Tour Stop & Guest Post: Doing It Over by Catherine Bybee

Series Titles by Catherine Bybee

I often tell people that I come up with book titles before I even come up with concepts for the books themselves. When it came to my latest, Doing it Over, Book One in the Most Likely To series, the series title came first.

We live in such a homogenized world where all the kids on the field get a participation trophy, and individuals don’t stand out for fear of being labeled, that I started to wonder how that impacts the youth of today. You see…when I was a kid, and I’m guessing a lot of you, too… everyone did NOT get the prize. You went to a birthday party and the winner of the games walked away with a tiny something. Yes, everyone ate cake, maybe a little ice cream…but the prize went to the winner. Only the winning team won a trophy, and not everyone was able to be in the ensemble of the high school play just for showing up for the audition.

I’ve raised my children in town of 200,000 people in a suburb of Los Angeles. There were plenty of times trophies were handed out for simply showing up. Every birthday party awarded them with prizes… everyone won!

What a shame. It wasn’t until high school while actively competing in track and field that they earned their prizes. What I saw when they did was pride and drive…motivation that one cannot be taught by words.

Most Likely To is based on labels given in every school…even today, though the schools frown upon such stuff now. Expectations are heavily placed on teenagers these days. I see kids practically sprouting gray hair in an effort to keep the GPA high enough to get into the college of their dreams… or perhaps, the college of their parent’s dreams.  I see those dreams fall apart once thrust into the real world. Sometimes being labeled as someone who will fail, forces one to try harder not to. Sometimes being labeled as the undeniable winner leaves the person lacking drive because they believe they can’t lose.  Sometimes… just sometimes unexpected heroes come from the most unlikely person from your youth.

When we make everyone generic, from such an early age, we really do a disservice to all. So my characters are labeled…and they overcome some of those labels and learn to thrive.

Enjoy my latest release, Doing it Over…about the woman Most likely to succeed.

Happy Reading

Catherine

Title: Doing It Over by Catherine Bybee
Most Likely To Series Book One
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 334 pages

Summary:

One small town. Three close friends. True love to last a lifetime.

Voted Most Likely to Succeed, Melanie Bartlett ended up anything but. The down-on-her-luck single mom wants a complete do-over—is that too much to ask? With her family long gone from River Bend, strong, independent Mel is as surprised as anyone to end up in the quaint small town she once called home. But with her friends, Jo and Zoe, by her side, and a comfortable room at Miss Gina’s quirky bed-and-breakfast, she just might have turned the corner on a new life.

Wyatt Gibson never liked the big city. River Bend suits the ruggedly handsome builder just fine. Wyatt knows he’s home, even if that means being charmed by the appearance of Melanie and her spunky, adorable daughter. Is Wyatt’s calm devotion—even amid a coming storm—enough to convince Mel she may have found a home to call her own, a family that never leaves, and a true love to last a lifetime?

Add to Goodreads.

Purchase Links: Amazon * B&N * BAM! * Book Depository

Reviews

“The romance between fiercely independent Melanie and charming Wyatt heats up even as outsiders threaten to derail their newfound happiness. This novel will hook readers with its warm, inviting characters and the promise for similar future installments.” –Publishers Weekly

“This brand-new trilogy, Most Likely To, based on yearbook superlatives, kicks off with a novel that will encourage you to root for the incredibly likable Melanie. Her friends are hilarious and readers will swoon over Wyatt, who is charming and strong. Even Melanie’s daughter, Hope, is a hoot! This romance is jam-packed with animated characters, and Bybee displays her creative writing talent wonderfully.” –RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

Author Bio

New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating high school, she moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Weekday Brides Series and the Not Quite Series. Bybee lives with her two teenage sons in Southern California.

Author Links: Website * Email * Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Pinterest * Instagram * Goodreads

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