I’m back! I was on Lexi’s blog a few years ago and I’m thrilled she
had me back. I visited Lexi and her wonderful husband when she lived on St.
Croix. It was such a great trip! And now we only get to see each other if we
happen to cross paths at a conference. I think the last one was in Las Vegas
two years ago. Hey! Imagine that. It’s exactly where this book is set. What a
coincidence.
I’m fortunate to have two covers. One is the World cover that my
publisher Headline designed and the other is the North American cover that
Entangled designed. Aren’t they both gorgeous?
Have you been to Vegas? I do love Vegas, the excitement, lights
and frenzy. One day I hope to go back. Maybe with a bunch of girlfriends!
The idea for this series came from a video I saw a year ago
promoting a Niagara Falls casino. I mulled it over and over and finally came up
with Girls Weekend Away! Here’s the video.
I was given a challenge to put words to the letters of the title
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS.
W – weekend
H – happy
A - adventures
T – temptation
H – hero
A – away
P – poker
P – passion
E – escape
N – new beginnings
S – slots
I – intense
N – nightlife
V – vacation!
E – excitement
G – girls
A – adventure
S – sex
Sound fun? I hope you think so. We all know what can happen when a
bunch of girlfriends go away for a weekend. And this book take begins an
exciting weekend vacation full of adventure and shenanigans of four girlfriends,
Bonni, Celia, Ava and Fredi.
This is the first in the four book series. Each one set in a
different location and follows the shenanigans of all the friends, but with the
focus on one of the women.
Can I tease you with a few opening lines?
Bonni found a perfect spot in the bar. She was early, of course,
to scope things out and get the lay of the land. Situated in the center of the
casino, it was up three steps and gave a good vantage point. She settled in the
chair with her back to the decorative wall behind her. A lawman never put his
back to the door. It had been ingrained into her; first by her dad when she was
a kid and then by her training officer in the police academy. Always be aware
of your surroundings, have a backup plan, and know your escape route.
Whenever I write a book, there is always an element of fact to it.
Whether it be just the location, or perhaps an event, something that happened
while I was away somewhere, it could be any number of things. I decided to come
up with 5 Fun Facts – at least I hope they’re fun! - about WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS.
.
1. Vegas baby! Isn’t that
fun in itself? Going to Vegas means all kinds of shenanigans can happen. And
they do in this book :-) as they can in real life too!
2. I’ve been to all the locations
in this book, with the exception of where they go in the helicopter. Next time
I go to Vegas, I’m going to go where the girls went.
3. In Vegas you’re allowed
to carry drinks along The Strip. It’s not uncommon to see many drunk people
stumbling all around. And I do admit, on one trip that was me and blame it on
Fat Tuesday’s and the time change from Toronto to Vegas. It can be a killer.
There is a little scene reflective of this in the book.
4. The idea for the Girls
Weekend Away series was inspired by a promotional video I saw a year ago for a
casino in Niagara Falls, Canada.
5. There is a certain
alcoholic beverage that has found its way into each of the books in the Girls Weekend Away series. I challenge
you readers to figure it out and let me know once the fourth book comes out –which
will be around Valentine’s Day. I will do a ***GIVEAWAY***, so watch for the
contest info over the next months on my Facebook page, Instagram and my
website.
Writing the poker scenes in this book was challenging. While I am
not an expert poker player by any stretch of the imagination, I have played
Blackjack, Texas Hold ‘em and have watched World Poker Tour — and between you
and me I’ve always had a crush on Vince Van Patton. I even tweeted him when I
was doing research, hoping for a reply, which I never got *cries* … I digress …
What I find amazingly funny, though, is how suddenly I can no longer add when
I’m playing poker. My fingers come in very useful for adding up 9 + 8.
That’s right, there are four books in this series each one set in
a different location and following the shenanigans of one of the friends. The
next book coming in September is title MEET
ME IN SAN FRANCISCO.
It was so good to be here again and share my new release WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS with you all.
Release Day is July 24.
I’d be thrilled if you signed up for my newsletter at my website http://www.shanagray.com/ I’ll also post
news of the upcoming Girls Weekend Away books on my site. And if you’re on
Goodreads and Bookbub I’m over there too!
Take care and I hope the rest of your summer is fabulous!
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS is coming real soon and you can
preorder now.
North America
UK, Europe, World
Author Bio
Shana Gray writes contemporary romance and womens fiction that just might
make you laugh. Her books can be found at Headline Eternal Romance, Entangled
Publishing, Harlequin Blaze, and Random House Loveswept, she is also an
indie author. Her international top seller, WORKING GIRL is available in six
languages. A mom of two grown sons, a future daughter-in-law,
adopted by her black cat, she lives in a small town in Ontario, Canada. When
she’s not writing or at the day job, she spends time with her family, menagerie
of pets, enjoying a fine red or rose wine and is always eyeing travel
plans ready to fly off at the drop of a hat to experience the beauty of
the world around us.
