We’re so pleased to kick off our week with author Christine d’Abo and the Faking It blog tour. Christine is here to talk reality television and is also offering a great giveaway, so be sure to check to check out those details below.
Welcome, Christine!
Hello my name is Christine d’Abo and I’m an erotic romance author of both het and LGBTQ stories. Thank you so much for having me here today, and giving me an opportunity to talk about my upcoming M/M romance novel, FAKING IT.
In FAKING IT, Grady Barnes is a former contestant on a reality show, Canadian Celebrity House. Yes, this is totally made up (I know, you’re all surprised), but there are a lot of fun truly Canadian reality shows out there. I thought it would be fun to share a few with you!
Battle of the Blades – think Dancing with the Stars, but with figure skaters and hockey players. While this is unfortunately no longer on the air, watching hockey players (male and female!!) ice dance was a wonderful treat.
Canada’s Worst Driver – While some of the mistakes that these drivers make are head scratching, the show’s emphasis is on education and rehabilitation. Once you start watching an episode, you get sucked in, mostly thinking I don’t think I could do that!!
Canada’s Smartest Person – This show is near and dear to my heart because I got to attend a filming with my family. More than a simple trivia show, contestants had to answer questions and perform tasks that tested their knowledge in five categories musical, physical, social, logical, visual and linguistic.
Leave it to Bryan – No reality show list is complete without a showing from HGTV. I can’t even call Leave it to Bryan a guilty pleasure because I have no guilt. Bryan Baeumler takes the renovation decision out of the homeowners hands, and based on budget, value and well….reality, he transforms one room in their home into a masterpiece.
These are just a few of my favorite. What are some of yours?
About the Book
Max Tremblay should be happy. His nightclub, Frantic, is one of the most popular gay clubs in Toronto, and his childhood refuge, Ringside Gym, is well on the way to reopening. But when he finds yet another drunk in the alley beside the bar, Max isn’t sure this is the life he truly wants.
Grady Barnes has it all. He’s rich, famous, and wants for nothing. Well, nothing but a good relationship with his father. When he discovers that his father is going to force him into an arranged marriage, Grady has had enough. He tracks down Max, the man who got him to safety after a night of overindulgence, and makes him a proposal: pretend to be his fiancé for two weeks and he’ll invest in Ringside Gym.
When the pair travel to Vancouver to attend a family wedding, the flames of their mutual attraction ignite, and they discover that the only difference between pretend and reality is how well they can fake it.
[zilla_button url=”http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/faking-it” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Available from Riptide Publishing [/zilla_button]
About the Ringside Romance Universe
Deep in the heart of Toronto lies Ringside Gym. Once a safe haven for troubled teens, Ringside has gone derelict, a forgotten memory of past days. Until a group of friends set out to do what they can to bring life back to the ring and create a new home for LGBT youths.
But when their lives threaten to pull down their dreams, each man must turn to others to help make it a reality. Winners take all—but there are no losers in love.
[zilla_button url=”http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/universe/ringside-romance” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Check Out Ringside Romance [/zilla_button]
About the Author
A romance novelist and short story writer, Christine has over thirty publications to her name. She loves to exercise and stops writing just long enough to keep her body in motion too. When she’s not pretending to be a ninja in her basement, she’s most likely spending time with her family and two dogs.
Connect with Christine: Website || Blog || Facebook || Twitter @Christine_dAbo || Tumblr || Pinterest || Goodreads
The Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Faking It, one lucky winner will receive a $25 Riptide credit. Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 13, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
The Novel Approach Reviews 
I haven’t watched TV for several years and don’t remember being absorbed in reality shows….I’m more of a sports fanatic
leetee2007(at)hotmail(dot)com
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I’m not much for watching tv, but I would really enjoy that Canada’s Worst Driver… It sounds…. interesting. ;)
Congratulations on the book. It sounds good. And I really like the cover
susanaperez7140(at)gmail(dot)com
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First off: happy book birthday, Christine. I don’t much watch reality show. I bumped into old season of The Great British Sewing Bee and was in awe of the creations as well as friendly atmosphere of the competitors. Whereas, in other reality shows I mostly saw heated and hurtful words, which is why I tend to stay away from watching.
puspitorinid AT yahoo DOT com
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Like Lee Todd, I haven’t watched tv in ages. I turn the news on maybe twice a week until my stomach tells me to shut it off. Much success to you, Christine! Your story sounds quite interesting.
Taina1959@ yahoo.com
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I haven’t watch TV for a long time now, but when I did I never watched reality TV shows. Just not my thing.
Congrats on the new release, Christine.
tankie44 at gmail dot com
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I don’t usually watch reality TV but those Canadian ones sound pretty good. Congrats on the new release!
kimandpete123 at gmail dot com
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Congrats on the new release! I haven’t watched any of those shows, I only watch a couple because the rest of the time I prefer to watch series.
serena91291@gmail(dot)com
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I’m so looking forward to this – fake relationships are one of my favorite tropes! And since I rarely watch TV, they could all be real and I’d never know:)
sandyathey@gmail(dot)com
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I’m not a reality show lover at all, but I would be all over watching hockey players figure skate!
vitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
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Congratulations on your new book!! How awesome for you, and it sounds amazing!!
I don’t usually watch much tv. More into movies or playing on the internet. Of course, my Kindle boyfriend and I are pretty close…LOL
Thank you so much for the giveaway!! blaine.leehall(at)yahoo(dot)com
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Congrats and thanks for the dose of reality. Your book sounds great. The smart people show would interest me most. For me, So You Think You Could Dance was my fav, but they messed with that and had kids this last season, when I’d rather the aspiring adult dancers. –
TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com
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As a fellow Canadian, I of course, have seen all these programs with Worst Driver being my favourite. You constantly think “How did they get a license?”
jlshannon74@gmail.com
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These days I watch almost no tv at all and barely any movies =( I usually stay away from reality tv shows that aren’t a cooking shows. Congrats on the new book! It looks and sounds wonderful.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
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I love to watch competition shows, especially cooking competitions with my most recent obsession being The Great British Baking Show! I can’t get enough! Congrats on the new book, sounds like a fun read!
jenndonald00(at)gmail(dot)com
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Congrats on the release. IT sounds so familiar.
debby236 at gmail dot com
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Reality TV is not my thing however I do enjoy some of the reality cooking shows. Right now I’m liking The Great British Baking Show on Netflix.
legacylandlisa(at)gmail(dot)com
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I think I would have loved Battle of the Blades. I watch a lot of baking and renovation shows. violet817(at)aol(dot)com
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