Monday, July 18, 2022

Return to Wylder by Maria Imbalzano

 Is it ever too late to come home?

         The untimely death of EJ Hampton’s father kills her dream of practicing law with him in her hometown of Wylder. Heartbroken, she now has two weeks to organize the practice for sale. When she meets her father’s millionaire client Dylan Addison, he is demanding and entitled—yet his charisma captivates her.

         Dylan is under pressure to renovate the Wylder Hotel before his father pulls the plug on his project. He needs EJ’s expertise, but she is bent on returning to her life in San Francisco despite the fireworks between them. EJ walks a tightrope trying to balance Dylan’s needs against her own, but doing so is far more complicated when emotions get in the way.

 Wild Women Authors is pleased to welcome back New Jersey author, Maria Imbalzano as she celebrates the release of Return to Wylder, a contemporary romance which is part of the Wylder West series out of the Wild Rose Press. With Maria is attorney Emma Jane (EJ) Hampton. As is our usual custom and practice, EJ . will go first.

Good morning, EJ. Thanks for taking time away from your practice to speak with us. Let’s begin with where you are from. I’m originally from Wylder, Wyoming, but I left my hometown when I went to college, then law school, and now live and work in San Francisco.

Tell us a bit about “Return to Wylder”. This is the first contemporary in the Wylder West Series published by The Wild Rose Press.  Most stories in this series take place in the late 1800s, in the fictitious town of Wylder, Wyoming. Since I write contemporary, I brought it forward, but still use some of the landmarks from back in the day, like the Five Star Saloon, the Vincent House Hotel and Restaurant, and the Wylder Hotel.

What did you think the first time you saw Dylan Addison? Just before arriving in Wylder, I had read about Dylan in a business magazine during my flight. He works for his father’s redevelopment company in Chicago and exuded the persona of the millionaire playboy, with a different woman by his side in every photo. When I got to my dad’s law office that morning, the first appointment I had was with Mr. Addison. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and extremely handsome—definitely the icon from the magazine but minus the woman of the day—looking every bit as gorgeous and wealthy as he had in print.

Isn’t that always the way. So . . . what was your second thought? His smile seemed to ooze satisfaction, and I feared he was arrogant, entitled, rude  and demanding, given the legal work he had just laid at my feet.    

Was it love at first sight? Definitely not!

Totally understandable. Is there anything to like about him? I eventually saw a more vulnerable side to him when he shared his dream of helping small towns regenerate. He was in Wylder to renovate the Wylder Hotel which he had purchased recently. His goal was to make a difference in people’s lives, not merely work to add more cement to big cities.

How would you describe Dylan? He’s not at all like the entitled son of a millionaire business owner I’d expected. He’s kind, and caring, and down to earth. Yes, he wants top notch legal representation and he wants it now. But that’s because his father threatened to pull the plug on his project if the permits weren’t obtained by the end of the month. If that happened, his goal of helping Wylder, first with a five-star hotel and second with other renovations that would bring the town more tourists and therefore more revenue, would come to an end.  

How would he describe you? Loyal to my mother, independent, driven, and helpful in bringing him into the fold of the community so they would embrace him as one of their own. He would also say that I lost my way. For the past six years, I’ve been representing huge developers like his father, build new or bigger high-rises in a city already full of them.

What made you choose the law for a career?  My father was a lawyer, and when my sister and I were young, we always talked about going to law school and joining our dad in the practice. It was our dream.

What is your biggest fear?  Not being accepted by the townspeople of Wylder. My father was a pillar of the community. Everyone loved and respected him. He helped those who couldn’t afford his services just as rigorously as those who could. Stepping into his shoes would be next to impossible.

With this daunting sounding goal in mind, how do you relax? I work a ton of hours at the law firm in San Francisco. But I do play on a recreational volleyball team once a week and hike with friends some weekends. That’s about it for fun. I also coach the moot court team at Berkeley Law—not exactly relaxing but fulfilling.

Who is your favorite fictional character?  Anna from “Frozen.” The unconditional and powerful love between Anna and her sister, Elsa, saves the day.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? It came from my nemesis, Adam Coulter, the permit officer in Wylder. When I argued that he should grant the permits Dylan needed to begin renovations on the Wylder Hotel without a variance, he told me that he and my father worked together to get things done. I, on the other hand, had been trying to get around the rules and had no working relationship with him. I was an out-of-towner who apparently lacked the nice gene. If I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps, I’d better learn how to curry favor with the locals by immersing myself back into the community. And be nicer.

Uh huh. Good luck with further encounters with Mr. Coulter. Now we’d like to chat with Maria beginning with What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? The books that I loved reading and made me want to write romance were those by Judith McNaught. My favorite book of hers was called “Perfect.” But I did love all her books. On the other hand, a Danielle Steele book I was reading, made me utter the words, “In bet I could do this.” I was annoyed with the way she would explain something on page 100 and then again on page 103. We are not stupid readers.

