Welcome Christine! So great to have you here and have a chance to catch up with you and your writing - Christine and I have been online friends for many years, having met when we both wrote for The Wild Rose Press. Wishing you many sales and success with your latest Entangled release, A Friendly Engagement!
1.)
What is your favourite thing about yourself?
The fact that I’m loyal to a fault. Once you’re my
friend, we’re friends for life. I’m lucky to have several special people in my
life. So, so lucky J
2.)
What do you wish you’d known before you started
writing?
How to write. Lol It’s funny how easy I thought it
would be, and how it ended up being a huge learning experience on so many
levels.
3.)
Share a romantic moment in your life.
I actually just wrote a blog about this that will be
shared on the Entangled website.
The night I met my husband we were out with mutual
friends. We were bar hopping via limo and having a great time. My future
husband and I hit it off very quickly and from that night on were inseparable.
Anyway, I’ll try and make this short, but while we were bar hopping and having a great time laughing and getting a little crazy, one of the bartenders at one of the bars asked what we were celebrating. I don’t know what made me say it (maybe one too many, lol) but I said we were out celebrating our double wedding. Afterward my future hubs asked me what it would take for me to really marry him. I was having fun and I told him that karats—as in a karat diamond—runs in my family, so that’s what it’d take for me to say yes.
Fast forward a couple weeks later and he picks me up
for lunch while I was at work and while we are eating pizza he presents me with
a carrot—as in the vegetable—necklace that he had fashioned out of a piece of
gold. It was a total “aww” moment and his little play on words over something I
said melted my heart. I have this special necklace still and someday will hand
it down to my daughter J
4.)
Is there one subject you’d never write about as
an author? What is it?
Hmm, interesting question. I can’t think of a subject
off the top of my head that I’d
never write about. I don’t think you should write about anything that makes you
come across preachy or forces your convictions in the reader’s face, but I
can’t name one in particular J
5.)
Do you have any suggestions to help someone
become a better writer? If so, what are they?
I know you’ve probably read it a hundred times, but I
really feel like reading helps you become a better writer. As long as you truly
read what you are reading. Don’t just read for the story—although that’s the
best part—pay attention to what you are reading. Sentence structure, the use of
the senses, how certain things a character says and does make you feel. I think
all of this combined helps your own writing.
6.)
If you could be the original author for any
book, what would it be? Why?
Okay, this is the toughest question. There are so many
awesome books that I’ve enjoyed over the year, so in order to give you an
answer I’m going to go with a book that is dear to my heart.
I’d want to be the author of Kitten Twins because this
is the first book that my mom bought for me, and the first book I learned to
read. I read it non-stop, to anyone that would listen. I’m sure I drove my
entire family crazy. I loved this book so much, that I still own it. It’s not
on a bookshelf of favorites, but tucked away safely in my closet because it’s
so worn I’m afraid it’ll get more damaged than it already is. (Yep, it was read
so much that my mom ended up taping several pages, and the spine of the book)
It looks rough, but at the same time you can see it is and was well loved.
7.)
What did you do growing up that got you into
trouble?
What? Me, get in trouble? Lol I was a typical kid and
did typical kid things. Basically I was pretty good but there were a few times
in my teen years I stayed out past curfew—even though my parents were pretty
liberal with that curfew—and got in trouble with my dad. I think all he really
wanted was for me to take the time to call if I was going to stay out later, or
decide to spend the night at a friend’s house on short notice. Now that I’m a
parent, I totally get that.
8.)
If I came to your house for dinner what would
you prepare for me? Why?
Spaghetti with homemade mammoth meatballs. Lol Growing
up my dad would cook his special meatballs with spaghetti and it was a huge
deal. He’d only do it about once a year because it was a huge undertaking. He
didn’t just make any type of meatball, it was a masterpiece. He mixed several
times of ground meat, spices, herbs and secret ingredients, baked them, and
sometimes let us have one before everything else was finished. The meatballs he
made were huge, almost a meal in themselves. Then he simmered these amazing
meatballs with his special spaghetti. No lie, this was a huge event at our
house and lasted all day, but the end result was worth the wait. Anyway, my
youngest son is a huge fan of these meatballs and I enjoy making them even
though they are a lot of work, and it’s always fun to see people’s reactions
when they try them
Omar Esterly is married to his job. But
when Omar sets his sights on a potential, family-oriented client, his confirmed
bachelorhood becomes a problem. Fortunately, his friend and employee, Devi
Boss, has the perfect plan…
Okay, so it wasn't exactly
Devi's plan to become her friend's fake fiancée. Lies aren't her style. However,
Omar offers her a big, beautiful raise—enough to track down the missing father
she's never known—and Devi reluctantly agrees to the whole engagement hoax…
This was supposed to be a
no-strings-attached win-win for both Devi and Omar, but when they cross the
line between friendship and…well, something more, Devi realizes she’s made a
huge mistake that just might cost her both job and friend—falling for her
fiancé.
