Guest Interview with Former Deb Colleen Oakley + #DebBallGiveaway of CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH

It is with great pleasure that we welcome back to The Debutante Ball author Colleen Oakley. Her latest novel, CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH, has just been released! – Congratulations, Colleen!

In CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH, Jubilee Jenkins has a rare condition: she’s allergic to human touch. After a nearly fatal accident, she became reclusive, living in the confines of her home for nine years. But after her mother dies, Jubilee is forced to face the world—and the people in it—that she’s been hiding from.

Jubilee finds safe haven at her local library where she gets a job. It’s there she meets Eric Keegan, a divorced man who recently moved to town with his brilliant, troubled, adopted son. Eric is struggling to figure out how to be the dad—and man—he wants so desperately to be. Jubilee is unlike anyone he has ever met, yet he can’t understand why she keeps him at arm’s length. So Eric sets out to convince Jubilee to open herself and her heart to everything life can offer, setting into motion the most unlikely love story of the year.

If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH today! You can also enter to win a signed copy by retweeting on twitter:


Or you can also enter by sharing the post on Facebook. We will select and contact the very lucky winner on Friday, March 24th at noon (US Only).

Welcome Back to The Deb Ball, Colleen!

Which talent do you wish you had?

I wish I could sing! I’m pretty sure my kids and husband wish the same thing, because the fact that I can’t doesn’t actually stop me from belting out songs at the top of my lungs every chance I get.

If you were a drink (preferably alcoholic), what would you be and why?

A margarita— I’m a little sweet, but mostly salty and I pair really well with cheese dip.

When you were a teenager, what did you think you’d be when you grew up?

An artist. I went to an art school for half the day my senior year of high school and was pretty competent at drawing and painting. I loved the creative process, but in college I realized I wasn’t as committed to it as I should be to actually make a living, much to my dad’s great relief.

Do you have any phobias?

Heights. I literally become paralyzed with fear. We went to Yellowstone a few years ago, and I couldn’t get near the edge of any mountainside to take pictures. Thank goodness for zoom, and for a fearless husband who did most of the exploring and photo-snapping.

Have you ever met someone you idolized?  What was it like?

Pat Conroy is one of the first authors I read as an adult that I became enamored with. I started with The Lords of Discipline when I was in college and then blew through his backlist, re-reading his books over and over throughout the years. I finally got the chance to see him speak at a book conference in Atlanta and then I stood in line for two hours to meet him. I had so much I planned to say to him— how much he had inspired me as a writer, etc. But when I finally got to him, I became completely tongue-tied. I just handed him my book to sign, said thank you and that was it. Biggest regret of my life.

Learn more about Colleen and her fabulous new novel here:

www.colleenoakley.com

https://www.facebook.com/writercolleenoakley/

Twitter: @OakleyColleen

Instragram: @WriterColleenOakley

BIO:
Colleen Oakley’s debut novel BEFORE I GO was a People Best New Book Pick, an Us Weekly “Must” Pick, a Publisher’s Lunch Buzz Book, a Library Journal Big Fiction Debut, and an Indie Next List Pick. Formerly the senior editor of Marie Claire and editor-in-chief of Women’s Health & Fitness, Colleen’s articles, essays, and interviews have been featured in The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, and Martha Stewart Weddings. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, four kids, and the world’s biggest lapdog, Bailey. Her second novel CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH was released on March 7.

 

Author: Amy Poeppel

Amy Poeppel grew up in Dallas, Texas and left the south to attend Wellesley College. Since then, she has worked as an actor, a high school English teacher, and most recently as the Assistant Director of Admissions at a school in New York City. Her three fabulous boys are all off in Boston attending school, and she and her husband now split their time between New York and Frankfurt, Germany. A theatrical version of SMALL ADMISSIONS was workshopped at the Actors Studio Playwrights/Directors Unit. She later expanded it into her first novel.

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