Is there an event in your private life that you were able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? I am a retired divorce lawyer, and the two things I brought to this book were my inner thoughts about working with a difficult client—biting my tongue and explaining calmly and rationally why a client’s position may not be the best position to put forward. Also, there is a need to work collaboratively with those who can help you—even an adversary.  

Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them?  In order to get my manuscript in front of the big publishing houses, I needed an agent. I had one at one point, but I didn’t feel like she was working very hard for me. Once I fired her, I was back to square one, so I had to find those publishers who would look at un-agented submissions. The Wild Rose Press was one of them.  I had heard good things about them, so I submitted. And the rest is history. I’ve been with The Wild Rose Press since 2013 and find them excellent to work with.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile?  I downloaded “The Thorn Birds” recently. Although I had read it years ago, I remember loving it (as well as the movie), so I want to read it again. [I’d also add to the list] “Verity” by Colleen Hoover and “Pack Up the Moon” by Kristin Higgins.

Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? I am working on book 4 of my Sworn Sisters series (Women’s Fiction with strong romantic elements), tentatively called “Sworn to Collide.”  This is Denise’s story- one of four girlfriends from high school, who is now in her 30s and dealing with an upheaval in her marriage. Her husband of ten years has been transferred to Boston, after she just got back into the workforce, having had three children (one of whom is adopted and has leukemia). They agree that she will stay in Princeton for the balance of the school year while he moves to Boston, but other problems arise to thwart her upcoming move. There marriage may not survive their conflicting goals as well as other possible love interests.

          In addition to “Sworn to Collide,” I recently pulled out of my drawer a manuscript I had written 15 years ago called “Island Fever.” I spent two months re-working it and polishing it to a shine. The heroine is a prep school teacher from Princeton who gets suspended because of an edited video that was posted by someone else on Facebook. While waiting on the investigation, she contacts a colleague who had started an environmental high school in the Florida Keys, and she takes a semester job there. While teaching in paradise is one thing, she must also participate in the outdoor activities such as kayaking, fishing, camping and snorkeling-none of which are part of her repertoire. This is a fish out of water story as well as an enemies to lovers story.

Maria brought along an excerpt for us:

        I slipped out the front door and breathed in the cool, spring, evening air. The town was quiet, with most businesses locking their doors at six during the week.

       My father’s office was right next to the Wylder Hotel, a place I now knew intimately after reviewing the entire file including the architect’s rendering. I stood before the front door, which held a sign—Closed Temporarily for Renovations. A dim light shone through the empty lobby, its faded green-velvet couches and linoleum-tiled floor proving its age. This hotel had seen better days.

        When I was a child, this was the place where all my relative’s weddings had been held. It’s where my parents had thrown my high school graduation party. Now it was a sad, empty relic. A relic that Dylan aspired to turn into a jewel.

I startled when the front door opened. Dylan emerged. “EJ, what are you doing here?”

       “I was just leaving work. Heading back to my mom’s. But first I decided to take a stroll around town to get the kinks out. I’ve been cooped up in my office for hours.”

        A look akin to sympathy played across his face. “Almost everything is closed.”

       “Yes. A little different than San Francisco.” I took in the spiral notebook he was carrying with various papers hanging out at intervals. “Were you coming up with more legal work?”

       He chuckled. “No. I got the impression this afternoon you’ve had it with me.”

       Uh-oh. And here I’d thought my poker face had been on display. “No. That’s not true. I’m sorry if that’s the impression I gave. I’ve just been overwhelmed with everything there is to do.” I sighed. “For some reason, I thought it would be easier. You know, a small-town law practice should have small-town legal issues.”

       “And it doesn’t.” His amused look at my erroneous theory struck a chord, and guilt over my prejudice swarmed through me.

        “I’ve been biased living and working in San Francisco. Thinking that I’m counseling first-rate clients who have much more significant problems than those I’d experience if I came back to work with my dad. In the two days I’ve been here, I can see that the legal work, while on a smaller scale, is just as important.”

       “Good to hear. I wouldn’t want you to minimize my needs.” A grin accompanied his words, softening the barb.

       Not likely with your constant hovering.

 To purchase Return to Wylder go to:

https://books2read.com/u/4ELWkz

 

To learn more about Maria Imbalzano and the stories she creates, go to:

Website: http://www.mariaimbalzano.com

 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7276749.Maria_Imbalzano

 Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maria-imbalzano

 Mailing List Sign Up: https://mariaimbalzano.com/sign-up-for-my-newsletter/

 Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00FG9RI5K

 

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