Picture Imperfect

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Picture Imperfect by Alyssa Roat & Hope Bolinger, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Picture Imperfect

Series: Roseville Romances #1

Author: Alyssa Roat & Hope Bolinger

Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink

Release Date: November 5, 2021

Genre: Christian, Contemporary Romance

Can a struggling career woman and a procrastinating artist save a beloved nonprofit?

Aspiring novelist Caroline Penn expected a promotion, not a picture book assignment. But when her employer, the non-profit Helping Hope, runs into financial trouble, this book might be the solution. With the company struggling to stay afloat, she and the illustrator will need to collaborate on a strict deadline—no problem for a workaholic like Caroline, right?

Andy Jackson, a “starving” artist, pays the bills by taking on graphic design gigs, but his perfectionism gets in the way. If only he could focus on a project for once, perhaps he could achieve his dream to make art for children for a living.

When the two are thrust together to create a book, Caroline can’t seem to write for children, and Andy can’t meet a deadline to save his life. As time ticks down to release day, the two must face their pasts and insecurities. If they can avoid strangling one another for long enough, they may just bring to the table what the other is missing.

If not, the fate of their careers—and a beloved nonprofit—hangs in the balance.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | BookBub

Author Interview with Hope Bolinger

1. What first made you start writing?
   
   Hope: So I’ve technically always been writing. I used to write six-page stories that I would give to my first-grade teacher to hang up on her wall. But as far as novel writing goes, I had a friend in high school who wrote novels. I thought this friend was crazy. So in good friendly rivalry, I decided to give it a go myself. I haven’t looked back since. 
   
2. How did you come up with the idea for this story? 
   
   Hope: Alyssa and I had talked about how we wished we saw more books that featured people like us—people in our twenties struggling to justify being in a creative field. We’d experienced massive burnout from doing, at one point, seven jobs apiece, to support our passion for publishing. We wanted characters who reflected those same struggles and the same hope we had that one day it would all be worth it. 
   
3. How did you choose the title Picture Imperfect
   
   Hope: One of our characters struggles with perfectionism. We wanted to show that just because something isn’t picture perfect doesn’t mean it isn’t worth pursuing. 
   
4. What was the hardest part about writing this book?
   
   Hope: Alyssa and I hadn’t written in the genre before, so it was definitely a steep learning curve. People say “Oh, well, writing romance would be so easy,” but in adult romance, you have to hit certain beats at just the right time. In some ways, it’s a lot harder to write than the usual young adult genres that we’re known to dabble in.
   
5. What do you want readers to take away from reading this book?
   
   Hope: We really want them to take away a couple of things. First, we want them to rekindle their passions for their dreams. We had an ARC reader tell us that she’d given up on writing, but that this book gave her the hope and push to start again. Secondly, we hope to show the realities of burnout and perfectionism and how it often plagues creatives, especially those in their 20s. Finally, we want readers to walk away from the story filled with hope.
   
6. Which was your favorite character? Is it the one you most related to?
   
   Hope: It’s so hard to say, because this book sets up the trajectory for several more romances between supporting characters. I will say, in this story alone, I really appreciated Andy—and not just because I wrote him. He has a great deal to overcome in terms of perfectionism. I’m actually a lot more like Caroline—meeting deadlines early, taking on as much work as possible. But Andy taught me the importance of slowing down.
   
7. Are you a pantser or plotter? How did this tendency show up with this book?
   
   Hope: So funnily enough I’m a plotter, and Alyssa is a pantser. So often when we coauthor, we’ll do some hybrid of the two. Romance, however, strictly requires plotting. So we operated off of an outline in this. That’s not to say that we didn’t deviate off of it. Our characters often have a mind of their own.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Hope Bolinger is the author of 12 books, including the award-winning Blaze trilogy. She has worked in the industry as an agent, done acquisitions and editorial roles for publishers, and has also worked for magazines, newspapers, and online publications such as Crosswalk.com. Her articles and other publications can be seen by millions yearly, and she has 1100 bylines to her name. When she isn’t battling deadlines, she loves to hike in Ohio’s national parks and pet her high-maintenance cat Twix. Find out more about her at https://www.hopebolinger.com.

CONNECT WITH HOPE: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Alyssa Roat has worked in a wide variety of roles within the publishing industry as an agent, editor, writer, and marketer. She is the publicity manager at Mountain Brook Ink and Mountain Brook Fire, a former associate literary agent at Cyle Young Literary Elite, an editor with Sherpa Editing Services, and a freelance writer with 200+ bylines in local, national, and international publications. She is the author of The Wraithwood Trilogy and the co-author with Hope Bolinger of the YA superhero chat fiction romances Dear Hero and Dear Henchman. Her name is a pun, which means you can learn more about her at http://www.alyssawrote.com or on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook as @alyssawrote.

CONNECT WITH ALYSSA: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

---

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of Perfectly Arranged OR a $20 Amazon gift card (winner’s choice)!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight November 8, 2021 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on November 15, 2021. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

---

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.