Author Guest Post with Natalie Cross: Ballroom Blitz

In the glamorous world of ballroom, love and dancing do not always mix.

Welcome to one of the January 9th stops on the blog tour for Ballroom Blitz by Natalie Cross with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, more author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

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Author Guest Post

How Music Helps Me Read Faster and Write Better

“If music be the food of love, play on.”

Let me follow that with the controversial statement that I do not care for Shakespeare, apart from Twelfth Night and very select parts of Much Ado about Nothing. Though Count Orsino was a bit of an overly hormonal, lovestruck ass, he definitely was on the right path when it comes to music.

I’ve always thought there is a soundtrack to all of our lives. A love song here, a rock anthem there. Something overly poignant and syrupy to accompany graduation ceremonies. Everywhere we turn, there is music. Not just on the radio or streaming services, but in the very air around us, in the staccato clack of keyboard keys, the whisper of wind through brittle leaves, the hum of an electric car.

Music has also always helped me stay on track. I get flustered and overwhelmed, without some song or background noise playing in my ears. Music helps me to focus, to tune out the sound of my own worried brain running a thousand miles a second, demanding more and more of me. With music, I can read entire books in one sitting. I can sit and type hundreds of words an hour. Not an impressive feat for some, but an outstanding one for me.

Of course, this isn’t for everyone. My husband is completely different. If there is a song he likes or a television show playing in the background, he cannot focus on anything else.

“If music be the food of love”…

It’s just that music captures the experience of love so well. The rise and swell of emotions, the clash of conflict, the heights we reach and the depths to which we fall. It’s all there, in each stanza, in each note.

Music plays an integral role in Ballroom Blitz, and most of my books have a soundtrack I listen to while writing. The soundtrack conveys the emotions of the scene or reflects the conflict the characters have to deal with. The structure of the song reminds me of the structure of the scene I need to write. As the song reaches its pinnacle, the story tumbles with it. Music is all about love and loss, and what better background for writing romance suspense stories?

Check out the Ballroom Blitz playlist if you have a moment, and you’ll see what I mean.

Do you have a favorite book playlist? What songs are on your personal life soundtrack?

About the Book

Ballroom Blitz
Dancesport Mysteries Book One
by Natalie Cross

Published 17 October 2022
The Wild Rose Press, Inc

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Page Count: 268
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

In the glamorous world of ballroom, love and dancing do not always mix.

Professional dancer Anita Goodman has learned that lesson the hard way. With her studio and her reputation on the line, she has to take a chance on the last person she ever wanted to partner with: her best friend.

Patrick O’Leary has loved Anita since high school, but he has languished in the Friend Zone for long enough. He will take this last chance to prove to her that love is greater than winning.

Neither of them realize that conquering their rising attraction won’t be their biggest obstacle. Someone does not want them to be together, and will stop at nothing to get their way. Love, dance, and danger. It’s a Ballroom Blitz.

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Excerpt

The music slowed to a close, and he gently lowered her back to the floor, his hands sliding along the sides of her body, trying to make the few beats last as long as possible. He breathed heavily, deeply, his heartbeat racing faster than was probably wise.

This woman would kill him one day. He would probably let her.

His gaze met hers. Had he remembered to temper the fire within him? Her eyes widened. Was that a flicker of desire? A momentary tightening of her hand against his? Finally, finally, maybe he could just incline his head a little—

And she pushed him away, standing up and moving back to the sound system all at once. She took a long, long drink of water from her travel mug. “Well,” she said at last. “Your standard isn’t bad. Let’s try jive.”

About the Author

Love is an adventure.

Natalie writes romances and cozy mysteries featuring women who want to be seen and the men and women who cannot look away from them.

Natalie lives in Los Angeles, where writing is an acceptable way to avoid sunburn. She is mom to two lovely young munchkins who despise brushing their hair and eat way too much cake. She is unapologetically terrible at taking selfies.

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Giveaway Alert!

Natalie Cross will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.