’m working on Grounded right now, but it’s very early stages. Greg is a fighter jet pilot, and so is a character from the next book in the series, so right now I’m buried in research. It’s not an easy topic to write about and I want to make sure I learn as much about it as I can before I start writing the first draft.
Do characters and stories just pop into your head, or do you take your time thinking about them?
They definitely jump into my head. And so do scenes. I’ve tried fabricating characters and events, and it just doesn’t work for me.
Are you a panster or a plotter?
A little of both. I like to have an outline of the main events in the book, and I definitely need to know how it ends before I start writing, but other than that I let my characters take the lead.
Do you write often? Is it on a schedule, or whenever you feel like it?
I don't write every day, because there’s more to writing a book than the physical act of writing it. When I’m in the writing stage, I write every day, sometimes all day. But when I research or outline or revise, I don't usually write.
If you could have any superpower or magical ability, what would it be and why? What would you do with it? And yes world domination is an acceptable answer.
I’ve always thought it’d be super cool to be fluent in all the languages in the world. That’d be an awesome superpower.
Title: Kiss & Ride
Author: Teodora Kostova
Genre: Gay Romance, Contemporary, Christmas/Holiday Romance
Synopsis
What happens when you meet the right guy at the wrong time?
When Vincent Alesi’s estranged father dies, he gets on the first plane from New York city to Rome to be at the memorial service. Even if he has to max out his credit card. Even if he hates the man for leaving him. Even if it’s a day before Christmas.
Everything that can go wrong does go wrong, and Vin ends up trusting a complete stranger with all his secrets, even the ones he didn’t know he had.
Luca Romano’s job as a flight attendant takes him all over the world. But a jet-setting lifestyle is not what he wants. His dream of opening his own restaurant is being placed on hold over circumstances beyond his control.
Timing is everything…
When Vin bursts into Luca’s life, both men fall fast and hard. But their lives, their dreams, even the cities they live in couldn’t be more different.
Their few days together in Rome are romantic, emotionally intense, and leave them both wanting more.
Can a fleeting love affair change their lives forever?
Buy Links
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N054R33/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N054R33/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01N054R33/
Book Trailer
Giveaway
Prizes
About the author
Hi, my name is Teodora and I live in London with my husband and my son. I’ve been writing ever since I can remember, but it became my full time job a few years ago when I decided that everything else I’ve tried bores me to death and I have to do what I’ve always wanted to do, but never had the guts to fully embrace. I’ve been a journalist, an editor, a personal assistant and an interior designer among other things, but as soon as the novelty of the new, exciting job wears off, I always go back to writing. Being twitchy, impatient, loud and hasty are not qualities that help a writer, because I have to sit alone, preferably still, and write for most of the day, but I absolutely love it. It’s the only time that I’m truly at peace and the only thing I can do for more than ten minutes at a time - my son has a bigger attention span than me.
When I’m procrastinating, I like to go to the gym, cook Italian meals (and eat them), read, listen to rock music, watch indie movies and True Blood re-runs. Or, in the worst case scenario, get beaten at every Nintendo Wii game by a very inventive kid.
Don’t be shy and get in touch - I love connecting with my readers.
Blog: www.teodorakostova.blogspot.com
Twitter: @Teodora_Kostova
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teodorakostovaauthor
E-mail: t.t.kostova@gmail.com
Instagram: teodorika1
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing?
Hi, guys! Thanks for having me. I’m Teodora, I live in London and I love romance books! I’m a romance writer, through and through. I don't see myself writing anything that doesn’t have a love story, even as a subplot. I write contemporary romance, it’s the genre that I love reading as well, but I can definitely see myself experimenting with other genres in the future like YA or paranormal.
Can you tell us about your new release? What inspired you to write it?
My new book is called Kiss and Ride and it’s a contemporary romance set in Rome. I wanted to write a Christmas story, but I had this idea of a guy speaking at his father’s funeral, saying how much he hated the man. Not very Christmassy. I was playing around with it for a while, but nothing much came out of it. I was just about to put it on the back burner and start working on something else when I went to Rome for a few days. I wasn’t prepared how much the city would inspire me! I had Luca and Vin’s story outlined in 2 days, including whole scenes and character back stories. So, in a way, Rome chose me, not the other way around.
How did you come up with the title?
The title, Kiss and Ride, is what the drop-off point at airports and train stations are called in Rome. Probably other cities in Italy, too, but Rome was where I first noticed it. When I saw it, I thought it was some sort of lost in translation thing, but it turned out it’s not. It’s the actual name, with no Italian alternative, so it’s not a translation at all.
