Character Interview & Giveaway with Brandon Theroux from Melissa Cutler's GAME CHANGER

Welcome to Destiny Falls, New York, home of Bomb Squad--an ice hockey team full of rugged military heroes. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has the team captain packing his bags for greener pastures, but saying good-bye to the woman who'd captured his heart is easier said than done...

After being wounded in combat, Brandon Theroux lives every day like it's his last. He never could have imagined that the sleek mechanics of his prosthetic leg would open so many doors, including minor celebrity status as a fitness model and a well-earned reputation as a rakish playboy. The only door it hasn't opened is the one to Harper Johnson's bedroom.

Harper has too much self-respect to join the ranks of Brandon's "carpe diem" conquests, but when a health scare catapults her onto a journey of a lifetime, she turns to the one person who knows what it means to seize the day, find your bliss, and never look back. But a bond forged between friends who can't keep their hands off each other has the potential to be a whole lot hotter than either of them is prepared to handle...

Books in the Bomb Squad hockey series:

Risky Business (Bomb Squad #1)- August 2014

Undefeated (Bomb Squad #2) - November 2014

Game Changer (Bomb Squad #3) - May 2015

Hi Brandon.  Welcome to Read Your Writes Book Reviews.  So, I have to be honest with you...When it came time for me to decide if I wanted to do an interview with you or Harper, I had a really hard time deciding.  Alas, I picked you, because you surprised me the most.

I’m not going to ask you questions regarding your story per say, because it’s amazing and people really need to read it for themselves.  So, I’m going to ask you some get to know you questions, if that’s okay with you.

Thank you for having me, Kim. Honestly, no one was more surprised than I am with all the twists and turns my life has taken this past year. Not in my wildest dreams could I have predicted the way everything would turn out. I’m the luckiest man in the world.

That’s really good.  Let’s get started.  What’s your name?

I see how you roll. You’re starting me off with the easy questions before you go all Oprah on me and try to get me to cry.

No.  Not at all.  I just want to find out what your whole name is.

Okay, I’ll play along. My name’s Brandon Richard Theroux. I was born and raised in Connecticut and I’m a former lieutenant in the United States Army. Age 32. Height, 6’1”, and my weight is sitting around 189 lbs right now.

That wasn’t too tough.  Tell me more about yourself.

Sure. I guess I’ll start with the most important part of myself. I’m a married man now, but if you watched Meet the Groom this season then you already know that. And probably even if you didn’t watch the show because my proposal to Harper was all over the national news for a while. I’m also a fitness model and an activist for issues facing disabled veterans and amputees, like me. [He stretches out his leg, showing off his prosthesis].

What’s your best and worst qualities?

[chuckling] Maybe you should ask Harper that.

What would she say your best and worst qualities are?

You’re not going to let me off the hook, are you? Okay…She’d probably tell you my worst quality is that I hog the covers in bed. [He laughed again]. And I can get kinda vain sometimes.

[a woman’s voice from the other room] Only sometimes?

Brandon: Speaking of my beautiful bride… [he calls to her] You’re just in time to come talk smack about me with Kim, baby.

Harper: [She breezes into the room and perches on the arm of his chair]

Hi Harper.  How are you?

Hi. I’m good. His worst quality? Okay, I’ll dish about that. It’s his overdeveloped sense of responsibility. He feels deeply responsible for the people around him and veterans and the amputee community and the people he was in the army with. Bomb Squad. Me. Everyone. The pressure he puts on himself sometimes to be all things to everyone is enormous.

Brandon: [looking uncomfortable] Yeah, but that’s not a bad quality. That’s just…I don’t know. That’s just who I am.

I think that might be a good quality, Brandon.  What’s his best quality, Harper?

Harper: [She pats his chest] He’s got the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. And he’s a great kisser.

Brandon: [deadpans] She’s right. I am a great kisser.

Harper: [She gives him a gentle shove, then stands.] The ego on this one, I swear. I’ll let you two get back to the interview now.

Thanks Harper!  What’s your favorite quality in a woman?

[Brandon’s too distracted by watching Harper walk away to answer immediately] At this very moment? That ass right there.

But seriously, I used to think there was an answer to that question. I’d say breasts or the way a woman carries herself. But that’s not true, really. Now, it’s like this [he holds out his hands, palms up]. There’s Harper and then there’s every other woman in the world. Period. It’s as simple as that.

And that right there, is why you’re a great guy.  What is the one thing you never want to give up?

Damn, Kim. You ask the serious questions. [He falls silent, rubbing his chin] Okay. I know the answer to that. One thing I never want to give up is understanding how lucky I am. I never want to forget that I could’ve so easily died in that IED explosion, but my life was spared and the gratitude I feel about that, it’s a feeling I hold onto with both hands.

