Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway ~ A PERFECT MISTAKE by Laura Brown

A Perfect Mistake
by: Laura Brown
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 12, 2019
Publisher: Lakewater Press
Amazon | Paperback | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Falling for the forbidden has never felt so right…

When social worker Nica Anders indulges in one night of sexual passion with delicious Deaf man Cam Thompson, the last thing she expects is to see him the next day while visiting her dying client. He’s Cassie’s grandson and caregiver, the one treat she shouldn’t have tasted. Now her job is on the line, demanding she stay away.

But their attraction is building like a raging inferno and Nica can’t help but get burned.

Cam Thompson’s life is a mess. He’s losing his grandmother, the one person who’s supported him his whole life, and her dying wish is for him to settle down with a good woman—specifically her social worker Nica Anders. Despite Nica trying to hold tight to her ethics, he’s falling for her hard and fast.

Yet Cam's grandmother isn’t the only matchmaker in his family, and someone's determined to keep him and Nica apart.

Steamy, touching, heart-warming. A much-needed #OwnVoices romance to go perfectly with that plate of chocolate brownies and glass of wine!

Hi Laura. Welcome to Read Your Writes Book Reviews. How are you?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me. I’m doing good, if not busy. Yesterday was not only a book birthday, but my kid’s 10th birthday! Lots to celebrate in my life!

10th birthday. That’s pretty cool. I hope you guys had lots of cake! Congratulations on the release of A Perfect Mistake. Please tell me about the book.
In A Perfect Mistake, Nica has a one night stand with a hot guy she never expects to see again. The following day they bump into each other at Hospice and Nica learns that Cam is the grandson of one of her clients. She needs to stay away from him, as it’s an ethical no-no for her career, but life keeps pulling them together.

Tell me about the characters of Nica Anders and Cam Thompson.
Nica Anders is a social worker who handles stress by baking. She’s got a big heart, especially for her Deaf clients, and does what she can to help. Her personal life is a bit lacking, but her cat keeps her company. Cam Thompson is a work-a-holic, putting all his efforts into his marketing firm. He’s Deaf and has been caring for his aging grandmother, the only other Deaf member of his family. His mother’s manipulative ways means he’s not exactly looking for a relationship, certainly not with his grandmother’s bad matchmaking streak. But he can’t deny that her pick of Nica intrigues him more than it should.

Cam is deaf. How has your experience helped you with writing his character?
I’m Hard of Hearing, and have a degree in Deaf Studies. I love bringing hearing loss to the page, writing characters that aren’t your typical romance heroes (and heroines!). I might not be deaf, or a native signer like Cam, but I know what it’s like not to be hearing, and I’m fluent in ASL.

What do you love about Nica and Cam individually and together?
I love Nica’s social worker heart, she’s always trying to help others, even if she shouldn’t be! I love Cam’s determination. He’s not about to let anyone tell him he can’t do something, or be discriminated against. In fact, he’ll fight harder if you try and stop him! Together, they are just a blast. I call them my little old married couple, because once I get them on page together, their chemistry soars and it’s hard to keep them apart, though I’ve managed!

When you sat down to write A Perfect Mistake, what did you see as being the biggest challenge for Nica and Cam to be together?
The biggest challenge has always been Nica’s career. A social worker cannot become involved with a client’s family, especially someone like Cam, who’s actively involved as a caregiver. That’s a game ender, like a psychiatrist dating a patient, and has always been the wedge between them. A wedge that will honestly continue long after the HEA, and something they’ll have to learn to deal with.

That last sentence sounds intriguing. Can you tell me what the title, A Perfect Mistake, means or signifies?
Titles are my arch-nemesis! I struggle with them. Perfect had always been a part of the title, my original one being Perfect Together. But that wasn’t strong enough, so I pulled in the mistake, since my couple should have never gotten involved in the first place. But sometimes those mistakes turn out to be, well, perfect.

People have a tendency to hide from or not acknowledge when people are different from them. They basically put their heads in the sand. What is something you want hearing people to know about hard of hearing or non-hearing people?
The thing I want people to know most about people who are deaf or hard of hearing is that a lot of information out there about hearing loss is wrong. Hearing aids don’t work like glasses, lipreading can be impossible for some. Don’t be afraid of us. Come over, ask us how we like to communicate. Never tell us, “oh, I’ll tell you later,” because we are told that all the time. Include us. It slows down communication a bit, but it makes all the difference to us.

When a reader finishes A Perfect Mistake, what is it that you hope they take away from the story?
Ultimately, I hope readers will enjoy and feel a happy sense of completion. I also hope they gain some knowledge of what it’s like to have a hearing loss, but enjoyment is first and foremost!

Laura, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for me.
Thank you so much for interviewing me! I had a blast!

As I approached the room, my grandmother’s door inched open. I waited a minute, but no one emerged. I stepped to the side, letting the social worker finish up, trying not to tap my foot in impatience and envision how many digits my inbox had soared to.

I wondered if this was the social worker Grandma always talked about. The thought alone caused me to laugh and my foot to still. For years Grandma had matchmaking aspirations between me and the social worker. Then again, Grandma always had matchmaking aspirations, really bad matchmaking, take one look and run the other way kind. We’d never met but had e-mailed many times. I contemplated taking another step to the side to avoid any additional matchmaking attempts when the door opened further. A female with familiar blond curly hair backed out of the room. She waved to my grandmother and closed the door. Before I could chastise my dick on the urges the hair created, I found myself face to face with Nica.

She froze, an expression of pure bewilderment that I surely mirrored. Eyes wide enough that white surrounded her irises. On the lapel of her pink button-down shirt she had an ID badge. Her picture was on the badge, under the logo for Independent Senior Services, with her name: Veronica Anders.

Purchase A Perfect Mistake from:

Amazon | Paperback | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Laura Brown lives in Massachusetts with her quirky abnormal family. Her husband has put up with her since high school, her young son keeps her on her toes, and her two cats think they deserve more scratches. Hearing loss is a big part of who she is, from her own Hard of Hearing ears, to the characters she creates.

Places to find Laura Brown:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Amazon Author Page

You can follow the A Perfect Mistake Blog Tour here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Follow