Welcome to the Book Tour & Giveaway for A Cuppa Trouble by Angela Ruth Strong, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
Read a special guest post from Angela Ruth Strong.
Find out more about the book A Cuppa Trouble.
Learn about Angela Ruth Strong.
Enter the Giveaway.
Prefer romance to cozy mystery? Check out my review of Angela’s Finding Love in Eureka California or look for her other Finding Love stories.
Six Reasons to Be Quirky
Guest Post By Author Angela Ruth Strong
When I was a little girl, my mom asked me what my favorite thing was about her. She’s never forgotten my response, because I told her, “You’re weird.”
I loved that she didn’t worry about what others thought and often did unexpected things. For example, she would wear a plastic visor in the mornings to keep her hair out of her face despite the fact it made her look like a dealer in a poker game. In my latest manuscript, I wrote a character who does the exact same thing. The visor becomes symbolic.
Now that I’m a mom, I also have a daughter who has told me that the best thing about me is that I’m weird. She actually has an app on her phone where she stores a list of silly things I’ve said, and she loves filming me when I’m not aware. These video clips get sent out to her friends who all tell her I’m “the coolest.” Seriously. The class president challenged me to a dance off in my living room last night. I let him win.
Me: They think I’m cool?
Daughter: Yes.
Me: What did I do that’s cool?
Daughter: I have no idea.
The only reason I can come up with is that I’m quirky. People love quirky people, and readers love quirky characters. Though my daughter is a bit befuddled by this adoration, I’ve identified six factors that make quirkiness so likeable.
1.) Quirky characters make us feel normal/understood.
My daughters like to give me a bad time about how I dress. They have closets full of ripped jeans and black t-shirts, while I prefer Minnie Mouse’s wardrobe. I defend myself with a quote from Jessica Day on New Girl. “I rock a lot of polka dots.” It’s me and Jess against the world of fashion, and I’m okay with that because, hey, I’m not alone.
2.) Quirky characters give us permission to be ourselves.
Just like my kids tease me, we tease my mom. At one point, every one of us kids has told her she’s like the mom from the movie Just Friends—the mom who literally sings, “Be yourself.” Even while Ryan Reynolds is pouting, “I don’t wanna be myself,” he’s cradling his precious snow globe collection to his chest. He’s a weirdo and he doesn’t know it because his mom gave him permission to be himself.
3.) Quirky characters make us think.
Part of being quirky is seeing life differently, and that’s one of my favorite things about the movie Notting Hill. Spike is the quirkiest of all, which both gets William Thacker into trouble and also saves the day. While everyone else is giving Will logical advice from their heads, Spike busts in and makes a surprising (if a bit crude) exclamation from his heart. His outside-the-box thought process helped Will realize he’d be an idiot NOT to take a risk on love. Here’s an edited look at the scene:
4.) Quirky characters lighten the burden of life.
Let’s talk about You’ve Got Mail. Our hearts broke for Kathleen Kelly when she shut down her bookshop, but then in steps Birdie with a story about how she fell in love with a fascist dictator from Spain. That might have been heartbreaking too, if it wasn’t so outrageous. Instead, it offered hope for a life beyond our comfort zones.
5.) Quirky characters make us laugh.
I learned the hard way that not every story has a place for quirky characters. My editor at Love Inspired Suspense didn’t understand why I wanted my heroine to start shoveling food in her mouth every time she got scared. I was like, “Because it’s funny.” But what I didn’t understand was that they wanted me to write The Bourne Identity when I was trying to write National Treasure 2. I love Jason (we attended the premier with Matt Damon himself), but this scene with Ben is the one I want to watch over and over again. Because it makes me laugh.
6.) Quirky characters help make a story memorable.
Quirky basically means peculiar. Out of the ordinary. If something happens that is expected, it doesn’t stand out. But when there is a quirky character, they step out of the norm and invite others into their world, creating memorable moments like this one in Juno.
One of my favorite things about writing the CafFUNated Mysteries is the quirks of the characters and how they interact because of them. Marissa is a klutzy beauty queen, so people often spot her as she walks in high heels like she’s a gymnast on a balance beam. Tandy is the snarky city girl with a soft spot for her Pomeranian, so everyone knows the way to get on her good side is through her dog, Cocoa.
Their quirks get them into mischief, but I hope they also give you six reasons to like A Cuppa Trouble. My goal is that these crazy characters make you feel normal, give you permission to be yourself, challenge you to think, lighten the burden of your life, get you to laugh, and offer an unforgettable story. Just like my mom has done for me.
Who is someone quirky in your life, and what do you love about them?
(Share your answers or your thoughts in the comments below.)
Find out more about the book A Cuppa Trouble.
Enter the Giveaway.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Angela Ruth Strong sold her first Christian romance novel in 2009 then quit writing romance when her husband left her. Ten years later, God has shown her the true meaning of love, and there’s nothing else she’d rather write about.
Her books have since earned TOP PICK in Romantic Times, been optioned for film, won the Cascade Award, and been Amazon best-sellers.
She also writes non-fiction for SpiritLed Woman. To help aspiring authors, she started IDAhope Writers where she lives in Idaho, and she teaches as an expert online at WRITE THAT BOOK.
Connect with Angela: Website Facebook Twitter
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: A Cuppa Trouble
Series: The CafFUNated Mysteries #2
Author: Angela Ruth Strong
Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink
Release Date: July 1, 2019
Genre: Inspirational Cozy Mystery
Can a couple of baristas chase down a car thief without spilling a drop of their favorite drinks?
Plans for a Valentine’s Day grand opening of a small town coffee shop go awry when the first customer is killed. Evidence points toward the victim being mixed up in a car theft ring, but shop owners Tandy and Marissa have reason to believe he was framed.
An assortment of suspects–from a pink-haired heir to Tandy’s charming ex–all seem to know a little too much about grand theft auto. Without approval from either their boyfriends or the gum-chewing FBI agent in charge, the shop owners go on stakeouts, plan stings, and pursue justice in a high-speed car chase. If they don’t find the killer soon, it might be more than their love lives in trouble.
PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
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GIVEAWAY
One (1) winner will receive a “Coffee is like Sherlock Holmes” mug, “Drink Coffee & Do Good” sign (painted with coffee by author’s cover designer), $25 Starbucks Gift Card & “Drink Coffee,and Read Books & Be Happy” tote.
Full tour schedule available from JustRead Tours. Giveaway will begin at midnight June 24, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on July 1, 2019. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
A Rafflecopter Giveway.
Other recommended books by Angela Ruth Strong:
Finding Love in Sun Valley, Idaho
Finding Love at the Oregon Coast
Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana
Finding Love in Park City, Utah (My personal favorite!!!)
Don’t forget to check out The CafFUNated Mystery Book 1: A Caffeine Conundrum.
Did you read the special guest post?
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