Wow.  What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

I don’t think my greatest achievement has come yet. Time will tell. There are so many things I still want to accomplish, so much more awareness I want to bring to the issues facing disabled vets. [He flashes a broad smile] The best of Brandon Theroux is yet to come. Stay tuned.

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

I wish I was better at playing darts. Harper kicks my ass every game and just once I wish I could show her up.

Hahahaha.  Sorry.  I didn’t mean to laugh.  I hear that you’ve been traveling a lot.  Where has been your favorite place, so far?

We’ve been traveling almost non-stop lately. My favorite place? Probably visiting our friend Kayla in Japan. That place is crazy cool.

What is your idea of happiness?

Hearing my wife laugh.

When did you realize you were in love with Harper?

I think I always loved her from the first moment I ever laid eyes on her, but realizing it? That took a little while, but it’s an easy answer. When I close my eyes, I can see that very moment as it’d happened yesterday. I was living in Miami and Harper came down to visit me and she was sitting at my kitchen counter and she—well, your readers really should read our story and see for themselves. But that was the moment that I knew. It hit me like a bolt of lightning. Just…boom. Right there while I was standing in my kitchen. And I knew my life would never be the same again.

That was a really good moment.  But, you’ve had tons of really amazing moments with Harper.  What is your motto?

[He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a wallet, then takes out a blue napkin] You’re just asking me that so I’ll show you the famous napkin, aren’t you? I see what you’re up to. For your readers who don’t know the story, this napkin has on it a contract I wrote up for Harper and it became my motto, too. I carry it with me everywhere I go. It says, “I, Harper Johnson, vow to seize the day and live a life of adventure and joy from this moment forward. No fear. No holding back.”

[He rubs his eyes] Feel better, Kim? You got me all emotional now.

[The interview comes to a stop while he smoothes out the napkin, then carefully replaces it in his wallet.]

I didn’t set out to make you emotional.  I’m not my fault you guys have an amazing love story.

Let’s play a game! Pick only one answer.

Beach or Mountains – Mountains. I hate sand. It gets inside my prosthesis and…yeah, no.

Car or Truck – Fast cars. The faster the better.

Chocolate Chip Cookies or Double Chocolate Cupcake – Evil woman! Don’t go get me started thinking about chocolate chip cookies. You read my story. You know how I get with my cookie cravings!

Popcorn or Candy at the movies – Neither. My job as a model means I have to be really careful about what I eat. I can’t even remember the last time I ate candy. It doesn’t even taste good to me anymore. All that processed sugar.

Bedroom or Kitchen – Ha! Bedroom. A nice big, soft bed gives me plenty of room to work.

Naughty or nice – Naughty. Definitely.

Sweet or Spicy – Spicy.

Handcuffs or Scarves – [Harper calls from the other room] Handcuffs!

Brandon: [He barks out a laugh] I guess she’s still listening. Are you sure she didn’t put you up to asking me that question? Because she’s been dying to cuff me to the bed and have her way with me. She put it on her bliss list and everything. [Calling to Harper] I’m thinking tonight’s your lucky night, babe.

[To Kim] I’ll tell you one thing. My life is never boring, that’s for damn sure.

Love or Lust – Lust, love. With Harper those are one and the same. She’s my everything. She always has been and she always will be. And I think we’d better wrap up this interview before you get me all emotional again. Plus it looks like I’ve got some handcuffs to go buy this afternoon.

Brandon, thank you so much for taking time to answer some questions for me.

You’re so welcome. This was fun. Thanks for coming, and thanks for reading Harper and my story.

* * *

Game Changer is Now Available:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1cIxESR

B&N: http://bit.ly/1wTE3jn

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1mY7hKE

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1prTTiP

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1vWBSgz

The Bomb Squad Series:

(Click on the book covers for more information or to purchase from Amazon.)

Risky Business, Book 1 ~  Review

Undefeated, Book 2 ~ Review

Game Changer, Book 3 ~ Review

Melissa Cutler knows she has the best job in the world writing sexy contemporary romances and romantic suspense for a variety of publishers, including Macmillan, Berkley, Kensington Books, and Harlequin. She was struck at an early age by an unrelenting travel bug and is probably planning her next vacation as you read this. When she's not globetrotting, she's enjoying Southern California's flip-flop wearing weather and wrangling two rambunctious kids. She loves hearing from readers at melissa@melissacutler.net, or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MelissaCutlerBooks ) and Twitter (@m_cutler). Visit www.melissacutler.net to learn more about Melissa and her books and don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter: http://bit.ly/16mkpCs

Melissa is generously offering up two digital copies (kindle or nook) of any book in the Bomb Squad series to two Read Your Writes Book Reviews readers.  Good luck!

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