Book Extract: Floored by Chrissie Harrison

I’m so pleased to be welcoming Chrissie Harrison to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for Floored.

FLOORED is a charming romantic comedy guaranteed to give you a lift.

Hannah and Drew work in the same office.

Hannah and Drew use the same elevator.

Hannah and Drew aren’t looking for love.

They haven’t even met.

Yet something is happening…

Amiable TV production accountant Drew has turned his back on love after the death of his fiancée, an incident which cemented his longstanding elevatophobia. When Drew moves towns and jobs for a fresh start, he hears a voice in the office lift telling him to “be careful”.

Is it his fevered imagination, the ghost of his fiancée, or someone playing a cruel prank? Quickly, he becomes desperate, foolish… and unexpectedly smitten.

Sweet and sassy Hannah wouldn’t mind finding love, but keeps choosing the wrong boyfriends. Her innate social anxiety, deepened by bad experiences with a preying boss, is a huge barrier to dating anyone new.

Yet, to expose her boss’ antics, she needs to be lucky as well as smart. However, talking to a sweet but hapless co-worker isn’t the answer… is it? After all, she could never imagine meeting him in person.

When Drew discovers the adorable girl behind the voice, a relationship blossoms alongside a shared determination to bring justice to their workplace, risking everything.

Will their daring plan succeed or will it jeopardize the happiness they’ve found with each other?

If you’re in the UK, there’s a chance to win a copy of Floored below. Chrissie has also shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

Content warning: Mention of Drugs.

*****beginning of extract*****

Our sweet but hapless MC, Drew, has been hearing a voice in the office lift. Desperate to discover who’s behind it, he goes to subtly quiz the CEO Kevin’s PA, Lotus.

He has a crazy notion that Lotus fancies him – crazy because she’s out of his league. However, she is the best candidate, and Drew is oddly protective of her, especially as the CEO seems to be suspected of sexual harassment around the building.

 ***** 

At ten thirty, Drew strolled down one floor to Kevin Yates’ office like he didn’t have a care in the world. Inside, he was a bag of nerves.

Yates wasn’t really a “management by visibility” CEO. He was more of a “Friday is for golf” guy. Thanks to that stellar dedication to helming Park Productions, Lotus should be alone in the CEO’s anteroom.

She was. He took a deep breath. In for a penny.

‘Hi, Lotus.’ He perched on her desk to appear confident and relaxed—which was a stretch.

‘Hi, Drew. Kevin’s out. Sorry.’ She indicated the frosted glass partition.

He checked his watch. ‘Probably on the sixth hole now, right?’ He chuckled lamely.

Encouragingly, she laughed. ‘Yeah.’

‘So… um… I see one of the lifts is broken.’

She frowned. ‘Yeah. What about it? You seemed a bit nervous last time we were in the lift?’

‘Me? Nervous? No. Probably just… stressed. Lots on—you know. New office, the initiative, promotions…’

‘Yes,’ she chirped. ‘Busy, busy!’

‘So, I was wondering whether… you knew what was up? Know anything about electronics and lifts?’

‘Ha ha! Me? I can’t wire a plug. You want to ask Wendy in Facilities—if it’s that important.’

‘No, no,’ he blustered. ‘Just… interested in what’s wrong.’

Lotus frowned. ‘O-kay.’

‘I might ask her about ghosts, too. But you’ve been here a while, haven’t you? Longer than me, for sure. Do you know anything about this place being haunted? I mean—if you believe in stuff like that. Do you? Believe in ghosts?’

Wow. You’re killing it here. Any smoother, and she’ll probably swoon.

She leant in conspiratorially. ‘Are you on drugs, Drew?’

He laughed over-zealously, desperate to conceal crippling awkwardness. It weakened his core, shifted his balance, and before he could stop, he’d slid off the edge of the desk and smacked onto the floor. ‘Bollocks!’

Then he realised he’d sworn in front of a perky blonde that he wasn’t really trying to chat up, but who might have a soft spot for him. Or now might previously have had.

‘Shit,’ he murmured, clambering up.

She reached out. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Fine.’

He dusted down with an appalling attempt at nonchalance. Concern mixed with amusement in her expression. He cleared his throat to feign purposeful self-control. He felt like a teenage Drew, nervously asking Geena Hawkins for a dance at the school prom. Mercifully, Lotus didn’t laugh and point.

