Fun in Romance: Finding Dori

It's Friday again which means it's time to meet one of the authors in the Fall Into Romance boxed set! This week I'm thrilled to have J. J. DiBenedetto share his favorite scene from his story, Finding Dori. 

First, a little bit about him. ​J.J. DiBenedetto is the author of the Dream Series and the Jane Barnaby Adventures.  He lives in Arlington, Virginia with his lovely wife and Danny, a white cat who’s trained them both.  He’s originally from Yonkers, New York.  He loves the New York Giants, fondue, photography, travel, the opera and he’s a huge science-fiction and fantasy geek.

And a little about the scene he's sharing today: "This scene doesn't in any way come from my life.  I went to an all-boys high school, and never attended a football game, for one thing.  And, anyway, I was so shy that even had the opportunity to kiss a girl presented itself, I certainly wouldn't have realized it, or gotten up the nerve to do anything about it."

Curious? Here's a fun snippet from Finding Dori, coming Oct. 5th in the Fall Into Romance boxed set.
What was wrong with him?  He hadn’t been this nervous on a date since high school. 
He remembered it as though it were yesterday.  It hadn’t been his first date ever, but it had been the first one since he’d really begun to understand what liking a girl actually meant. 
It was a chilly October Saturday, and he was sitting way up high in the bleachers.  His jacket was draped over Izzy Sutton’s shoulders, and she was leaning close to him for additional warmth.  Jumpy, tongue-tied fifteen-year-old Lucas didn’t dare imagine that she had any other reason for sitting so close, or for resting her head on his shoulder.  Or for wearing perfume, and a sweater that fit very tightly and emphasized her every curve.
When the Romance Valley Archers scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good over the Meadowlarks of Portland Central South High, and the rest of the crowd erupted into wild cheering, Young Lucas knew he should act.  He knew this was his best – maybe only – chance to make a move.  He could kiss her.  He should kiss her.  Her head was on his shoulder; her lips were only inches from his.  It ought to have been the easiest and most natural thing in the world. 
Lucas remembered turning his head to face her, putting his hands on her cheeks and moving closer, closer, until their lips were less than an inch apart.  He remembered what had happened next, too.  His body utterly betrayed him.  He burped, sneezed and hiccupped all at once, a combination he had never experienced before, or since.  And just like that, the moment, and the opportunity for his first real kiss, was gone. Poor Lucas! Did you ever have an embarrassing moment on a date? 

Be sure to check J.J. DiBenedetto out and if you haven't already, preorder your copy of Fall Into Romance. This is one set you don't want to miss!

More about Finding Dori:
She’s a loud, pushy New Yorker who drives him crazy. He almost ran her over with his truck. Of course they’re perfect for each other…
Dori came to the town of Romance to help a friend. She wasn’t looking for a romance of her own. But when she broke her leg and found herself stuck in Romance for two weeks, romance found her – with the very man who caused her accident.
Lucas wasn’t looking for romance, either. But when the woman who almost killed herself by running in front of his truck turned out to be his next client, romance found him, too.
Dori has two weeks until her leg is healed and she can travel back home to New York. Lucas has two weeks until his job is finished and he won’t have see Dori again. Can the two of them stop sabotaging themselves long enough for Romance to work its magic on them? 
Fall Into Romance with us!