📚 A Bookish Chat with 'Honeymoon Roulette' Author Irene Woodbury #Interview

Luckily for all you fans of romantic fiction, Irene Woodbury knows that what happens in Las Vegas doesn’t have to stay there. The Denver-based author has captured the heart and soul of Sin City in four colorful, suspenseful novels.

In the gritty, engrossing Romeo Stalker (2021), a Vegas showgirl’s life is plunged into stalker-hell when her ex returns from prison and learns she has a new boyfriend. Love and Payback (2021) is a dark, dramatic look at a married woman’s mysterious death in Sin City, where she has gone to meet an Internet love.

In the darkly humorous Honeymoon Roulette (2021), a bride goes rogue after learning her handsome fiance may have killed his first two wives. And A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis (2021) is the vibrant, funny story of a mixed-up newlywed who goes to Vegas for a girls’ weekend that never ends.

Irene, a successful travel writer whose favorite destinations are London and Las Vegas, is currently working on another novel.

You can visit her website at www.irenewoodbury.com or connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

Welcome to The Writer's Life! How did you come up with the idea to write your book?

It evolved. I had written 3 previous novels set in Las Vegas, and I wanted to do one about a woman who comes to town to get married, but then complications set in and her wedding gets derailed. The idea evolved over a period of months while I was working on another novel.

How would you describe your book’s ideal reader?

Oh, that’s tough. Maybe someone in their 20s, but it could be anywhere from 20 to 80. And I think men would enjoy Honeymoon Roulette, too. It’s a book about human beings and their weaknesses and how those wreak havoc with their relationships. Just a funny book about people.

What part of the book was the most fun to write?

I loved the Caribbean honeymoon, especially Havana. That was fun. I got to experience that while I wrote it, and I loved it. I loved writing about Connor and Roxy in the Caribbean and Connor’s tortuous thoughts while they’re flailing about in the water.

How did you come up with the title?

I came up with many titles over the 2-and-a-half years that it took to write this novel. Honeymoon Roulette stuck, so that was it.

What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

There was a large section of about 120 pages about Annie and Charlotte’s deaths. It was too much of a diversion in the middle of the book, so I cut it down. But it was still too long, so the editor suggested cutting it. I’m now turning it into a novella that will come out soon.

What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?

Come up with an idea you love because you’ll be living in the world you create seven days a week for months, or even years. Believe in your idea and find people who support the way you think and feel, instead of oppose it.

How do you use social media as an author?

I love Twitter and put out Tweets on my novels 7 days a week. I think social media can really get your message out, and if you have a great cover, that helps build retweets. It’s nice to be supported by other writers and to support them in return. You get to meet so many wonderful people and check out their books.

What other books are you working on and when will they be published?

I’m working on a novella that is a little-sister sidebar to Honeymoon Roulette. More dark humor. It will be published in Sept. or Oct. 2021. I can’t wait!

Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?

There are many, I think. One that comes to mind: that love is wonderful and essential, but also sometimes destructive and confusing. The love between Roxy and her parents. The love between Roxy and Connor, and then Daisy and Logan. If you put all this all together, add a few engagements, weddings, honeymoons, and deaths, you get Honeymoon Roulette.

If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?

British author Sophie Kinsella. She writes humor novels like Confessions of a Shopaholic, Remember Me?, and Love Your Life.

She has sold millions of books in many countries! She’s 51 years old. I would love to hear about how she sees her past and how she envisions her future. How does she write her books. How did she get started? That would be a really interesting day! Maybe we could go to tea & shop a bit.

Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

I thank everyone at PUYB for participating in my blog tour and for their support and enthusiasm for Honeymoon Roulette. I find this book funny and disturbing in so many wonderful ways! I hope everyone who reads it enjoys it.

Title: HONEYMOON ROULETTE
Author: Irene Woodbury
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 180
Genre: Women’s Fiction / Dark Humor

BOOK BLURB

To marry or not to marry Connor J. Barrington? That is the question Roxy Drake faces one hour before her wedding, when she discovers her handsome fiance may have murdered his first two wives. Did Connor kill Annie and Charlotte, or simply let them die? Does Roxy become wife number three, or the runaway bride from hell? Find out in the darkly funny Honeymoon Roulette.

PRAISE

“Honeymoon Roulette is funny and off the average track of love and romance stories. Honeymoon Roulette was a very quick and fun read. It was impossible not to love Roxy and share in the troubles she got herself into at every turn. There is plenty of romance but no vulgar sex scenes or cursing going on, only lots of good clean reading. This book is perfect for an afternoon at the pool or a relaxing day snuggled in front of the fireplace. Irene Woodbury has created great characters and a plot that leaves you wanting more. I am hoping for a second book so I can continue to follow my new friend Roxy’s life. Do not pass up Honeymoon Roulette – it is a winner.”

Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Review