He pulled over a spare chair which he should, in hindsight, have put his stupid arse on two minutes ago.

‘Are you really okay?’ she asked.

‘You mean am I off my tits on crystal meth, or will I be able to sit down comfortably for the next few days?’

She grimaced. ‘Look, Drew,’ she waggled a finger at her PC. ‘I do have… stuff to be getting on with.’

‘Yes. Sure. Sorry. The thing is…’ He took a deep breath. ‘You know last week when Yates asked about my… initiative, and then he shooed you away like a puppy—’

‘Oh, that’s just how we work. I am his PA.’ Her smile was nervy.

‘Right. Yeah. Sure. No, it’s not about the puppy thing… although…’ He bit his lip and searched her face. ‘Does he treat you okay? Is he a decent boss?’

She touched the desk near him. ‘Oh, Drew, that’s sweet. We… Kevin and I… get by. As people, I mean.’

‘As a boss?’

‘There’s no shouting, enforced late nights, that kind of thing. Is that what you mean? Where’s this going, Drew?’ A worried expression appeared. ‘Did he say something about me? In the lift? Is that it?’

He frowned. ‘Oh—no. The lift conversation was about my idea.’

‘Phew. Thank heavens. I thought for a minute he’d asked if you knew a better PA—like from over at Bristol, that type of thing.’

He smiled. ‘No. It’s fine. You obviously make the grade.’ He glanced around. ‘The thing is… what I wanted to ask… I heard a rumour that Yates is a bit of a… what’s the word…? Scumbag.’

She flinched a little, then regained her composure. Yet, Drew noticed something in her eyes, like a child crouching in a dark corner.

‘Kevin’s fine.’ She checked around. ‘Scumbag in what way?’

‘I don’t know. I heard voices—rumours, I mean—that he’s not to be trusted. Shady.’

Her eyes darted. ‘I don’t know about that, but…’ she murmured.

He leant in. ‘But…?’

She wheeled her chair closer. ‘Kevin has a lot on his mind right now. At home.’

‘Ah.’

‘Financially, really. His divorce is due to come through, and she’ll take him to the cleaners.’

Drew nodded. ‘Because he… went “off piste”.’

That tickled her, and she smiled. He was pleased. He hadn’t wanted to be too oblique but also not say “shagged someone else” in case that was a bit laddish or sexist.

‘Yes. Or “shagged someone else”, as your friend Pirin would say.’

*****end of extract*****

About Chrissie Harrison –

I’m an incurable romantic at heart, and a sucker for great humour. I’ve been writing for many years, and all the stories contain either love, or humour, or both – I simply can’t keep these elements out of my work.

I’m inspired by the big and small screen as well as books, and have a soft spot for Richard Curtis’ romcoms, timeless TV comedy like The Good Life and Blackadder, less well-known feelgood films and romances (Always, Forget Paris, Roxanne), and books which make me laugh (Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, The Rosie Project).

I have a soft spot for stories with strong women and nerdy or hapless guys.

Fundamentally, I try to write the books I like to read. I hope to distil humour, romance – and sometimes pathos or bittersweet vibes – into my novels.

Outside of writing, I enjoy photography, great scenery, a nice peaceful train ride, delicious coffee and cake, and catching up with old friends. I’m also something of a geek, fascinated by maths, science and even fonts!

Chrissie Harrison is a pen name.

Say hello via my website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and You Tube. 

Floored was released on 4th April 2024. Click to buy on Amazon UK, Amazon US and Waterstones. 

Here’s your chance to win a hard copy of Floored by Chrissie Harrison. 

This competition is only open to people over 18 and in the UK.

To enter, simply click here. (Will direct you to the Rafflecopter page where you can submit your entry.)

*Terms and Conditions –

UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter link above. 

The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner.

Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information.

This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Praise for Floored – 

“This book of yours is fantastic! It’s so well written, witty, funny, and the story kept me wanting to know more every single minute. I absolutely love the dynamics of Drew and Hannah’s relationship… and all the other character dynamics too. It’s such a well thought-out plot and I love how everything falls into place at the end.” – Editor

“I’ve just finished reading Floored and absolutely loved it. I loved the relationship between Drew and Hannah as they both overcame their (realistic) problems. The comedy throughout was fantastic, I don’t think there was a second that I didn’t have a smile on my face when reading. It’s a great romance, with lots of extra strands to it to keep the reader entertained and excited.”- Reader

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.