EXCERPT
“You’re game for anything, right?”
Devi compressed her lips and studied Omar
through a narrow gaze, taking in the way his overly bright eyes concentrated on
her face as if memorizing every pore. Her gaze traveled south to the
non-existent rise and fall of his chest and how he pushed his suit jacket aside
as he placed his hands low on his hips. He’d stopped breathing while he waited
for her reply. That made her more nervous than anything. “Normally I am game
for anything, but considering the man asking the question, I’m a little
nervous.” She licked her lips.
Omar shook his head, swallowing her hands in
the warmth of his. “No. This is a great idea. I can’t believe I didn’t see it
before.”
“I’ll hold back on saying I’m glad I could
help until I know what you’ve got pinging around your brain.” She tried to pull
free of his grip, but he only grasped her fingers tighter. Her inner voice told
her whatever plan he’d cooked up included her and she wouldn’t be thrilled with
the role.
“Bartow wants a family-first firm. He wants a
planner who is married, blah, blah blah.” He dismissed his unfinished words
with the thrust of his chin.
Devi nodded, her mouth going dry. Was he
planning to hire a wife, or about to propose?
“I might not be married, but what if I were
engaged?”
She didn’t want to jump to conclusions about
the proposal so she pasted on a tight smile. “Do you have a serious girlfriend
hidden away I don’t know about?” The thought unsettled her, but she pushed aside
the heaviness in her gut. Omar and relationships mixed like fire and ice. Not
that women didn’t find him attractive and vice versa, but his true love would
always be work. Most sane women wanted something more than a workaholic
commitment-phobe.
He shook his head a bit too vigorously. “No.
No.” His grip tightened, and she flexed her fingers so he’d loosen his hold.
“Hear me out before you shoot me down.”
“I’m more curious than ever.” Again, she threw
sand over that niggling feeling in her belly. She never jumped to conclusions.
Living by the seat of your pants didn’t allow it, but…
Why start now? She rolled her shoulders in an
effort to relax. Omar pulled her off to the side and out of the crowd moving
past them on the sidewalk. His hands shook with excitement, and he swallowed
hard before clearing his throat. Always calm and collected, his buildup
unsettled Devi, and she tugged one hand from his grip and pressed it against
the gurgle growing in her stomach.
“How about we announce our engagement? I could
pull in some favors and have it in the press Monday morning. That’d still give
Bartow enough time to invite us to the meet and greet. And—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Devi’s stomach did a
nosedive, and she yanked her other hand from his death grip and stepped back.
She twisted one of the bangle bracelets on her wrist. “Our engagement? First
off, I didn’t even know we were dating. And second, I am not going to help you
get ahead by lying.”
BUY
LINKS:
Christine Warner is living her dream in Michigan along with her
husband, three children, one laptop and a much loved assortment of furry
friends.
Besides laughing and a good round of humor, she enjoys spending
time with her family, cooking, reading, writing but no arithmetic. A
confessed people watcher, she finds inspiration for her stories in everyday
activities. She loves to read and write about strong heroes and
determined, sometimes sassy, heroines.
A girl gone wild, at least where social media is concerned, she
enjoys meeting other avid readers and writers on facebook, twitter, Instagram,
goodreads, and her website at christine-warner.com.
AUTHOR
LINKS
STREET TEAM SIGN UP: If you love my books and
want to help spread the word, want to be a part of the fun by getting excerpts
and news first, enter contests with the chance to win prizes, then sign up
here: http://christine-warner.com/street-team/
NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/bnTmhj
Thank you so much for having me on your amazing blog Rachel! I'm so glad we could catch up xoxox
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, Christine. I loved your answers--and your romantic story!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by Liz. I'm glad you liked the interview, it was fun :)
Delete