It’s such an Italian thing - you need to kiss whoever you’re with when you see them and when you bid them goodbye. So when I was thinking about a title for Luca and Vin’s story, that was the first thing that popped into my head, and it fits the story perfectly.
What are your writing and personal goals for 2017 and beyond?
Next year I’m hoping to publish 4 books - 2 sequels to my book Cookies, which will be stand-alones, about other couples, but with cameos from Jay and Amir as well, and 2 novellas, one will be a fun summer read about Hayden who was first introduced in A Sip of Rio, and a Christmas story for the holidays.
On a personal level, I’ve been trying to learn Italian for a while now, so I hope to focus on that more, and also I really want to learn to play the guitar. I’d love to spend more quality time with my family, too, so I’ve planned short trips to Barcelona, Florence and Sardinia.
When is your next book coming out, and what’s it about?
My next book is called Grounded, it’s a sequel to Cookies, and it’s Greg and Shane’s story. Hopefully, it’ll be out in February.
What are you working on at present? Would you like to share a snippet?
I’m working on Grounded right now, but it’s very early stages. Greg is a fighter jet pilot, and so is a character from the next book in the series, so right now I’m buried in research. It’s not an easy topic to write about and I want to make sure I learn as much about it as I can before I start writing the first draft.
Do characters and stories just pop into your head, or do you take your time thinking about them?
They definitely jump into my head. And so do scenes. I’ve tried fabricating characters and events, and it just doesn’t work for me.
Are you a panster or a plotter?
A little of both. I like to have an outline of the main events in the book, and I definitely need to know how it ends before I start writing, but other than that I let my characters take the lead.
Do you write often? Is it on a schedule, or whenever you feel like it?
I don't write every day, because there’s more to writing a book than the physical act of writing it. When I’m in the writing stage, I write every day, sometimes all day. But when I research or outline or revise, I don't usually write.
If you could have any superpower or magical ability, what would it be and why? What would you do with it? And yes world domination is an acceptable answer.
I’ve always thought it’d be super cool to be fluent in all the languages in the world. That’d be an awesome superpower.
Title: Kiss & Ride
Author: Teodora Kostova
Genre: Gay Romance, Contemporary, Christmas/Holiday Romance
Synopsis
What happens when you meet the right guy at the wrong time?
When Vincent Alesi’s estranged father dies, he gets on the first plane from New York city to Rome to be at the memorial service. Even if he has to max out his credit card. Even if he hates the man for leaving him. Even if it’s a day before Christmas.
Everything that can go wrong does go wrong, and Vin ends up trusting a complete stranger with all his secrets, even the ones he didn’t know he had.
Luca Romano’s job as a flight attendant takes him all over the world. But a jet-setting lifestyle is not what he wants. His dream of opening his own restaurant is being placed on hold over circumstances beyond his control.
Timing is everything…
When Vin bursts into Luca’s life, both men fall fast and hard. But their lives, their dreams, even the cities they live in couldn’t be more different.
Their few days together in Rome are romantic, emotionally intense, and leave them both wanting more.
Can a fleeting love affair change their lives forever?
Buy Links
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N054R33/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N054R33/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01N054R33/
Book Trailer
Click to viewGiveaway
Prizes
- Kindle Fire 7″ WiFi 8GB tablet
- 2 x 10$ Amazon gift cards
- 2 x Signed paperbacks of Snowed In
- 3 x Swag packs, including pens, bookmarks, bracelets, and van Gogh themed items from the National Gallery in London
- 2 x audio books, winners choice. (requires an account with Audible to claim prize)
About the author
Hi, my name is Teodora and I live in London with my husband and my son. I’ve been writing ever since I can remember, but it became my full time job a few years ago when I decided that everything else I’ve tried bores me to death and I have to do what I’ve always wanted to do, but never had the guts to fully embrace. I’ve been a journalist, an editor, a personal assistant and an interior designer among other things, but as soon as the novelty of the new, exciting job wears off, I always go back to writing. Being twitchy, impatient, loud and hasty are not qualities that help a writer, because I have to sit alone, preferably still, and write for most of the day, but I absolutely love it. It’s the only time that I’m truly at peace and the only thing I can do for more than ten minutes at a time - my son has a bigger attention span than me.
When I’m procrastinating, I like to go to the gym, cook Italian meals (and eat them), read, listen to rock music, watch indie movies and True Blood re-runs. Or, in the worst case scenario, get beaten at every Nintendo Wii game by a very inventive kid.
Don’t be shy and get in touch - I love connecting with my readers.
Blog: www.teodorakostova.blogspot.com
Twitter: @Teodora_Kostova
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teodorakostovaauthor
E-mail: t.t.kostova@gmail.com
Instagram: teodorika1